Repelling Horse Flies At The Yard

Repelling horse flies can be a hard task. Using fly spray or repellent for horses can be one way, but sometimes they don’t go far enough. Here are five tips for repelling horse flies at the yard.

Horse flies can pose a serious risk to a horse’s health and well-being. Therefore, following these fly-repelling tips could reduce the chances of accumulating a nasty vet bill.

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Protect the you, your horse and your stable yard

In the summer, some of the best fly repellents can be extremely helpful not only for your horse but also for you. Most equine fly sprays are applied directly to the horse. Other fly repellents can be used on surrounding stable features and equipment to deter flies further. An example of an ‘all-round’ repellent suitable for humans, pets, horses, and surrounding areas is the Absorbine Green UltraShield Fly Repellent.

Humans and animals produce carbon dioxide via natural metabolism, this is what attracts flies. Therefore, it is inevitable that both horse and rider will attract flies. Riders may choose a repellant such as Avon’s Skin So Soft, which can be used on horses, too and of course comes with a nice aroma!

Horse Fly Traps

Horse fly traps do not use chemicals and are, therefore, great for horse owners who want a more natural approach to fly control.

They supply long-term protection to horses by reducing the total fly population in the surrounding area. Overall, this can have a massive and improving impact year on year.

Independent trials of some horsefly traps, such as the H-Trap Horse-Fly Trap (image above) have shown a reduction of up to 90-95% of horsefly numbers in the area. They are recommended and used by the Society of Welfare for Horses and Ponies, as well as Redwing’s Horse Sanctuary.

Feeding Against Flies

Owners can also add garlic powder for horses suffering in fly season. Many horse owners feed an equine garlic supplement for its insect-repelling qualities. The sweat and breath produced by a horse fed on garlic gives an odour that keeps flies away. Therefore, naturally repelling flies from the horse’s body.

In addition, adding garlic can help reduce inflammation and the chance of infection if horses are exposed to nasty fly bites. The NAF garlic granules contain 100% pure garlic and come in a 1kg pack. They easily mix in with the horse’s feed and are palatable.

Wear Light or Patterned Colours

From mosquitos and midges, to horse flies, all these bugs are attracted to dark moving objects. Dark objects are similar to these preferred pray, therefore wearing lighter colours may help repelling flies from both horse and rider. It is suggested that flies prefer black, red, and blue over yellow and white. Therefore, a hi-viz reflective could be a rider’s best friend against flies.

However, patterned clothing may go one step further. A study recently observed that the coat of a zebra (black and white) attracted even fewer flies than white coats, while brown coats attracted the most. They suggested that stripes act as camouflage, making it more difficult for flies to locate bodies in their surroundings.

The right texture of clothing and accessories may also help repell horse flies. Reflective surfaces attract flies as they look like animal’s coats. Therefore, to reduce flies surrounding horses, riders should avoid shiny satin accessories. Instead, opt for matt accessories.

The best fly rugs all incorporate perfect texture and colour to repel flies.

Consider surroundings

Flies are most active at dawn and dusk. Therefore, turnout and ridden activities should be reduced during these periods.

Poo-picking paddocks should already be a regular activity to help worm burdens. Removing droppings will help prevent flies from congregating, especially around shaded areas, the gate, or where horses tend to rest.

It is advised to avoid still water during hacking routes. Fence off areas surrounding still water in fields. Still water is an active breeding ground for flies and, therefore, has large fly populations.

In addition, wooded areas should be avoided during riding out. Wooded areas are also active fly breeding grounds. Instead, opt for large open areas with good airflow.