When top showjumping stallion Winningmood (Winny) suddenly suffered an outbreak of hives all over his body, his rider Luciana Diniz was stumped.

The Portugese showjumper had no idea what could have caused the allergic reaction that her grand prix horse was suffering from, or how to treat it.

So in a bid to conquer the mystery she turned to social media and was overwhelmed by the huge response from Winny’s fans.

“Winny is currently suffering from an unknown allergic reaction of some sort — he wants to get back jumping but can’t because of this. We have tried everything, from allergy tests, a vinegar bath, changing his food and hay, yet nothing seems to work.

“We need all of your help to find a solution to this problem so Winny can go back to doing what he loves — showjumping,” Luciana posted on her Facebook page on 31 May.

Last year, the son of Darco helped Luciana become the 2015 champion of the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) after their grands prix triumphs in Madrid and Vienna.

The stallion made a comeback to the sport at the LGCT in Vienna in 2014 after eight months out through injury and went on to be placed in every grand prix he competed in under Luciana.

Following the rider’s post on social media, which was shared 500 times, almost 300 fans replied with tips and advice for Luciana.

The German-based showjumper expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming response.

“Thank you for some many nice ideas. Tomorrow we have a conference call with the vets to decide what to do and I will tell them many of your ideas,” she said.

Fortunately, Winny now looks to be on the road to recovery.

“Winny had a promising day today and his spots are getting smaller. We have him on homeopathic medication and he is consistently taking vinegar baths. He also got a detox infusion,” Luciana updated a few days later on 2 June.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Katie Jerram had more reason to celebrate than usual when Woodfield Indo took his Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) ticket at Ashbourne Show. The middleweight hunter has endured 18 months of serious health problems, with vets at one point advising that he be put to sleep.

The 8-year-old Power Blade gelding suffers from what Katie describes as “raging allergies”, leaving him in a constant state of stress and itchiness.

Vets were trying to establish the cause when, last November, the horse suffered an accident out hacking. After whipping round and losing his jockey, Indo was galloping home when he slipped off a concrete bridge, falling several feet into the river below.

“How he didn’t break a leg or his neck, I don’t know,” Katie told H&H. “We sent him straight to Newmarket. He had injured his foreleg and on the inside of his thigh — it [a gash] was right down to the bone.”

Indo could not be operated on as he was too traumatised.

But his wounds healed — without surgery — and, after other vets had exhausted alternative therapies for his allergies, Mark Hillier of the Newmarket Equine Hospital put him on antihistamines.

The drugs, combined with an immune system booster called Fight Back and the weekly disinfecting of his stable, have helped him turn a corner. As antihistamines are not permitted in the showring, he comes off the drugs seven days before a show — with no ill effects.

“Many horses would have been turned sour by the constant itching or box-rest, but Indo has been so treatable and understanding that we are trying to help him,” said Katie.

“Here’s hoping the rest of his season is as successful as it deserves to be,” she added.

To read more about Woodfield Indo’s amazing story, plus understanding allergies and how to manage them, don’t miss H&H magazine’s vet pages in 5 September issue

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

More articles on feeding horses

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We’ve all heard about dietary intolerances in humans, but could loose droppings be a sign that your horse is intolerant to certain ingredients in their food?

We ask Claire Lawrence, nutritionist for Allen & Page, and H&H veterinary expert Karen Coumbe MRCVS what might cause loose droppings and how to solve the problem.

The nutritionist says: “Loose or watery droppings are often a sign that all is not well with the horse. This can potentially be associated with any ingredient with a high sugar content such as molasses, which has a similar effect to spring grass.

“A low-starch, high-fibre diet that cuts out the most common offending ingredients can often be helpful in these cases.”

The vet says: “Too much concentrates can cause loose droppings and may well be an indication that a particular feed does not agree with a particular horse.

“Part of the reason why intolerance to feed does occur is the horse’s digestive system, which is designed for a high-fibre low-carbohydrate diet.

“The horse’s hind gut works to break down fibre slowly as he grazes grass or nibbles hay.

“When something rich or high in sugar is fed, this is absorbed rapidly before it reaches the hind gut and consequently the horse’s system cannot cope as well — a horse may get the equine equivalent of ‘sugar surges’.”

All cases of severe diarrhoea in adult horses should be taken seriously and your vet consulted.

The full article on feed intolerances in horses was published in Horse & Hound (22 October, ’09)

Looking for more articles on feeding horses?

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Q: “My 13-year-old, 16.2hh part-bred TB never seems to gain weight. To compound the problem, he is very sensitive and barley, sugar beet and conditioning cubes all bring him out in lumps.

“He seems well in himself, but you can see his backbone and he has no covering on his quarters – I compete in dressage competitions with him but he looks more like a racehorse.

“At the moment he is on Alfa-A and horse and pony nuts, and while these do not prompt a skin reaction, the weight is still a problem. Can you help?”

Christine Smy, an independent nutritionist, answers: “Urticaria, which manifests itself as lumps under the skin and is also known as ‘feed bumps’, ‘protein lumps’ and even ‘humour spots’, is thought to be related to high-protein products and is often associated with wheat and barley.

“Since almost all mixes and cubes contain cereals and cereal by-products, finding a suitable concentrate for your horse may be difficult. There are a couple of products on the market that are designed for horses with allergies, but these tend to be fibre-based with low energy – possibly not the weight-gain feed you are looking for.

“For body and coat condition, feed soya or corn oil, ideally unprocessed, from a feed merchant. Start with a couple of tablespoons, two or three times a day, and work up to half a pint daily, split between feeds.

“Oil is energy-dense, with over two-and-a-half times more energy than the same weight of cereal. It is non-heating, is very palatable and is easily digested and absorbed but must be introduced slowly.

“For muscle development, feed protein supplements, avoiding those containing cereals. Soya bean meal is a first-rate protein source, providing essential amino acids to promote muscle formation.

“Milk is another excellent protein source. Some products contain milk pellets specifically for horses, so stick to these, following the manufacturer’s advice. If the horse is worked in a correct outline, you should see an improvement in muscle development in a few weeks.

“In humans, psychological factors have been found to contribute to urticaria and there may be a similar link in horses. Try to establish whether the animal has been under any stress, as this can affecting gut efficiency and the manufacture of B vitamins. Feeding live yeast or probiotics can rectify problems in this area.

“Any horse which is failing to gain weight should be examined by the vet for signs of worm damage. Your vet will also be able to help you compile the ideal worming plan for the horse.”

Don’t miss the new issue of HORSE magazine (February), on sale now, for more Q&As, plus an A to Z guide to nutrition and advice on getting your horse fit for the forthcoming competition season.

Q: I’ve owned my 12-year-old 17hh Irish Draft/Thoroughbred for two years and we participate in riding club activities. He has no history of illness but earlier this year he developed what looked like an allergic reaction on his front and hind legs. This was accompanied by some fluid retention in his lower leg, which disappeared with exercise.

My vet is perplexed by the condition, as it appears to give my horse no problems. Steroids reduced the swelling slightly, but it has now returned. He is out at grass and has one hard feed a day, including various supplements and carrots. Do you have any idea what it might be?

Jo Holmes MRCVS replies: It sounds as though your horse has an allergy to something in his diet or environment. At the age of 12, he is not too old to develop an allergy even to something his body has been tolerant of for years. The immune system can suddenly react adversely for no apparent reason.

I would start by eliminating all his hard feed for a month, including any supplements, and then, if an improvement is seen, reintroducing each component one week at a time.

You might also need to keep your horse off the pasture for a while, in case there is something growing in the field that has triggered his condition.

If he is stabled routinely, try changing his bedding to paper and consider feeding Spillers’ Readigrass rather than hay or haylage, as this is the closest thing to a hypo-allergenic roughage that I have come across.

The important point to remember is that you must only change one thing ata time to be sure of identifying the causative factor – it should take somewhere between 2-6 weeks to see a change.

If all this draws a blank, your vet can arrange for your horse to undergo skin sensitivity testing – he may need to be referred to a dermatology specialist to obtain this service. Skin testing will assess his response to certain grasses and other known irritants found in the environment.

If your horse responds positively to any of these tests, a course of desensitisation may be embarked upon, involving regular subcutaneous (under the skin) injections of a gradually increasing quantity of irritant.

However, desensitisation can take up to a year to yield results, so removing the source of the irritant is likely to work much more quickly and effectively.

• Cereals: barley is probably the main offender, but wheat, maize and oats can also cause problems
• Peas: these are frequently used in horse feed mixes and are one of the ingredients that can provoke a reaction.
• Oils: soya and sunflower oil are often used in feeds as a binding agent and also to add extra calories for horses prone to weight loss. However, they may not be tolerated in every case.
• Treats: apples, carrots and peppermints all carry the potential for allergic reactions in a horse. These can often be overlooked when investigating an intolerance so it is important to include them when discussing your horse’s feed with a nutritionist.
• Garlic: although it is fairly common to feed garlic as a supplement, it can be the cause of intolerance-related reactions in some horses

“In the beginning, only feed the horse good quality hay. A back-to-basics diet of just hay and water for two weeks will eliminate all other food traces and toxins from the horse’s system.

Reintroduce the first food (as suggested by your nutritionist) to your horse’s diet for a period of twoweeks. If this is the food causing the problem, his symptoms will reappear. Continue reintroducing food samples, one at a time, each for a period of two weeks until all foods have been tested.

Your horse may be intolerant to more than one food so even if he reacts to an early food sample, make sure you continue with the elimination diet until all foods have been tested.

Consult your nutritionist once the offending foods have been identified. He or she will be able to work with both you and your horse to develop a suitable diet plan that excludes the problem foods yet also provides all vital nutrients.

If, once the elimination process is complete, no foods have been identified, it is likely that other aspects of your horse’s lifestyle are to blame. Consult your vet, and ask him to check your horse for other possible allergies. These could include adverse reactions to dust, mites, tack, rugs or bedding.

NB: While the horse is onan elimination diet it is a good idea to restrict access to grazing to stop him eating other shrubs or plants that could be causing problems unbeknown to you.

They look alarming, but skin rashes are often an allergic reaction that will quickly pass, says HORSE magazine

Urticaria – also known as nettle rash or hives – is a dramatic allergic reaction, which manifests as raised patches on the skin.

The skin lesions develop rapidly and often disappear within a few hours. They start as small bumps, which become larger and spread to form doughy areas of swelling.Although serious harm is unlikely, an affected horse can look very uncomfortable.

What causes the condition?

Urticaria is the result of an allergic reaction to something the horse has been in direct contact with, inhaled or, more unusually, eaten. It can be hard to determine the precise cause, but possibilities include pollens, insect bites, insect repellents, shampoos and medicines. Whatever it is, it will be something the horse has become sensitive to as the result of previous exposure, rather than a new substance.

When should you call the vet?

• If the horse is distressed or his breathing is laboured
• If the eyelids and muzzle are very swollen
• If there is no improvement after 24 hours

The majority of cases will clear up without treatment and never recur. If it happens again your vet will need to check that there isn’t a more serious underlying allergy. Sometimes the skin lumps persist, in which case steroids can be used to eliminate the cause or treat the condition.

Nettle rash

Occasionally a horse will fall or roll into nettles. The effects can be distressing and uncomfortable, particularly to a thin-skinned Thoroughbred-type. Often, if it were not for the recognisable rash and the circumstantial evidence of squashed nettles nearby, it would be easy to think it was something much more serious.

Affected horses may be lame, weak and wobbly,or repeatedly turn round to look at their flanks as if they had colic. Things should settle down rapidly, but, if symptoms persist, contact your vet for advice.

Read more skin complaints:

• Coping with skin parasites
• Q&A: Treating sweat lumps

Q: Each year, since my 16-year-old mare was four, she’s had a mild case of facial hair loss and occasional blistering. This year it started with a small patch the size of a 50p piece and after 24 hours most of her face was blistering.

The vet treated her with antibiotics, which cleared the infected areas, but the hair loss and swelling continued, so she was put on steroids. On a later visit, he explained she was affected by the high pollen counts we’ve been experiencing and she has a contact allergy to grass pollen.

She was taken off the grazing and has since been clear of the blisters. Is there anything I can do to prevent this happening year after year?

Jo Holmes MRCVS replies: If the condition affecting your mare occurs seasonally and is quite predictable, it is likely she’s allergic to something in her environment, such as pollens.

Prevention is better than cure and keeping her in during the crucial period is your best strategy.

I’ve been impressed by the Boett Blanket which has assisted many horses I know in the fight against sweet itch. The blanket fits closely over the body. Face hoods are also available. Make sure the hood has holes for your horse’s eyes as netting is thought to cause eyesight problems.

You could try moving her to different, re-seeded grazing where the irritant grasses may not grow.

Your mare may have photodermatitis (a skin reaction to ultra-violet light) or it could be simple sunburn, which occurs on pink skin and facial areas. Otherwise, the skin may have been sensitised by your horse eating certain plants in the pasture known as epyrrolizidine alkaloids.

These get processed by the liver and end up as toxins deposited in the skin, which then react to sunlight.

Antibiotic and steroid creams should help, as will sunblock if it is applied thickly enough. Experiment to see what helps.

If you’re worried plant toxins are to blame, ask your vet to blood test your mare to check her liver function.