Frequently asked questions

You should look at the Sweet Relief range, which will both help prevent bites and soothe the skin. If you start your regime early enough in the year, you may be able to stay on top of things with the Sweet Relief Lotion, but there’s a full range of product options depending on how much rubbing has taken place. It’s important to apply Sweet Relief every day during the midge season, even if rubbing behaviour appears under control, as it only takes one bite to set the cycle off again. We generally suggest applying in late afternoon/ early evening, as the midges tend to swarm and bite at dusk and dawn – so that’s when a protective layer is most needed. There’s also an all-natural shampoo in the range which will clean sensitive, itch-prone skin without further risk of irritation.

We’d suggest using the Sweet Relief Silver cream or Quick-Silver spray on these particular areas, until they are visibly improved (usually 5-7 days). The Flowers & Zinc powder is also useful to dry up any moisture and help the cream stick and do its job (use the powder first, then the cream). You can find these three products here. On all intact skin, the green label Sweet Relief cream and lotion are best.

We always top up with a good, broad spectrum insect repellent morning and evening in the height of summer, to reduce fly bother. We like the ingredient Icaridin as it’s very effective against all sorts of biting bugs – flies (including horse flies), midges, mosquitoes, ticks and mites. And it’s very pleasant to use – it feels light and non-greasy on the skin, and doesn’t have the strong chemical smell of other repellent substances.

In high summer, we wash ours every couple of weeks to remove dirt, sweat and product build up. But we’re very careful to use a gentle, pH-appropriate cleanser such as our Sweet Relief shampoo. Using harsh shampoos that are designed for human hair could strip the natural oils and make any itching and sensitivity worse. If it’s too chilly to wash, you might look at Sweat Buster spray, which will quickly and easily remove sweat and dirt without the need for water.

Ideally you should minimise the wetting of the legs as much as possible, as the wetting and chilling of the legs is the predisposing factor and will hinder recovery. Ideally let any mud dry and then brush off or use fingers to massage it out, before using our products. Resist washing the legs clean. In terms of our products, we recommend a three-step approach: Firstly, disinfect the area thoroughly by spraying it with Sweet Relief Quick-Silver, removing any excess lotion with a clean cloth. The next step is to try and get the skin as dry as possible, as moisture provides the perfect breeding ground for microbes - we'd use a wad of cotton wool, followed by an antiseptic drying powder such as our Flowers & Zinc. Finally we would dab our Sweet Relief Silver cream onto any particularly hard patches of skin. Keep up the regime daily for 2 weeks, you should see a significant improvement during this time. Once the skin is looking pink and healthy, you can revert to just the Quick-Silver for maintenance.

It’s not likely to be midge related if it’s all year around, as midges don’t tend to breed and bite when the temperature is below 10 degrees (so there is usually a couple of months of respite). Could your horse be getting too warm (under rugs)? Could they have an allergy to a particular type of bedding, or a product you’re using? Is it possible that they could have Cushings Syndrome, which makes them much more vulnerable to minor skin conditions? We suggest looking at one thing in turn, and trying to eliminate it – by trial and error, usually.

The mildest product in our Sweet Relief range is the Silver cream, and we tend to suggest using this product on sensitive skin. It depends on the horse, though - some can tolerate the Sweet Relief cream which is double the strength of the Silver. Always patch test when using a new product for the first time.

The lotions should be fine, but we would be slightly more cautious with Sweet Relief and Sweet Relief Silver cream in very hot weather due to a small % of oil content. Either apply early morning/ late afternoon, or use the Sweet Sun Relief cream (SPF 25+) instead, during the summer months.

A good place is the armpit. Wait at least 24 hours before using more extensively, to make sure there are no sensitivities to ingredients.

Horse flies are sight flies so they will fly towards all moving objects. We find with an Icaridin based repellent, they will still arrive and hover but will not land to bite. The smell and taste is repellent to them once they are at close quarters.

Don't worry too much about flaky skin - this is the dead skin cells (where the skin has been rubbed and follicles damaged) coming away and making way for new healthy ones. The benzyl benzoate in the Sweet Relief products seems to accelerate this renewal process. Once you have the rubbing under control, this flaking should cease. You can always wash away any dandruff/ scurf once a week, using a very mild shampoo that is the right pH for animal skin.

We find that a puff of Flowers & Zinc powder followed by the Sweet Relief Dog cream, massaged right in with fingers, really does the trick.

Yes. Our products have been developed so that they can be used simultaneously, however it’s often best to try one new thing at a time, that way you have a better idea of what’s working (and what’s not). Get in touch if you’d like to discuss your particular situation with us.

There’s a full list of the ingredients we use here, and all the active ingredients and any potential allergens are listed on the label. If you have any specific questions about a product or an ingredient, feel free to contact us..

We restock the warehouse regularly, usually on a Friday. If the item has still not been restocked by Friday afternoon, you can contact us and enquire.

The trigger spray may occasionally become blocked with tiny bits of sediment. To unblock the tube:
• Remove trigger from bottle
• Place on a piece of paper towel in a microwave, power on for 10 seconds
• Place in a jug and spray very hot water through it
• If still not working, remove the little filter from the bottom of the tube
• Make sure the nozzle isn’t too tight
Watch our YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Su5qqBOco

If these steps don’t work, it may be that the product inside the bottle has thickened (this can happen to our lotions if kept in very cold temperatures). To restore the consistency:
• Put the whole bottle in the microwave for 1 minute, then shake it vigorously (lid on!) and then put it back in for another minute. If you haven’t got a microwave then you can put it in a bucket of very hot water instead
• Keep shaking before and after every use

Orders made before 1pm should be dispatched the same day. The exception to this may be the day after a public holiday. We do not dispatch orders at weekends or on public holidays.

It depends on where you are and which service you've chosen. Royal Mail Tracked 48 usually takes 2-3 working days to reach addresses within the UK. Royal Mail Tracked 24 usually takes 1-2 working days. Parcels to the Highlands & Islands take 2-5 working days. Services to Northern Europe take 5-7 days. It is often much longer for Southern European countries such as Spain and Italy: assume 2 weeks minimum.

We also offer DPD services in the UK which are guaranteed next day (as long as the order is placed before 1pm).

We ship to most countries in the E.U. We don't charge U.K. VAT on these orders. Shipping costs will apply and are added at Checkout. Import VAT will be due on delivery, and possibly a courier charge too. We don't currently ship to North America. For all other countries - please get in touch, we may be able to help.

When your parcel is dispatched, you should receive a tracking number which you can use to track your parcel's journey. With Royal Mail's tracked services, you should receive an email notifying you of scheduled delivery day and allowing you to change the date if you need to.

We always aim to make sure our customers love our products, but if you do need to return an order, we’re happy to help. Please get in touch and we can take you through the process. Our full returns policy is here: https://bitebackproducts.co.uk/policies/refund-policy

The cheapest place to buy is generally www.bitebackproducts.co.uk, however we also sell on Amazon, and there's a selection of retailers that stock our products both in the U.K. and overseas. See our Stockists page for more details.

We do. Please contact us for more information and a trade price list.

We try and keep our prices as low as possible across the year rather than keep changing them. It is rare for us to have discount codes running, however we have a Refer a Friend scheme for new customers (see button on Home Page) as well as offering discounts for larger yard orders. See our Discounts page for current thresholds, codes and terms.

If you refer a new customer to us, they will get 10% off their first order and you will receive a £5 discount code when they order. You can refer as many new customers as you like. Please enter their email addresses using the button on the home page, and they will receive their 10% discount code by email.

Please see our Customer Charter here: https://bitebackproducts.co.uk/pages/our-customer-charter

Yes we offer 10% off our product price to charities. Please get in touch and we'll send you a code.