Shelters and Midges

[ElleSkywalker]

Do field shelters attract or give relief from midges? I've read they do both ? What are peoples experiences?

Situation being a small track made of mudcontrol slabs with small areas of grazing/various hay points to keep pony moving. This is a mini track in the middle of larger track so has no natural shelter hence question re shelter. Track could be moved to nearer a hedge if needed but I often see midges around my hedge so dont know if that would be any better ?

 

[rabatsa]

Mine use a shelter to get away from the midges and flies. The hedges breed them.

 

[PurBee]

I live in a place where midges can cover my windows black when theyre in hatching mode - 1st hatching not until april here...are you getting midges already?

The midges dont seem to enter the deep barn my horses have as shelter....they buzz around in the doorway of the barn, 1foot within, but dont fly into the deeper shade of the shelter, which the horses have figured out and stand at the back.

So if youve got a shallow shelter midges could be more of an issue in there. Especially if shelter is facing prevailing wind direction blowing midges in.

Midges hate a breeze, and get blown away, so anywhere your horses can avail of the breeze is better than having you track against a hedge, which midges will use for shelter too.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

The shelter am going for is a long tunnel type with possibly little sections at the openings to help stop it becoming a wind tunnel. I was planning on having the long sidest parallel o the hedge but will be at least 15m away from it. I have the choice of 3 little paddocks that could be made into the mini track so could actually have it right in the centre of the field not near any hedges at all ?

Sadly there are some years we've seen midges Christmas day but as yet they aren causing any problems. Am thinking ahead to get shelter ordered

 

[GoldenWillow]

We live between a peat moss and a marsh and are midgey heaven. Although some midges follow the ponies into their shelter and stables they are an awful lot fewer and soon disappear so in our case they give a huge amount of relief. Our shelter is up against the hedge and has a strip of Yorkshire boarding in the back wall and doesn't attract the midges.

 

[PurBee]

The shelter am going for is a long tunnel type with possibly little sections at the openings to help stop it becoming a wind tunnel. I was planning on having the long sidest parallel o the hedge but will be at least 15m away from it. I have the choice of 3 little paddocks that could be made into the mini track so could actually have it right in the centre of the field not near any hedges at all ?

Sadly there are some years we've seen midges Christmas day but as yet they aren causing any problems. Am thinking ahead to get shelter ordered

Sounds like a great shelter....15m from the hedge should be adequate, rather than middle of field, if that field gets really windy?

Youre wise to think ahead and prepare for the midges.
I also have a ‘smoke bucket’ burning damp peat for the few really intense times when theyre hatching and so thick we’re breathing them in. I leave bucket on drive between us and forestry where the midges hatch from to create a thick stream of smoke that they dont cross, allowing my horse area to be midge free.
Midges absolutely despise smoke.
Obviously keep smoke stream well away from horse area if you use this method!

 

[hobo]

Peter pony LOVES his shelter so yes they give relief from the midges.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

ESW, mine also use the shelters a lot in the summer to escape the flies and Midges.
I'm in a v damp area and still had midges even last weekend.
Yes we get the odd one buzz in there but not anything like outside.

All my shelters are backed up to either high hedging or trees which helps them stay cool and having moved the mobile one about a fair bit, please don't face an opening into the high sun. Ponies will still try and stand in there but sweat like wotsits as the sun bakes in through the door during the afternoon.
I've found the best (for me) way to have the doorways facing, is North to north east throughout the summer x

 

[ElleSkywalker]

The shelter am thinking off will be like this, but undecided about whether have the wind break thingies. It will be probably situated on the east west axis as that's the direction the hedge is and also means the long side will be in full sun so inside will be shaded

 

[Tiddlypom]

Won’t it get rather hot in that tunnel? Is the roof lined?

My best field shelter for summer is the north facing one with the overhang. The neds can chill out away from the flies and midges in the shade of the overhang, half in and half out of the shelter itself. You can get conventional rectangular mobile shelters with an overhang.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Won’t it get rather hot in that tunnel? Is the roof lined?

My best field shelter for summer is the north facing one with the overhang. The neds can chill out away from the flies and midges in the shade of the overhang, half in and half out of the shelter itself. You can get conventional rectangular mobile shelters with an overhang.

They get any passing breeze when they are half in and half out, mine love that too

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Tiddlypom don't think the roof is lined but I had a similar design one before that didn't get hot? Am undecided re the end panels, they are for wind breaks but also they might make it warmer in there perhaps? I have a very possessive pony so the idea behind having walk thro shelters is so that they cant get backed into a corner and kicked

 

[Tiddlypom]

I understand about not wanting a horse to get trapped. Would a rectangular shelter with twin openings be an option? Something like this?

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Lovely as that is sadly not as has corners to get backed into The bully has been out with a similar tunnel that I used to own with no injuries so want to stick with it if possible. I could always line the roof myself if it did get toasty I imagine ? Also wind tends to blow from the west here so should be a breeze zipping through the tunnel which may help with cooling and is also the reason am debating the end panels

 

[be positive]

I am going to be looking at getting shelters soon and have a similar issue that I do not want one that my old boy can be cornered in as he will never use it, please could you let me know where the one in the link is from as it looks better than the only one similar I have found when I last googled.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

BP it's a company called Equi-Hut on FB. They do various different sizes and configurations and aren't particularly cheap but I like the look of it better than the last one I had. As I said above when I got other one I had two bullies and no injuries to any horses turned out with them. Also interestingly they used it all year round including running full pelt to get under it when it rained ?

 

[be positive]

BP it's a company called Equi-Hut on FB. They do various different sizes and configurations and aren't particularly cheap but I like the look of it better than the last one I had. As I said above when I got other one I had two bullies and no injuries to any horses turned out with them. Also interestingly they used it all year round including running full pelt to get under it when it rained ?

Thanks I will bear them in mind, I plan on having a hard standing area but couldn't think how it would work using normal shelters as my old boy is so careful to be safe he will not go near any other horse if he does not feel comfortable, when I found this type of design it made sense that he would always have a very obvious escape route, having 2 could solve my problem.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

They really did love it BP. At one point I had two mares and two foals using my old one and no accidents

 

[rabatsa]

I think the end panals are a bad idea if one is getting bullied. They stick out and are easy to get bumped on when escaping in a hurry.