What a start to the day & a question about sweet itch

[Hullabaloo]

My friend usually checks our boys in the morning when she's walking her dogs as I live a few miles away. She went on holiday yesterday so I went down this morning thinking all I had to do was take their rugs off and give them their feeds. When I got to the yard they had managed to destroy their electric fence, even getting a wooden post out of the ground, so I had to spend the best part of an hour removing it before I could go to work. There's a cold wind blowing in Wiltshire this morning - my hands are just defrosting now! The pair of them were rather pleased with themselves as it gives them a tiny bit extra grass!

Now for my question. The only reason we have the electric fencing up is that my friend's horse suffers from sweet itch and over the summer he would rub his tail raw on the gate. I haven't a great deal of experience with sweet itch but am I right in thinking he should be ok now its cooler? He didn't show any signs of wanting to rub before I left and he will be rugged up by dusk. My friend has worked really hard to keep his tail in a reasonable state over the summer and I don't want to ruin it.

 

[Happytohack]

I'm afraid the midges are still about (just think of the poor cattle that have blue tongue from midge bites), so your friend's horse is not out of danger yet. I would put the electric fencing back - it won't take him long to ruin all her hard work with his tail otherwise.

 

[ticobay831]

Although its gone a bit chillier im afraid, jay is right they are still around, they normally say that when the tempretures drop to single figures they disapear. They are very poor flyers so if its very windy it should keep them away.
If you check out the sweet itch society website it tells you all about them on there

Unfortunatly its been a terrible year for the midges this year, ideal conditons for them really

Debs x

 

[ticobay831]

p.s personally i would leave his boet (if thats what hes got)
on all the time, for now.

 

[carthorse]

My sweetitch sufferer has been worse if anything over the past few weeks, if it warms more will hatch

 

[Hullabaloo]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately because they've pulled the post out I can't put the fence back up as it was. I'll try and rig something up across the gate as that's the only bit he can rub on until I can sort out something better at the weekend.

 

[Ellz]

my horse has got sweet itch and he is rugged up in sweet itch hoodies and i put them on around april and take them back off in october so give or take a month or so he should be midge free!!