Sweet Itch

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FestiveBoomBoom

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Would you buy a horse that had it? I have never owned a horse with the condition before so I don't know what is considered moderate to severe! The horse in question has rubbed quite a lot of mane off but tail is still completely intact and no sores on the body. Should I be asking for a substantial reduction in the price?
 
Personally no I would never have another one with it. My pony suffers quite badly with it and it is SO debilitating. He never had a day out without a rug on because even before it's warm enough to dispense with a TO rug he has got his Boett on. I can never turn him straight out into the field after I've ridden because I've always got to take him back to the stable first to put his Boett on.

Boett's are NOT cheap - and you generally need two so you've always got a clean one/spare one while the other is being repaired. Plus I can't wash it at home so have to pay someone to do it every fortnight.

My pony is one in a million and I love him to bits in every other way but even so the word "sweet itch" in an advert (even IF described as mild) would have me walking away.
 
The horse actually belongs to a friend of mine, he is only 4 and is currently out naked and has been all summer, it doesnt appear to be getting any worse. The only place that it's noticeable is on the mane. Does it usually get worse with time? I'm now very worried about buying him!
 
My homebred developed it, I wouldn't buy one with it. That said, after 2 summers of trial and error, I think I've nearly got it sorted! My boy has Brewers Yeast all year, started last winter. He also wears a fly rug all the time, a normal one during the day(in) and a Rambo sweetitch hoodie at night(out) He also wears a fly mask at night. He has Nettex Itch stop salve on his itchy bits, usually his tummy/ sheath area and face. He has a scabby face but thats horseflys. He has turned out to be not that high maintenence, although after the first summer I was ready to give him away! If you buy him, be aware you need to manage it. Its not something you can 'do next week' as he will need to be kept clean. Mine is always greasy from the salve.
 
It is very dependant on you really, if its managed correctly then its not that much of a problem or atleast I dont find it with my pony who suffers terribly he has a fly rug on from end of march through to end of oct even under a turnout if necessary. and he comes in during day/worst parts of it and out at night (also helps with his weight!). but like minmax says the key to success is to be one step ahead rather than delaying it.
My pony wrecks rugs so doesnt have lovely expensive fly rug..no point cheap full neck with belly do the trick and like i said he suffers terribly, he had 2 years where he had naf d-itch in his feed roughly starts and stops when fly rug goes on, and he has camrosa put on any sores and in his mane and tail as thats only thing which works...its gd as has a remover to get rid of grease for showin etc. This year his loan home has changed him from d-itch to cavalesse very expensive as he is double dosed (reccom by vet) but if he comes back to me the d-itch worked wonders as does this. They are expensive rather than hardwork to have IMO.
 
Welllll, yes, I bought my boy having had him on loan for the winter and knowing that he had sweet itch, because temperamentally he was what I was looking for so whilst being a bit apprehensive about how I was going to cope, I was prepared for it.

Having spoken to other owners with sweet itches it seems to depend on where you live as to (a) whether your horse is likely to develop it and (2) the severity of the allergy.

If your horse is on a Moorland area and/or high up where there's plenty of breeze, or near the coast, its better for a sweet itch than to be inland where there are lots of trees and/or common land, especially if there's a stream or stagnant water in a valley for instance, which is really bad news for a sweet itch sufferer.

I'm fairly high up here so catch the breeze, and one of my liveries who had a sweet itch here temporarily said that it was the best place he'd ever been in for his condition.

So it depends on where you are really: you could go to see a horse with mild sweet itch, and then bring it home, and if you live in a valley with a pond in a field, could have a mega big sweet itch problem in no time.

Also with sweet itch its about total management rather than any one quick fix. I'm self employed and work from home, and keep my horse at my own place, so am around to bring him in if necessary, as I've found he's a lot better if I protect him from the "dusk and dawn" times and so he's in at night now, which once you get used to it isn't so bad.

But having a sweet itchy horse isn't ideal if you're in the situation of having to look for livery: I run a DIY yard and unfortunately have had to turn people away if their horses have sweet itch as in a DIY situation I've had the problem of people just turning out their horses 24/7 and going off to work all day without knowing or caring what their horse gets up to, then the horses just get itchy and start rubbing on fences and gates, which is destructive and blimmin expensive too, so I won't have any horse with sweet-itch on the yard for this reason. I've had too many broken fences and gates off their hinges and have had to make this decision.
 
Ive always had horses with it. If there was no other fault with the horse it certainly wouldnt put me off. My horse was left naked until a 4 year old and rubbed himself raw with no mane or top of tail. Since then (hes now 7) he has been rugged up in a sweetitch hoody, has his mane and tail washed once a week then a cream applied. He now has a proper main, infact i had to pull it a few weeks ago, full tail and you cant notice he has it at all.
 
Thanks for the replies guys,

I spoke to the National sweet itch helpline aswell and she said if he is great in every other way then not to let it put me off and it is manageable, by using the Boett rug, has anyone used one? He is currently kept close to the coast and is up on a hill with lots of breeze. He has only rubbed some mane off and no sores on the face or body at all so hopefully it should be manageable by using the rug? I really do like him in every other way!
 
The Boett rug has been brilliant for my pony, normal fly rugs didn't stop him rubbing. Only thing I would say is that they are difficult to get on and off as you need to pull over their heads so won't suit all horses. I have had an extra zip put in mine which has made things a lot easier.

Having owned a pony with sweet itch for 15 years, it wouldn't put me off a horse which is right in all other ways. Most horses have something which needs a bit of extra TLC, and at least with sweet itch there are lots of products to help manage it. A regular daily grooming routine really makes a big difference too.
 
I've had my horse for 14 years now and he developed SI after a year of owning him. We do have a lot of water surrounding the field. It wouldn't put me off buying another providing the horse was excellent in every other aspect.

I purchased a Boett for him after trying most other rugs and it is by far the best thing on the market in my opinion. My boy is a 16.3 IDx and he will stand with no headcollar in the field and drop his head down to have it put on. Once they get the idea they love wearing them. I also wash it in my washing machine and it comes up as new - try one of these bags for your rugs they are brilliant http://www.online-equine.co.uk/details.php/p24_horsewear_wash_bag.html

To be honest, I know these rugs are very expensive but even if my horse didn't have SI the flies and midges are so bad where we are that I think I would buy one anyway. You would not know my horse had SI, he has a full mane and tail and providing he has a fly mask on as well his face is not marked either. I also feed him Feedmark's Equidermis Plus but NO garlic.

Go for it if the horse is perfect in every other way!
 
I've not used the Boett but bought the Pagony which is the cheapy version of the Boett; my advice would be in one word - "don't". If you're gonna go the Boett, go for it and pay up and look sweet, but I'd never buy another Pagony. The quality was poor and my poor boy somehow got himself hitched up in it and as it goes over the head to go on (not ideal, but think? the Boett's do too?) he wouldn't ever let anyone near him with it again.

I use the Pagony sweet itch hoody which is absolutely brill; Robinsons had them in the sale last year but I've not seen them since. Also the Premier Equine one, but this year the cut came up smaller than last years, tho' still fits, but somehow not as wide as last years.

Also, today, I've got a Rambo sweet itch hoody from Derby House; they've got a sale on!!! They also do their own version and I think (not sure) you can get two for price of one, but blimmin typical not in the size I want!
 
I wouldn't ever buy a horse with sweet itch. I have one with it and suffers severely despite us being on top of a hill, very windy and without any water nearby.

Basically I have to keep him in all summer, which means I get no break from mucking out. He gets put out after dark and brought in before 8am. It means summer is a long hard slog compared to just having them mooching about in fields.

Also means its harder to go on holiday as you need to find someone who can cope with his special needs.

My horse is probably fairly saleable as he is a good competition horse, and competition horses tend to be kept in more (or at least the owners don't mind keeping them in), however would be far too much hard work for a happy hacker!

As above he lives in sweet itch rugs and slathered with Nettex when he goes out at night.
 
Oh dear, I really don't know what to do now :( Some people seem to cope ok with it and others suffer terribly. He only appears to have it mildly at the moment but it could get worse. There is just no way of knowing
 
I had a very old pony for around 5years, she had sweet itch. I would never take on another horse with sweet itch. It is a constant battle and a problem we never managed to get on top of even though we tried every product on the market and had every rug going! She looked dreadful every summer, rubbed away her mane, tail and most of her coat, and it was horrible to see her so unhappy during the summer months.
 
my boy has really bad sweet itch - i keep him in all year round, and give him a good wash because he gets so scurfy from the constant itching. Hes hogged as he takes his whole mane off - but due to being a cob it suits him anyway and he gets sores on his face and round his tail.
It is hard work but with a good rug and creams and shampoos it can be manageable, if the horse is good enough and you are really keen, dont let it put you off! I wouldnt swap mine for the world, even if he is itchy and doesnt have a flowing mane and tail :)
My vet also recommended some really good shampoos, so ask your vet - also cattle fly tags attached to a headcollar when turned out is a really effective fly repellent!
 
Sometimes itching can be a sign of compromised liver function or immunity. Wormers, vaccines or other toxins can set them off until it leaves the system.

Either way, I would consider feeding brewers yeast, micronised linseed and also spirulina - which has had some success. See Dr Kellon's website for more info.
 
i had a friesian mare with it , it was severe no mane ,tail , belly hair would be rubbed , no face hair ears rubbed ,
if i was offered another with it , i would not touch it with a barge pole .
if you clearly do not understand the condition ie management etc you have no way in controling it and its all money too. ie boett rugs with cost around 200 upwards ,creams , etc
to this point i sold my mare to a woman i know that has indoor stabling ,she is now keeped indoors and put out at night , her sweetitch has inproved hell of alot .
the thing is if you do not understand the condition , it is a losing battle
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6688162

For those of you with persistent sufferers this might help. It is a study that shows the effictiveness of a double dose of ivemectin against neck threadworms which can cause sweet itch. Might help and seeing as the theraputic dose of Ivermectin is so much lower than the damaging dose a double dose is pretty damn unlikely to hurt unless your horse is sensitive (very unlikely).
 
oh i forgot to say. I give my horse cavelesse (Sp) which i get from work (Vets). It realy has worked wonders with him and he doesnt seem to itch anymore even after hes been ridden. xx
 
From what you're saying about the horse you''re thinking of buying, the symptoms aren't too bad. If it can live out without too many rubbed bits, then you would probably manage quite easily...

We have two ponies with a similar level of sweetitch. We find that if we put rugs on them in March, before the midges appear, until October, we don't have much problem. The rugs go over their ears, so they are spotless for shows too! We live in the pennines in a very midgey area.. If the sweet itch is only getting them on the mane and tail areas, I would suggest a rambo sweet itch hoody. They are very durable, and do more than two seasons on ours. You are better to have a spare rug too, as will need swopping over on wet days.. Both our ponies happily live out with these rugs on. They're not cheap rugs, but I often buy ours on e bay cheaply.. If the ponies itch their manes or tails I apply aloe vera gel. When you ride/ go to show make sure you have midge cream on..

for this level of sweet itch I wouldn't hessitate in buying the pony... We've not had much problem with it..
 
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