Sweet Itch

In my 16 yrs experience of sweet itch ....
An exposed field/ paddock, kept clear of droppings (if possible) well away from muck heaps and water sources such a streams...
A good sweet itch rug...I use the Rambo sweet itch hoody and the premiere equine one. Both are over 1200 denier so tough and hard wearing. I find the Boett style rugs too flimsy.
Electric fencing is essential for protecting the rug and preventing the horse from rubbing too much
I use Coopers fly repellent plus and/ or Net Tex Stop Itch Salve
Feed a low sugar diet
Make sure the rug goes on early, before the itching starts. If you rug late allow a week or two for the itching to die down.

Basically, you need to prevent the horse from being bitten by the midges so a good rug/ repellent combo and electric fencing to stop them from scratching too much

If you have to stable then a fan can help...midges are poor flyers in wind
Good luck :)
 
I totally agree with HP, I use switch lotion every 7 days on my horse and it seems to work together with a Premier Equine rug - he is also on feedmarks Benevit supplement all year round which helps his coat, cuts down on any scurf (he is quite scurfy) so hopefully eliminating any extra need to itch - though am just about to move him to a yard (current yard being sold) where he has to be stabled at night or day in summer and it has a small stream at one end of the land so fingers crossed all will be ok...
 
I have found different things work for different horses.

My friend uses Avon Skin So Soft and swears by it.

I used to use a Boett rug on my mare and some homeopathic drops that I put on her vulva every day and in her drinking water, these made a huge difference, bonkers that it sounds.
 
Diet's important as well. Contrary to popular belief, garlic isn't particularly ideal. It's debatable as to whether it does act as fly repellent, and can actually aggravate the itching. Lots of people swear by Brewers Yeast as a supplement, and a few people give it in the form of a Marmite Sandwich (!). I've also been told to avoid molasses.
I know of a few people who put Benzyl Benzoate on the mane and tail, though have no experience of this myself.
 
Good rugs, brewers yeast (buy it from ebay or Graven Horse) linseed meal, fly repellent (any that says midges) none really work. Try and keep in at dawn and dusk. Benzy Benzoate is heating and garlic compromises the immune system - sweet-itch is an 'allergic' response to bites which is why some animals get it and some don't - I personally get terrible reactions. As little sugar as possible (difficult because it's in the grass). Try to buy/design a rug which covers the whole face and mane as they can get in underneath the neck. Electric fence EVERYWHERE!
Having had 3 in my life I personally would NEVER buy a horse knowingly with sweet itch, they are a pain. GOOD LUCK!
 
I get ALOT of bitchy nasty comments for feeding garlic to mine and it has done wonderful things for her. As has the km elite ultimate oil. I also like to keep her crest and tail (she is hogged which really helps to keep the area clean and cool) well moisturised as dry skin makes it worse. I don't recommend putting oil on the coat/skin without a rug as it can cause serious sunburn. Marmite is fantastic and they love the taste!! I tried plenty of aloe vera gels which were soothing but I didn't see much noticeable difference. All you can do is take advice from others and try lots of methods and see what works for you!! good luck x
 
I find much of the lotions and sprays not much good, I bought a neck cover and a mask from a company on ebay (cornerstone) she makes them made to measure for about £45 it went on in march and so far no rubbing, my mare only tends to rub her neck and face when bitten so it works well although you can buy the complete rug which I think works out at £80 which is cheaper than most bug rugs.
 
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