Protect Your Horse from Ticks 

Ticks are nasty little pests that can pose great danger to your horse. Since there’s no foolproof way to keep ticks away from your horse, your best bet is to be vigilant in finding them and removing them. 

At the least, a tick bite can irritate and make your horse itchy and uncomfortable. More serious though, are the number of diseases transmittable by a bite, such as Lyme disease, piroplasmosis, and equine infectious anemia. 

Another trait that makes ticks so despicable is that they’re not species-specific, which means a tick that bites your horse could also bite you or one of your pets. 

Though ticks can be hard to spot on your horse, any bites he sustains will most likely irritate and cause him to rub and scratch. (My horse will cross one front leg over the other to scratch, a sure sign that there’s a tick around!) Check any suspicious areas during your daily grooming session and pay particular attention to the face, forelock, mane, and tail. 

When you discover an offending tick, it’s important to remove it completely. The best way to do this is with tweezers. They’re more precise so you’re better able to remove the head that’s burrowed into your horse’s skin. Once you’ve plucked it out, drop it in a jar containing a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Make sure to seal it with a lid. You may have heard of other methods for killing ticks (burning or crushing), but rubbing alcohol is the most effective. 

Always clean the bite area after removal. Wash it thoroughly with Betadine or an antiseptic cleanser. Treat it with a topical ointment or spray to ward off infection. (I’ve heard many people swear by Neosporin.) If your horse is sensitive, the tick bite area may swell. And the wound may drain for a couple of days before it begins to heal. 

For those of you that would like to protect your horse from ticks, other than taking the drastic measure of keeping your horse stall-bound during high tick-infestation periods, you might want to try one of the sprays designed to repel ticks. There are several on the market and many people claim they’re successful.  

Unfortunately, we can’t just make ticks go away, but with a conscientious effort, you can protect your horse and keep him healthy.