They do eat them, so I imagine the culling is done a lot more often than here.
Imagine what QHs would be like here if every hint of a genetic problem was eaten instead of sold down the road to raise backyard animals….(only picking on QHs because of their popularity).
No, they don’t. A minority have it, but it’s a significant minority of imported horses, and a much smaller percentage in domestic horses.
https://madbarn.com/sweet-itch-in-horses/
In the region where I am, I’ve never seen or heard of an Icelandic (or any other horse, as this condition is not restricted to Icelandics) with sweet itch, but in places with these midges a horse with this condition could be miserable if not managed properly.
Thank you. That will need to be addressed with a PPE somehow. Not something we want to deal with.
I am not sure you could necessarily address this issue in a PPE. The relevant insects are not necessarily present where the animal is currently living. Anytime you import a horse from any distance, you run this kind of risk. I have similar experiences with other breeds being sold to a different state and/or climate. And previously non existent health conditions blooming forth to everyone’s dismay.
You will have a much better chance of avoiding the issue if the Icy is born in North America. But still no guarantee. I had a very strong ‘middle case’ of an Icy born in the USA, with none of the horrendous scabbing that came with summer eczema. But, the animal did have some very sensitive itching that did not break the skin, but bothered the animal considerably. So no real visible signs, but over time, it became apparent the horse had some significant discomfort that had to be accounted for.
And another problem with allergy issues is that the allergy gets worse with time and exposure. I bought a summer grass associated heaves pony once. He was fine when I bought him. He started having problems the next summer. By the second summer he couldn’t breathe starting in June through October. Fly predators will not affect gnats, only certain flies.
Really - lessoning isn’t a word?
(ˈlɛsənɪŋ)
n
an act of instruction
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
OK, random anecdote time. A couple of years ago, I found myself in a ‘green room’ at a presidential campaign event, with Tom Brokaw. (I was a donor, so the campaign invited me as a meet&greet type thing, and Tom Brokaw was, well Tom Brokaw.) (sidebar: he’s the most tiny person ever. If he was over 5ft 3" I’d be surprised. And skinnyskinnyskinny. So skinny)
Well anyway we get chatting, and turns out his wife is BIG into Icelandics. Breeds them, imports them, etc. So that I could speak intelligently on them, knew all about the tolt, etc, was this instant “ok we’re friends” kind of conversation hook. He was bored I guess. Well anyway we’re there chatting about our farms. Mine, a little 35acres in Iowa, and his, about 5,000 acres in Wyoming. I had some funny neighbor stories, and he had some stories about the headaches of Saudi royalty visiting. You know, we clearly have super comparable lives. LOL
ANYHOO, my new best friend Tom said something about coyotes and wolves and varmin in general. I was like I know what you mean. For us, the racoons are just insane. I literally had to punch one just last night. Which was a totally true story-- I flipped on the barn lights to feed, and there’s this GIANT raccoon on the feed bin, facing off against a cowering, hissing barn cat, and it was starting to advance on the cat. I yelled and stomped towards the raccoon and it did nothing, he just kinda bowed up at me and didn’t back down one bit from the cat. So lacking any other tools at hand to save my cat, I punched him right in the face. Did the trick.
What I didn’t realize, though, was how crazy this anecdote sounded, to a total stranger you’ve just met.
A little voice in my head was like, um, why in the world did you just tell a celebrity about punching a raccoon last night. Tom kinda found new people to talk to after that.
OK, but anyway, Tom Brokaw’s wife breeds Icelandics. That was the point of my story. (But that raccoon had it coming.)
He may have just felt a little embarrassed because he’d never had the guts to stand up to a raccoon in his own barn.
Anyway, I enjoyed the story. Thank you for the visualization and the laugh.
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