Dimbleby Pip (Dimby to us) is a Miniature Shetland he stands at 33 inches tall and is 6 years old. We have Dimby since he was a colt at 17 months old. . Dimby chose me, he followed me around the field nudging me. He hadn't had much handling and that showed when we put a head collar on him. Little he may be but our Dims was a handful, he was rearing up bucking, trying to bite us. Getting him to a horse box..... well that was a testing time. But with patience and gentleness we did box him. Dimby is a pleasure to have and he is so funny, he doesn't realise that he is tiny!  Dims has cost us a fortune in vets bills, but we never regret buying him.

That first spring we had Dimby i noticed that he had small lumps on his neckand he was very itchy.  I thought it was sweet itch. However the lumps spread and he then began with scabs on his neck and his neck became swollen. I called the vet out and he said it looked like an allergy but the only way to know for sure was have allergy tests taken. So Dimby had bloods taken and sent away for testing....... A few days later the results was in and I could not believe what my vet was telling me, Dimby was ALERGIC TO ALL GRASSES!!!!!! also to dust spores and mould spores.

Dimby was put on antibiotics to help clear up the open sores but after that it was all try and see on my part. 

After the vet had been to be honest I couldn't believe that Dimby was allergic to grass. I had never heard of this before...... How was I going to manage it?

.

After taking a few days to think about it and research on the internet...... but there wasn't anything for horses allergic to grass so I had to start thinking of something because if I didn't come up with something quick his quality of life would suffer and he would be in a stable 24 hours a day...... that is no life for a young mini whos companion is out in the field 24 hours a day in the summer and out during the day in the winter, Dimby and Caddy have bonded and they are always together. Besides Dims is full of life and spirit would he be able to cope being in all the time? I had to come up with something quick.........

So this is what I tried and this actually works for him :-)

Dimby is fully rugged all year round..... This means in the warmer days of spring and summer he has a full fly rug on as in this picture with a neck cover. The neck cover on this rug was not long enough to cover all his neck so I had to add more material from an old fly rug to make sure that all his neck was covered. He wears a fly mask also. In the winter Dimby has combo turn out rugs on so that again all his upper part of his body is covered. Dimby is also clipped out in a kind of chaser clip but with his underbelly left in this is because is belly is not covered by rugs so his own coat adds a bit of protection. He has to be clipped because he will be too hot having rugs on. Dimby has antihistamines morning and night. ( Please do not use antihistamines unless if you have consulted your vet).

Dimby is also off grass during the day and on a scratch paddock with no grass. this is for 2 reasons. 1 to get him off the grass for 10 hours, and 2 he is prone to laminitis so this has helped keep it at bay and if Dimby should come down with laminitis then he has a scratch paddock where he can stay until it has passed. 

This works for Dimby to a degree he still gets scabby in the spring and summer but no where near as bad as before. We always make sure Dimby is covered when he goes out in the paddock but I will give him a few minuets with Caddy at times to groom. When Dimby does become a bit scabby I bath him in hibby scrub and make sure the scabs are kept clean and flies off the scabs to try and stop infection.

Dimby has given us so much pleasure, and he and Caddy are great friends........... I feel so lucky that I have these two beautiful horses in my life