Lovely mare is suffering quite a bit right now. Her tail and bum are super itchy and she has rubbed her hair out.
At first I thought it was bugs, so i upped the fly spray and coated her tail in fly creme. No effect. I have also tried treating for pinworms and an antifungal wash.
I think she is actually rubbing her vulva now. I noticed some scratches around there and the hair is only out over that region.
This is the first time I have had a mare for any length of time and so this is all new to me.
My first thought was a yeast infection… but from what i have read it seems that is more of a issue in horses being bred, she has never been bred.
Any other suggestions or thoughts?
Could be a tick bite. Some mares will also rub when they are in heat.
I’ve had good results from washing my mare’s dock about every 3 days with EquiShield IR shampoo. She only rubs when it is warm out.
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She is sensitive to tick bites but she doesn’t seem to have any ticks on her tail. Her bites always ooze and there is none of that.
I will try the anti-itch shampoo. Thanks!
They also make a spray you can use between washes. I don’t see my mare every day but will spray her tail if I am not going to wash it.
Is her udder clean? Some mare will butt rub when the udder is dirty or irritated.
Susan
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Yes, it’s hot here so I have been wiping down with a wet cloth daily/after rides and then using soap about every two weeks. She loves that lol
I find if my mare is really clean, udder under tail, tail itself, she won’t itch. She also rubs more in heat. I use plain warm hose or sometimes Johnson’s baby wash.
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Best results with Leovet no rub.
As suggested, keep her clean. Try patting some Listerine on her dock - not her udders.
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Is she having any physical issues? My mare came to me a physical hot mess including a big patch of tight tissue just behind where the saddle sits. She rubbed herself just like you describe no matter what I did BUT once she got the right bodywork and that tissue was released she NEVER rubbed again.
No physical issues, though still underweight from when I got her.
I gave her a good udder cleaning today and a little bit around her vulva. There was a little bit more dirt there than I thought, so maybe being dirty made her itchy.
I will get some of the no rub, but in the mean time will put some listerine on her tail.
I’m with TCA Arabians-- My go-to for tail rubbing of any sort is Listerine. The original, golden kind works best (least sticky sugar in it?). I cup one hand around the dock and pour into that hand from the center of the top side of the dock and then rub in. Same with the other hand, on the other side. Listerine will kill the various gnarly microbes that make things itch.
dont use normal soap on neddies it will irrtate them just wash with warm water and us johnsons baby oil
Update: It turns out she just had dry skin on her tailbone. I’ve been moisturizing her tailbone and she is no longer itching! Just been using anti dandruff shampoo and a cocoa butter cream I have.
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