Common Flies Around Your Horse and How to Control Them
Aside from natural and instinctive protective measures such as head shaking, tail wagging and exercise, horses are helpless against pesky insects. In their natural environment, horses do not stand in the same place for hours or days, but move several kilometers in the herd every day. With us, however, they are kept on pastures or in boxes, where they cannot escape the pests naturally. Depending on the breed and the way it is kept, the natural protective mechanisms of the horse cannot be used sufficiently or are completely absent. If horse owners often trim their horses' manes for visual reasons or to make grooming easier, this can lead to problems with the horse's natural defense against insects. In addition to the high physical stress caused by stings and bites, their consequences include constant muscle twitching and the urge to chase away the pests by shaking their heads or beating their hooves. This often becomes a nervous test of patience for the animals and exhausts them. Instead of leaving the pasture relaxed, many horses are irritable and exhausted from the exertion in the summer.
How can I help my horse during fly season?
Adjust grazing times for less flies
Unfortunately, there is hardly a time of day in summer when the annoying insects are not active. Mosquitoes and other biting insects are mostly out and about at dusk, while flies and horseflies like to buzz around around midday. Which type of insect is mainly to be found in your pasture depends heavily on the location of the paddock (edge of the forest, streams or standing water nearby, ...). Most of the time, the very early hours of the morning are ideal for relaxed grazing.
Take hygiene measures
Most insects are attracted to the smell of sweat and the eyes of horses. On particularly hot days, it is advisable to hose down the horse and brush it thoroughly before going out to pasture. You should also find the breeding grounds of the bloodsuckers in the stable and fight them immediately and in a targeted manner. Flies prefer to lay their eggs in dunghills, while mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Daily mucking up in the stable and in the paddock as well as covering rain barrels or other accumulations of water should be part of the routine, especially during the insect-rich season. In this way you create a quiet zone for your horse in which it can relax in the box without being bothered by the annoying insects.
Fly protection EcoHome Spray
The EcoHome Spray reliably repels insects. The sprays are ideal for use in the stable or in the shelter. There they can be hung above the boxes or in the aisles. They spray the natural active ingredient at automatic intervals, creating an insect-free barn.
