Fly Rug Newbie

[cornwallexracers]

Hi All, jsut wondering if I could get some advice please? I moved my boys to a new yard back in January and at the new place we have a lot more gnats and also horseflys than where I was previously (good old cornish coastline with a year round wind!). The baby has started itching his tail and the old boy has come up with a massive lump from a horsefly bite, so I have been looking into getting them fly rugs. I've tried on a friends Rambo Sweet itch hoody with vamoose on them both and liked it, but i wasn't sure if this would give any protection from horseflies as it seemed quite a soft fabric? I'd prefer something that comes over the ears as I would have thought just a neck cover would gap and the flys can get in and bite anyway, but thats jsut my thinking!

I've never needed fly rugs before so it's all seeming a bit confusing at the moment, can anyone give me any reccomendations please?

 

[STRIKER]

There is a thread running at present re horse flies, there were some the other day re sweetitch so do have a look at those threads you might get your answer there.

 

[Under-the-radar]

Unless your horse has sweet itch, I would steer clear of the SI rugs. The SI rugs will be a heavier material and so be less ventilated than a standard fly rug.

I have the Premier Equine SI & standard fly rugs on 2 horses, and they are both lovely rugs. Although the standard fly rug is a more open mesh rug, it should still provide some protection against biting insects - although nothing is going to stop them 100% if you are in a really bad area.

The PE SI rugs come up over the ears, while the fly rugs don't. however, the PE fly rugs do seem to keep the rug well up the neck on the horse, which I like. They aren't the cheapest fly rugs out there, but I have found that the cheap ones are generally cheap for a reason (soft material that rips really easily and just scrunches up at the base of the neck so doesn't cover so well).