KEEP THE FLIES AT BAY THE NATURAL WAY THIS SUMMER
	As summer approaches it brings with it swarms of pesky insects that can cause so much misery to both horse and rider. Sweet itch is a severe summer skin condition to the mane and tail that is caused by an aggressive allergic response to midge saliva or culicoides - you know those small insects that pester us humans on summer evenings and we squish them flat for daring to bite us! Sadly horses can't quite do the same except swish their tail and stomp a hoof to avoid being bitten.  Sweet itch is usually first seen in horses and ponies aged between one and five years old who have 'sensitised' to midge saliva. From this point on it only takes a few culicoide bites to trigger an allergic reaction that will drive the horse crazy throughout the summer as they strive to scratch the itch until their mane and tail hair is rubbed raw and the skin sore and broken, which will only start to get better when he cooler weather arrives, the midges go away and there is no more cause to scratch. …….until next year! The best way to help treat Sweet Itch is to try and prevent the problem in the first place, although often easy to say but not quite so easy to do.
Some natural suggestions are:
	Choose a windy field - as with tiny wings they find it difficult to fly!  Avoid grazing near stagnant water, manure heaps or rotting vegetation as these are midge havens! Chalk-based grassland has fewer midges than clay pasture. Midges are up at dawn, retire in the heat of the day and then return at dusk. So if your horse has access to a shelter encourage them to be in at dusk and dawn.  Apply natural our NEH Fly-Away Repellent Gel morning and night. The gel also acts as barrier between midge and skin. Or try the traditional pink paraffin remedy by mixing a teaspoon of pink paraffin to a 2-gallon bucket of warm water and gently swab the area.
	Midges also dislike the oily nature of barrier creams and to protect the skin apply our Winter Skin & Cracked Heel Salve, with soothing Aloe and Calendula which will act as a barrier and keep the would moist, thereby speeding the healing process.  Be warned insecticides kill insects but BEWARE of using benzyl benzoate (available from vets and pharmacies) on broken skin as it can make the condition worse. Instead us our Aloe, Kunzea & Tea Tree Gel, which can be used on broken skin and is ideal for the soothing skin irritations, fly bites and bacterial infections.