Horse Flies: What’s The Issue?

All equines encounter horse flies during spring, summer, and early autumn. Horse flies bite and can cause irritation to horses, and they are also responsible for carrying disease and bacteria throughout herds.

Horse flies present the major problems of;

• Distress
• Infection
• Irritation

Therefore, horse owners should do everything possible to prevent horse fly populations surrounding their horses.

Types of Horse Flies

There are different types of horse flies that affect horses in different ways. Here are some ways you can prevent the different types of horse fly from causing a problem to your horse.

Horse Fly (Tabinade spp.)

Horse flies bite and feed on blood, which can leave nasty wounds on both horses and humans. Their bites form large itchy, painful swellings with a pronounced open wound as the body reacts to them. Horses tend to become agitated when horse flies are present. Horses may repetitively twitch, kick at their bellies, toss their heads, bite at their body, and/or flick their tail to try to dislodge them. This behaviour and distress can be unnerving, especially for riders.

Horse flies are most prevalent in woodland or places near these areas. They’re only active in the day and prefer bright sunlight. Therefore, stabling horses during the day, especially on sunnier days, and opting to turn out at night or provide a shelter can elevate distress.

If shelter or turnout schedule changes are not possible, fly rugs will also act as a physical deterrent to avoid horses being bitten. in addition, application of a long-lasting fly repellant is advised!

Midges (Culloides spp.)

Midges are tiny flying insects that congregate near standing water and damp conditions to lay their eggs. Therefore, midges are most prevalent in these damp conditions and on humid days. The adult midges feed in swarms, especially at dawn and dusk, which can result in rashes of multiple tiny bite wounds.

Causing irrupting rashes in horses and humans, some horses suffer worse than others. An allergic response to the bites of midges in horses is called ‘sweet itch’. Sweet itch results manifest into itching lesions on the skin, which are extremely aggravated and painful. This leads to horses itching uncontrollably and lesions developing into nasty wounds. Sweet itch horses need extra management, such as stabling and an intensive fly management routine to prevent them from getting bitten. Sweet-itch fly rugs are recommended.

Remove standing water where possible and in summer season try to avoid keeping horses in fields with ponds and streams. If midges are still a problem consider stabling at dawn and dusk when they’re most active.

Bot Flies (Gasterophilus spp.)

Bot flies look similar to small wasps. They rely on the horse to complete their lifecycle. During the summer months, they can often be seen buzzing around the horse’s neck, chest, shoulders, and legs, looking for an opportunity to bite. They lay their eggs on the horse’s coat, which can cause an increased worm burden by the horse rubbing infested areas and inhaling the eggs.

Owners should be aware that bots fly eggs on horses’ coats. Bot fly eggs need instant removal. Deterrents include fly rugs and repellants.

Conclusion

Horse flies, midges, and bots are common throughout the warmer months of each year. They will swarm fields, and horses should be protected by optimising grassland management practices, offering shelters, wearing suitable rugs, and applying appropriate sprays.