If so, you are not alone. Everywhere in the world there are horse owners who feel the stress and upset of owning an itchy horse and it can be frustrating trying to find ways to help them or even know what is causing them to itch.

This page is to look at some of the causes of itchy horses and give a bit extra knowledge of these causes, focusing mainly on sweet itch, with advise on some ways to manage and help your trusty steed.

Sometimes it’s not always clear as to why our horses are itching, causing destruction to themselves and their surroundings in the process. There are hundreds of thousands of itchy horses in the world with irritated skin problems, allergies and conditions. Sometimes the itching can be a symptom of an actual condition or infection and therefore short term but allergies, for instance, are more long term and life long with the need to help manage symptoms rather than curing.

It is thought that 50,000 horses in the UK suffer from itchy skin problems and The National Sweet Itch Centre states that 10% of horses in the UK are known to suffer from Sweet itch alone which is just one cause of horse irritations.