Flies, gnats, and ticks. These tiny creatures wreak havoc on our horse’s sensitive skin, spread diseases, and irritate both horse and rider to no end. You have likely battled a cloud of gnats , been bitten by a deer fly, or had your horse buck while riding because of a nasty horse fly. You understand the importance of fly spray. Both for your horse’s sanity and your safety. Unfortunately, not all products on the market perform as advertised, and they are a fairly expensive gamble if they don’t work well. That is why I am so excited to share this fly spray with you! After many years and several different brands, I can honestly say this stuff works!
First, let’s talk a little bit about where I call home. I live in what is affectionately called “the Deep South”, about 30 miles outside Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Our summers are extremely hot, and sticky with humidity. It isn’t unusual for my horses to sweat resting in the shade during the summer. The high humidity also causes regular patterns of pop up thunderstorms in the evenings. Sometimes we get showers every evening for weeks. The warm temperatures here also mean that we have flies from early April to late November, and sometimes even into December. The conditions are perfect for breeding flies. Between the sweat and the rain, it also makes keeping fly spray on your horse a full time job.
Now, let’s talk about my horses. I currently own two geldings, a 16 year old Rocky Mountain Horse and a 10 year old Spotted Saddle Horse. The Rocky Mountain Horse, Whiskey, is very sensitive to insect bites. Whether flies, ticks, or even ants, he swells up pretty badly when bitten by anything. Here is an example of what happened after he rolled in an ant bed:
(Note the sweaty shoulder from the humidity, he was just hanging out in the pasture. Excuse the dirt, he was due for a bath too!)
He is also a clumsy, or too curious for his own good, horse. That means he usually has a scrape or a cut somewhere in his body. Keeping his cuts free from flies while they heal is important to me. And then there’s my other horse, Indy. He is on an eternal quest to become a solid colored horse by applying copious layers of mud and dirt to every inch of his body. This is what he looked like this morning:
So now you know what I am dealing with, and why an effective fly spray is such a big deal to me!
Many commercial fly sprays claim to work two weeks or more per application. Even in ideal conditions (i.e. no sweat, rain, baths, or dirt), I find that hard to believe. Most last through only one sweaty ride, a hose down, or a single rain shower. If you have multiple horses, this simple expense adds up quickly. Add our long fly season into the equation, and it can end up costing me hundreds of dollars a year to protect my two horses if I have to reapply the spray frequently!
I tried several homemade fly spray recipes first to save money. I didn’t find them effective, and worse yet, they left a greasy film on my horse’s coats. Indy was thrilled with the oily residue though, it really helped his mission to remain dirty! I went back to my old standby, Tritec. It usually lasts a few days, unless I hose them down, or they get really sweaty. It is also pretty expensive.
Then one day, I went for a trail ride with a friend. As we were tacking up, I realized I had left my fly spray at the barn. She lent me hers. If you have ever borrowed a friend’s fly spray, then you will know what I am talking about when I say I applied it sparingly. After all, that stuff is a valuable commodity. So after lightly misting my horse while my friend watched my usage intently, we hit the trails.
We rode for a few hours, and we were undisturbed by the clouds of gnats near the riverbeds. Even the horseflies that flew up to us, quickly flew away without trying to land. I was impressed. After the ride, we hosed down our horses, then took them to a sand round pen and let them roll. (their favorite reward after a ride). The next morning, I noticed I could still smell the fly spray. Even with that light application, a hose down, and a roll in the sand, it continued to work for a few days. Needless to say, I bought some for myself!
The bottle says up to 14 days protection, but I realistically get a week to 10 days on average from one complete application. I also love the smell. It smells like citronella. It has definitely saved me money too! I buy the large container, and simply reuse one of the spray bottles. If you are interested in trying this fly spray you can find it here: http://amzn.to/2hr6Twk
