Fly Rugs in the Heat

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Gavalohori

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Gavalohori, Chania, Crete
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Anybody any advice about using a fly rug in extremely hot temperatures. I live on Crete and 5yrs ago I 'rescued' an ex-race horse from Athens who had been used for tourist rides on the beach. I am doing the best I can in far from ideal conditions, but he is healthy and happy, just not getting enough exercise as i can no longer ride. We get plagues of biting flies from late summer up until Xmas. Last yr was particularly bad, fly sprays are inadequate - I do use Power Phaser which helps a bit, but was considering getting a Rambo Flybuster this yr. But the temp. could still be up in the 80's sometimes - what do people think?
 
I have the premier equine bug buster. My horse is black, is a hot horse and feels the heat but apart from a small sweaty patch on his shoulders where the rug is lined, he has always been fine, infact I have to use it on hot days as the colour of the rug seems to reflect the heat.
I bought the cool coat the other year but sent it back as I felt it was like a cotton stable rug and would be too warm for him. I do think its been modified since though.
 
If he has short hair, then it may be worth trying a suppliment. I'm very impressed with FlyFree for our arab x, he used to really get bitten and come up in lumps, and when we got him he came with fly masks, fly rugs and very strict instructions from his previous owner. I had trouble though, he removed his fly mask! Now he goes out naked with just a dabble of Power Phaser under his tum as they do still try to get him there. You can see the flies approach, land, think better of it and take off, However it doesn't work so well with the hairy pony, I don't think the flies can smell the stuff on him, so they land and bite anyway.
 
My friend uses the Rambo sweet itch hoodies and as they are white/very pale colour they seem to reflect the heat. Her horse is dark bay and he never sweats under his. I know our temps are not as hot as over where you are but we have had our hot days.
 
Thanks for advice so far. He does have short hair, and he is a chestnut. He hates sprays, but I do manage to smooth Power Phaser on him - it doesn't seem to be effective for long. Supplements are a good idea - but impossible to get out here - and too expensive for me to get sent over, given weight, bulk, etc. There aren't many horses out here, compared to the UK. Most of them are in stables offering tourist rides - some are ok, some are horrendous. Private horse owning is pretty small-scale, so very little in the way of equestrian supplies. All suggestions are appreciated!
 
i second the suggestion of the Rambo Sweet Itch Hoody, they seem to reflect the heat, never had my dark bay mare sweat in hers. it's starting its 3rd summer now, while cheaper mesh rugs have only lasted her a few months.
good on you for the rescue, hope he's a lovely boy to have around.
 
my mare runs hot anyway and comes out in heat bumps at the drop of a hat, but she also has sweetitch! She alternates between the rambo sweetitch hoody and the snuggyhoods sweetitch rug - no heat bumps or hot pony probs in either and she is out in them 24/7 from april to oct time.
If you want to keep the flys off then I would get a proper fly rug, the flys can still bite through the cotton of some, particularly the horrid horse flys we get. If you don't want to spend loads then the derby house one is absolutly fantastic for the money, really a very good rug indeed. OH mare has one and doesn't get too warm in it (she is bay and I think she is cooler to have a light pale rug on like this). http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/Equestr...Rugs/Derby+House+++Sport+Fly+Rug_400-0005.htm It comes with a free fly mask, but I don't use it as the mesh isn't ridgid so it just falls in folds around her eyes which I don't like. Rambo do good fly masks, so prob worth spending out a little more on a good fly mask too.
 
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