Sweet itch

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Limbo1

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Hi, think I have found a horse I like, the only issue it suffers from sweet itch controlled by cover up rugs etc. Not had anything with it in the past so wondering what I should consider. Just a happy hacker so no shows to worry about.
 
Have you seen the horse in the summer?

I have had one horse with sweet itch, she wasn't that bad, but it broke my heart watching her be bothered by the midges.

If you are looking for a happy hacker then I personally would move on and look for another.

A lot would depend on whether you would be keeping at livery or at home, it is a condition that requires management and that equates to a lot of time - it should also be reflected in the price obviously.
 
If it is controlled by rugging up I suspect it's not too severe a case, but you need more information about how bad it normally gets. Making sure you have a good sweet itch rug on at all times is a bit of a faff and if you need to replace one they aren't cheap, but not a huge sacrifice. If the horse is suitable in every other way I wouldn't rule it out. I agree it should be reflected in the price.

Only big no-no for me would be if you are planning to keep it on wet land or near water as that would likely make things worse.
 
I agree with LJR. The worst thing is seeing them uncomfortable. Many of them become almost obsessed with scratching, even when they haven't been bitten. I've seen one who becomes very stressed when even a normal fly is buzzing around and reacts as if bitten by a midge (obsessive scratching and biting) in a horse whose SE had been well controlled for many years. Even when ridden, there was an extensive amount of tail swishing, ear wriggling, hopping and general distraction.

I personally wouldn't pick a SE horse normally. Keeping them with coat and hair is one thing, that's the easy part. Keeping them happy, content and stress free is another matter.
 
It depends how severe the SI is and also your yard setup as some arrangements will make it easier to manage than others.

My pony is a happy hacker and also does a little bit of jumping. He's got SI but lives out 24/7. He wears a sturdy sweet-itch rug with a long tail flap and a neck cover which has ear holes to make sure it stays up. He wears this every day from March to November, and he gets all the protection he needs from that. He also wears a fly hood with nose cover to stop his face from being exposed. I wash his mane and tail once a week with aloe vera shampoo to stop him getting too itchy, and if he does rub sore patches I use pure aloe vera gel to soothe and heal the skin. When we hack in the summer I use an ear bonnet to protect his ears and a ride-on fly rug if the flies are really bad. He loves hacking and never stresses.
If I knew how to post photos on here I'd show you what he looks like in the middle of summer. Lovely long thick full mane and tail and no sores anywhere on his body.
I would ask the owners of this horse if you can see photos of him at different times of year so you can get an idea of how bad the SI is. Sometimes like with my pony SI can be managed almost entirely with a decent rug. However I also look after a Shetland with SI and his is much worse so he is stabled a lot of the time. Personally I wouldn't be put off the right horse just because of SI, my pony is a super little guy and I've never wanted something different. His SI needs managing, yes, but every horse needs something!
 
Thanks for advice, as to price the horse is free partly due to SI. She has some scabs at the moment as owner took neck cover off her turnout, thinking late in year would be ok. Some on upper neck and small amount on her face. I have seen picks of her in summer with no scabs too. They treat it with cream and was healing. Mane and tail both quite full. She is just what I a looking for apart from this issue. Was a bit itchy, ie rubbing haynet but stoped as soon as told. Also fine when ridden.

As to conditions, would be kept at home on a very windy hill! We have stables too for summer.
 
I have had a sweet itch cob for 18 yrs and have taken on 2 others since. Sweet itch is not the end of the world if you have the right facilities but can be hell on earth for the horse and you if you don't.
Mild and controllable sweet itch can very quickly turn into severe and uncontrollable in the wrong location or with the wrong management.
 
I have a sweet itcher, his can fluctuate from mild to medium depending on time of the year and where he is stabled, but it's generally controlled by rugs. One thing I will say is that in certain months of the year he was impossible to hack out - wearing a rug 24/7 makes them super sensitive to non midge bugs/flies landing on them. During spring/summer I would get regularly bucked off as flies biting and generally aggravating him caused extreme reactions. I persisted with creams/sprays and considered a ride on fly rug (which unfortunately is not midge proof) but after one too many trips into a ditch I accepted that hacking wasn't to be. It's also a prime opportunity for them to be bitten, so if you want a happy hacker you'd be better off with one without sweet itch IMO.
 
Mine has sweet itch and I bought him knowing he had it, but I've got my own land and if he trashes any fences etc then that's my responsibility.

You may find OP that a lot of YO's will turn you away if you ask for livery for a horse with sweet itch; simply because unless managed well, a SI horse can cause an awful lot of damage to fences and some YO's just won't accept a horse with this condition.

This is not a good time of year to buy a horse with sweet itch TBH; the summer when the condition is at its zenith, is the time to look at the horse and decide if this is really something you want to be dealing with, rather than now where you're not so easily able to effectively assess either the way the horse has rubbed itself during the summer as winter coats are growing now, or the frenzy the horse may get into when its Sweet Itch is particularly bad.

Also bear in mind that if you DO manage to secure livery, your choice will be limited to fields which are high/windy, and away from standing water and woodlands. Also, if you look at the condition of the horse in its current location, take note of whereabouts it is, i.e. grazing location. If it is in a high field, and away from valleys/woodlands, and it has still got visible signs of having rubbed itself, then take note.

I manage mine with effective rugging & diet plus grazing, but it IS an extra hassle and I could only do it in my present situation i.e. horse at home on my own yard and not having to worry about anyone's elses fences. With a SI you need a situation where there is electric fencing rather than wooden, so they are not able to rub anywhere, and you may need to stable at particularly prone times i.e. when the midges are biting in the dawn & dusk times. And you will have to spend a fortune on sweet itch rugs............
 
If you have the horse at home in a windy field and are prepared to work on keeping the horse right and get a good routine going then you can get used to managing it. You need to make sure you have good rugs and a field with electric fence where the horse can't rub. Your field being windy is a great advantage. We have 2 sweet ich ponies and although some people tell you to stable when it is midgy that is often impossible with a bad case as they will just rub all the time in the stable.
As we are used to keeping them and have the fields set up so there is nowhere they can damage themselves on it wouldn't bother me to get another. I have never had a problem with bucking or anything when ridden though one likes to rub her head on her leg whenever she gets chance.
 
I have a horse who has developed sweet itch and personally if he had had it before I bought him I wouldn't have done so. Its not the end of the world and if you have the time and money to be able to control. but I absolutely hate seeing him so bothered and itchy at times when the little blighters aka midges are out in force.
 
Hi
I have one with a severe case. Everything is covered including belly, sheath and head, and the fly mask is modified to cover his throat and chin. Two years ago I contemplated PTS as he was so bad we had to have steroids to calm the itch/scratch cycle despite this carefully management.. It also costs me about £200.00 per year in spray and around £200.00 in new rugs and fly masks. Tritech is the fly spray I have found to be the best, but is rather expensive.
Luckily I managed to buy a house with land attached which is hilly, has no trees or hedges and nearly always has at the least, a light breeze that keeps numbers down. This has been the saving grace as these last two summers have been his best ones. He is retired now, lives out 24/7 for most of the year just coming in for odd nights or days when the weather is really bad.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
 
I live on a windy hill and it's really rare to see midges here. I've got one with SI and one who is sensitive to fly bites. We did have some unseasonably non windy warm days this year in Oct and this caused a bit of itching but nothing like the SI one came with and had I had his rug on to begin with, he wouldn't have been bothered.

The main thing is not allowing the itch to start as once it does they will wreck the rugs.

I would use Elec fencing to protect the rug and have it on nearly all year apart from the really cold part of winter and with your windy hill she will likely be fine.
 
I have two with mild-to-medium sweet itch and am content with managing them in our pretty midgey location with rugs, masks and fly spray, but I would never intentionally buy one with the condition.
 
It is a pain. For the horse and you. Some people say they have success with a homeopathic pill that you start to administer in the early spring.

But then I also know an owner who eventually had her nice horse PTS becuase he was in such misery from sweetitch and she had tried everything, been referred to different vets, etc.

Go in with your eyes wide open, if it is OK in every other way.
 
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