Sweetitch products - best ones out there

[Christmas Crumpet]

I've got a connie x that gets bad sweet itch and rubs his mane and top of his tail a lot. He came mid summer last year so I was sort of picking up the pieces instead of starting a good game plan against it before it got hot! He's already out with a fly rug and fly mask on and Kill Itch on his tail. Can anyone recommend any really good products to use this year.

 

[Gloi]

A boett rug with matching hood. Electric fencing everywhere so there is nothing to rub on. A greasy cream with repellent properties on all the bits that stick out of the rug/hood. There are a lot of different creams but all do similar job so your choice. I like Neem if they don't react to it and deotex or similar pour on is useful but a good rug and electric everywhere is most important. Put water in a soft trug so it can't be rubbed on, unlike a trough. Move to a more exposed drier field if possible. Strim areas of long grass which midges rest in .

 

[Surbie]

I'm trialling a weekly spot shampoo with Selsun this year, as recommended on here. I've started killitch and the rugs are already on. Sometimes it's hard to know if he's itching because of the midges or because his coat is shedding, or both!!

Have you tried anti-histamines?

 

[Fransurrey]

Neem oil and benzyl benzoate have been my most successful treatments. For a long time I combined them in a home made lotion - not sure why I stopped! I've also recently discovered the Farriers Shire Oil is well tolerated by my mare and seems effective at repelling midges. I have the Selsun shampoo ready to go, but I need both the right frame of mind and time to start that as she's severely liquid phobic!!

 

[Archangel]

The mare i have on loan has show sheen sprayed on her mane and tail and brushed through, then Equimins midge cream along her parting, under her tummy and rubbed into her tail. Then NAF citronella fly spray on top.

If she gets any sore bits then I use sudocrem first.

Mane and tail washed every 2 - 3 days. I saw some coal tar soap the other day and am contemplating using that to wash as it gives off a strong smell.

She can't wear a rug as too many low branches plus her best friend would spend all day trying to undress her.

 

[Peglo]

Does anyone use/Used supplements for sweet itch with success? I ordered some Hilton herbs bye bye itch to try and bought the spray as well. Still waiting for it to come home so haven’t trialled it yet but the reviews online looked good.

 

[Gloi]

Does anyone use/Used supplements for sweet itch with success? I ordered some Hilton herbs bye bye itch to try and bought the spray as well. Still waiting for it to come home so haven’t trialled it yet but the reviews online looked good.

Tried them all over the years and waste of money. Spend on good rugs and fencing instead.

 

[lar]

Anti histamines to stop the itch reaction before it starts - you can get them in bulk from Amazon.

As far as products go I really like Biteback - their silver spray especially was a godsend last summer.

 

[Nicnac]

Only way to treat it is to prevent it happening. Only way to prevent it happening is to stop the buggers biting in the first place therefore good quality sweet-itch rugs from, ideally, February until October. You can try all the products/vaccines etc under the sun but not one really works.

Boett are expensive but far cheaper than the ££££'s you'll waste on useless products.

 

[Gloi]

Only way to treat it is to prevent it happening. Only way to prevent it happening is to stop the buggers biting in the first place therefore good quality sweet-itch rugs from, ideally, February until October. You can try all the products/vaccines etc under the sun but not one really works.

Boett are expensive but far cheaper than the ££££'s you'll waste on useless products.

This.

 

[Gloi]

Anti histamines to stop the itch reaction before it starts - you can get them in bulk from Amazon.

As far as products go I really like Biteback - their silver spray especially was a godsend last summer.

I used antihistamines on top of everything else during a particularly bad spell. They must hav helped because they did seem to reduce the amount he was biting chunks of flesh from his sheath and inner thighs which was good but certainly didn't stop the itching, unfortunately.

 

[sychnant]

Last year I got it right with mine - we've cut out all cereals, alfalfa, sugar beet, soya and molasses from his feed, Rambo Sweet Itch Hoody on 24/7, stabled overnight so he's in at dawn and dusk, and Piriton morning and evening, starting with 3 at a time and going up to 6 or 8 at a time if he comes in and starts scratching. He didn't look like he had it last year!

 

[atropa]

My problem is - I can't seem to get a SI rug to fit my horse for love nor money!! Started with a full Snuggy Hood set last year which ended up being too big and collecting poo in the udder cover (Snuggy Hood told me when I spoke to them that I should have order a 6'0 rug for my normally 6'6 16.1 MW WB, go figure), then moved onto a Rambo SI Hoody which pulled back worse than any rug I've ever seen across her chest and the belly flap kept creeping back down once fastened in place. Now onto a Weatherbeeta SI rug but I feel its a little tight around her chunky shoulders and chest.
Was eyeing up Premier Equine as well but been told the sizing of those is again all over the place.

 

[Cortez]

Antihistamines work like a charm with some SI horses, and not at all with others, they are not all the same.

 

[smolmaus]

My problem is - I can't seem to get a SI rug to fit my horse for love nor money!! Started with a full Snuggy Hood set last year which ended up being too big and collecting poo in the udder cover (Snuggy Hood told me when I spoke to them that I should have order a 6'0 rug for my normally 6'6 16.1 MW WB, go figure), then moved onto a Rambo SI Hoody which pulled back worse than any rug I've ever seen across her chest and the belly flap kept creeping back down once fastened in place. Now onto a Weatherbeeta SI rug but I feel its a little tight around her chunky shoulders and chest.
Was eyeing up Premier Equine as well but been told the sizing of those is again all over the place.

Have you tried the Shires Highlander? Its what was recommended to me and its got plenty of room over the shoulders on my little tank and my friends chunky cob. Good price point too, usually £75.

I have doused in deosect (benzyl benzoate) and am using biteback sweet relief on her face. I tried their Neem lotion and the smell sent her scooting across the stable like a rocket when she is normally a very tolerant little creature, so its also a Sadie repellent.

Shes on the Bio Eos supplement, I can't say that it works because she was also on it last year and ended up with no mane at all but I suppose it could have been worse without it so I wasn't brave enough to not give it to her. Started Nicotinamide B3 this week as well because its cheap and sure why not. There are several products that use B3 (Cavalesse, HerdLeader, in brewers yeast too) so maybe it does something but im not paying for Proprietary Product, I'm just feeding it straight, £12.99 for a 90 day supply.

 

[Gloi]

My problem is - I can't seem to get a SI rug to fit my horse for love nor money!! Started with a full Snuggy Hood set last year which ended up being too big and collecting poo in the udder cover (Snuggy Hood told me when I spoke to them that I should have order a 6'0 rug for my normally 6'6 16.1 MW WB, go figure), then moved onto a Rambo SI Hoody which pulled back worse than any rug I've ever seen across her chest and the belly flap kept creeping back down once fastened in place. Now onto a Weatherbeeta SI rug but I feel its a little tight around her chunky shoulders and chest.
Was eyeing up Premier Equine as well but been told the sizing of those is again all over the place.

There is someone on ebay ,forget the name sorry, who does pretty good made to measure boett style rugs.
May be cornerstone browbands.

 

[atropa]

Have you tried the Shires Highlander? Its what was recommended to me and its got plenty of room over the shoulders on my little tank and my friends chunky cob. Good price point too, usually £75.

Not yet but it was the other rug I was planning to buy this year. I usually find Shires Highlander and Weatherbeeta Comfitec pretty similar fit on my mares so suspect it may still be a tad tight but good to have another vote for it. Better than another three figure sum rug that doesn't fit anyway.

There is someone on ebay ,forget the name sorry, who does pretty good made to measure boett style rugs.
May be cornerstone browbands.

Thanks, yes I have seen them. Put off bodies by the Snuggy Hood experience but may have another look. ?

 

[Yeomans]

I have used Sulphur tablets for years, just one twice a day, very cheap about £9 for 100 tablets. Doesnt work for everyone but fortunately does for my connie and warmblood.

 

[Gloi]

Thanks, yes I have seen them. Put off bodies by the Snuggy Hood experience but may have another look. ?

The other rugs don't stretch in the way snuggy hoods do. I hated how my SH weighed a ton when we and twisted his tail when it slipped to the side but most of all the danger when the hood moved over the eyes ?

 

[Abesmum]

I use biteback products and have found them very soothing and effective, also not as greasy as some other products.

 

[atropa]

The other rugs don't stretch in the way snuggy hoods do. I hated how my SH weighed a ton when we and twisted his tail when it slipped to the side but most of all the danger when the hood moved over the eyes ?

Excellent, thank you! I never had a problem with the hood luckily but the body (and subsequent attached udder cover) stretched absolutely awfully. Felt terrible going to get her from the field and finding her udder cover full of poo and pee, and felt it was a bit ridiculous to spend over £200 on something to be told either to sew it smaller myself or send back to SH for them to shorten it at cost - they should have put clearly on their Web page to buy two sizes smaller than you normally would.

 

[Gloi]

Excellent, thank you! I never had a problem with the hood luckily but the body (and subsequent attached udder cover) stretched absolutely awfully. Felt terrible going to get her from the field and finding her udder cover full of poo and pee, and felt it was a bit ridiculous to spend over £200 on something to be told either to sew it smaller myself or send back to SH for them to shorten it at cost - they should have put clearly on their Web page to buy two sizes smaller than you normally would.

My friend had her mare in a snuggy and had exactly the same problem of the udder cover filling with pee and poo all the time. She soon gave up on it.

 

[meleeka]

I use biteback products and have found them very soothing and effective, also not as greasy as some other products.

A friend has had great success with it after trying pretty much everything on the market. The horse doesn’t even need a rug anymore and has a mane for the first time.

She uses the Summer Nights one I think, but it’s the soothing stuff that’s made the biggest difference.

 

[Nasicus]

My friend had her mare in a snuggy and had exactly the same problem of the udder cover filling with pee and poo all the time. She soon gave up on it.

Yup, same here. No matter how much I adjusted according to their advice, it was forever filled like a damn nappy.

 

[tatty_v]

I’ve been trying the shires highlander and although I thought it fitted nicely and looked comfortable, the belly flap is too long for my gelding and I found it full of pee yesterday ? back to the drawing board!

 

[LittleBlueBird]

I got my pony last year when she was in full si swing, open sores awful condition. I use the Hedgewitch soothe and repair gel and magic gel on all her sores, Bite back barrier cream on her mane and tail which stopped her itching hugely.

I found the shires si rug better for her as it wasn’t too hot unlike her Rambo and Boett.

She has No alfalfa no molasses, I gave her Sulphur 30c on the days she almost broke the stable from itching which subsided it within 20 mins.
I have given her supplementation for a healthy gut and liver and she’s now on golden pastes ‘Tumeritch’
She’s looking so good now, barely any scars she’s so shiny and healthy and so far no itching though it’s early yet.
Fingers crossed, there’s a sweetitch group on Facebook which is good for info.

 

[Chianti]

My problem is - I can't seem to get a SI rug to fit my horse for love nor money!! Started with a full Snuggy Hood set last year which ended up being too big and collecting poo in the udder cover (Snuggy Hood told me when I spoke to them that I should have order a 6'0 rug for my normally 6'6 16.1 MW WB, go figure), then moved onto a Rambo SI Hoody which pulled back worse than any rug I've ever seen across her chest and the belly flap kept creeping back down once fastened in place. Now onto a Weatherbeeta SI rug but I feel its a little tight around her chunky shoulders and chest.
Was eyeing up Premier Equine as well but been told the sizing of those is again all over the place.

I think the premier equine rugs are a good fit and are quite adjustable at the front. Mine is 5' 3" and with PE he's worn those and a 5' and they were both OK. Why don't you try and fine a cheap second hand one on Market Place to judge the fit?

 

[Quigleyandme]

I have Premier Equine hoodies for my very big youngster. The fit is excellent for the larger built horse and he can move freely in them as they have generous gussets and the neck is plenty long. They are a very thick drill fabric to keep the horrible little biters off so can be uncomfortably warm in very hot weather. Anything other than a hoody with a mask on top will leave vulnerable areas of your horse’s neck exposed. If your horse’s belly is covered he shouldn’t do too much damage to his sheath most of which is collateral damage from kicking his belly but a good barrier cream should do the trick if he is knocking lumps out of it. Frequent shampooing of the mane and tail will help keep him comfortable. Sweetitch horses seem to be exceptionally scrofulous which is an itch trigger in itself. Good luck. ?

 

[Quigleyandme]

Can peeps who use sulphur tablets and antihistamines with success please tell me what quantities and what formulation they use? I’m minded to give it a go this year.

 

[Kaylum]

Squeezy marmite worked for my friend. Put in food not on body.