Protect your horse this summer with these popular fly control methods. No one like seeing their horse suffer from swarms of biting flies, and it's also not pleasant for you and anyone else that is around your horses as well!
Fly Masks:
You will know when to put a fly mask on a horse because you will see flies swarming your horse at an unusually frequent rate. Most horse owners can anticipate this by putting preventative fly masks on their horses as the seasons change, and the weather grows hotter. Flies tend to come out more in the summer months, so have a fly mask at the ready come June-July so that your horse does not spend too many days unprotected. Fly masks are also good ideas in the summertime, not just to protect your horse from bothersome insects, but to provide facial protection from harsh UV rays.
Fly Sprays:
When used as directed, fly sprays can be effective in reducing irritation and the risk of diseases transmitted by flies, and should be considered as a component of horse owners' fly control regiment. A few casual spritzes of fly spray over your horse's topline isn't going to do much to keep bugs away. Most manufacturers recommend apply 2 to 3 ounces of product, which can be as much as 40 sprays of the bottle. Apply the product everywhere—especially down the legs and under the belly where flies congregate. All fly sprays are not created equal. Some fly sprays contain multiple active ingredients for a quick knockdown and repellency, providing a barrier that prevents flies from attacking horses before they land. Others contain natural ingredients, skin conditioners or sweat-resistance properties. Before using a fly repellent, always read the label to find the one that works best for your needs. At our farm we personally use Endure Fly Spray for our horses. Endure Sweat-Resistant Fly Repellent Spray stays active and keeps working even in wet conditions. Provides up to 14 days fly control. Protects against stable flies, horse flies, deer flies, house flies, face flies, horn flies, gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, deer ticks and lice. Endure is the only fly repellent spray with RepeLock, an exclusive conditioner that binds to the hair shaft, locking in the fly repellency of Endure fly spray. This unique formula stays active even when your horse sweats or in wet conditions. Endure Fly Spray contains 0.15% cypermethrin, 0.20% pyrethrins and 1.60% piperonyl butoxide.
Feed through Fly Control:
Early prevention is key. One of the biggest obstacles in fly population management is manure – because that's where flies lay their eggs. Feed through fly control can help prevent the growth of stable flies in your horse's manure. Waste evacuated from the horse as manure contains the effective fly control directly in it. The result? No more flies! Effective feed through fly control options work by breaking the life cycle of the fly in treated manure. These supplements, including additives are created to be safe, palatable, and eagerly eaten by horses.
