YO driving me crazy - and making me angry!!

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SonnysHumanSlave

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well i was having a lovely day, bagging up horse poo for the garden etc.

When the YO catches sight of me, i havn't seen her in a few months, and i knew exactly what was coming.


Thing is my 2 ponies suffer with sweet itch. Snowflake gets it really really badly, last summer in the space of a week, he'd rubbed out the top of his tail, and his forlock, but had scabs everywhere.

My ponies are out 24/7, and they have a stream running along side the field. So now that lovely weather is here, i have put their fly rugs on and fly masks on.

Teddi actually has weepy eyes (which i queried about on here and was told its the flies) and snowflake has started itching. Teddi wore his fly stuff all last summer - no problems.

Now shes moaning they cant have them on all summer as they look ridiculous and I will get complaints from people and have the RSPCA round.

She also said - there are no flies, even though 5 mins before i'd been out to see the ponies and their masks are covered in flies. She also said there are no gnats/mosquitoes this time of year, but there are!!!

Im not taking my horses rugs off for them to lose their manes, i do intend to show them this summer!!

Really annoyed about the whole thing - shes now going to call her horsey expert friend, whos daughter went to Badminton or something and speak to her about it!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Gosh - longest rant i've done in a long while!!
 
Never mind whats best for the horse - as long as they look pretty in her paddocks it sounds like - very odd to worry what people think before an animals welfare.
Strange folk about eh :rolleyes:
 
Suggest if she would like to fund an alternative treatment or vaccination programme you would willingly forfeit the rugs etc. Ignorance is great isn't it. When she's spoken to her 'Badminton' friend ask her if she's as qualified as your vet who agrees with your treatment.
 
tell her if she removes the rugs and they start itching you will personally call the RSPCA yourself, to report her!!! cant imagine her friend will back her up if they know anything abut sweet itch....
 
Tell me you are joking! What the hell is wrong with the woman? has she never had a horse with sweetitch? Does she not realise how much they suffer because of the condition?
My previous horse pharoah had sweetitch quite badly. I used to feed him garlic all year round as thats meant to help, i used to spend a fortune on lotions and coated him in fly spray and he was ALWAYS covered head to toe in fly rugs, masks, etc for his own sanity. If his mask came of in the field i would find him in such a state as the flies drove him mad. Our paddocks had streams in too which is a pain.

Luckily my new horse doesnt suffer from it but when i went out to get him in from the field on sunday he had loads of flies around him and the midges are definately out.....has your YO not swallowed any whilst hacking this year??? i certainly have and so have the people i ride out with! we have all had our daily afternoon snack of a few midgies whilst riding :-)

You need to tell her straight that without the rugs/masks your horses will suffer no end and point out that it is essential they wear them. If it was me....i would be gone from the yard i think........!!

Good luck....i really hope she stops being ridiculous!
 
i did say that the vet had said i'll need to keep him like that, and feed scratch - but neither of them will eat scratch from global herbs, so they said to carry on as I am.

I am going to try the marmite sandwich and skin so soft thing as well, have put my avon order in already. - told her that too, she looked at me like I was crazy.

They get alot of people walk by the field, and I always say they have rugs on as they have allergies and people do understand.

whats better to look at - a rugged horse, or a scabby, itchy horse.

Well i told her to speak to her friend as if she comes up with something i havent tried i'll try it and see if it works - but i doubt her friend will.
 
Get it writing from your vet that its recommended you use fly rugs and show YO. Remind YO who's horses they are and invite her to go for it and report you, you'll just show the RSPCA that you're following vets advice. YO will look like a prize pleb.

Long term, look for new field without knob-head owner and without a stream which will worsen the sweet itch. :)
 
This lady has owned arabs, but they never had sweetitch or a prob with the flies in them fields.

I was thinking about printing some info out for her, and some signs for the fence.

She did also say... Sweetitch is contagious isn't it?! Lol
 
Feel for you as Angel is a complete nightmare without her Boett rug and mask.
I'd print off the National sweet-itch leaflet and also as someone has says a written letter from your vet, or find somewhere where they are more horse friendly and to you. And I hope her superior friend, puts her in her place.:p:p:p
 
So she is basically telling you to remove your horses sweet itch rugs because it doesn't look good in her field and people will call the RSPCA? I am sorry but surely noone in their right mind would call the RSPCA for horses wearing sweet itch rugs... If I was in your position I would be moving my horse :hugs:
 
My horse used to go bezerk if i sprayed him. So i had to spray the fly spray on a spnge in the house so that he didnt hear it.....if he heard it i couldnt get near him.
I did try roll on fly repellant....but they left streaks that stained (horse was grey (white)!!)
So i used to either spray the sponge indoors or tip several spray bottles into a big tupperware tub with a lid and just dip the sponge in there and smother him with it!!!!

I really wish i had known about the marmite sandwhich thing....he could have shared my breakfast! ;-)

Really good idea if you can get some leaflets about sweetitch to show her and whoever suggested getting the vet to put something in writing thats a great idea.

You could always say to her that you would get a small sign printed and laminated to put on the fence of the field or gate of the field just to say something along the lines of "these horses need to wear these special rugs during the summer due to fly allergies" or something like that....if she is worried that people will call the RSPCA
 
I think i am going to look for somewhere else, but it is uber cheap there, and is literally 1min for me. - which is going to be hard to match. - especially while im on maternity leave!!

Yup - thats basically what she is saying.

Thing is there is another pony out with mine, who had acute laminitus last year, and he is on grass thats about a foot long, he does go in a starvation paddock at night, but gets 2 feeds a day of 4 scoops of hifi lite!!!
 
the YO sounds like a right numpty and the person thats feeding the little lami pony so much!

I think i would be looking to move off of there and who cares what your horses look like if it keeps them comfortable and happy.
 
I hope he has a muzzle on. You said she had Arabs, they are horses who get the same problem as the rest, as spoilt by to much in-breeding over the years one of their main faults were cow hocks and club hooves and I know I breed one (part bred) which had both.:(:(:(
 
Farma said:
Never mind whats best for the horse - as long as they look pretty in her paddocks it sounds like - very odd to worry what people think before an animals welfare.
Strange folk about eh :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

It's not that unusual.... someone I know can't put certain breeds of horses out in the field / fence it in sections and other such oddities because it wont look right!!!! It's utter madness.

With regards to the OP there are midges about - especially near water, we live next to a lake and in an evening there are clouds of small biting midges out. Unfortunately you appear to have a muppet for a YO :(
 
How do you do the marmite sandwich trick????

I use Spot On for cattle and sheep at the sheep dosage and it's briliant - one application lasts 4-6 weeks. It's £45 a bottle though and not liscenced for use on horses. But boy does it work!
 
I would be worried leaving my horse somewhere where the YO thinks that SI is contagious! Nutter!

I haven't had to resort to the rug and mask, yet. Chloe gets it quite badly, but I've been feeding the Brewer's Yeast (marmite is Yeast Extract) and Linseed since Christmas and bar a couple of scratching sessions (brief, not those horrible 5 minute skin removing ones), she's doing really well. She's still got a lot of winter coat to lose, so I'm trying to hold out a bit longer as I think she'll itch more shedding under a rug.

I'm also using an offensive concoction containing Neem Oil, Citronella, Eucalyptus Oil and Benzyle Benzoate as a dab on repellent (she doesn't do sprays, either). I find it easier to pour onto a soft body brush and just groom her. I can't stand to be near her when I first apply it, as the Neem oil reeks, but I haven't seen a fly on her, yet!!

Edited to correct spelling of repellent. Tsk!
 
I do pity you having a YO like that. Your horses health and welfare has to come first with something like sweet itch. Someone has been telling me that after her horse had a mild colic attack a few nights ago that she spoke to her vet and was told her horse had had an attack of "spambolic colic". I told her what the vet would have said was "spasmodic" colic but it didn't seem to sink in and she repeated it to about 2 other people...I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she can't remember words or gets stuck with tongue twisters.. pity she didn't go find out more about the different types of colic so she was better prepared for next time.. Hope you can keep your horses suitable rugged and masked against the flies...
 
well im not taking my fly stuff off.

Oh half asked what im going to do as a comprimise.... i said get the vet out (worth the £40 call out) to tell her whats what!! That is the only comprimise.

This is the woman that before xmas said my ponies didnt need rugs on (new zealands) fair enough lil one could've gone without, but i like dry ponies to turn up and ride.... but she also meant my cob who was fully clipped for hunting at the time!!!
Oh then the one day (it was cold) that lil one went out without a rug... i get phone calls at work - had to explain the reason he doesnt have a rug on is cause he pulled it off and wee'd all over it..... so its drying!!!

And no the other lami pony does not have a muzzle on!! Still getting 8 scoops of hifi lite a day too, i looked yesterday!!

So dumb!!
 
Your YO should be grateful that you are looking after your horses properly. Does she want them to rub themselves raw on her fencing - I'm sure that would look much worse! Never heard anything so mad!
 
Sounds like a very unhinged woman!

Can you not move to a different yard? she sounds like a nutter and really the welfare of your ponies is the most important thing, I would find somewhere else to move to, tell her she is a nutter in fact print this thread out and give it to her, then send the RSPCA round for her lami pony.
 
If those are the reasons why your yard owner won't allow you to put on rugs then she's a moron and i'd be looking at moving.

You have my full sympathiese. My mare gets hideous sweet itch to the point where it has become a total mania for her and she's had to be sedated 3 times over the years to stop her literally throwing herself against walls, floors, fencing.

I tried a boett and she got so hot and sweaty under it the water was running off. She ended up shredding it against a tree.

She's been absolutely fine for the last 4 or 5 years since using benzyl benzoate which i dilute with olive oil.

Good luck at your yard and try avoid poking the silly YO in the eye with a pitch fork.
 
I can sympathise over your yard situation. My lad is kept on a yard owned by a farmer. Although his wife has had horses in the past, his opinions on horses are that they should be treated much the same as cows! No need for rugs, feed, etc! But, it only costs me £8.50 a week to be there for grazing & a 15x15 stable. So mostly, although he is a nice chap, everything he says goes in one ear & out the other.
It does sound like your yard owner is a numpty, but if the yard is ok in every other aspect & your horses are happy then ignore her. She cannot force you to remove your horses fly rugs.
We have one with sweet itch on our yard, and no matter how much I tried to tell her over the last few years she always insisted taking fly rugs off at night...just when the midges were worse. She thought he needed time without it on otherwise he would be uncomfortable. Needless to say his head & mane soon looked horrendous. I am glad to say this year he is covered top to toe in his boett 24/7 & is a million times happier.
 
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