Hoe do people with sensitive skinned horses cope with horse flies?

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MissMincePie&Brandy

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As title really.

I'm so frustrated. I can't ride my horse again, because he's been bitten and it's painful for him where the saddle would sit.

I take all the usual precautions:
He's in during the daytime and is turned out at night (turnout at 8pm, and bring in at 8am)
He wears a Rambo sweet itch hoody.
I spray Phaser over the rug.
I use Net-tex itch stop cream near his navel and sheath (i find that is very good)

Despite doing all that, he has about a dozen really nasty bites on him, which are swollen.

I'm very disapointed for several reasons with the rambo sweet itch hoody rug I bought. It rubs him, the ear holes are too small and slightly too close together, the dense canvas makes him very hot because its not very beathable, but despite the material weave being very dense, the design of the rug is very close fitting and the material is thin enough so that stinging insects can sting him really easily through it :( :( :(

How do others with hyper sensitive horses cope with this? I want to give a decent amount of t/o.
 
Coopers Plus lotion, you buy it from tack shops. It's a fly repellent.

http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Coopers-Fly-Repellent-Plus-600ml/productinfo/COO9010661/

Mole Avon are selling it for under £18 close to me, so you can get it cheaper in some places.

Maybe a tougher outer fly rug would help. I'm using a green mesh Rambo Fly rug (bought on eBay). Flies can land on it but not get near enough to the skin to bite through the mesh. My WBxTB filly is an absolute nightmare too. I'm keeping her in most of the time now. Just to give her some relief.
 
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Sympathise with you on this, this mare is incredibly sensitive to bites, she goes out ina Rambo fly rug and cashal fly mask
 
Only way i can ride is to ride out in my boett which you can do people give us funny looks and have been told im being evil to pony for doing this but its only safe way to ride going to attempt a fly rug made for riding as they are half price at local tack shop so worth a try. On top of rug use fly cream on face and spray on legs as well. Her skin is so sensitive that even her bridle rubs the fur off, so now trying a libbys fabric bridle.
 
I'm trying "Avon Skin So Soft" at the mo and am initially rather impressed. Try searching for previous threads about it on here. If your horse is sensitive skinned this may be worth trying as doesn't have the potentially irritating chemicals others things have.
 
My mare is similiar and am never sure whether I will be able to ride or not as she is always covered in bumps. She hates being in so that isn't an option either. I use the Rambo Protector in the day and the Sweetitch Hoody at night which seem to have helped. Roll on winter.....only joking
 
I have mine in fly sheet and full face mask. It it so pants, i hate her being pestered. I smother her in home made fly spray and have also used a fly tag this year but still seeing lots of flies and horse flies. Riding is rubbish as i can't ride for swishing flies with my whip and constantly looking round for them landing on her. What is the point of them anyway, they don't contribute anything to the world apart from making our lives miserable. Oh and they give me tourettes, every time I swat one i can't help saying 'little feck@r' or something just as foul!!
 
canteron said:
I'm trying "Avon Skin So Soft" at the mo and am initially rather impressed. Try searching for previous threads about it on here. If your horse is sensitive skinned this may be worth trying as doesn't have the potentially irritating chemicals others things have.
Click to expand...

i second this, used it on tb with very sesitive skin and it worked wonders!
 
My horse has had sweetitch all his life (he is now 23) he lives in a Boett rug which has transformed his life & mine! (although during this warm weather he is a little hotter than I would like). He also wears a fly mask which covers his ears too. I use Avon Skin So Soft, Camrosa and have just got some summer fly cream which is also very good but very bright yellow! I only need to use the above around his sheath area as the rest of him is covered but it all seems to do the trick. I then just spray in general with any old fly repellant around his legs. Believe me I've tried everything you could think of but this year he has a full mane and tail and no bald patches, result! Only trouble is he looks like he's just about to go jousting!:)
 
canteron said:
I'm trying "Avon Skin So Soft" at the mo and am initially rather impressed. Try searching for previous threads about it on here. If your horse is sensitive skinned this may be worth trying as doesn't have the potentially irritating chemicals others things have.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link for this? I've googled it but not sure which one it is your using.
 
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