Would you take on a sweet itch case?

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PennyJ

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If a horse was ticked all the boxes in every other way, would you take one on if it had sweet itch?

I have to find a suitable pony for my daughter, her last one we've just sold was a bit too "hot" for her, she needs something more steady and laid back. We're going to look at a mare today who sounds great belonging to a friend of mine. It would be a loan initially, but my friend does want to sell her as she doesn't have time to her justice with a 3 month old baby and several other horses, so we could buy eventually if we wanted to. The mare has recently come back into work after last year off on maternity leave.

Advice please, something she feels totally safe on is the top priority here, otherwise she will end up losing what little confidence is left and give up riding altogether which would be a shame as she's a good little rider when she's feeling happy and safe.
 
Yes!!!

My OH bought me a horse that ticked all the boxes in December 06.... and he has sweet itch..... and so far all the good points far outweigh the problem with itching!
 
no.
but...i would say it depends on your time and facilities.
my mare developed it a couple of years ago and i manage it by a rug and she lives out behind leccy fence.
i cannot stable her like a lot of people recomend(she rubbed her bum on a block wall and it tumbled dowm!!!!!!!)
 
My mare has it. It is slightly more high maintenance but she is the kindest mare I have ever owned and that is much better than an evil horse with no sweet itch.
 
Yes, its not a huge problem with the fly rugs available and there are so many creams etc you will find something that works for you. Electric fencing is a god send!
 
Yes I would buy it. I bought my horse 12 years ago and he only developed sweet itch the second year. I purchased a Boett Blanket and it's the best thing ever. He hardly rubs at all when wearing it. They are quite expensive but well worth it - I'm on the 3rd rug since I've had him with a spare in the loft just in case. It has not put me off buying another horse with sweet itch.

If you think this is the perfect pony for your daughter I would say go for it.
 
I personally wouldn't have a pony with sweetitch,but that is because where i live,i breed connemaras we have lots of lakes and woods around us and i had a connemara who i had since he was 6 months old, he developed sweet itch at 2 and it was a nightmare he suffered so badly with it after 7 years of trying to manage it i decided to try and find him another home i loaned him to a lady and her daughter for 12months they live on the yorkshire moors and since he has been there he hasn't suffered at all, they have bought him now and he has literaly got a new lease of life he is competing and doing really well and is really happy. If you have the oppurtunity to loan him take it and see how you get is my advice and those boett rugs are fantastic we found they were the only thing that did help . Good luck
 
Then I guess that caj would find it hard in that location, maybe PennyJ would be okay if your area is more like the moors/windy/less water?

Also yes, I would if it was brilliant in every other way and kind, talented, and if you are going to spend a lot of time on it, you will have time to sort out lotions and rugs etc. Your daughter may not mind doing all those chores daily.
 
i am supprised that most posters have said `yes`.
i remember a similar thread where it was the other way around.

maybe it doesn`t seem so bad this time of year and memories are dulled.
wait till may when even a little thing like going to find a hoofpick or brush while your horse is tied up is a major issue.
 
Yes. I would do, and have done. One of our ponies has sweet itch, I knew that when I took her on, and once we got to grips with managing it, it's never been a major issue - as long as we do manage it. Nothing to do with time of year.
 
It would depend on how bad the SI was. If it was just very very mild then Id consider it. If it was a Boett / itching sores on itself job then no. It can be devastating to watch a horse destroy itself!
 
My 17 hand warmblood has chronic sweet itch which is manageable & doesn't stop us doing affiliated dressage & showing. The most important thing is to cover them up from March before the midges start biting so the sweet itch doesn't take hold, then it is perfectly controllable. I use fly rugs on all my horses so it isn't an issue using my Rambo Sweetitch hoody on Forever instead of a fly rug. With management, I have a full mane to plait for competitions and a horse that is happy to be ridden. If the pony is perfect in every other way then I would say grab it - it is so hard to find a 'safe' pony and if your daughter feels really happy on this pony I think it would be a shame to turn it down for a manageble condition like sweet itch.
 
Yes, definitely. I bought my youngster knowing he had sweet-itch, and by keeping him carefully wrapped up he hasn't rubbed mane or tail for 2 years. The really acute cases probably take more time and money to manage, though, so I suppose it would depend on the degree of severity.
 
My memories are not dulled - like others, its a management issue..... my lad has his rambo hoodie on from end of Feb and we competed all last year with full mane and plaits!
Its like all things, if your prepared to put the time and work in, you ge tthe results... same wit bathing lotion on and managing them so that it doesn't seem too bad!
 
I took on a youngster several years ago who had been rescued from being pts due to her chronic sweet itch. It was managed quite well with a boett rug (she would even help dress herself!) and she was definately happy and not in any discomfort. When I think of what a character she is it makes me sad that someone was just going to put her to sleep instead of taking a few steps to make her condition manageable. I would definately say yes I would take on a horse with sweet itch if it ticked all the other boxes.
 
Another Yes, if the horse ticked the boxes. Hattikins' chestnut mare developed sweet itch as a 4yo the first summer we had her, having been fully stabled in her previous home. She now lives in a Boett from end Feb until November and isn't ware she looks like a pantomine cow to her mates! She isn't the easiest horse to handle on the ground but she loves her Boett and almost climbs into it. No need for lotions, potions, supplements or fly spray and she stays clean and polished most of the time. The rugs aren't cheap but are the only thing which really work, they take less time to put on and off each day than fidddling around with sticky lotions.

A well behaved horse with managed sweet itch is far better than an unaffected one which has horrid vices.

Good luck with your decision.
 
I'm glad my mare wasn't the only one to dress herself in her boett
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if you intend to show at all, NO! if not then yes!! - my oldie is bad sweet itch sufferer but its manageable if you can afford to buy the various rugs, lotions and potions and commit to bringing in the horse early evening etc.
 
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My memories are not dulled - like others, its a management issue..... my lad has his rambo hoodie on from end of Feb and we competed all last year with full mane and plaits!
Its like all things, if your prepared to put the time and work in, you ge tthe results... same wit bathing lotion on and managing them so that it doesn't seem too bad!

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my mare had 2 little scabs behind her ears that she itched with her back foot and that was the only sign all for last year cos she wears her rug etc.yes it takes more time and effort but is do-able.
its things like-we have an orchard where the ponies like to graze sometimes but she cant go in there or she will make a b-line for a branch to rub on.
she is happily wandering around a coral at the moment and at this time of year it is easy to forget how i cannot put her in there even for ten mins in the summer because of the fence.
i would not swop her for anything but i would not buy one with this.
 
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if you intend to show at all, NO! if not then yes!! - my oldie is bad sweet itch sufferer but its manageable if you can afford to buy the various rugs, lotions and potions and commit to bringing in the horse early evening etc.

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mine cannot be brought in,only leccy fenced areas.
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if you intend to show at all, NO! if not then yes!! - my oldie is bad sweet itch sufferer but its manageable if you can afford to buy the various rugs, lotions and potions and commit to bringing in the horse early evening etc.

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I went showing, quite succesfully too!
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My boy lived out 24/7 all year around in a bad area for midges in a Boett very happily, (and yes he helped to dress himself too!) and I have always said I would have another sweet itchy horse in a flash. (I showed him as well no probs after Boett) As long as you were prepared to buy and keep pony in a boett and elec fence absolutely go for it 100%, see how she does on loan this summer and take it from there maybe? (if she does tick all other boxes, I hope she does!)
 
I wouldnt as I suffer from excema and know how miserable it makes me..... .therefore I wouldnt want to see a horse in the same position. Just cause they cant rub it and do it damage (inside leccy fences) doesnt mean it isnt intensely itchy.

We had a sweet itch pony in the riding school when i was a helper (30 od years ago) and he was a real mess..... and more recently there was a horse on our yard with it and he itched himself into oblivion.

I just dont think that I could cope personally.
 
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I wouldnt as I suffer from excema and know how miserable it makes me..... .therefore I wouldnt want to see a horse in the same position. Just cause they cant rub it and do it damage (inside leccy fences) doesnt mean it isnt intensely itchy.
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Still would itch - with themselves, kicking, using back legs on ears etc, rolling, on the ground etc - elec fencing just prevents rugs from getting damaged on - god forbid - barbed wire or corners and so on. A good sweet itch rug should prevent horse from being itchy at all.
 
Yes, I did, and this horse has a real "thing" against rugs. So I got a holistic vet involved and it's controlled using homeopathy, an assortment of fly sprays, and Net Tex pink cream. I wouldn't take the horse on if I was really concerned about appearance though, because every now and then something goes slightly wrong and he rubs out a bit of mane!
 
Well, she was just about as perfect as I'm going to find. Quiet almost to the point of being boring as her owner put it! It was wonderful to see my daughter happily cantering off on the open forest and yelling at me to get out of the way! The two of them together had something of a thelwellian look about them (both a bit plump, with a few pony club kicks). It then transpired that this was the first decent canter this little mare had had since October 2006 when her maternity leave started, so if a buck was going to come, I think it would have done then!.

Thank you all for your suggestions about managing it. I'd already thought about investing in a Boett for her and we electric fence our fields anyway, so that won't be an extra problem for us. And our other one is a grey anyway, so we're used to baths and all that sort of thing. We're close to the open forest, but where we are the fields are very open and quite exposed, so I hope that will help her.

I think we're going to go for it... Her sweetitch can't be that bad, she wasn't rugged at all last year because of the foal at foot, and even with a rubbed out mane, she managed 3rd place at the New Forest Show in the NF broodmares class. Of course, back then, I wasn't looking at her as a prospective pony for my daughter, so I didn't really study her, but she is an absolute sweetheart.
 
I bought my pony knowing he is a very servere sweet-itch sufferer. But I had known him since I was a very young child, 3 or 4 years old, and I just couldn't say no to the oppertunity of getting him and giving him a happy retirement. He had had many terrible summers until we purchessed the boett a fews years ago and it was a god send! However the problem is they are very expensive and don't last forever, in the process of getting him a new one for this season. But I'd say if you have the time to manage it then go for her as she ticks all the boxes:) Also there is alot of research going into a vaccine right now, and things are looking positive
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A few of the nastier cuts from when his boett ripped so I advise replacing them fairly often as the material weakens with rubbing ect.
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and see my obvious repairs!
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And a nice pic of him in his boett when he was out on loan
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