What should I do if my horse has painful fly bites or broken skin? | arlo.® Atlas

Read time: 3 minutes

Overview

If your horse has painful fly bites or broken skin, start by checking how sore or widespread it is and whether the skin is simply irritated or becoming infected. Mild fly bites, scratching and rubbing are common in fly season, but broken skin can also come from persistent stamping, rubbing on fences or stable fittings, or an allergic reaction to bites. Keep the area clean, reduce further irritation, and watch closely for any changes.

Things To Check

1. Check where the problem is happening, such as the face, belly, legs, mane, tail or under the rug area.

2. Look closely for redness, swelling, heat, scabs, bleeding, discharge or moist skin.

3. Notice whether your horse is rubbing, stamping, tail swishing or trying to scratch the area more than usual.

4. Check whether the skin is just broken on the surface or whether there is a deeper cut, puncture or raw patch.

5. Think about recent turnout, grooming, exercise or fly exposure, as that can help point to the trigger.

6. Look for signs that flies are concentrating on one area, especially if the horse has sweat, mud, urine staining or damp coat patches.

7. Check rugs, headcollars, tack and fencing for anything that may be rubbing the same spot repeatedly.

Common Causes

The most common cause is simple fly or midge irritation, especially in warm weather or around dusk and dawn. Horses may bite, scratch or rub the area until the skin breaks.

Broken skin can also come from rubbing on hard surfaces, tack, rugs or branches after an initial bite makes the horse itchy.

In some horses, repeated fly bites can trigger a stronger skin reaction, with more swelling, crusting or sore patches than you might expect from a small bite.

Less commonly, a wound or sore patch may already be present and attracting flies, which then makes the area feel more painful and harder to settle.

What To Do

Gently clean the area with a suitable equine wound-cleaning routine if the skin is broken, then keep it as clean and dry as you can. Avoid harsh scrubbing, and try not to pick at scabs unless your vet has advised you to.

Reduce further irritation by checking for rubbing points, using sensible fly management around turnout and stable time, and keeping the horse somewhere less exposed at the worst fly times if possible.

Keep an eye on whether the area is improving, staying the same or getting more sore over the next day or two. If the horse is very distressed, the skin is oozing, smells unpleasant, or the problem is spreading, it’s sensible to get veterinary advice.

Products That May Help

For horses that are more bothered by flies and midges in summer, this collection may be useful as part of a sensible management routine alongside good hygiene and regular skin checks.

Horse Fly Sprays & Summer Care

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