Premier equine sweetitch rug good against horse flies?

dollymix

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I am looking for the best possible rug against horse flies as my poor mare gets a bad reaction to them.

She is fine with midges etc but a friend recommended the Premier Equine Sweet-itch rug..... do other people find them effective against horse flies?
 

indie1282

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I know this thread is a few months old now but did you try the PE rug? I am at my wits ends with horse flies eating my black horse alive! He wears a mesh rug at the moment but that is useless against them. I do have a PE Multibuster which is similar to a sweet itch rug, that does seem to stop them biting through but i feel he gets too hot in it.
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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I had a PE sweetitch rug for my old boy.

These rugs are thicker and heavier than the ordinary "fly" rugs and are designed specifically for sweet itch, i.e. for ensuring the cullicoides midge doesn't bite the horse.

From memory, then yes I can say that this rug is better than nothing, better even than the bog-standard "fly" rugs.

But a really determined horse-fly will bite through most things unfortunately.
 

indie1282

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I had a PE sweetitch rug for my old boy.

These rugs are thicker and heavier than the ordinary "fly" rugs and are designed specifically for sweet itch, i.e. for ensuring the cullicoides midge doesn't bite the horse.

From memory, then yes I can say that this rug is better than nothing, better even than the bog-standard "fly" rugs.

But a really determined horse-fly will bite through most things unfortunately.

They are bloody swines! Going to put the Multibuster on, there is a nice breeze in the field so hopefully not too warm.

I may invest in a Rambo Protector next year - they look like thick mesh that *hopefully* the horse flies shouldn't bite through.....
 

CavaloBranco

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Rambo protector... mine doesn't protect against horseflies or midges but it is a cool rug as air can flow through it. PE sweet itch rug for my other horse seems effective against everything...but it is very hot as it's so thick. Hope this helps.
 

fornema

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I have the PE sweet itch rug on my girl who gets sick of flies, does not have sweet itch so cannot comment on that element. I'm pretty sure that the fly rug does a good job against the horseflies as she has no bite lumps when I take it off, as opposed to yesterday which was rainy and left it off and she is covered in bite lumps :( I think it may put off the horseflies actually going for her in the first place as never see them around her with it on. She is the sort to be wizzing round the field if there is a couple and it stops when she has it on.

My girl is very hot running and it gets to warm for her when the weather is over 25degrees, so the vast majority of the time in the uk she is fine.
 

indie1282

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Rambo protector... mine doesn't protect against horseflies or midges but it is a cool rug as air can flow through it. PE sweet itch rug for my other horse seems effective against everything...but it is very hot as it's so thick. Hope this helps.

Thank you. I thought the protector would be strong enough to stop horse flies :-(

I have put him out in the Multibuster as it's a bit breezy now. Still feel guilty though! I bring in by day if it's full sun with no wind but when I turn out at 6pm theres still loads of horse flies and they beeline for them as soon as there out..
 

poiuytrewq

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I used to have PE sweetitch rugs and yes they were great protection wise but desperately hot. As mine don’t have sweetitch I sold them and bought Superlites instead.
I don’t have horseflies at home so it’s fine.
 
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