Blankets making horse itchy

[CanteringCarrot]

I have a horse that seems quite itchy this winter. Our winters are not very dry here, but he has some dandruff especially on his withers.
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He wears his Amigo mid-weight (30’s here) and is clipped. He is not sweating or getting too hot. I added a shoulder guard to see if that helped, but he is just itchy on his neck where the guard ends and has been producing a lot of dandruff on his withers area. I bought him a Bossy Bib the other day, and I think he may prefer that.

He is itchy on his neck, shoulders, withers, rump, and will enjoy wherever you scratch him basically. He is groomed daily and has a nice coat (still shiny and dappled for a clipped horse). I’ve been spraying him with Healthy Hair Care Moisturizer daily and I’ve given him a hot toweling with moisturizer added.

When not wearing the blanket prior to winter he wasn’t so bad. It seemed to start when he began growing his winter coat, actually. I thought clipping helped at first, but not so much. I’m actually thinking he will need to be clipped at least twice this winter because his hair is growing back quickly, but I may have clipped a tad early.

I’ve added flax to his diet and it hasn’t helped. I’m wondering what else I can do because I cannot leave him naked. His hair isn’t falling out and the skin looks mostly OK, just dandruff in spots. I thought of a potential allergy but nothing has changed feed wise.

I mean, he may just enjoy a good scratch, but it seems excessive. Any similar experiences or suggestions?

[RedHorses]

Vitamin E helped my itchy, dandruffy horse. Not right away, and I originally started giving it to him because his test came back as right at the bottom end of the normal range. I had him tested after chasing a skin fungus around his leg for weeks. That healed up in a few weeks, but I didn’t really notice the dandruff and itch improvements until some months later when I realized he wasn’t as itchy and dandruffy as he used to be (gradual improvement).

He gets 3000iu per day via Elevate.

[Livie]

Could the blanket have been washed in a detergent he’s reacting to?

[CanteringCarrot]

The blankets are all new and have not been washed.

Interesting about Vitamin E. I usually run a blood test a few times a year to check levels because he is an easier keeper and I like to make sure his vit/min supplement supports what it needs to in addition to his hay or grass ration. The vet comes out in December for a chiro adjustment, so we’ll see about looking into that if this problem persists.

[ladyrider2]

My horses have the same issues. We have wet winters, and some days are warm and they get a little sweaty. I don’t think there’s much you can do besides take them off and let them roll and do a good scratch themselves and brushing. This is also why I give them a bath of a warm day pops up because they do get so scruffy in the winter. I tend to clip at least twice in the winter to keep the hair under the blanket shorter.

My horses are all on flax and always do a vitamin E and selenium supplement because of the soil, so I don’t think that’s an issues.

[cayuse]

I have had good luck with Vitamin E helping with various skin issues on a sensitive welsh pony. Makes a big difference for him.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

@Livie

Could the blanket have been washed in a detergent he’s reacting to?

I think you are right.

Wash in a mild human shampoo. Baby shampoo is better. And put an anti itch creme on the horse.

[CanteringCarrot]

@WildandWickedWarmbloods

I think you are right.

Wash in a mild human shampoo. Baby shampoo is better. And put an anti itch creme on the horse.

I don’t know if you read my post that said these blankets are new and not washed? I mean I guess they could come from the factory with something that could be considered an irritant. This happens with the Amigo and Weatherbeeta though. This is also the kind of horse that can get rubs easily. So maybe fairly sensitive.

Since this also happened around the time he came off of pasture/grass wasn’t so good, it could be vitamin E. His diet is primarily hay and very little concentrate. The vit/min supplement has 2,400 mg Vitamin E…so that could be too low. I can acquire some capsules and/or retest when the vet comes soon.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Dyes and finishing products used on horse clothing and on human clothing can cause itching. I always wash my horse rugs before putting them on the horses to wear. (After trying them on briefly for fit.) Same reasoning applies to humans and horses.

I was just trying to give you a place to start finding a solution by deductive reasoning. Since your location says you are in europe, you might have different problems. If you are stateside now, wash the blankets in a mild shampoo.

[CanteringCarrot]

@WildandWickedWarmbloods

Dyes and finishing products used on horse clothing and on human clothing can cause itching. I always wash my horse rugs before putting them on the horses to wear. (After trying them on briefly for fit.) Same reasoning applies to humans and horses.

I was just trying to give you a place to start finding a solution by deductive reasoning. Since your location says you are in europe, you might have different problems. If you are stateside now, wash the blankets in a mild shampoo.

I can also wash the blankets in a mild shampoo in Europe :D​​ I think my problems are associated with the horse and not so much the blanket but I have some time tomorrow and can wash one of them and see how it goes. I always wash clothes before I wear them, I just didn’t think about it with the horse.

I think anything that lays on or rubs his skin for a long period just irritates him. A well fitting fly mask or halter will rub…and forget about anything neoprene. Winter has just begun, so I want to try to make him comfortable.

[Saskatoonian]

From your description, his coat is still in really nice condition - shiny, dappled, etc - even though clipped. Might just be that he’s itchy because he can’t give himself as good a scratch by rolling as he can unblanketed. TBH, I’d groom him extra and call it good. Oh, and enjoy the elephant faces when you curry a really itchy spot.