very itchy shetland.....supplements and management?

[Jericho]

Hi there, I have a girl who keeps her 3y old Shetland on my land in exchange for help - it is a very sweet pony but it scratches and rubs on EVERYTHING to the point of breaking about 6 fences. It doesnt seem any specific place on the pony where it itches just all over so the bum / neck / shoulders attack everything. We have tried oi supplementsl to lubricate and I suggested the a trip from the vet to check for allergies (there is no other signs of problem) but the girl refuses to pay for this as doesnt see it as a medical emergency and I suspect the pony is just a hairy pony that likes scratching. There is no evidence of mites/ lice (my horses are fine) and she is like it regardless of weather / temp. She is out 24/7 on poor grazing but a lot of room with company across a fence. However because she is breaking everything I have said she has to stay in an electric fenced off piece of paddock that only has trees for shelter. Fine for now butcome winter I am going to be in a bit of quandry because I will want my horses to have free access to the yard / stables / field to escape the weather and I really dont want the shetland to have acess to anything because it will destroy everthing and I cant put electric fence everywhere. So I was hoping of some advice to 1) to help her itchiness - she must feel awful being so itchy and nowhere to rub (I even said to the girl to put up a scratching post in the field but she doesnt really get the idea - she is a lovely caring girl but is lacking horsesense and funds) - are there any supplements I could suggest? and 2) what would you do management wise and if a liverires horse kept destroying eveything? I feel bad for making her keep her pony in a small field when the weather is horrible and mine are cosy and warm in their stables.

Sorry I have waffled on it a bit - will also post in Stable management room so for advice on managing destructive liveries!

 

[Honeypots]

Could be a few things:
Sweet itch(midges) or just regular flies...either way, an appropriate rug would help. Something like this:
http://www.divoza.co.uk/product8233.aspx
Too hot..clipping may help
Treat for mites/lice anyway just in case
Bad skin..Brewers yeast is good for the skin and will help with itching or an allround vit/min supplement to improve skin condition
Regular grooming or a bath will help too..

 

[Natch]

Has it rubbed any of its fur or mane/tail out?

Poor pone having an owner who won't get the vet

 

[Jericho]

I dont think its sweetitch as has nt rubbed any mane or tail out not does it seem to concentrate on one area - she just rubs everything but if there is nothing to rub against she doesnt seem bothered i.e. she doesnt seem irratable or roll a lot - she just does seem to enjoy scratching (her face is a picture - its like she is in heaven - when she is mid scratch. I dont think rugging will help as she does with a little lw rug on during winter. She had a good bath with insectidical shampoo and also I have had a good root around in her coat - nothing obvious. I think I might suggest a multi vit / brewers yeats maybe one of those supplements like Skratch and suggest she makes a little field shelter for her in the winter (which she can use as a scratching post) and she will just have to seperated in her own field with electric fencing

 

[Jericho]

Its a difficult one regarding the vet - the pony did have a bad eye once (through rubbing I suspect) and she did call the vet then as I told her if it was one of my horses had an eye like that the vet would have been and gone. And certainly if either of mares scratched to that extent I would again have called the vet but I do suspect it is just hot (she is black as well which cant help) and hairy pony syndrome - maybe a clip would help her.

 

[Stinkbomb]

Only thing i would say about clipping is that one clipped they will need some form of protection from a) the sun and b) the rain. My mini is clipped but he has a sun sheet for the sun ( obviously

) and a rug for the rain otherwise they will get rainscald or sunburnt as they have no fur to protect.

 

[kellyeaton]

wash with a insecisitdal shampoo then cover in loose powder use a supplement like scratch from global herbs and get some stop itch salve from net tex and put it on his mane and tail and a good fly spray and see how that goes!