Flies! Help!

[sylvapak]

Hi all,

I am just wondering if any of you can help me with my fly problems?!

Eddie seems to be getting really bothered by the flies at the moment and after trying him with a spray I have discovered that he does not like it and basically will not let me spray him... He avoids it to the point that I worry he will hurt himself. I know that there is the method of putting it on a sponge, putting garlic in their feed or buying a fly rug etc but as this may get very expensive I wondered if anyone with the same problem uses anything else. I have seen the equi 7 collar type thing... Has anyone used this before??

Thanks for your help in advance!

Sarah

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

There was a vet at my last yard who bought an anti-fly collar thing for her horse. You could always spot which one was her horse from a mile away - it was the one festooned in flies lol! Waste of money. Garlic in the feed - some will swear by it but tbh it's pretty useless. The silent and deadly horse fly is attracted by large, warm things so horses, humans NEAR horses etc etc etc all get nobbled. They don't find horses by smell or taste, I can guarantee that because I've been bitten when I'm covered in fly spray, Chanel No 5, Boots Lavender Spray or sweat. Some modern fly sprays help a little and it's worth persevering if your horse is silly about the spray bottle. I'd de-sensitise him as follows: Arm yourself with a plant sprayer filled with tepid water and 3 tubes of polos, half unwrapped. Tiny squirt of tepid water into the air 3 miles from your ned. Give polo immediately. Tiny squirt bit closer. Give polo. Etc etc etc until you can give a tiny warm squirt on ned's shoulder. Polo. Stop for the day. Repeat until ned tries to grab the squirty bottle from you and work it with his teeth just to get his polo!!!!!!