Sweet itch rugs in the heat

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Chianti

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My pony has very bad sweet itch and wears a rug all year - sweet itch type or turn out to keep him covered. There have been a few instances at my yard over the past couple of years when I've arrived and his rug has been off. When I saw whoever was on duty they'd say something along the lines of it was windy, not too cold and we thought he's like to have a roll. Which is just about Ok in those conditions. He's on almost full grass livery - the yard will feed, change rugs and do his creams - but I tend to treat it like assisted DIY and only ask them to do him when needed. Obviously lock down has changed all that and they have been doing him as we weren't allowed to go at all and are still only able to go on timetabled visits. Today I went up and went to put him back in his field and asked one of the guys to put his rug on which she did. One of the other staff watched and said, 'he's going to be so hot in that rug' to which I replied that he probably would but it was better than him rubbing and hurting himself. He's in a premier equine rug and I said I'd take up a rambo one which is a bit lighter- which I then did straight away. Later this afternoon I had a message from her to say she's had to take off his rug as he was dripping sweat underneath it. I've replied and asked her to put the rambo one on and said I've got a light weight fly rug I can take up later in the week he can wear during the day. So - thanks for getting this far. Has anyone any ideas of other things I can try? Last two years he's been able to be stabled during the day but he can't this - he does have a field shelter.
 
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There are so many different makes/materials of fly sheet/sweet itch rug and some are better than others (I quite like Kramer ones btw). But I have found my horse gets far sweatier running around because he’s stressed by the flies than he does when he’s covered in his sweet itch rug. I have two so I can wash one while he wearing the other and he wears it day and night, although if it’s cool or windy enough to keep flies away I like him to go naked as much as poss. Ordinary turnout rugs, even no fill ones can soon make a horse too warm in spring/summer so I don’t use them at this time of year unless it’s unseasonably cold or wet.
 
Firefly9410 said:
Boett rugs are technical fabric so they are no hotter than without a rug even the dark colours.
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That's really interesting. Thanks. he has a Snuggy Hoods which he's never actually worn- I don't know if that's the same. he's not great with things going over his head but I'll have a look. It's also one of those yard things where I think we have slightly different views. Last year he took ages to lose his winter coat. I called out a vet and she advised taking his SI rug off. Like an idiot I agreed and he went into a mad itching and scratching cycle so I'm now a bit paranoid about avoiding that.
 
Mrs G said:
There are so many different makes/materials of fly sheet/sweet itch rug and some are better than others (I quite like Kramer ones btw). But I have found my horse gets far sweatier running around because he’s stressed by the flies than he does when he’s covered in his sweet itch rug. I have two so I can wash one while he wearing the other and he wears it day and night, although if it’s cool or windy enough to keep flies away I like him to go naked as much as poss. Ordinary turnout rugs, even no fill ones can soon make a horse too warm in spring/summer so I don’t use them at this time of year unless it’s unseasonably cold or wet.
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Thanks - he has a clean rug every week as I think that helps as well. He doesn't wear turn outs when it's warm - I put that in to make it clear that he's always covered no matter what the time of year. Unfortunately even if it's windy and the midges can't bite he'll still itch. I've had him four years and after trying lots of lotions .and potions have it under control so I don't want to lose that now and let him get bitten by midges because he's naked
 
Our wears a Shires Highlander sweet itch rug. Even on really hot days I ve never found her particularly sweaty under it. No more sweaty than her companion who doesn't wear a rug. Our hot cob sweats like crazy on hot days and last year had to wear a SI rug to cover a neck injury so we just used to sponge her and the rug down with water. She loved it.
 
Look on the Boett website it explains it. I doubt Snuggy rugs are the same they are significantly cheaper and yet Boett has not gone out of business. Boett make a water repellent one for the showery weather too. Small hairy native in a brown rug was what I looked after uses to be covered in open sores no mane or top of tail despite having benzyl benzoate twice weekly but with the addition of a Boett rug he had a full mane and tail and very few sores. They are thin and flexible so roll up to almost nothing for putting on over the head.
 
Chianti said:
That's really interesting. Thanks. he has a Snuggy Hoods which he's never actually worn- I don't know if that's the same. he's not great with things going over his head but I'll have a look. It's also one of those yard things where I think we have slightly different views. Last year he took ages to lose his winter coat. I called out a vet and she advised taking his SI rug off. Like an idiot I agreed and he went into a mad itching and scratching cycle so I'm now a bit paranoid about avoiding that.
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The Boett rugs are much better than Snuggy ones both in hot weather and in rain. They soon get used to having the rugs over their heads. If your horse is a bit fussy practice on a quiet one first until you get the knack of putting one on.
 
CazD said:
Our wears a Shires Highlander sweet itch rug. Even on really hot days I ve never found her particularly sweaty under it. No more sweaty than her companion who doesn't wear a rug. Our hot cob sweats like crazy on hot days and last year had to wear a SI rug to cover a neck injury so we just used to sponge her and the rug down with water. She loved it.
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Thanks - I've got a Shires and I do use that as well. It's frustrating not being able to see how he is so I can then make a more informed decision on what he's wearing.
 
Just trawling through sweet-itch forums for interest about what rugs people use, (my one snuggy- hood is in need of replacement and I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy a Boett after reading lots of things on here). However, thought i'd weigh in and say I feel your pain - my old yard used to take my boys sweet itch rug off - when it was hot, and then he'd be mad itching. I always had the same argument. I leave him in his snuggy hood 24/7 nose to tail even if it's hot because it's a lesser evil than him rubbing himself raw. It took him actually injuring himself quite badly from rubbing when he was on full livery for a week for this to finally sink in (I cannot tell you how mad/upset I was). I'd trymake a case to the yard owner - he's your horse and it's your decision even if they don't agree.

On a side note - this year I'm feeding apple cider vinegar and FeedMarks Equidermis supplement, quite pricey but, for the first time in 5 years he isn't rubbing his tail (which he does compulsively) and his coat looks awesome. Might be a fluke but I've never seen him so settled.
 
RachandLouis said:
Just trawling through sweet-itch forums for interest about what rugs people use, (my one snuggy- hood is in need of replacement and I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy a Boett after reading lots of things on here). However, thought i'd weigh in and say I feel your pain - my old yard used to take my boys sweet itch rug off - when it was hot, and then he'd be mad itching. I always had the same argument. I leave him in his snuggy hood 24/7 nose to tail even if it's hot because it's a lesser evil than him rubbing himself raw. It took him actually injuring himself quite badly from rubbing when he was on full livery for a week for this to finally sink in (I cannot tell you how mad/upset I was). I'd trymake a case to the yard owner - he's your horse and it's your decision even if they don't agree.
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You will find the Boett better in hot weather than the Snuggy
 
I have De Meullenkamp rugs. They are very good, cheaper than Boett but do the job and are fine in hot weather. I am not having a go at the OP as I understand they don’t have control but I regard it as a serious welfare issue to take a rug off a pony with sweet itch.
 
my SI horse doesn't wear his rug when its hot during the day. it does go on at tea time though and stays on until 9am the next morning.
 
TTK said:
I have De Meullenkamp rugs. They are very good, cheaper than Boett but do the job and are fine in hot weather. I am not having a go at the OP as I understand they don’t have control but I regard it as a serious welfare issue to take a rug off a pony with sweet itch.
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I would recommend those too , I've used them and they are good. I just can never spell them.
 
I used to worry about my pony getting sweaty but she never did even on really hot days. I always thought I would rather her hot than itchy. I cant remember the manufacturer of her rug. I want to say Masta but not sure.
 
It is considerably hotter in AU than the UK and in Sydney we have revolting humidity as well in summer. Our poor pony that suffers sweet itch (Queensland Itch) the only rugs that worked and kept her cool were from Wild Horse.

https://wildhorseaustralia.com.au/technology/

We had had the cotton ones, the mesh ones as well as the half and half ones. Given the stren is the pound vs Aussie dollar they would be cost effective as well.
 
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I would be furious, nay incandescent, if I was in the OP's position and came onto the yard to find that someone had removed my horse's SI rug.

I put my old lad on loan a good time ago now; he went to a yard where there was a riding school attached. The loaner knew he had Sweet Itch and I put detailed instructions into the loan contract that he must wear his rug at ALL times, no exceptions, when turned out.

He left me in excellent condition and the vet was there just a few days before he went so saw that he had a full mane and tail and the condition was managed satisfactorily.

He went off on loan; and the first weekend he was there it was a blisteringly hot September, and he was apparently turned out without his SI rug on! I saw him a few days afterwards, and his lovely mane and tail were all rubbed raw and bleeding! I was furious! The YO claimed not to have been told about the SI problem and said that some girls from his riding school hadn't realised and had turned him out. He then said the horse had been sent in that condition anyway, so it basically, in his words "didn't matter". I passed him my phone with my vet's number all ready to dial, and invited him then and there to ring him and establish that the horse was fine when he left me! The YO declined and shuffled off.

I brought my boy home; there wasn't just this issue there were others - YO tried to bill me for shoes even though that was the livery's responsibility! Ditto "extra feed" (never knew what that was about, another little fiddle I suspect!).

It later transpired that the numpty girl who I'd let have him, hadn't paid diddly squat for his livery! YO expected me to cough up! I said jog on, get solicitor to write to the livery if you want your money, not my problem.
 
Just a word on Boett rugs - they are very good, but I really don't think it's true that horses are no hotter than without a rug when wearing them. When I was a full time SJ groom we had one big chap who had to wear a Boett rug and he did get quite hot in it on warm days. I remember having to hose him down a few times because he was really sweaty underneath. In the end we just used a normal fly rug on very hot days and a Boett the rest of the time.
 
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Thanks everyone for the responses. My pony is doing very well at the moment - a few small rubs but nothing major and you would have to look quite close to see he has sweet itch. I find the situation very difficult due to lockdown as I'm a complete control freak with my animals and would now be going twice a day to do him. I suspect I'm not alone in that on the forum. He's wearing a Premier Equine fly rug during the day if it's very hot and a sweet itch rug the rest of the time. The midges don't seem that bad this year so far. I read that they don't like hot, dry weather and he's on very short grass which I also read they find hard to live in. I'll look at Boetts and the De Meullenkamp - my only concern is that he rubs very easily and I think may get rubs from the tight straps on these. I would just love one of those ' leave it in the field and it will be OK ponies' !
 
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