Posted 2007-01-13 6:16 AM (#53807 - in reply to #53804) Subject: RE: sweet itch
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
I would try rubbing him down with some witch hazel first and see if that gives him some relief in both directions; from the bites and helping to keep those pesky little critters off him at the same time.
The other thing I would try is bathing him with an after bath rinse linament and the stronger the better. I can't think of the name of the one we use in our barn, but it's pretty strong to the smell and the horses love it after they have had a hard day. Our 21 yr. old arab gelding really likes it and even nikkers softly while we are putting it on. I guess what I'm trying to say it you need something more aromatic that the biting critters don't like so they will stay away.
Let me know if any of this helps and happy trails.
Posted 2007-01-13 8:28 AM (#53809 - in reply to #53804) Subject: RE: sweet itch
Veteran
Posts: 187 Location: KS
I have a buckskin mare, that the bugs and flys just make welts all over her and she always seemed itchy, a neighbor told me to start putting a 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar on her feed everyday. I couldn't believe the difference it makes and it also seems to keep the ticks away. I started seeing results after the 1st week of using it. So now she get it all the time.
Posted 2007-01-17 9:26 PM (#54006 - in reply to #53804) Subject: RE: sweet itch
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391 Location: Columbia, KY
when we lived in S. GA one of my horses was allergic to the sand gnats (no see ums) and was miserable. she'd spend most of her time standing in front of a huge industrial type fan just to get some relief. Swat helped temporarily but of course I couldn't cover the entire horse. some of our clients would give steroid injections but 1 out of 10 horses can founder and I didn't want to risk it. and even the steroids didn't help for very long. the cider vinigar didn't work for her but did seem to help some other horses in the area. I ended up moving her to a friends property in SC just to get her out of the area. her skin cleared up well and she now has a mane and tail again too.
Posted 2007-01-18 11:10 AM (#54042 - in reply to #53804) Subject: RE: sweet itch
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
This dosen't do much for the bugs but you can feed 1/4 cup of ground Flax seed for the skin and coat. This will put the oils back in the skin and coat. I have a TW that this works great on. Vet recommended it for me and I have been using it since. It is about $36.00 dollars for about a 30-35lb bag. (can't remember) It will keep their skin from getting so dry and that causes the itchy itchy, scratch, scratch syndrome. I feed 1/4 cup 2 times a day with feed to all of my horses. Bag last about 3-4 months with 5 horses.
Oh yeah, their coats are shinny and real soft. Been working perty good.
Posted 2007-01-18 11:51 AM (#54044 - in reply to #53804) Subject: RE: sweet itch
Location: KY
I am a big fan of witch hazel and baby oil. Also netting from the fabric store. Sometimes, our horses look really weird with all the netting on them; personally I like the camo netting. Good luck.
Posted 2007-01-18 2:49 PM (#54052 - in reply to #53804) Subject: RE: sweet itch
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
I get it from my feed store. I use Seminole feed and they use ground Flax seed in some of there feeds. It is quite pricey but it goes a long ways. Don't forget to get the ground flax seed. As a side note it can go bad on you so smell it in the summer if it has been really hot. Savannah College of Arts and Design also uses on their dressage horses and they are right on the Salt Marsh with all the sand knats. OUCH!!!!
sweet itch
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