what do you use?

[Shavings]

So moved Levi yard sn March and i could be more happy with the choice i made (thank you to every one who helped me make the choice on here)

any way after talking to the new fellow liveries it appears flys are bad in the summer (horses will go out over night to try and help)


but when i am riding (normally about 6 pm on a weekday and any time on a weekend) i want to know what you guys use on your horses to keep the flys at bay

i have a thin skinned TB gelding who gets very cross with flys so would like to try and keep them at bay (if that even if just a thing that keeps them away!)


so any one what do you use? mainly when riding?

open to any other sprays, creams, gels, ride on fly sheets and so on

 

[Ruby's Mum]

Phaser power spray, it is the only thing that as worked for my wee man who has chronic sweet itch, I give all the others a quick squirt too and it keeps everything away! Just don't stand down wind whilst you spray it, I accidentally did once and I smelt dreadful all day even after a shower and swear I could taste it on my lips and everything I ate that day tasted of it, plus side was I wasn't bothered by flies myself all day!

 

[Shay]

Which type of spray works best actually depends on the type of flies you have. So recommendations from a forum are not likely to help as much as simply asking your fellow liveries. You may have an individual view about the types of chemicals you are willing to use and the possible impact on both your own health and the environment. Personally I won't use the seriously nasty chemicals - such as power phaser. But I am lucky that flies around us are not that severe and can be kept at bay by more sympathetic pyrethroids. Plus I have ponies and kids - I would prefer not to put their long term health at risk where I have a choice. But I absolutely accept that there are areas in the UK where flies are such a miserable pest - or horses so sensitive - that there is no choice.

 

[Equi]

Ive never found anything to make a difference tbh.

 

[DabDab]

I have a ride on fly rug for forest rides, for general schooling and road hacking I get away with just an ear bonnet. Power phaser does improve things some what, but doesn't stop them completely. For some reason my horse is a real fly magnet and without the rug in high fly season and areas he will have at least 20 horse flies at a time on him - I spend more time swatting than riding!

 

[PapaverFollis]

Last summer I was really mean and didn't use anything... I found they got used to them and were much less bothered by being bitten after a short while. For the horse flies it does help that I hsve greys, they seem to attract them much less... hacking out with a bay horse was very effective!! But if they were really bad I'd go for fly rugs first off. I'm not sure I'll get away with the toughening them up approach this year though as we're all moving to Scotland!!

I think power phaser is definitely most effective but I get the heebie jeebies about using it.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Power Phaser gel did nothing regarding horseflies on my black gelding last summer but it did keep other flying critters away. However, as I was buying it specifically to repel horseflies it was a bit of a waste of money. I also used it on myself as I attract biting insects and again, ineffective for horseflies! Back to the drawing board, sob.

 

[yhanni]

Apparently horseflies hunt by sight rather than smell so there's nothing that repels them. They do, however, prefer dark colours to light . . . . so buy a grey!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I use something with DEET in it for mozzies and midges but I’m not convinced anything works for other types of fly. I wish I could find something to deter deer keds as they drive my my horse bonkers in the autumn.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I have a Le Mieux riding fly hood for the evenings when flies are awful. Not a good look to be honest but really effective.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I use something with DEET in it for mozzies and midges but I’m not convinced anything works for other types of fly. I wish I could find something to deter deer keds as they drive my my horse bonkers in the autumn.

They are the worst! They are almost invincible. You can stamp on them repeatedly and find they are still alive.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

I'm convinced there's nothing that will stop horseflies. They've chewed through three layers of fabric to feast on my flesh before which resulted in 12 bites on my shoulder, and they've chewed through a riding glove, so I don't reckon a ride-on fly sheet will stop them munching Henry. How does anyone else find the ride-on fly sheets? Do you find that fewer swarm because its white, or that they still swarm but only the most persistent chew through?

 

[Ruby's Mum]

Apparently horseflies hunt by sight rather than smell so there's nothing that repels them. They do, however, prefer dark colours to light . . . . so buy a grey!

Really? I didn't know that. My previous mare was terrified by them and she was a coloured but predominantly grey, they used to get her on the belly mainly where she had no colour. I will have to report back now about their colour preference having a new bay mare!

 

[Keith_Beef]

Apparently horseflies hunt by sight rather than smell so there's nothing that repels them. They do, however, prefer dark colours to light . . . . so buy a grey!

Really? I didn't know that. My previous mare was terrified by them and she was a coloured but predominantly grey, they used to get her on the belly mainly where she had no colour. I will have to report back now about their colour preference having a new bay mare!

While it might be technically correct to say that the horsefly finds its prey by sight, I think that it is using the infra red part of the spectrum; in other words, it is going for what are very visibly warm bodies. This would explain why darker coloured horses are attacked more than lighter coloured ones: the darker coat radiates more infra red.

This is also the principal behind the H-trap that uses a dark ball or bucket with a net above it.

 

[Ruby's Mum]

While it might be technically correct to say that the horsefly finds its prey by sight, I think that it is using the infra red part of the spectrum; in other words, it is going for what are very visibly warm bodies. This would explain why darker coloured horses are attacked more than lighter coloured ones: the darker coat radiates more infra red.

This is also the principal behind the H-trap that uses a dark ball or bucket with a net above it.

Fabulous thank you for the great explanation, that makes sense.

 

[yhanni]

Much more technical than me! Thank you for the explanation. We didn't have horseflies where I lived in Yorkshire as it was very windy but there are absolute swarms of them down by the River Severn in Shropshire where we are now. They are horrible things and I can't see a need for them at all . . . .

 

[Landcruiser]

Mane and tail slathered with benzyl benzoate, Deosect every 3-4 weeks, a ride on fly mask and if they are really bad a ride on rug as well. This was my regime last year and my horse actually has a mane and tail now.
I got caught a few days ago - put him out for a few hours naked on a dry breezy day and he came in covered in raised bites poor boy - time to start the deosect regime.

 

[Regandal]

I use Neem oil, rubbed into the roots of the mane and tail and on the inside of the back legs. Smells foul, but effective for us.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I make my own, actually from a recipe on here. It involves Dettol, Skin So Soft & host of essential oils - citronella, bog myrtle, cedar wood, garlic oil & lavender.

I'm thinking of getting a zebra flymask for the field too, as a few friends swear they are more effective.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

ride on fly rug and power phaser fly spray/cream also radiol fly cream

 

[Kate23]

Have recently tried Goodbye Flys and can say I am overjoyed to have FINALLY found something - we are in a very midge, fly, bug filled area having a pond, several springs and streams across our land as well as being bordered by a river on three sides. A sponge on of this stuff and NOTHING touches my overly sensitive Spaniard.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I use Neem oil, rubbed into the roots of the mane and tail and on the inside of the back legs. Smells foul, but effective for us.

I'd not heard of Neem oil before; where do you buy it?

The article in English on Wikipedia is quite short, and could be clearer: the article states that it is used as a "as a biopesticide for organic farming", but later states that "in the UK, pesticides that contain azadirachtin and/or neem oil are banned".

The French version has more info on production and characteristics of the oil.

I wonder if it would be a useful additive to leather conditioner? My books on Australian whip making recommend adding kerosene or eucalyptus oil to leather conditioner, to repel rodents; I wonder if neem oil would work to repel rodents, insects and also mildew.

Where I live now, I don't think I've ever seen a horsefly; in fact, I was very surprised by how few flies there are. The only explanation I can think of is that the very sandy soil here drains so well that there is practically no standing water. We're only a few hundred yards away from the Seine, but even after the heaviest downpours, the puddles never last more than a few days in cool weather.

 

[tda]

I bought my neem oil from Amazon. It smells disgusting, sets hard when cold.
I keel it in the house (next to the heat pump) so it's always useable. I just rub a couple of drops on ears, mane and top of tail.

It's one of the ingredients of Stinky Stuff