What does an internal herbal supplement do for horses with mites?

Herbs against mites? That's not effective at all, is it? Surely a medicine from the vet is many times easier and the mites are instantly dead and you have no more work to do. Right? Or is it a bit more complicated? And what does an herbal supplement do for horses that have mites? We are happy to explain it to you in this blog!

Mites are persistent!

We have noticed that many customers think they can get rid of their horse's mite problem with 1, maximum 2 treatments. Unfortunately, this is never the case, as mites are very persistent. With a chemical treatment, you can indeed kill a large part of the mites right away. However, follow-up treatment will always be necessary, but even then you will not get rid of the mites. This is because the eggs of mites are indestructible and will not die from chemicals. They calmly wait until conditions are ideal again and then hatch. As a result, dealing with mites is extremely difficult and can take a long time. Mites are also highly contagious, it could be that within a few days all the horses in a stable are infected. Not all horses show the signs, but they can carry the eggs with them, which will quickly lead to re-infection.

Resistance... resistance and more resistance

The better your horse's resistance is, the less vulnerable it is to mites. And that brings you to the tricky part when you use chemicals. This is because these substances always have a negative impact on the horse's resistance. This actually makes the horse more vulnerable to mites and keeps you in a downward spiral. It is therefore extremely important to keep your horse's resistance at its optimum level. Make sure your horse gets enough vitamins and minerals, give nettle tincture, for example, and give good-quality roughage. Preferably not packaged hay/early dry, as this disturbs the pH in the horse's body, again lowering its resistance. Cereals ( high-starch products) are also not recommended for horses that are sensitive to mites, because they also disturb the body. It upsets intestinal function and that also has a major impact on the horse's overall resistance.

Herbs support the resistance

The great advantage of herbs is that you can use them to optimize resistance, think of Echinacea, for example. But also nettle (tincture) is a real boost for resistance and also supports digestion. The nice thing about liquid nettle is that it is also blood-purifying and has an antihistaminic effect. By using herbs, you can therefore ensure that your horse's resistance remains optimal, making the horse less vulnerable to mites. It also allows the horse to "fight" better against the mites present and the influences of the mites are less intense.

Herbs make the blood indigestible and have repellent effects

Another advantage of herbs is that with the right mix, you can ensure that the horse's blood/skin becomes indigestible to the mites. Mites will consume this but because it is indigestible, the mites cannot use the blood and skin flakes to reproduce. This means that the mite population will become smaller and smaller, but also that no new eggs will be produced. Whereas you can't get rid of the eggs with chemical treatment, you can use herbs to ensure that fewer and fewer eggs are laid. You can also use herbs and essential oils to ensure that the horse becomes less attractive to parasites. Citronellol and Citronellal are good examples of this. This repels mites, for example, so they prefer not to be present on the horse. With herbs, however, it is important to give them to your horse daily for a longer period of time. A feed supplement is very suitable for this purpose. Herbs need to be given longer than a chemical treatment, but they do not have the negative effects of a chemical treatment. You can also use herbs preventively.

Conclusion: herbs and essential oils can do more!

Chemical treatment only kills the mites that are currently present. A quick fix, but with consequences for overall resistance. It also has no effect on the eggs, resulting in a quick re-infestation. With an herbal supplement against mites, you not only tackle the mite problem, but you also support the overall resistance. So you help the horse become more resistant to mites. Due to laws and regulations, we are not allowed to mention which products are involved here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.