Insects aren't responsible for sweetitch! #1

Actually, they’re merely triggers or aggravating factors for so-called “sensitive” horses. The real question, then, is why that horse has become sensitive. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether insect saliva causes a skin reaction or whether a particular characteristic of the horse’s skin is reacting poorly. The real issue is why this skin is reacting and why this horse has become sensitive.

The skin is the mirror of the body’s internal state. We know this all too well. When the skin becomes reactive, it means there is a real internal imbalance. And in horses, there are three main causes:

1- dietary stress,

2 - environmental stress,

3- psychological stress.

All three have a direct impact on the gastrointestinal tract: When our horse is afraid or anxious, or when we change its diet, don’t we see soft or liquid manure? If we observe this empirically, we are convinced that a compromised gastrointestinal system leads to physical and/or psychological disorders (diarrhea, colic, bloating, weakened immunity, fatigue, ulcers, aggression, etc.).

And what about the skin? How is it affected? Any internal imbalance leads to changes in the skin (dull coat, hair loss, slow regrowth, itching, flaking, dandruff…). The skin is the body’s voice.

PART #1:  DIETARY STRESS

a-    The lack of forage or grass for horses that are designed to eat for at least 16 hours a day, because “chewing fiber produces saliva, which regulates the stomach’s pH and helps prevent gastric ulcers in horses… the entire balance of the horse’s gut microbiota will suffer from a diet that is too low in fiber, particularly due to the bacteria present in such feeding situations. Furthermore, a fiber-free or low-fiber diet promotes the onset of TIC (behavioral disorders) in horses, which are another source of distress and additional health problems for the horse.”

b-    A diet high in fat “It appears that horses are not adapted to digest and absorb large amounts of fat—as herbivores, they have evolved on a diet that is naturally low in fat and can obtain sufficient fat from forage alone —Research has demonstrated numerous benefits associated with a moderate increase in fat intake in equine diets.), or a protein deficiency, which leads to muscle loss and poor coat quality, while an excess of protein increases ammonia levels and the risk of dehydration"

c- but ABOVE ALL, the hypothesis that has been confirmed in recent years: a diet that is not suited to… the BREED! Because horses consume the vegetation they were evolutionarily programmed to eat: a Purebred Spanish Horse eats a rare, sugar-rich grass, and every nutrient in every blade of grass is fully absorbed. Faced with scarcity, it will instinctively extract the maximum from it to survive. Conversely, the "Selle Français" breed, faced with the abundant supply of Normandy grass, will be able to select only what it truly needs. Breeds are morphologically different. It is a mistake to think that their needs are identical. Beyond common sense, this becomes self-evident from an ethological perspective.

It is also well established that certain breeds are more prone to summer dermatitis: such as Pure Spanish Breed, Friesian, Shetland, Icelandic, Welsh, Shire, and Arabian Thoroughbred… Is it a coincidence when we consider their countries of origin?

Admittedly, environmental imbalances—such as pesticides and climate change—add an additional problem, but they are merely one more factor affecting a horse that is already predisposed. Understanding the dietary origins of these breeds could reduce this dietary stress and allow the body to regain the appropriate nutrient intake for which it was designed.

This hypothesis is consistent with the exponential increase in the number of affected horses in recent years, which has risen in proportion to the number of non-French breeds imported. The absence of dermatological conditions up to that point may have indicated that their “survival” mode was activated, until it reached its limit, leading one day to the onset of dermatitis and, year after year, to its progression (note that, according to entomological observatories, the number of insects is neither increasing nor decreasing). Skin disorders appear gradually in various forms: mud fever, dermatophytosis, summer dermatitis, chorioptic mange, atopy… Since the skin is the primary “outlet” for internal imbalances.

This brings us to what is humorously referred to as “the rillette theory”: an excess of fat in humans that triggers breakouts! But this imbalance has a more problematic consequence than a simple outbreak of pimples: it weakens the body, making it less and less able to manage its dietary environment. The horse’s sensitivity increases, and the body’s responses become more obvious and intense—even excessive. Supplementing with a particular herb may be a solution, provided that it meets the individual horse’s actual needs. 

But that’s how we’ve always done it !

"We’ve always fed them the same way, and it’s never been a problem.” Yes, that’s true, but the breeds have mostly remained the same—the local ones. The number of imported breeds has increased significantly over the past 30 years. As for feed, it has always been categorized as “recreational, sport, breeding, senior…” While starch, grains, and molasses are increasingly identified as factors contributing to nutritional imbalances, the ingredients still don’t always seem tailored to the different horse breeds and their specific needs.

Skin conditions have increased exponentially in recent years. Shouldn’t we be rethinking our approach? We use supplements and consult nutritionists, yet things aren’t changing—they’re getting worse. Isn’t it obvious that every breed is different? So why feed them all the same way just because they’re all horses?

OBSERVE THE ENVIRONMENTS AND NOTICE THE DIFFERENCES:

Natural living environment of a Camargue horse (France):

The Camargue boasts a particularly rich flora. Despite the lack of significant topography, more than 1,000 species of flowering plants have been recorded—nearly one-quarter of France’s total flora. The diversity of natural habitats, soil conditions, and freshwater and saltwater environments, as well as the local climate, are the source of this richness. Water, marshes, salt marshes, reed beds, and above all, plants saturated with salt. Halophiles or halophytes, depending on whether they require salt or simply tolerate it.

Natural living environment of a Shetland pony (Shetland Islands, Scotland):

"Pastures and harsh climatic conditions (an oceanic, windy, and very rainy climate) result in a relatively limited number of plant species. The flora is waterlogged, not very rich, and offers very little variety in terms of nutritional value. “The plains are arid; the wind finds no hold on any object. Not a single tree, not a single shrub, not a single plant whose stem rises several feet above the ground grows or sways on the surface of these barren lands. Short rushes and dwarf reeds cover the bottoms of the damp valleys; a low-lying grass or spongy moss carpets all the hills, and cloaks the blackish topsoil and peaty ground of the plains in a brilliant mantle of greenery. Sparse oats and stunted barley are the only cereal crops cultivated in the Shetland Islands; yet even these grow only with great difficulty in the vicinity of the hamlets, in the most sheltered parts of the country, which account for barely one-thirtieth of the arable land.” The Shetland Islands. — Patrick Stuart

Natural living environment of a Selle Français (France, Normandy):

The permanent grasslands in this region are characterized by a high level of plant diversity, with 612 grassland species recorded, including 61 species of grasses, 45 species of legumes, and 506 other plant species. 

Natural living environment of a Frisian horse (Holland):

The temperate climate allows grass to grow and remain green for most of the year in the dunes, on the mudflats, and around lakes and marshy deltas. Marshes, heaths, and peat bogs are the other most common types of landscape.

Natural living environment of a Pure Spanish Breed (Spain)

Much of Spain is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Rainfall is limited and often comes in short showers, creating landscapes of olive trees, cork oaks, and low-growing shrubs such as rosemary and thyme. The vegetation is sparse and low-growing, often consisting of brushwood and scrub.

Natural living environment of a Icelander (Iceland)

A cold, desert-like land, Iceland is primarily populated by non-woody plants (plants that are not trees): fungi, mosses, lichens, and grasses.

Sources

2017, Diminution de plus de 75 % sur 27 ans de la biomasse totale d'insectes volants dans les aires protégées [revue Plos One] Hallmann CA, Sorg M, Jongejans E, Siepel H, Hofland N, et al. (2017) More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas. PLOS ONE 12(10): e0185809. 

2021, Avis de l’Académie des sciences sur le déclin des insectes. Plusieurs scientifiques alertent sur l’urgence de freiner le déclin des insectes et rappellent les risques majeurs qu’il fait porter aux écosystèmes. Jactel, H., Imler, J.L., Lambrechts, L., Failloux, A.B., Lebreton J.D., Le Maho, Y., Duplessy, J.C ., Cossart, P. & Grandcolas, P. (2021). Le déclin des insectes : il est urgent d’agir ; Insect decline: immediate action is needed. Comptes Rendus Biologies

Pourquoi limiter les fourrages est un facteur de risque pour la santé du cheval ? https://www.croixdusudlaboratoire.com/fr/articles-guides/articles/pourquoi-limiter-les-fourrages-est-facteur-risque-pour-sante-cheval,214.html

https://www.ifce.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/GUIDE-10-bonnes-pratiques-pour-nourrir-le-cheval-a-l-ecurie.pdf

Étude du comportement alimentaire des chevaux sur parcours https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03656386v1/document

https://madbarn.ca/fr/matieres-grasses-dans-alimentation-du-cheval/?srsltid=AfmBOoqvF6ML8ncTL_tAei-JOwV26ZLV8_tWzrisGOhpFemtHHWh7Xhq et Geor, R.J. et al. Chapter 7: Fats and Fatty Acids. Equine Applied and Clinical Nutrition: Health, Welfare and Performance. 2013.

https://madbarn.ca/fr/proteines-dans-alimentation-equine/ Les protéines dans l’alimentation équine : besoins nutritifs, sources et acides aminés Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D.

Race et alimentation du cheval https://www.techniquesdelevage.fr/article-race-et-alimentation-du-cheval-39762094.html