Midge Bite Misery

Longer days and warmer nights mean that summer is getting nearer. For many horses and ponies, it brings with it the misery of sweet itch. The condition, which is found throughout the temperate regions of the world, is also known as kasen, Queensland itch, summer itch or summer seasonal recurrent dermatitis.

Affected animals are very itchy and will rub on anything they can find. They often have bald patches in their mane and at the base of the tail. In severe cases the skin...

horse, skin, dermatitis, culicoides hypersensitivity, sweet itch

Longer days and warmer nights mean that summer is getting nearer. For many horses and ponies, it brings with it the misery of sweet itch. The condition, which is found throughout the temperate regions of the world, is also known as kasen, Queensland itch, summer itch or summer seasonal recurrent dermatitis.

Affected animals are very itchy and will rub on anything they can find. They often have bald patches in their mane and at the base of the tail. In severe cases the skin may be sore and weeping. The signs tend to get worse over the grazing season.

Up to 5% of horse and ponies in Britain suffer from sweet itch. Many breeds are affected. Although it is often thought of as a disease of ponies, horses of any size can be affected. Even Shires are not immune.

Sweet itch is an allergic disease in which the horse or pony over-reacts to bites from certain species of midge. Normally, when exposed to foreign proteins, an animal produces antibodies that help to inactivate the foreign material. Horses affected wit