During the transition from winter to spring and summer, many horses spend more time outside. Typically, the diet also changes from hay to (partially) fresh grass. With the higher temperatures, insects also become active again: flies, mosquitoes, midges, horseflies, and ticks can be troublesome for your horse.

Not all itching is sweet itch!

It is important to find out why your horse is scratching in the summer months. The reason is not always sweet itch. A horse can also get itchy as a reaction to sugars in the diet or be sensitive to insect bites, overweight, or have a food allergy, or there may be something else going on. For example, some horses may start scratching when a pasture is treated with fertilizers.

Itch due to insects

Many horses in the Netherlands (often cold-blooded or Friesians) have sweet itch. This condition is caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva of certain midges, a type of small flies. The saliva enters the bloodstream after the insect bite, and the horse starts to scratch, sometimes to the point of bleeding. Horses with sweet itch usually scratch their tail and mane. Sweet itch is a difficult problem, for which a total approach is needed. This begins with a detox and the timely use of an eczema blanket. Additionally, it is important that sensitive horses do not eat too much sugar, and you can support them with cannabinoids to reduce inflammation and itching or with an herbal blend to make the blood less attractive to the midges. Besides these midges, other 'bugs' in the summer can also cause itching. Think of lice, mites, fungi, and worms. If you are unsure about the cause, have your veterinarian take a good look and possibly take a skin scraping to examine under the microscope.

Overweight as a cause of itching in horses

Many Dutch horses could stand to be a bit slimmer. Overweight is a significant cause of itching. Fat deposits around the mane, often caused by overweight, can spontaneously cause small inflammatory reactions. When the horse starts to scratch, it damages the skin, further spreading the inflammation. To prevent itching, it is essential that your horse maintains a healthy weight. This can be a challenge, especially in the summer when your horse is on rich grass. If your horse is already scratching, it is wise to put on a blanket and treat the wounds with a soothing ointment. Strip grazing, fewer hours in the pasture, and less rich hay can help with responsible (slow) weight loss. If your horse is otherwise healthy, you can also increase exercise. Make sure your horse can still eat enough roughage throughout the day and get enough vitamins and minerals. Never put a horse on a crash diet, as it is very unhealthy! Weight loss should be gradual.

Itch due to sugars in the feed

Sugars can also cause itching. Especially if a large amount of sugar is constantly available in your horse's diet. This can lead to changes in digestion and hormone balance. A horse can become insulin resistant or show the first signs of it. Often a horse with insulin resistance will have a hardened, thick, and wrinkled mane. In this case, you often see horses start to scratch their manes. Insulin resistance can also be recognized by fat deposits around the tail and behind the shoulder. Insulin-resistant horses are often stiff and short in movement, with hard, tight muscles. Also, laminitis is a risk. The solution for this type of itching lies, of course, in a low-sugar diet with drier hay, little or no concentrates, and a balancer. If your horse is on pasture grazing, strip grazing, a grazing mask, or planting different grass species may be suitable solutions. Also, long grass is better than short grass, as it usually contains less fructan. Remember also that grains (starch) in the body are converted to sugars, so do not feed grains to the horse.

Food allergies

Another reason for itching could be an allergy to certain foods. Sometimes it's a plant in the pasture, but it can also be an ingredient in concentrates or a specific type of roughage. For example, some horses may get itchy from alfalfa. You can exclude this by not giving the 'suspicious' feed for a few weeks and see what happens.

Toxins

Lastly, sometimes you see that horses have a reduced immune system, partly due to the buildup of toxins. For most horses, it is advisable to give a mild detox twice a year to 'cleanse' the system and eliminate toxins. A concentrated and liquid nettle extract is very suitable for this. Be careful with detoxing if your horse has an underlying condition such as PSSM or Cushing/PPID.

Tips for summer itches

In conclusion, there are a few tips to relieve your horse from summer itches, or at least make them a lot less annoying:

• Make sure your horse does not become too fat
• Do not feed too much sugar (and grains) and do not put your horse on a rich pasture
• Put on an eczema blanket early in the season
• Check your horse for pests such as lice and mites
• Apply soothing cream to open areas and crusts
• Fight inflammation with, for example, cannabinoids, which also support the immune system and reduce allergic reactions
• Give a detox twice a year and a mild detox with nettle extract four times a year to eliminate toxins