It may sound a bit strange, but fat accumulations in the body can more or less take on a life of their own. Fat reserves indeed influence hormone levels. When an animal has a lot of adipose tissue, quite a few hormones are released as well. Research in humans has shown that these extra hormones are the cause of high blood pressure, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Fat reserves also often spontaneously become inflamed. This happens, for example, in horses with fat accumulations in the crest of the neck and in the tail. This inflammatory reaction can lead to the production of even more hormones, which, for example, also cause insulin resistance. So, it goes from bad to worse.

Inflammation

If an inflammatory reaction occurs in a fat accumulation in the crest of the neck or tail, it will itch. The horse will then start rubbing, breaking the skin, and thus causing the inflammations to worsen. To prevent itching, it is important that your horse is not overweight, or responsibly loses weight if he is in the danger zone.

Sugars and insulin resistance

Horses that are overweight are likely to be overfed. Especially sugars in the diet are a cause of obesity. Sugars can also cause itching. When there is a continuous surplus of sugars available, changes occur in digestion and hormone balance. A horse can then become insulin resistant or show the first signs of it. Often, a horse will then have a hardened, thick, and wrinkled crest of the neck. These horses often start rubbing their manes. Insulin resistance causes fat accumulations in the crest of the neck, tail, and behind the shoulder. These fat accumulations then lead to inflammations and itching.

Addressing itching

The solution for itching related to overweight is, of course, to let your horse lose weight. This often means feeding lower in sugar: dry and unpackaged hay (no pre-cut or silage), little to no pellets, and a balancer for vitamins and minerals. Grazing can be difficult because there is a lot of sugar in grass. Longer grass, grass varieties suitable for horses, strip grazing, or even a grazing muzzle can help. If your horse has already rubbed his skin open, you can treat the wounds with a soothing ointment and possibly put on a blanket. But above all, make sure your horse loses weight - slowly and responsibly. Training can also help with this. However, build it up gradually, because training too much at once is also unhealthy.