Fly Protection for horses?

If you are talking about the mesh leg wraps that go on with velcro like a fly mask, they do work to stop flies from biting the lower legs. Very good on a horse that stomps alot to get rid of flies. You can also spray the wraps for added protection. Mine lasted 3 seasons.

Like others have said, fly masks are wonderful. I upgraded to masks with ears to keep off face flies and the black gnats out of ears. These usually last me 2-3 seasons too.

Understand that there are a dozen or more type of flies that prey on horses. Most biting flies, but not horseflies, are handled at my place by fly predators placed around every three weeks in the summer. If you place these little wasps around, you cannot spray randomly for flies because you will kill the predators too. You can, tho, wipe or spray down your horse.

Fly masks handle the face flies that feed on mucuos. Whenever I used a repellent on faces, it took off the hair.

I like Absorbine fly spray in the black bottle that is marked EX. If you put it on 2-3 days in a row and the horse doesn't get wet, it builds up a good base and lasts for a week. The bottles claim up to 2 weeks. I am happy if I don't have to reapply every third day. This is the only product I have tried that repels horseflies.

I also use fly traps and sticky tape.

We take a very serious approach to flies of all types. We currently have 14 horses. Manure mgt. is crucial. One day when the farrier was here, we swatted a total of 3 flies in the barn all day while he was trimming.

We also allow barn swallows to nest in the barn (but no other birds) and encourage bats. All of this really knocks down the attacks on the horses and makes it so outdoor dining is possible.

Now if someone can tell me how to get rid of sweat bees.....

We have rescued several severely underweight horses. Good worming, clean hay and plenty of it, and a quality feed will do it. I no longer feed sweet feeds because of the high sugars. I also am a huge fan of adding corn oil, which is a super cheap calorie that also adds a bloom to the coat. Start with a few teaspoons and work your way up to 1/2 cup per feeding over a period of 2 weeks. I buy it by the gallon at Walmart for about $9. There are other commercial weight builders out there that cost more. Get her teeth checked. Try a senior pelleted feed that you can add water to and make into a mash. Make sure she is chewing hay properly and not quidding (making wads of it and spitting it back out).

If her teeth are good and you can put her on grass, that will cause a real bloom in weight along with good feed.

I have kept senior horses on pelleted senior feeds (some whole, some in a mash) for decades with great conditioning for those into their 30s.

All of this weight gain will take time, maybe as long as 4-6 months, so take pictures and be proud of the small gains you provide for her.

http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?pr...

Flysect Citronella Spray works very well, and you can supplement it with a feed through garlic supplement. Nothing you can do will keep them away 100%, but that is what I use and it does very well. Fly predators are also a great investment if you only have a couple horses. They are little bugs that only eat flies, check out SmartPak Equine. They have all kinds of supplements and supplies at pretty reasonable costs. As far as weight gain, make sure the horse is being fed Equine Senior, and add beet pulp. Be sure to wet down the beet pulp and let it soak well before feeding. Corn Oil is always helpful, and it leaves their coats very shiny and healthy. I would try this before spending the money on weight gainers, but you may have to do that. Just consult your veterinarian before you do anything.

As for the leg bands, they can help, but they are more hassle than they are worth. They can cause rub marks and they get very hard and brittle after a week or so, and honestly I was not impressed with them. They do work fairly well for a week or 2.

For the flies:

Phyrhanna "Wipe n' Spray"-(idk if i spelled it right), is sold anywhere they sell horse supplies. You just spray it on everywhere, and it lasts a REALLY long time. With the flyspray you can squirt some on a facebrush and brush her face with it. While she is in her stall, fly sheets and flymasks help tons. www.sstack.com (schneiders) has all of this. This store is great and you can find flysheets for like $30! While riding, or any activity where a flymask would get in the way, you can use SWAT, around eyes, and muzzle this helps alot!

If she is an older horse you can also give her senior feed, this makes horse really fat even if you only give them a cup a day! If she is very skinny tons of senior will make a big difference! There are also many cheap weight builders in smartpak. :)

I use Absorbine Super Shield Green. I don't think any of them work 100%. I have a fly turnout sheet with neck, fly mask. I use a roll on around eyes and ears.

As far as the weight, get a good dentist and have her teeth looked at, senior horses often have dental issues. Do internet research on senior feeds. My horse gained weight on Platform Weight found in tractor Supply. Wet beet pulp may help along with quality hay. When was the last time she was wormed? If she is bothered by the flies, standing there stomping,swishing etc will work off weight.

i don't own a horse, and i don't know what kind of spray my lease horse has, but all the horses at the barn have fly masks and fly sheets and that seems to help. though their muzzles, ears, and legs still seem to be exposed and flies are all over the place.

fly sheets are great because they don't wear off like fly spray does and they're really lightweight so they don't make the horse hot in the sun. sometimes, though, i've seen flies get trapped under the sheet and irritate the horse until the fly eventually escapes or dies.

okay..... For the fly's you can buy fly sheets. It is like a blanket but doesn't keep the horse warm. It just protects them from fly's. It is made out of fly material. You can also buy fly masks. It is made out of fly material and goes around their face. We always buy fly catchers. If you go to your local feed store you can buy these fly catchers that are either sticky so that the fly's get caught on them, or you can buy a fly catcher things that the fly's get attracted to and they fly inside but cant get out. Eventually the fly's die. You can also but roll on fly repellant that works very well for around the eyes. What i do also is instead of buying the already made fly spray, buy the stuff that you can mix your self. I add a little extra to make it stronger and that seems to last longer.

For the weight builder there is a supplement that you can buy and it mixes in with the grain.

good luck!!!!

Tri-tech and equus is amazing. I have used both, and most people at my barn use either of those brands. Also, equus smells like marigold, unlike some sprays that just smell like medicine.

Alfalfa will work fine, just give your horse some time to gain weight. There are also other supplements that you can try specially built for senior horses.

The leg wraps are good, but I think they are better to be used while a vet/farrier is checking your horse because it stops them from stomping, making their job easier.

Hope I helped!

fly mask if the flys eat at your horses eyes it may go blind.

use a light rug preferably a summer rug.

then try using gamma wash on your horse monthly its good for flys and tics.

Equus is really good.

Corn oil(in moderation) is a really good weight builder when given on top of feed.

It also makes their coat healthy.

phriana is really good fly spray its in a yellow bottle as soon as you spray the flys die instantly