I was just thinking every summer he wears boots but I haven’t put any on yet. I’ve never seen this kicking/stomping behavior before until this year. I’m really scratching my head about exactly what it is so grasping at straws.
He is always an itchy guy in general although he’s never rubbed any raws spots.
Ooooh I’m so curious to hear how this goes for you! That’s promising it’s helped so far! My little mare is so bothered by the gnats. Zyrtec helps some but she’s still pretty miserable, and this is what the vet suggested. Would love a better (and more permanent?) solution.
@Lunabear1988 these allergy things are often progressive–they get more sensitive every year. Regular fly sheets/boots don’t help much because the bugs are so small. The sweet itch blankets can work, but I’ve always found them too heavy.
Ugh fingers crossed that it’s not that. Hopefully it’s just from getting wet or something but we will see. He’s already such a high maintenance horse 
I’m heading out to the barn in a bit but it’s sunny out so I suspect he’ll be fine. Thursday morning will be more interesting…
You know he did have a fungus or something on the dock of his tail. I treated it with a fungal shampoo and all seems well there. I can’t see anything anywhere else in his body but maybe there’s a connection there… The vet’s supposed to come back out in a week or so to do some mesotherapy (maintenance) for his back so I’ll explore this possible allergy thing more.
The shots are working GREAT for my chestnut horse who is allergic to all of the insects. I started him on them after he got so itchy he wound up ripping part of his eyelid off. And his mane and tail used to just fall out with oozing summer sores/sweet itch.
The other horse has sensitive skin and sneezes a lot, but last year it was pretty wet in the spring and he started rubbing his neck and didn’t stop until his winter coat started to grow in. Thankfully he hadn’t scarred himself, and his fur and mane came back. He did not test allergic for anything really, maybe mildly to some weeds and trees. But I tried Zyrtec and all the shampoos and Coat Defense and steroid creams and he just could not stop itching. So, we ordered allergy serum for him anyway. He’s just now gotten up to the full strength doses in time for CO bugs. But bugs of all sorts had been out in SC for weeks already, and other than the chestnut picking up all the ticks (ugh!), neither one had more than a little bit of tail/butt rubbing and a few hives from bites when it was too humid for fly sheets. And the big guy got scratches on one pastern. I picked up Ultra Shield Gold, which seemed to help stop the big welts, and they did wear fly boots. And you know the bugs are bad when the chestnut will actually leave his fly boots on instead of ripping them off and throwing them outside of the paddock.
I’m not the person you were asking, but I had my old guy with bad breathing issues on it and he ate it fine but he got a hearty helping of beetpulp and alfalfa pellets. It sure did help his breathing, I could bring him into the barn and brush him without him coughing.
I’ve been seeing gnats in Colorado for a couple of weeks now. I no longer have horses, but I am out on my bike every day and they pester me endlessly. It’s so weird having so many insects out this early. When I lived about 90 miles south of where I am now, I don’t remember seeing mosquitos or gnats until June. I was 1300 feet higher then–6200 then versus 4900 now. Maybe that’s the difference.
Yes, he does eat it well. He gets his feed soaked anyway, so it mixes in with that. I introduced it slowly so he could kind of develop a taste for it, and he’s been fine. And he is one who can give his feed the side-eye if it has something new or strange in it.
It’s interesting that you said in another post that your horse had some kind of fungus around the dock of his tail earlier. Mine had what I can only figure was his first (and so far only) bout of rain rot and it pretty much turned him bald down either side of his tail and all the way down his butt, between his back legs, and darn near to his hocks. It started off scabby and kind of “burned” looking and I treated that and the skin was good but he lost all of his hair. This was during shedding season, but he was shedding to bare skin. He’s finally grown back some coverage over the area, but it’s still more sparse than the rest of his coat, which is super short/slick as it is.
It’s just been a freaky shedding season and spring in general IMO. We had 90’s back in early April, now here it is late May and today and yesterday’s highs never got out of the 60’s. Super weird.
Well today I went out more in the afternoon (1:30 pm) versus in the morning (9:30 am) like yesterday. Yesterday it rained a last night but not nearly as much as the days before.
Today was a lot more muggy, with more rain getting ready to roll in. A bit more buggy too. But not any abnormal stomping or itching going on with him today. Happy as usual. Clearly he had rolled and laid down, as he was dirty. Worked outside where there are actual bugs and no issues.
I did put more coat defense on his legs today. I wonder if that helps with the no see ums or whatever itch is going on? It smells a bit minty but maybe they are unstoppable.
Very interesting 
. We will see how he is on Thursday. Too hot to sheet him right now. Wednesday is rainy looking but I’ll see if the temperature allows a rain sheet
This has been a bad year for gnats. My boy, who is usually not too bothered except for his belly, looked like he had been attacked by a swarm of the darn things. We ended up giving him some dex because he was so itchy and covered with bumps. Not hives.
When I lived in South Carolina, I would wipe fly spray on my pony’s face (of course keeping a good distance from his eyes), and the noseeums would be all over his face again within five minutes. It was easy to see as he was very light gray (looked white). I just didn’t have any good defense against bugs when I lived there. It was easier when we were in Colorado, although it always seemed like Piranha fly spray wore off way too quickly. When I had my horses at home, I could fly mask them and spray multiple times a day, but there was no way to do that where I boarded in South Carolina. The BO didn’t mask any of the horses and didn’t want to start doing it for one. I paid her son to spray my pony every day, but more often wasn’t possible.
In Colorado, they all would be stomping until I got some spray on their legs.
So far, his skin/coat looks amazing except for the maybe fungus part on his tail but that cleared up. Maybe that was the gnats too though. Hard to say.
That’s awesome! How amazing to see such a solid response. If you’d be willing to share…what’s the (ballpark) cost?
Every year I forget to start zyrtec before things get super itchy, sigh. It helps when finally on board but probably more if I can get my shit together on being proactive with it. Trying spirulina this year, too. Thought it might be helping but uh no, was just that cold weather that blew through last week.
I’ve been hoping (delusionally 
) that she’ll grow out of this, but it’s good to hear that the allergy shot angle isn’t just a shot in the dark. Thanks!
There was an old draft mare boarded at my barn over the winter months (Nov - Mar). She was about 25yrs and owner said she was retired, has “bad arthritis” but only had field board previously. This mare stopped both hinds all the time. I know cuz she was stalled next to my horse during these months. I assumed it was because her hocks were arthritic, her turnout was limited with ice/snow and she was in pain. Her owner never visited that I saw. She stomped much less the month before she left as it was getting warmer. Just putting this example out there that “irritation” of various kinds can cause stomping.
Yeah for sure it could be so many things. He was kind of stomping and pawing on all four legs with no rhyme or reason. And even kind of kicking out with his hind legs at times. And biting his front fetlocks.
Thankfully he was totally fine today. 
The refill on the allergy serum I got this winter was $340 through my vet. I think the initial loading series is about the same, but I’d have to dig for that invoice. It takes several months to go through. Initial series takes 283 days. Maintenance is 165 days given approx once a month, and then you reorder. I could normally have skipped a couple months this winter, but since we were going south, I continued straight through. That said, the chestnut is also super allergic to dust mites, and it’s questionable if taking a break in winter in CO, where they are inside more, would be advisable anyway.
So I’ve been out more in the afternoons/evenings lately. I haven’t seen any more angry stomping but he still seems a little more itchy than I’m comfortable with. It’s not crazy (yet anyway.) Anyways, I gave him Zyrtec last night and will continue that for a bit to see if that helps.
Well the rollercoaster continues. Yesterday he was absolutely lovely and perfect. But again it rained last night. Again I couldn’t sheet him because it was too warm at the time (humid!) But today was much cooler. Not raining but of course there was mud everywhere.
He didn’t seem that itchy today but also not totally happy either. I’m wondering if it’s actually some type of cold backed behavior…
Yeah, maybe he just doesn’t like the feeling of being wet and then drying and it being a little cool?
They were once ridden into battle. Literally helped build civilization.
And yet mine cannot tolerate soy and needs his shower water lukewarm. 
I think that is that. I’m keeping him on zyrtec because I do think he has some allergies too but I think that’s a separate issue lol.
This horse also does insist on a warm bath too 
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