# Sweet Itch, Marmite and Avon.....



## keeperscottage (9 April 2010)

Last year, I followed the recommendatons of some Forum members and fed our sweet itch-suffering 14.1hh Section D on a daily Marmite sandwich and covered her in a liberal coating of Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray. Our actions were met with amusement from the farmer's wife and her friend (both of whom own ponies with sweet itch) but we had the last laugh when, at the end of the summer, our pony had a full mane and tail whilst their ponies had rubbed and bleeding manes and tails! Our pony loves her daily Marmite sandwich and we started feeding them to her early this year - about mid-February - to make sure she was ready for the midge season.

Anyway, thanks for your help, and yes, it REALLY works!!!! We've had our pony for eight years and apart from the summer when she had a Boett Blanket, this is definitely the best she's been!


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## ibot (9 April 2010)

hello
wow so do you use one slice of bread two ? with butter or just marmite and does vegimite work the same  

am i to late to start the sandwich thing??


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## Theresa_F (9 April 2010)

Mine get it but you would never know.  I feed them linseed, brewers yeast and what really made the difference, clivers.

They wear snuggy bodies with udder/sheath covers (mine get very sore bellies, but not last year, full hair, no ground humping and far more comfortable) but not the hoods - I found after a week of 24 x 7 the manes were looking a little rubbed.  I spray them twice a day with essential oils, dettol and skin so soft and fresh on anything sticking out of the bodies.

They have no access to fences or trees (they can groom each other if they get itchy and do) and if they do come in - I as a rule keep them living out, they wear the hood and a cotton tail guard.

Finally I spray the roots of the mane, tail and forelock every other day with megatek mixed with water which keeps the hair growing fast and strong enough to take the occasional rub.


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## NOISYGIRL (9 April 2010)

My horse suffers mildly from sweet itch, so about now I spray his mane and tail with a solution of TCP once a day, last year he didn't rub his tail once ! he normally does a good job the once rubbing a huge chunk out and I end up preventing anymore for the rest of the summer.  Last year was the 1st time in a couple of years he didn't rub it at all.

I was at a show and someone told be about it and I thought it was worth a try and it works for my horse.  I use a plant spray bottle, put in a whole bottle of TCP not sure of size but not the really small one the next one up then I top it up with water.  If he gets any fly bites I just spray it on that too and they're gone by the next day !

My friends horse has to have a boett rug on all the time, that works for him.


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## ibot (9 April 2010)

well went to the shop today and brought some marmite so let me know and i shall start. i did not own him during the summer last year and so he was in bits so since ive had him ive worked really hard at his mane and tail and it looks fab. 
you should have seen me running around the yard when i realised he had a mane better than sex 
(ooops can i write that??)


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (9 April 2010)

Mine ADORES his marmite sandwiches and would sell his soul for one; he'll lick his lips for ages after he's had one, its soooo funny!!

Apparently Brewers Yeast is the same active ingredient which is in Marmite, so presumably this is why it works.

We don't have an Avon Lady around here so I shall try the Avon website to see if I can get some of the Skin So Soft stuff - I've heard its good but have not tried it yet, and the TCP remedy sounds great - cheap and cheerful, I shall definately give it a try coz none of the p**s-water stuff you buy in tack shops is any darn good in my experience.


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## nicole1968 (9 April 2010)

does this stop all flies bitting or just for sweetitch cos most fly repellants are ****


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## keeperscottage (12 April 2010)

We just take two slices of bread, spread them liberally with the Tesco equivalent of Marmite (much cheaper!) and Rea scoffs it happily! We then spray her mane and tail with the Avon stuff and, last year at least, we had no problems at all! The occasional rub, but a quick brush and her mane or tail would look fine! Like I said, this is advice I got from the Forum last year - sounded cranky, but it worked! Luckily, Rea loves her sandwich but I tried offering some to our TB mare (who doesn't have a sweetitch problem!) and she turned up her nose in disgust! Anyway, it's certainly worth a try! We tend to stock up on Avon when it's on special offer - month or so ago we bought three bottles for £5!


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## DaisyMai (13 April 2010)

I've been using Marmite butties for a year now on my big girlie to keep the files off.  Actually I use Asda's own 'Yeast Extract' - it's exactly the same as Marmite but lots cheaper.  I started using it as Fly Repellent is (a) expensive; (b) doesn't last very long; and (c) my mare goes ballistic if you go near her with it - she seems to be able to smell it from 100 yards away!!!

I'd also heard that it was a good aid to help with sweet-itch if used in conjunction with Avon So Soft Oil Spray.

So, if you haven't tried it then give it a go - it's not too late to start with the butties - I use small soft bread rolls with only a good spreading of the Yeast Extract (no butter or spread needed) and because she's such a big girlie I give her 2 a day - she loves them and she too would sell her soul for a bucket full a day!


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## a kind of magic (13 April 2010)

my lot have brewer's yeast for their skin which they love-smells just like marmite, it does have the same active ingredients and they seem to love the taste-even with the powder my young boy licks it all off the bottom! Marmite-you love it or you hate it and he is definitely my boy cos we both love the stuff! 

I am going to try the Avon stuff this year too.


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## Tinypony (14 April 2010)

Mine licks his Marmite off my hand.  I'm trying the TCP spray idea this year as well, nothing to lose!


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## ibot (14 April 2010)

well i started paddy on marmite in his feed 2 times a day. i am concerned putting oil onto him i don't (on the off chance we have sun) want him to burn 
do you just squirt the oil straight on mane and tail ? or do you put stuff in it


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## Thisbe (14 April 2010)

Love these tips guys thanks am off to buy marmite now


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## SonnysHumanSlave (14 April 2010)

both mine suffer with sweet itch, little pony is worse and i know he eats marmite sandwiches as he ate my left overs whereas teddi wont.

So they'll both be getting marmite sandwiches and will look into getting that Avon Skin So Soft too


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## NOISYGIRL (14 April 2010)

ibot said:



			well i started paddy on marmite in his feed 2 times a day. i am concerned putting oil onto him i don't (on the off chance we have sun) want him to burn 
do you just squirt the oil straight on mane and tail ? or do you put stuff in it
		
Click to expand...

You can either get the avon stuff in a dry oil spray which i would use on mane and tail not body, I make my own fly repellant which included avon skin so soft bath oil the green one

about 3rd of bottle of avon sss
litre jug of strong t, leave the t bags in til its cool
mug of vinegar
10 mls of citronella oil if your horse isn't allergic to it
10 mils of lavender oil
pour it all in a 2 litre pop bottle and top up with water

You can either use it from that and apply with sponge or put in a  plant sprayer or empty fly spray bottle

I find it works, I do like the barrier hygiene fly spray as well


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## MissMincePie&Brandy (14 April 2010)

I like the idea of TCP solution. Does this act as a fly repellant??? 

It's definitely pungent stuff and a lot cheaper than tack shop fly repellants, so would be interesting to see if it works.


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## Tinypony (14 April 2010)

So far, it does seem to be acting as a repellant.  All 3 of mine were twitching and swishing the other day, I sprayed on the diluted TCP and they stopped.  Don't know how long it lasts.  
The Avon stuff seems to have stopped working for me, maybe I have the wrong sort of flies?  It's a nice mane detangler though.


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