Summer eczema in horses: causes, symptoms and solutions

April 11, 2025 Blog | Pferdepflege Startseite, Pferdepflege

Summer brings not only sunshine and warmth, but for many horses, also the troublesome summer eczema. This is a serious condition that poses a major challenge for both horses and their owners. However, with proper care and prevention, you can significantly improve your horse's quality of life.

What is summer eczema?

Summer eczema is a chronic skin disease caused by hypersensitivity to insect saliva. Affected horses often exhibit severe itching and rubbing, skin inflammation, and, in severe cases, hair loss, especially in the mane and tail.

Recognizing Symptoms

Symptoms of summer eczema often occur seasonally and can be very stressful for horses. The most common signs include:

Itching and scratching: The animals rub themselves against fences, trees, or other objects.
Inflamed skin: Redness, swelling, chafed skin, and sometimes even oozing sores may be visible.
Hair loss: This can be particularly common in the mane and tail area due to constant rubbing.

Prevention and Care

To prevent the outbreak of summer eczema or to alleviate the symptoms, several measures are necessary:

Use insect repellent spray: Using an insect repellent spray helps keep these annoying pests away. The horse should be sprayed before grazing, riding, or training. Horse Deodorant and Horse Deodorant Superfresh are all-natural products and suitable for eczema sufferers.
Skin care: Regular care is crucial. SkinFine is a 100% natural soap containing olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, tea tree oil, chamomile, and healing clay. This care formula soothes the skin and reduces itching.
Relieve acute itching: In cases of acute itching, Anti-Itch can provide immediate relief. The soothing formula with liverwort, Dead Sea salt, aloe vera, and tea tree oil helps relieve itching and quickly improve your horse's well-being. After treatment with Anti-Itch, Horse Deodorant or Horse Deodorant Superfresh can be applied.
Feeding: Minerals are important for skin regeneration. A blood test can determine if there is a deficiency. Biotin, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B support skin metabolism. Biotin Plus can be fed as a supplement.

The above recommendations refer to milder forms of summer eczema. In cases of severe summer eczema, an eczema rug should also be worn, and a veterinarian should be consulted if necessary.