living with an itchy horse nightmare
As a long term owner of an INCREDIBLY itchy horse, this is our story …
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It’s a never-ending cycle of itch. scratch.
Followed by self-harm, destroyed hair follicles, an utterly miserable horse and absolutely nowhere that’s safe to put him without doing any more damage!
Five years ago I thought we looked good!
I’d bought my beautiful PRE (Cariñoso TG - aka ‘Chewy’ or ‘C’) as a four year old back in December 2016. Four years on, we’d built a solid relationship and were getting out and about to pole clinics, local dressage competitions and creating a floorplan for our very first dressage to music comp.
But in 2021, when we emerged from lockdown and got back to hacking, it all went a little bit wrong.
So this is our story. What we discovered and how we fixed it. Sort of.
Full disclosure: this website is based on my personal, lived experience. I am not a vet, scientist, equine nutritionist or behaviourist. These are my personal thoughts - and mine alone.
Sarah
Where did it all go wrong?
One Sunday, a hack down a heavily wooded bridlepath resulted in multiple insect bites (insect unknown!) which sent C into a frenzy. When we got home we bathed him and covered him head to toe in aloe vera, and put him to bed in his stable.
The next morning he had destroyed himself - taking the hair off a significant proportion of his face and shoulder (the site of the bites). He was bald in places and had a number of open wounds. We called the vet.
This website is the story of how we worked together to get C better, our recurring challenges and what we’ve learned along the way. This isn’t purely sweet itch - it’s managing multiple allergies, a compromised immune system and a curious connection between sweet itch, sugar and those pesky worms!
Central Dressage Camp - Wellington Equestrian
C as a 5 year old, training with Andrew Gould and a fabulous summer coat.
‘Self harm’ in the stable after the fly biting incident - July 2021
Working with our vets Hampden Equine to support C’s recovery.
July 2022
Rugal folds in the skin are evidence of recent trauma.
July 2022
Hair loss on muzzle is a feature of our ‘year 2’ immune system collapse.
Where are we now?
In 2025 we’re managing as well as we ever have, and probably as well as I can ever expect. C is always going to need to be micromanaged!
No year has been perfect but every year has been better than what came before.
Winter 24/25 was horrendously wet, and C spent 3.5 months dealing with a horrible hoof abscess which meant no riding and lots of poulticing. Ironically an amazing diet and beautifully strong Spanish hooves make it really difficult for abscesses to work their way out!
In Spring and Summer ‘25 we have had so little rain, there’s been no grass which has meant significantly less itching. So this year has absolutely reinforced the point that my horse benefits most from being out 24/7 365 days a year, but not with constant access to the green stuff!
This year, I’ve got his weight under control (and lost the fat pads); got his body (back, hocks and stifles) working better than they have for a while - as a result of hacking and hillwork - and I’ve been out and about enjoying pole clinics, hacks and nannying his baby sister (a 4yo just-backed PRE) as she learns to hack and explore the world.
But there are good days and bad days and very definitely ‘blips’!
Harvest mites caused havoc three days before I went on holiday and there are still regular ‘itchy’ moments where I try to understand what’s changed in his diet and environment to make life more uncomfortable.
So remember …
Be kind to yourself and know that you - like the rest of us - are doing the best you can.
Enjoying polework with Nina Gill and Fancy Footwork Equestrian in July 2025.
Wash day after some mite bites - shampoo’d in Dermoline with lotions and potions applied! August 2025.
