We are in the middle of December and the temperatures suddenly drop significantly, real freezing temperatures! It gets more humid and horses are stabled more often. This means that mites can become very active and like to nest in horses’ warm feathers. Is your horse sensitive to mites and would you like some extra tips? In this blog, we are happy to explain what you need to do to get rid of mites.
Mites cannot be seen with the naked eye
Although we usually cannot see mites well with the naked eye, they usually lead to changes in your horse’s behavior. You can recognize this by their legs stamping and rubbing. Biting their feathers is also a well-known symptom. Many horses also get spots like mallenders and wounds on their legs. However, it is important to know that not every horse reacts equally fiercely and clearly.
Boost your horse’s resistance!
Boosting your horse’s resistance is very important, especially at this time of year. The better the resistance is, the less vulnerable your horse will be to mites. You can support your horse in this by making sure it gets enough vitamins and minerals. You can do this by temporarily increasing a balancer/mineral pellet or by giving extra minerals (liquid from the Bering Sea), for example. In addition, giving a liquid nettle tincture is a huge boost to resistance. The advantage of using nettle is also that it is blood-purifying, which immediately makes the horse less attractive to mites.
Start immediately with an internal herbal supplement against mites
If your horse has mites, it is wise to take immediate action! You can start immediately with an internal herbal supplement containing citronellol and citronellal. Among other things, these substances make the horse’s skin and blood indigestible to mites. As a result, mites can no longer digest the skin and become congested, preventing them from reproducing further. As reproduction is interrupted, the population will become smaller and smaller. It is recommended to start with a high dose so that the product works as quickly as possible. After a few weeks, you can then switch to a maintenance dose and continue this throughout the mite season.
What else can you do?
For horses that are sensitive to mites, it is recommended to clip the legs. During the colder months, mites like to nest in warm spots. So clipping makes the legs less attractive. This makes it easier to see the wounds and treat them.
To support your horse’s skin, we recommend soaking the legs in a solution of castor oil, lavender, and citronellol. It also has a soothing and repellent effect against mites.
Make sure to avoid recontamination!
Mites are persistent, so it is wise to keep treating them consistently. This is because you cannot kill the eggs of mites. To avoid reinfestation, it is important to keep treating preventively throughout the mite season.
It is therefore important to keep boosting resistance, preventively supplementing against mites, making sure the stable is dry and regularly soaking the legs in castor oil solution.
