Life isn’t sweet for a pony with sweet itch

I await the start of the sweet itch season next month with dread! Believe it or not, I’d never had a horse or pony with sweet itch until I bought Sprite. I bought him in November and if I’d known at the time that he got sweet itch, I wouldn’t have considered him. There usually isn’t any sign of sweet itch on a pony in the winter as it is a skin problem caused by an allergy to midge bites and the season in Ireland seems to be from May to the end of September, depending on the weather.

But the following summer I knew all about it. The poor little pony came up in huge lumps from the allergy and, when he came into the stable, constantly scratched his mane and tail against the walls. With a sinking heart I realised what it was my little show pony had and resolved to do some reading up on this unpleasant condition.

Sweet itch is actually caused by an allergy to the saliva of midges which appear in clouds at dawn and dusk, and in damp conditions. They make a pony’s life a misery and the itching can result in huge, unsightly sores along the pony’s crest, back and the top of his tail. After reading up on the subject and asking friends for advice, I found the following helped – so much so that I was able to show the pony last summer with a full mane and tail:

1. I bought Sprite a good quality sweet itch rug which he wore all day and night and he didn’t get in a sweat under it even on hot days.
2. There are plenty of lotions and potions on the market for sweet itch, some quite costly. I followed my farrier’s advice and bought Benzyl Benzoate in the local pharmacy in liquid form. The pharmacist told me it is used for scabies (a highly infectious itching) in humans. Benzyl Benzoate is an ingredient in many sweet itch preparations and I found it cheaper to buy it on its own. I applied this to the mane, back and top of the pony’s tail once a week wearing rubber gloves and found it very effective.
3. I made sure that the pony was in his stable every evening before the midges emerged.

Sweet itch is a nuisance to deal with and creates extra work but with a bit of regular care and the correct rug, a horse or pony shouldn’t have to suffer the misery of constant itching. By the way, if you are considering buying a pony with sweet itch, make sure you get a reduction in price. You are entitled to this for all the effort you will have to put into him. If you have bought a pony with sweet itch unknowingly, I believe you’re entitled to go back to the seller and ask for a refund of some sort. Sweet itch, like cribbing, weaving and wind sucking, should be declared at the time of the sale.