Horse Folks.... What's your poison??

[SourRoses]

Hi all my horsey BYC'ers!

I need fly spray help! Please!

My boy has been getting sprayed 2 - 3 times a day with Calm Coat spray (citronella and other herbals)... and isen't bothered by flies at all... but every morning he has a new host of bumps all over him.. the mosquitoes are making dinner of him at night.

I've been really slathering it on in the evenings before I leave.. and it's just not helping. He has 2 fans, overhead and in the aisle pointed at his stall, and thats not stopping it either. The mosquitoes were even attacking me in his stall for daring to stay so late the other night!

So, whats your poison? I'm headed to the feed store in the morning and I'd like to get something that actually works.

I remember from a long time ago when we had horses down here in S FL... we got a big bottle of citronella concentrate meant for making your own fly spray, and mixed it up at 5 x the recommended solution... and I *think* I remember that it worked well. Should I just do the same? I do prefer a more natural solution to bugs... but if I ought to skip that and go for the pesticides, please tell me which ones you like.

Thanks!

 

[CarrieW]

Endure!!! It's the only kind I use, and I've tired EVERYTHING!

 

[mom2jedi]

Been a while since I had my horse and I'm on the other side of the States from you so your mosquitos might be way worse, but I liked using Avon's Skin So Soft oil. I would have the feed store chemical stuff on hand in case I ran out but the SSS seemed to work pretty well and he always smelled so good! I would just use an empty sprayer and dilute it with water then shake the sprayer really well before spraying. I don't remember the ratio at this point but maybe half and half?

 

[AccentOnHakes]

I'm not a horse person so I don't know if this will work, but...

Can you buy a BIG piece of mosquito screen? You can put it up before you leave( and before the mosquitoes come!) and take it down in the mornings? Not sure if it'll work, but it's an idea.

 

[flyingtnh]

In the middle of the summer when the skeeters were bad, equispot seemed to help a lot, though it didn't completely eliminate the problem. The one thing is that it really makes their coat oily and attract dirt. We also use a home-made flyspray during the day - skin-so-soft and cider vinegar being the main ingredients. I'm not convinced it's any less toxic to mammals than permethrin, but it's not my call.

The Muscovy Ducks have noticeably reduced the flies in our barn, and together with the chickens they've all but eliminated our tick problem in the pasture and runouts. Absolutely amazing. Mosquitos have died down over the last couple weeks as well, but I think that's season, not the birds.

The mosquitos don't seem to bother the goats nearly as bad. Not sure why that is. I dust them with DE, which keeps other bugs off them - I don't think it does much for mosquitos since they don't live in the fur.

 

[annanicole18]

apple cider vinegar mixed with dawn. amazing stuff!!!!

 

[babyblue2]

As far as the SSS goes, yea the all natural works for some horses, unless your horse is actually allergic to the SSS itself. My mother pushed and pushed and pushed me to use it on the old man. Tried it once and two days later all his skin pealed off like a snake and he had huge broken out hives and later puss balls everywhere the hives were. Never again. As with all products, natural or not. Test them in a small spot and leave it to see if you get a reaction.

Strangely enough the only thing that does not bother the old man is plain old bronco fly spray and the MTG I use on him seems to keep bugs off too. The MTG is because with age his mane and tail are thinning and what not thinning is coming in gray. Poor old man.

 

[gaited horse]

I love pyranha fly spray.

 

[piecemaker]

Quote:
How much of each

 

[annanicole18]

Almost fill a normal fly spray bottle with the Apple Cider Vinegar then put... i would say around a 1/4 cup dawn in then shake well. Works very well the big green eyed horse flies don't even bother them with this on.