Appaloosa has a small tail and the flies are bad here?

ADD - Yeah I hate the smell of vinegar too but it works for so many things (like sunburn!!!). So if you try some other stuff and it just doesnt work, you might just have to put up with the smell for the sake of a happy horse!

Some people who have horses with short tails get rubber bands used for braiding manes and then get hair pieces and add them to the horses tails in sections. If you use those tiny rubber bands the hair pieces should stay on pretty well, especially if you braid it into the tail and then use the rubber band to secure it. If I am confusing you, picture separating the tail into sections as if you were going to braid the tail into many small braids. At the end of each section (at least the last inch or two) you can connect the hair pieces and just use the rubber band to band them together or you can braid the new hair in with the tail section and use the rubber band around the braided area. You don't want to braid the whole thing, just the "connection" so that the horse can still swat the flies.

Also since horses who roll usually don't keep traditional fly sprays on, you can try natural apple cider vinegar if you haven't already. According to a book I have, it can be added to a horse's feed or water as a natural fly repellent. It seems to change the horse's smell and although flies still land on the horse, they might not actually bite because of the smell. If you want to try this, start by putting a few drops on the grain at first and then gradually increase the amount. Usually about 1/2 to 1 cup will start working, but remember to do it gradually. If your horse doesn't get grain, or you want something to start working immediately, you can simply rub the vinegar all over the coat.

I have heard that vinegar works for some, but doesn't for others. Just try it out and see if it works for you. You can also try adding hair to the tail. At a trail riding barn I used to volunteer at, we had a draft who had a docked tail, so one of the volunteers added hair pieces to her tail to make it full length and she was one happy horse! I hope I helped and good luck!

And what Ceejay said is very important. The more you do to control the fly population the better, but if you happen to board, there isn't much you can do yourself other than speak with the owner of the stable.

I work with a Belgian Draft w/ a docked tail and the flies are awful to her as well. There are a few tricks that I have found to work.

The first thing you should do is control the fly population. Move poop and dirty bedding far away from the pastures and barn, try to eliminate any standing water near the property, as well as lots of tall grasses. Fly predators are available online and in some animal supply stores, those are relatively cheap and you would only need one pack for two horses, if you have never heard of them, it is a small insect that feeds on fly larvae, which really helps with the problem.

Next, if the horse has enough of a tail you can braid bailing twine into the tail. Yes, this might look a little trashy, but there is always twine available in the barn and it stands up to the daily habits of horses out in the field. I would also invest in a fly sheet, they are inexpensive and cover so much of the body from flies that they are worth it. A fly mask is a must as flies are attracted to the liquid around the eye, and like to hang out around the ears.

Fly spray, as you can tell, is sort of a sham. There is not actually anything in it to repel flies, only a mild poison that kills the fly later, once its not bugging the horse anymore. So really, all the fly spray is doing is eliminating a tiny percentage of the fly population, but is doing nothing to really keep the flies off of the horse.

Finally, if all else fails, there are some oral products available for horses, most contain garlic, that claim to help keep flies off of the horse. I have seen some on SmartPak that have been well reviewed. I would try the other things first before I started feeding something to fix the problem as I am always wary of adding supplements. Good luck! Your horse will be thanking you!

My mare was a thoroughbred and her tail was long enough, but she was still terrorized by fly bites! I got her a fly mask like this one: http://www.equilibriumproducts.com/fly_protection/...

I put a field safe head collar over the top and it never came off once - and she LOVED to roll.

You could also use a fly fringe, which is what I used when out riding, they don't work half as well as the fly mask but do help especially when the horse has a sparse forelock. You can either attach one to a field safe head collar (Which withstands horsey activities better) or one that straps under his chin by itself.

I don't personally believe in fly sprays, I think they're a waste of money and my horse suffered allergies to certain ones, although a lot of my friends say that NAFoff DEET works a treat, so it might be worth trying that.

A Fly sheet is always a good solution, my friend had a Rambo one like this and swore by it: http://www.trot2.com/rambo-sweetitch-hoody-fly-she...

It has material along with the three surcingles to protect the belly and goes all the way over the ears to ensure that the neck piece doesn't drop down.

For the tail, have you thought about unwinding loads of pieces of bale twine and attaching them to a plaiting band and securing that to the top of his tail, a bit like a hair extension?

You can help by poo-picking daily in the paddock to reduce flies and maybe try to put him in a paddock with fewer trees as flies tend to collect under trees.

Good luck! xx

I'd get a fly sheet for him and the fly leg wraps. I'd spray him with fly spray (I like Bug Blocker in the bright orange container), then put the fly mask/sheet/wraps on him then spray fly spray over all of that again. I like Cashel or Kensington. Cashel is just grey but Kensington comes in a bunch of colors, but get it from their site for maximun color selection. They have lime green plaid, light blue plaid, and purple plaid. Those are the ones I think are the prettiest. You can get the leg wraps, mask, and sheet in the same color too so they match.

I'd get the fly predetors because they do work good. I also get a fly trap and put that out for the lucky ones. :)

Like Fennec said (As I'm pretty much repeating her post because it does work), dump the manure away from the barn to keep the flys away from the barn.

Keep his tail braided so he has a better whip to get the flies with.

Hope this helps! =)

-Fresh--Paint-

Keep him in the barn during the day.

Get him a fly mask.

Get him better fly spray like this:

http://reviews.smartpakequine.com/7493/720/tri-tec...

Buy those fly predators. Rumor has it they do a great job.

Don't dump manure near the barn. The dumping area/spreader/etc. should be far enough away that the hoard isn't breeding right next to the barn.

my horses tail became to the floor to boot, and that i in simple terms decrease it to no longer some time past. i like the look of an exceedingly blunt backside of the tail then I frequently braid the suitable ... I perhaps only took off adequate to the place it regarded stunning and blunt!

Tie some bailing twine in his tail.

Use fly spray and a fly mask. :)