Barley bumps

Tikki

New Member
May 30, 1999
20
0
0
Scotland
Visit site
Anyone out there ever seen barley bumps? How big are they, how many, where, are they itchy, sore..?? How long after stopping feeding barley do they take to go away?

Thanks
 
I've not heard the expression 'barley bumps' before, but it's very apt! They are an allergic reaction, and if they are a result of being fed barley, it doesn't necessarily mean that your horse is completely allergic to barley, just that he got too big a 'hit' from them, e.g. if youi've just introduced them to his diet and gave him too generous an amount. There are some horses that are allergic to barley in any form, but this is pretty rare, and you obviously have to be extra careful about their feedstuffs.

The bumps (also known as 'hives','nettle rash' and 'urticaria') go down at different speeds, depending on where they have come up on the hrose's body, and on the horse's general sensitivity. Some are gone in an hour, others take a couple of days; it really depends on the severity of the reaction. Sometimes, if they are really bad, your horse needs a steroid injection to counteract the allergic reaction. This allergic reaction can also come from the horse coming into contact with certain plants (hence the old fashioned name 'nettle rash') - I have a TB allergic to nettles, and only found out when he had a good roll in a new field and then started hopping around and wriggling on the ground like a loony. I also have another TB who is allergic to a particular antibiotic by intravenous injection, and she has to avoid all derivatives of that drug as a result.

Anyway, they do itch a certain amount, but again this depends on how thin-skinned your horse is and how serious the attack is. It goes without saying that if you note a particular allergic reaction your horse has, you need to alert anyone who looks after the horse for you. If there is a drug-related allergy, you must make sure you remind your vet every time your horse needs any kind of treatment that involves any similar type of drug, as there are so many different brand names nowadays. If your horse is in a livery yard, there should be an emergency list in the feed/tack room that shows if any horses require any special treatment.

Good luck
 
newrider.com