Dreaded amongst many Equestrians; Queensland Itch or also colloquially referred to as just “The Itch”, is a very real struggle that horse owners living on the East Coast of Australia have to battle. Some parts of Queensland are home to unfortunate equines that have to cope with the Itch all year round. Queensland Itch is a skin condition that is particularly prevalent in warmer climates, and is caused by reaction to midge saliva. Midges are another pesky biting insect that horse owners and managers need to manage, particularly if their properties on the East Coast are home to dams, wetlands, rivers or lakes where the midges like to breed.
Horse Owners and Managers initially notice the very prominent localities of itch starting to appear at one or a combination of: at the top of the tail, base of the mane and on the withers. Ocassionally the itch will also start to progress to the forelock area, and behind the ears. It is truly horrible having miserable horses trying to cope with their new growing irritations, and particularly difficult to manage when the areas become very raw from constant rubbing and scratching on trees and fences.
There are a few key ways to minimise the impact of “The Itch” from the beginning of the season, or all year round. The first essential is attempting to cover your Equine Companions as much as they will tolerate/ are comfortable with. Cotton or mesh combo rugs, are a great way to cover most of the likely areas for itch, and also keep at risk horses relatively cool in the warmer conditions. There are even cotton combo rugs with micromesh panels in the sides, and neck piece, to help accomodate for those horses who get itch, but need more breathability than a cotton rug.
The next key way to assist in managing Queensland Itch is antibacterial washes. Taking the rug being worn off at least every 1- 2 weeks for a horse in paddock condition, and giving both the horse and the rug a thorough antibacterial wash. This truly helps to reduce the amount the bacteria in the skin condition can spread both on the skin, and on the rug. Antibacterial washing also helps to soothe irritation and inflammation, and results in much happier itchy horses.
The last key way that some Horse Owners and Managers choose to use to kick “The Itch” is Feed Supplements. There are some supplements out there that can be added to hard feeds, that attempt to minimise the risk of itch from the inside too. These supplements are purely up to the individual owner or manager, and what works for a particular horse. There have however been many success stories from Feed Supplements that focus their ingredients on deterring itch.
Regardless of whether you have an itchy horse in your spectrum or not, it is useful to know how to manage one when you come across one. I hope that the above key ways help to manage “The Itch” for those precious ones out there struggling with it. There are other ways like the prior mentioned Coconut Oil Application that can work too, but I thought I would share what is currently working for me and my itchy one at the moment.
Feature Image courtesy of Yours Truly.
-Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management.