Hi riders; I went with some friends last Sunday and we rode for about 4
hours up in the San Gabriel mountains here above Glendora, I ponied my
filly. On the ride my friend noted her horse kept scratching her head,
and then we saw a clump of ticks on the head which she picked off. Then we saw
a couple on the horses, and on my friends' back. When we got back to our
trailers, we brushed the horses good, and whew! I got 3 or 4 ticks off of my
filly, and a couple off of me. So I sprayed the filly with some bug
spray...whoops I need to buy more, haven't got any this winter and its time to
restock. Well, during the week I noted that the filly was pacing
and walking and restless in her stall. Then I found a few welts on her that
were tick bites, those scabby oozy kinds. On Thursday I groomed her really
good, and found two more ticks! And more welts, big crusty yellow ones that if
you pick off they are all bloody. I sprayed her some more with fly spray
(Its the kind to repel ticks too) and I gave her a Bute 'cause I thought it
may help her discomfort. Does anyone feel itchy yet reading
this?. So today, Saturday, I had to go to a class, and I brought
one of the nurses home with me to show her the horses and tell her about my
itchy filly. So we went to examine her skin. Nurses are like that you
know. Damned if she didn't find another tick, and this is a non horse
person to boot. She recommended tweezers. So this afternoon, I was out there
going inch by inch over that horse looking for ticks and I found at least half
a dozen. Her neck is so covered with welts I wound up body clipping her
neck with my A5's. So I could find more ticks and welts. I was putting alcohol
wipes on the spots and then switched to betadine. I got hair all over me and
it was itchy and then I feel like I may have ticks too. Then I got the body
clippers instead, and she got all nervous, but stood perfectly still while I
am hoping not to get kicked in the head as I pick ticks off her bel ly. She is
half body clipped from the withers forward, and the back is covered with
betadine spots. There is a storm blowing in and I don't want her to be itchy
with a blanket over fresh clipped fur, and otherwise she may freeze so I quit
clipping her. So now she'll be half freezing and half itchy. Her legs and tail
are clumped with scabs and I found ticks all in the tail. I am sitting here
itching and I hope I dont have ticks in my hair, but I know she has none in
her ears. I practically can feel them climbing down my shirt but its really
horse hair, and I have to keep checking to be sure. I haven't even been able
to see my friends horses and I bet they have hundreds of ticks too. I wish
horses could eat Benadryl for itching. (Are you itchy
now?) MORAL of the story...hey everyone...go buy tick/bug/fly
spray pesticide whatever and spray yourself too. I bet snakes will be out
next. Too bad she isn't whiter because ticks show up good on white horses.
Beth (gonna take a shower now,
followed by a Benadryl)
Passion ("My mom warned me
about those noisy clipper things")
Solstice ( "Are those cooties
contagious?")
Bravo ("That is why I
don't get in the trailer or walk over white poles")
