Itching goes hand in hand with scratching and a cycle can soon be instigated which is hard to break known as the Itch-Scratch Cycle shown here.

Vigorous and continuous itching can cause severe skin damage to the point of bleeding and scarring with some horses damaging the hair follicles to the extent that any hair loss may not necessarily grow back or can grow back as white hairs.

 

Itching can also open up a whole new world of problems if a horse continues to scratch and cause bleeding this means an open wound and is the perfect opportunity for secondary bacterial infections.