The itchy season

Insect Bites

Allergens

Hives & Headshaking

The itchy season

  • Spring and Summer can place an additional burden on our horses skin health.
  • Factors in the environment change with increased insect activity, pollens and fungal spores.
  • Extra support for your horses immune system from Herdleader supplements can give both you and your horse a more comfortable summer. 

The itchy season

  • Spring and Summer can place an additional burden on our horses skin health.
  • Factors in the environment change with increased insect activity, pollens and fungal spores.
  • Extra support for your horses immune system from Herdleader supplements can give both you and your horse a more comfortable summer. 

Insect Bites

  • Typically insect bite irritation is a condition in both ponies and horses caused by the bites of Culicoides midges.
  • The irritation develops at the sites where the insects feed, mainly the mane, tail and dorsal midline. Ventral midline Irritation may also occur around the ears and head. 
  • These irritations result in itching, which results in rubbing. The itch response is triggered by the immune reaction in the mast cells of the skin, releasing Histimine.

Insect Bites

Midge bites cause Sweetitch in horses
  • Typically insect bite irritation is a condition in both ponies and horses caused by the bites of Culicoides midges.
  • The irritation develops at the sites where the insects feed, mainly the mane, tail and dorsal midline. Ventral midline Irritation may also occur around the ears and head. 
  • These irritations result in itching, which results in rubbing. The itch response is triggered by the immune reaction in the mast cells of the skin, releasing Histimine.

Allergens

  • Under normal living conditions horses are engulfed in dust, mould spores and other foreign substances all day long.
  • In pastures where horses graze there are many different airborne proteins that could mean your horse needs extra support to maintain a healthy skin.  
  • Such triggers leading to the need for support are commonly pollens (often tree), grass, foods (grains and hay)

Allergens

  • Under normal living conditions horses are engulfed in dust, mould spores and other foreign substances all day long.
  • In pastures where horses graze there are many different airborne proteins that could mean your horse needs extra support to maintain a healthy skin.  
  • Such triggers leading to the need for support are commonly pollens (often tree), grass, foods (grains and hay)

Hives & Headshaking

  • Hives are swellings on a horse's skin and are an immune response to insect bites and stings or inhaled pollen.
  • They may or may not be itchy, appear minutes to hours to days after exposure.
  • Herdleader works in the same way as for bites, dampening down the immune reaction in the skin.
  • Headshaking can be caused by pollen affecting the nasal cavity.

Hives & Headshaking

  • Hives are swellings on a horse's skin and are an immune response to insect bites and stings or inhaled pollen.
  • They may or may not be itchy, appear minutes to hours to days after exposure.
  • Herdleader works in the same way as for bites, dampening down the immune reaction in the skin.
  • Headshaking can be caused by pollen affecting the nasal cavity.

Why Choose Herdleader

Strength

A higher level of Nicotinamide than other products

5 star reviews

Lots of genuine customer reviews with a high success rate

proven to work

Developed based on clinical trials

Ready for use

A ready for use liquid feed additive in a bottle

economical

A bottle will last up to 2 months

Easy to feed

Just add to feed each day.

Strength

A higher level of Nicotinamide than other products

5 star reviews

Lots of genuine customer reviews with a high success rate

proven to work

Developed based on clinical trials

Ready for use

A ready for use liquid feed additive in a bottle

economical

A bottle will last up to 2 months

Easy to feed

Just add to feed each day.

Information on Feeding & Ingredients

Feed once daily by drawing up the correct amount of the product into the measuring chamber and sprinkling it over a small handful of concentrate which you then give to your horse.

Daily use/Feeding recommendations:
Feed at the rate of 5ml per 125kg bodyweight.
Typically horses (500-600kg) 20-25ml daily, and ponies (350-500kg)15-20ml daily

If you choose to add it to your horse’s whole feed ration then ensure that the liquid is taken and not wasted in the bottom of the feed bucket/bowl.

A 1000ml bottle of HerdLeader is typically 50 days supply for a horse, more for a pony, up to 66 days supply.

Herdleader Oral is a composition of pharmaceutical grade 99% pure Nicotinamide (one of the B3 vitamins) and purified water. No other ingredients. Nicotinamide is the only one of the various forms of Vitamin B3 that suppresses the immune response that releases the irritant histamine.

Nicotinamide is a water soluble natural vitamin. It is very safe. Excess vitamin is expelled through urine. It does not accumulate in the body.

The level of Nicotinamide is 270mg/ml. This means that a 500kg horse receiving 20ml per day of Herdleader Oral is fed at the intended rate of 11mg Nicotinamide per kilo of bodyweight.

The current FEI banned and controlled substances list does not include nicotinamide. Rest assured, Herdleader Oral and Lotion contain no prohibited substances.

If it’s been a mild winter, for example, midges will be active earlier than after a prolonged cold season.  Then there are environmental factors, i.e. where the horse is kept, low lying ground, proximity to water, etc.  Add in all those other measures that are available, factor in how early in the year you started the supplement & then, of course, each animal will react to the same irritant individually. 

Now, more technical information for you. Nicotinamide works in two different ways.  Firstly & most well known is the dampening down of the immune system & therefore the urge to scratch/rub itchy parts. Secondly,  it works to thicken the skin.  The first effect - relating to the immune system - builds up quite quickly, in a matter of days, while the second takes effect much slower.  The skin’s thickening is caused by increasing numbers of fat cells it contains & this process is ongoing, it can take a month or more. 


Herdleader Summer Itch Relief is completely safe to feed to pregnant mares at any stage. Indeed the B3 vitamins generally are important and useful to the developing foal.

The short answer is yes. The active ingredient in Herdleader, nicotinamide, will not affect metabolic processes associated with laminitis. Herdleader contains no carbohydrates that can affect insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances.


Herdleader Summer Itch Relief delivers a higher dosage (11mg/kg bodyweight) of Nicotinamide than other brands and yet its cost in-use is less. Typically its cost for a horse is 68p/day compared to 75p/day for the Cavalesse brand for example.

This is a commonly asked question & one that doesn’t have a clear-cut answer. 

It would seem obvious to start feeding the supplement once the flies have appeared, but the irritation may already be in the horse’s system.  Bear in mind the changing climate, without the long cold winters we had a generation ago that killed off some of the insect population, we have increasing wet spells offset with periods of drought.  All result in perfect breeding conditions for the insects, far earlier than used to be the norm. 

To sum up, our product is a supplement therefore does not stay in the system long once it’s not being used.  For optimal results we’d advocate getting it into the animal’s system ahead of the problem arising. If you want to take a break pick maybe 2/3 months when you can predict your horse will be less affected by the itching.

 

The good news is that Herdleader is not in any way detrimental to the immune system as a whole and will not negate the benefits of supplements like gut balancers or biotics. An explanation is called for of course.

Herdleader is very specific in its action on the immune system – it suppresses the release of histamine (a chemical that causes itchiness) in the cells near to the skin where environmental or insect allergens are encountered. Herdleader’s effect is therefore local to the skin and does not affect other parts of the body or immune system.