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Recent Developments

 

2006 - The launch of the spectacular Second Generation Boett Blanket and Hood.

20th May 2006

The continuation of ‘the vaccine trials’ is exciting enough but this year also sees the introduction of a new and even better Sweet Itch blanket from Boett. Once again Horses Etc. Ltd at The Sweet Itch Helpline is the supplier of this product. • The fabric is considerably stronger, a fact proven by both tear strength and abrasion tests. It still retains water repellent properties and high breathability to prevent over-heating when temperatures soar. • The design has been cleverly altered to provide additional protection from midges and two extra sizes have been added to the range which will result in ‘a made to measure’ fit for all shapes and sizes of horse, pony and donkey, but with next day delivery. • There are new realistic colours. The chestnut is now a true bright, glowing chestnut. The dark brown is almost black and the white, always the least popular colour, has been replaced by a more practical light grey. All look extremely smart. • The Boett Hood has also had a makeover, with a much-improved design, which includes mesh eye protection instead of the fly fringe. Compared to other products that claim to help Sweet Itch the Boett Blanket has always been in a league of its own. With its proven track record and unbeatable performance we assumed that this blanket was as good as it could get for Sweet Itch sufferers, but the new Second Generation Boett exceeds all expectations. However there's no progress without pain and Boett have made a slight price increase for the new blanket and hood - but if you feel that your horse or pony deserves the very best in Sweet Itch protection it is money well spent.

Boett: Protecting a world of horses

11 March 2005

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding summer use of the Boett Blanket is “Wont it cause my horse to seriously over-heat in hot weather?” The answer is a most resounding “No!” The uniquely clever fabric ensures ample airflow in all conditions. We are not saying that when the British weather suddenly and uncharacteristically becomes really hot your horse won’t notice! Like us humans he’ll feel hot, seek shade and, if he’s sensible, won’t rush around in the mid-day sun. Like us humans he might get a little sticky at times and drink more water– but he wont be at any risk by continuing to wear his Boett. It is interesting to see the list of the countries where Boetts are now being worn. In some of the countries tens of thousands of horses are contentedly wearing them, in others, as yet, only a few, but as you can see, many of the countries experience far higher summer temperatures, or humidity than we ever do in Britain. If our weather gets really hot this summer don’t remove the Boetts. Unless we have a severe and prolonged drought the midges will still be around. The Boett Blanket is now being used in the following countries: Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Australia, Luxembourg, South Africa, Tahiti, (yes, really!), America, Canada, Indonesia, Lebanon, The United Arab Emirates, The Faeroe Isles, Ireland and of course, Great Britain. So don’t remove your Boett when the sun shines!

Daily Telegraph	26 August 2003
“Spray Gold DEET” – A recommendation: DEET is best says The Daily Telegraph. In an article on August 25th 2003 the pros and cons of insect repellents were discussed. Dr Larry Goodyer, head of the Leicester School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University says, “The most important factor is how long the repellent remains active. Most people do not apply them frequently enough. When a repellent is advertised as lasting up to 12 hours, it does not necessarily mean that 100 per cent effectiveness is maintained.” “A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year showed that products containing DEET (diethyltoluamide) provide complete protection for the longest period. A formulation containing 23.8 per cent DEET had an average protection time of around five hours, while most of the botanical repellents tested offered less than 20 minutes.” “There have been fears about the toxicity of DEET. To a large extent such fears have been unfounded and the risk of adverse effects in normal use is low. The higher the concentration of active ingredient and the greater the amount applied, the longer it will last,” says Dr Goodyer.

	17 May 2003
The Boett Blanket appeared in the BBC children’s’ TV programme 'Blue Peter' on Wednesday May 14th. Jet, a black 14 h.h. Dales gelding is the official Blue Peter pony. Cared for by Ann Mitchell from Essex this well known pony, in addition to regularly appearing on television, also performs valuable work for his owners, The Riding for the Disabled Association, where his calm temperament and helpful attitude have earned him star status. Unfortunately however, Jet suffers from Sweet Itch. He wears a Boett Blanket. On Jet’s 21st birthday the BBC decided to buy Jet a present. They asked Ann what Jet needed and her answer was immediate – a new Boett. He was grandly presented with it on Wednesday’s programme. We were relieved to see that it fitted well! So there we are – the Boett Blanket – as worn by stars of stage and screen!

	05 November 2002
The Boett 'Raincoat': Mother Nature is wonderful. She always manages to keep a balance and I suppose we all knew that after five weeks of autumn drought in the UK the heavens would eventually open! It turned out just as expected and demand for Raincoats escalated, virtually over-night. We are very proud of this garment, and with some justification it seems. We sent out over 100 questionnaires with thirty searching questions to some of those who had used them during last winter. The results were excellent and the feedback extremely encouraging. We had been prepared to ask Boett to make any changes that were required, but it looks as though we got the innovative and unique design pretty well right first time. The only significant changes that have been made, by popular demand, is the chest width, now more generous, and the weight of the fabric. This is now slightly lighter to ensure that it truly ‘floats’ over the back, without any risk of ‘weighing down’ smaller ponies. It has proven in use to be all that it claims – totally waterproof, breathable, tough, well fitting, machine washable, tumble dryable – and, if necessary, repairable at home, although only one of the survey raincoats had suffered any damage and that was minor (caused by barbed wire). So we’re prepared to do a deal with Mother Nature; she can let it pour all winter providing she gives us a good, long, midge larvae-desiccating, drought next summer - and it’s got to be a proper summer drought. An autumn drought is all very well, but there is too much dew on the grass and general dampness around at dusk and dawn to prevent the midges from hatching out. The Raincoat will be on show at both The British Equine Event and The South West Equine Fair. If you want to collect from us at either of these events to save on post and packaging, please contact the office beforehand.

	04 November 2002
Bite Sites: The main trouble areas for Sweet Itch are the mane, tail, wither, hips, mid-line of belly, the inside of ears, around the eyes and under the forelock — midges are quite specific about their feeding sites. They will not, for example, feed on the rib cage between the shoulder and the last rib, although the flank itself is a feeding site. Neither is the underside of the neck, from the throat down to the chest favoured, although the top of the legs and brisket can be. If a horse shows no damage to any of the favoured feeding sites but has damage elsewhere, he is unlikely to be suffering from Sweet Itch (unless he’s been wearing a Boett!). He should be checked for harvest mites, ringworm, lice, protein allergy and Urticaria. Also consider the possibility that he may be showing a reaction to horse-fly bites, which can be quite severe. It comes as a surprise to us that there are owners, and even a few Vets, who still believe that one midge bite, anywhere on a horse, can kick off a reaction on other parts of the body. As most Boett owners now realise this is quite definitely not the case: When a horse’s immune system over-reacts to proteins in culicoides saliva, there will be visible signs of damage only at the sites where midges are feeding, or have fed. Any doubt about this has been dispelled by the widespread use of the Boett Blanket. Without the protection of the blanket and hood a horse can exhibit sores on the mane, tail, belly, face and legs. When a blanket is fitted all sores on the body soon disappear and no new ones occur. However without a hood, the face may continue to be damaged and may perhaps even worsen. The horse is clearly still being bitten, but no damage is apparent under the blanket. Furthermore, when a hood is fitted the face will clear up, even though the horse may still show damage on parts that are not covered, such as the legs or the sheath / udder area (which then require protection from a blocking gel such ‘Pure Gold’).

	03 November 2002
Crime Doesn’t Always Pay!: We would love to have seen the expression on the face of the young teenage thief when he opened one of the two parcels he opportunistically ‘nicked’ from a City Link delivery van in the Aberdeen area earlier in the year. The parcels, in their City Link bags, would have given no clue to their contents but he couldn’t have been unluckier: One of them was from us, on its way to a customer, and it contained a Boett Blanket, one pot of Pure Gold Ointment and a bottle of Non-allergenic Sweet Itch shampoo! I’ll bet he wasn’t too happy when he saw that little lot – without horsey connections, it would not be the easiest of stuff to pass on. We wonder if he ever did manage to work out what it all actually was.

	01 November 2002
The Curse of Barbed Wire: When someone contacts us about Boett Blankets one of the questions that we ask is whether there is barbed wire in the field grazed by their horse. We are absolutely horrified by the number of people who reply “Yes, there is a bit.” We ask, because if they are considering the purchase of a blanket or hood they should be aware that this form of fencing is capable of seriously damaging fabric, any fabric, which becomes snagged on it. The question, however, has shone a spotlight on what is a huge problem for many horse owners. No one denies that barbed wire should ever be used to contain horses; it can and does cause horrific wounds, yet despite this there is clearly still a lot of it around. Those who own their land are in an enviable position. They can choose from a wide range of horse friendly fencing, of which electric is perhaps the most cost effective. Farmers’ fields and a surprisingly large number of so called Livery Yards however still leave a lot to be desired. There is at present talk of licensing Livery Yards, in a similar way to Dog Boarding Kennels. If this does happen owners will know that the facilities provided will be up to a certain standard and, presumably, without barbed wire. In the mean-time owners could get together with others on their yard and lobby the proprietors for an end to this dangerous scourge. Farmers are an entirely different kettle of fish (Jennifer’s brother is one so she knows!) Deep down most of them aren’t too keen on horses. They no longer play a useful part on the farm and so they don’t see the point of them. This is how many farmers think: Horses poach the fields, can turn the land sour, not to mention untidy with their dung areas, and their unrealistic ‘towny’ owners clutter the place up at week-ends with noisy friends and dogs and make constant demands on them. Times are hard though. The farm revenue is not what it was and the government says “diversify”. There are always girls asking him if he has any grazing for their pony – so maybe he should give it a try. The barbed wire must stay though—its about the only thing that the herd of bullocks showed any respect for. The horse owners don’t like it of course, but then they are never happy: The grass is either too lush for them – or there’s not enough of it, there are too many trees and bushes, or there’s not enough shelter from the sun, and now they’re talking about post and rail! If it wasn’t for the money, which is surprisingly good - its amazing what they’ll pay out for these ponies - he wouldn’t have any of them on the place. It’s a problem. Some farmers don’t even like the idea of electric fence posts and tape in their fields and discourage owners from purchasing it. “All these little paddocks look messy” he’ll say. We know that it is difficult enough to find the perfect place to keep your horse or pony and that there have to be compromises. With Sweet Itch cases however, you have to be more particular and barbed wire is not an option for these animals. If your grazing is surrounded by this type of fencing it really is worth the effort of looking elsewhere, at least until licensing becomes a reality.

	01 November 2002
Vaulting Success: Every year we hear of horses that are performing successfully at the highest levels, despite the fact that they have suffered quite badly from Sweet Itch. Their Boett Blanket gives the relief necessary to allow them to keep their minds on the job. ‘Famous’ Fred is one such horse. Fred is an international vaulting horse who, at 16.3hh, proves that it is certainly not just ponies that suffer from this allergy. Rebecca Morgan, one of the Scottish Vaulting Team Members, wrote to us. She told us that Fred is a 15-year-old Irish Draught cross gelding and that he had suffered very badly from Sweet Itch. She goes on to report: “Fred’s Sweet Itch was awful – he had no mane from about half way down his neck and his tail was raw. We tried several things such as NAF D-Itch, Camrosa Ointment and various fly repellents, but none had any effect. He has now been wearing a Boett Blanket for four years, but he made most improvement when we also bought him a Boett Hood two years ago. Now we don’t use any lotions or sprays – he just wears the Blanket and the Hood. We have had no bother since.” “Fred has had a busy summer. In May he travelled to Windsor to take part in ‘All The Queens Horses’. This was a huge equestrian event that we were all very proud to be part of. Fred was part of Act 8, The Dream Scene, and for five nights in a row Fred demonstrated vaulting with his team of seven vaulters, and on the last night he performed for the Queen. We then had to make a tough decision; it was decided that Fred, at 15, was too old to travel to the World Equestrian Games in Spain so his summer was taken up with some very intensive training for the vaulters and he did most of the hard work for the freestyle (as many as 3 people are allowed on the horse) before the training was moved onto his younger team mate, Henry. Fred then spent three weeks working for the local RDA group - he was as good as gold, and his final session at the centre was the day that princess Anne officially opened it, so again he performed in front of Royalty! Fred’s summer finished with him taking part in the British Vaulting Championships. He had a very successful weekend, finishing first in the advanced team class and becoming the British Champion at advanced level for the fourth time with the very successful Scottish Equestrian Vaulting Team. He also carried Jenny Croft to individual second place. He is now having a short break before doing some local demonstrations and going back to helping the RDA groups. His blanket has been wonderful and he had a full mane when we plaited it this weekend and there was no sign of any rubbing on his tail. Fred has lived out all summer and I have not seen him scratch once.” This just goes to prove that Sweet Itch, handled correctly, need not inhibit a horse or his rider from performing well in any discipline.