Unexplained itchiness

[Catherine]

My three year old filly has started a second winter of scratching herself on any available object and generally ruining her winter coat so that along her barrel, it looks like wire-wool clogged with skin flakes. She has got so bad that she has had to be moved into a brick stable as she was slowly dismantling my timber sectional stables, despite my husband's best efforts to stabilise the walls so they didn't get shoved off the brick base!

I've had the vet look at it, had skin tests, had steroids, treated her with endless wacky herbal compounds, all to no avail. It only seems to happen once her winter coat sets in; in the summer, she hardly ever scratches. She is only lightly rugged, despite being TBxWB, to avoid her getting too hot and the breaking sweat tickling - completely unrugged she is definitely cold and still scratching!

Has anyone else experienced this? I am also curious to know whether the fact she is skewbald makes any difference. She is a very "sensuous" person normally, and loves being scratched, and I want to identify whether she is scratching just because she likes it or because she has something wrong that hasn't yet been identified. There is no associated breaking of the skin, heat or inflammation.

All contributions greatly received!

[Alibi]

You've probably covered this but any chance its lice?

One of my boys started scratching himself the year before last at this time of year, rubbed himself red raw due to lice.

[galadriel]

Sounds like it might be a seasonal allergy of some kind, although it also sounds like you've checked that out as thoroughly as you can.

Have you tried giving her a full clip? Maybe having the excess coat gome will take care of it.