Q: My horse’s sweet itch has not gone away completely this winter. Why is this?
A: Sweet itch in horses is the term for the itchiness caused by the saliva of biting midges. It typically appears in spring and often settles by winter. The condition is usually seasonal because, in sufficiently low temperatures (i.e., below four degrees Celsius), the midges do not fly and don’t bite the horses. Sweet itch results from an allergy to the saliva of these biting midges, so if the midges don’t bite, the skin can recover.
In your question, you do not mention where in the country you are based, but if temperatures with you are not consistently low enough, it is likely that the midges are still biting; hence, the sweet itch remains a problem.
Another explanation could be that your horse’s sweet itch is particularly severe, leaving him with uncomfortable skin that he scratches even without the causative midge bites. For these horses, the ‘itch-scratch’ cycle can be challenging to break.
Either way, we recommend chatting to your vet about the issue and asking for advice on how to make your horse more comfortable.
Top tip
If you are looking to buy a horse during the colder months, be aware of the risk of purchasing a horse with sweet itch. As the condition is usually seasonal, many horses will have no signs of skin disease during winter, only to flare again when spring and summer come around. To protect yourself, look out for any signs of irregularity and discolouration of the horse’s skin in winter. This tends to be most evident if the horse has been clipped. Similarly, if the mane or tail is thin, do not just dismiss this as being due to a rug or hood that rubs. Instead, make sure to enquire with anyone who knows the horse about a history of skin issues.