Aaaagh, the midges have arrived!!!

[Red-1]

This morning it rained a little. This afternoon the midges have hatched and are out in force. I had to clip Rigs' heels and wash his legs and I was being eaten alive!

I sprayed him with some very expensive fly spray for now and tomorrow I will arrange a fly rug for him and another for baby horse.

Anyone else?

At least they are not as hateful as the horse flies.

Oh, and Rigs now has a full cob mane, any recommendations for cob mane friendly fly rugs?

Best midge repeller?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’d have sworn they arrived weeks ago! My work SI pony has been rubbing madly.
Agree though, my own started today ?‍ Awful things

 

[Puzzled]

Backbite cream is amazing and Avon skin so soft with the midge repertoire in.

 

[smolmaus]

Lost our first inch wide chunk of mane on Friday. Less than 24 hours after she was doused in deosect. Little bastards.

I'm using deosect and the biteback barrier lotion. We have had SOME midges since February and its been working up till now! Can't advise on cob mane friendly rugs as Sadies had only just stopped looking like a bottle brush after last year ? I do like the Shires Highlander tho.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

We've used EqWax need wash which works quite well

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

We've had the nasty biters for the last 3 to 4 weeks, keep smothering B in spray but still she's had a few bites ?
We are low lying tho and often have midges for much of the year.

 

[spotty_pony]

They’ve been around here for weeks - we have quite a lot of water here though with having a lake which doesn’t help. I started sweet itch treatment with the Friesian back in March and he has a sweet itch hoody too now. Fly masks are on in the day and I cover their bellies in fly spray… they don’t affect my Appy but the Friesian gets quite itchy but KillItch works amazingly well!

 

[Spotherisk]

Had them for weeks here, poor Harley had open wounds on his thin areas of mane straight away. Now back in a sweetitch rug all summer.

 

[Nasicus]

They've been out in force the last week or so here. The girls have been in their SI rugs since probably January, so we were prepared in that regard thankfully. But they were all being driven mad by them the other evening, they were even swarming me and they normally avoid me!

 

[rabatsa]

Dreyfus has been troubled by them for the past three weeks or so, his legs seem to be the most affected part of him so I have been plastering red biddy udder salve onto them.

 

[Red-1]

Sounds like I have been lucky! Not really seen any here up until yesterday, but we have been having morning frosts and no rain for weeks. Yesterday it was warm and damp then last night, while I was clipping Rigsby's feather, they were biting me and him.

? I do like the Shires Highlander tho.

I have Shires Tempest now. His mane was fine last year, but the mane is truly a thing of beauty now and I would hate to spoil it. Last year it was just mane and if it had become a mess, I would just have hogged!

 

[Gloi]

The relief of not having a sweet itch sufferer after having ones with bad sweet itch for 25 years. Life is so much simpler now. My sympathies to you facing another midge season.

 

[Red-1]

The relief of not having a sweet itch sufferer after having ones with bad sweet itch for 25 years. Life is so much simpler now. My sympathies to you facing another midge season.

To be fair, neither of mine have sweet itch. However, the field has ditches on 3 sides and a pond on the other, so we always rug to prevent it starting. I just enjoy the few months when the weather warms up so rugs come off, but the flies haven't come, so they can be naked.

When we did have a sweet itch horse, we rugged from Feb through to November! Even then, he would have New Zealand or stable rugs on, so never naked.

 

[daydreamer]

We've had midges for a couple of weeks and I don't really understand why. The field is not near water and we are in East Anglia and it hasn't rained for weeks and weeks. My horse hasn't been in this field at this time of year before so I wonder if it something growing nearby or something. I am using fly spray and he doesn't seem too bothered by them but I am worried about him developing a sensitivity and sweet itch due to exposure - does anyone know if this is a thing?

 

[TPO]

They're here too

I used biteback last year but it burns my eyes/throat/inside my nose so figure it can't be fun for the horses either?

Has anyone tried the red horse and hedgewick fly/midge repellents?

 

[Wishfilly]

Definitely been here for a little while- had fly rugs on since the start of April- it's been damp but warm and not *that* much wind which I think is the sort of weather they like?

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Have been having great success with anti dandruff shampoo for my itchy horses and neem oil for proper sweet itchy Shetland. All doing without rugs far but Shetland will be having hers on soon

 

[Muddy unicorn]

There are some midges at the yard but not terrible yet and no sign of any itching so far (hurrah!) so I’m hoping the sweet itch/ringworm injections are doing their job.

 

[cindars]

Not seen any here as yet flies but nothing that bites,we have a secret deterrent our bottom field is covered in wild garlic horses will demolish the lot.