Spring is in the air, and with it comes potential adverse allergic responses in horses. Two main areas of concern come to the forefront at this time of year; allergies due to pollen and allergies due to insect bites.
◆︎ Allergies due to pollen:
There really isn’t much you can do to control the environment with allergies from pollen. The best way that you can help your horse is to be sure that their immune system is in the best possible shape. A holistic way to help your horse is to supplement with anti-inflammatories (discussed in a previous article available
here) and/or with anti-histamines (discussed previously here). While it’s not possible to shield your horse from pollens in the air, supplements to support their immune response may be helpful. As previously discussed, these are some of the supplements that
may be helpful.
❤ Mov-Ease
❤ MSM
❤ Turmeric
◆︎ Hypersensitivity to insect bites:
The best time of year to start supplements to support your horse from insect bites is prior to them becoming sensitizes to the allergen. It’s much easier to stop a train before it becomes a runaway train. Last year, we had an article on when to start spirulina, which some people find helpful for fly bites. Available here.
Common supplements to support your horse from fly bites include:
❤ Spirulina + Chondroitin sulfate
❤ MSM
Combinations frequently are more helpful than single supplements.
Spirulina is also available as spirulina tablets. For horses that are accustomed to spirulina, it’s an easy way to serve spirulina without the mess.
◆︎ Why it’s important to address these issues
The biggest reason to address the issues are for comfort and appropriate care of the horse. The other thing to consider is that untreated or undertreated allergies and allergic responses may set up bigger problems down the road. For instance, if your horse has an issue with pollen, you don’t want the immune response to become repetitive and chronic, resulting in equine asthma.
For skin issues, you don’t want the horse to become so itchy that he/she damages their skin trying to scratch their itch. Moreover, you don’t want the skin to become so irritated that the horse loses their hair and gets pustules on their skin.
◆︎ Stubborn cases:
While it’s always important to support the horse nutritionally, there may be instances where supplements aren’t sufficient. In those instances, work with your vet. There are prescription anti-histamines available, which may be able to treat the condition.
We do the best that we can for our horses. Understanding options available to us for supporting our horse's allergic responses is a part of that.
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Disclaimer: Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.
©Joan Kulifay 2025