# Please help me with my itchy horse



## LadyNeigh (Jul 16, 2011)

you should try brewers yeast tablets


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

It may be his coping mechanism to stress. Perhaps his diet is too rich. Have you checked if there are small bumps which could indicate hives. Since horses are well on their way with growing a winter coat this could be a cause. You did say it gets worse as the day goes on, which is usually warmer.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

maybe it is all the ddodads, and creams and grooming chemicals,
I am alergic to perfume, no matter how many anti itch anti this soaps and shampoos I use most of them have perfume in them and they only made the itchy small bumps worse.
I started deer hunting an using deer hunting totally scent free soap and the problem went away, after deer season went back to regular soap and deoderrant and problem came back. I'm not a rocket scientist but the little light went on ! Its the perfume,
Started buying fragrance free soap and deodorant and I was cured. Stuff is hard to find because even the so called pure and hypoalergenic is crammed full of perfumes.
Stop using soaps and sheen products, feed him healthy and let his skins natural oils do their job.
Or you might just have a crazy horse,,,


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I have had to deal with this issue with a student's pony. She breeds new forest ponies and has one of the nicest geldings I have seen. At about age three, he developed serious itching issues, too. Several vets were totally unable to figure out what was causing it. Not worms, not fungus, not any external medical reasons that they could find.

It got so bad the the pony literally rubbed ALL the hair off of his tail leaving a bare dock. This pony was the gold medal winner at his sport pony inspection.

Age 1.5










At his inspection










Even though he has won some championships, his value has definitely been impacted.

This year he went through a battery of allergy tests. He was found to be allergic to thirty substances!! Some grasses common to hay, some trees common to shavings, cotton, dust, flies, corn and others. 

He is undergoing allergy shots, which for the short term has really aggravated it all. Hopefully, he will get through them and develop a tolerance. He will be on monthly shots forever, probably.

Here he is in my last clinic, with his tail. Sometimes, he has just enough hair on the dock to tie in a fake tail, though it is noticeable. During these shots, no hair left.










So, consider the allergy problem and get him tested.


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## Royal Pine Buck (May 28, 2011)

I would also consider this an allergy first and foremost and get a vet out. 

in the meantime...is it only at horseshows? or is it at every ride? is he sweating when this is happening.

one of my friends horses does this when sweat is trickling down his sides and under his saddle it seems like he can't stand the feel of it!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I agree completely with Allison. A fellow rider in my lesson once had a mare who was scratching ALL the time on her sides, turns out she was allergic to the spray that they sprayed on her belly for flies. And my little reining mare spent all of last summer just blazing in hives, and I still have NO idea what she was allergic to that caused it.


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## jopops (May 30, 2011)

Is it mainly at his sides? My mare had something similar, just certain patches were driving her mad. Have u heard of benzyl benzoate? The vet said is fab on irritated skin! I'm using a product called sweet relief from Sweet Itch | Health and Grooming products for horses and dogs. it's great. My mare has a really itchy tail to, were she will follow you backwards in the field to scratch it, but this product is great. It's stopped all of that including rubbing her bub in the stable, sweet relief contains benzyl benzoate amoungst other products that soothe, it's not expensive at all. It is so worth a try. You don't have anything too loose. I defo would not be with out it..... Good luck


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## showinginstyle (Oct 10, 2011)

He mostly acts out at the shows. At home he will push me around the stall to itch him. I have seen him itching his butt and tail but that is not often. He doesn't have any hives nor bald spots. I first thought it was the sweat dripping down his sides at the shows but the last few shows have been cold and there is little to no sweat. I have stopped all use of pepi and show sheen. I thought at first I was dealing with ulcers because he wants to turn and scratch his belly at the shows. I changed his diet and got him no ulcer meds including ulcer gaurd (which he was always on at the shows) I have not seen much of a difference and the last few shows he has gotten worse even though it was cool outside. The only thing that seems to make him feel better is a bath with the special shampoo in the middle of the day which causes issues at the show and we miss several classes. I have 1 more show next week and after that plan to take him off all suppliments and see if there is a difference. He only seems to make a big deal of it at the shows and is way worse in english than western. 
His diet is currently safe choice and brome grass and alfalfa hay. I put him on alfalfa after reading about ulcers. I was concerned it was my english tack but at the last show he was trying to itch earily in the morining during showmanship. I typically only use paranaha(sp?) fly spray. I thought the oils were good for his coat.
I will look up the sprays and see if they help. Thanks


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