What products may help if my horse is rubbing its mane and dock?

Read time: 3 minutes

Overview

If your horse is rubbing its mane and dock, fly-season products may help support your day-to-day management, especially when midges or other insects are making the area itchy and uncomfortable. There can be several possible reasons for rubbing, though, so it’s worth checking the skin and the surrounding routine before assuming it’s just sweet itch.

Things To Check

1. Check whether the rubbing is worse at certain times, such as dawn and dusk, or after turnout.

2. Look closely at the mane and dock for broken hair, scabs, redness, swelling, heat or any wet patches.

3. Feel whether the skin seems sore or unusually warm when you groom or part the hair.

4. Consider whether recent changes in field conditions, fly numbers, rug use or grooming products might be linked.

5. Check whether your horse is rubbing other areas too, such as the tail head, belly, face or ears.

6. Look for signs of biting insects around the stable, gate lines, hedges or standing water nearby.

7. Note whether the horse is still eating, settled and behaving normally, or seems increasingly uncomfortable.

Common Causes

The most common cause is seasonal insect irritation, especially when midges are active. This can make the mane and dock feel very itchy and lead to rubbing, stamping or tail swishing.

Sweet itch is another common reason, and horses affected by it often show recurring rubbing in the mane, tail and dock area during fly season.

Other possibilities include simple skin irritation from sweat, grooming, rug friction or minor sensitivity to a product used on the coat or skin.

Less commonly, there may be skin infection, lice or another skin problem that needs a vet’s assessment, especially if the skin looks sore, crusted or is getting worse.

What To Do

Start by keeping a simple note of when the rubbing happens and what seems to make it worse. This can help you spot a pattern.

Gently inspect the mane and dock every day so you can catch any change early. If the skin looks irritated, avoid rough grooming or anything that might make it feel more uncomfortable.

Try to reduce exposure to insects where you can, especially at peak fly times. Small changes to turnout timing, shelter use and stable management can make a difference to how often the horse feels the need to rub.

If you’re already using a fly-season routine, keep it consistent rather than changing lots of things at once. That makes it easier to work out what’s helping and what isn’t.

If the hair loss, scabbing or itching is persistent, worsening or spreading, arrange a vet check so the cause can be properly assessed.

Products That May Help

For horses that are rubbing during fly season, the arlo.® Horse Fly Sprays & Summer Care collection may be useful as part of a broader summer management routine.

Horse Fly Sprays & Summer Care

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