Have never used this on my horses, but the other day I did have occasion to put some on myself for the first time and I couldn’t believe how well it worked. I vaguely remembered a contingent of CoTHers who swore by it as an equine mosquito repellent. If this is you, could you describe your cunning protocol? Do you mix it with water? With fly spray? Or just sponge it on? Thanks y’all!
CRONE! I hate skin so soft, but you’re posting and that’s exciting, so here is the concoction that people I have known use on their horses:
1/3 SSS
1/3 H2O
1/3 Vinegar
They spray it on. Shake the bottle well right before spraying!
I think it is FOUL, but hey–you give it a whirl! :lol:
Simkie! It’s good to be back! Finally have internet service that lets the CoTH pages load before I die of old age.
Vinegar, tho? Really? That does sound foul. But at this point I’m willing to try anything; my aged chestnut TBx is ravaged from udder all the way down her midline and the Pyranha isn’t doin’ jack.
Regardless of their over hyped claims SSS has zero repellant properties and the claims the Military forces use it are 100% bogus…and icky poo smell…but if it works for your bugs go for it…
Agree it smells like crap. But if it works on my horse as well as it worked on me, I don’t think she’ll mind the stench. Imagine it might be efficacious because of the horrible cheap-perfume odor.
Here, we wet a sponge and then pour on a little SSS, and wipe on.
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It is mineral oil with fragrance in it…I think they drown in it lol. For a ravaged midline SWAT is your friend
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Decades ago, we tried that straight sprayed on and it didn’t seem to do anything at all.
We went back to using OFF, as per our veterinarian’s recommendation.
Maybe today they do have some other in their formula that is a good repellent?
We are using Farnam’s Tri-Teck 14 and it seems to be working very well.
Our horses are not switching and stomping at all.
One of our horses is allergic to the yellow Pyrahna, so we don’t have any of that around.
Others have told us that was working for them.
Glad you have internet again, you will have so much fun!
There used to be a spray version. I never noticed any difference with mosquitos but used it regularly for gnats. But maybe they did drown in it by the number of dead sand gnats that would be stuck to my arms.
You can use it as a base for essential oils; not sure how well it really works but I’ve used it before…especially for when I would ride and didn’t want to douse myself with pyrethrin-based spray. Something like 20 drops of each type of essential oil in a 2/3 full spray bottle…like eucalyptus, rose geranium and/or citronella.
I have also added a glug of straight pyrethrin to mixtures like this as well for a lighter version of a pyrethrin based spray. Sorry I don’t really have a recipe though.,
One of my boarders used it on her horse years ago. His coat looked awful as all the dust and dirt stuck to him. Maybe that is how it works as a bug repellent, the bugs can’t get past the dirt.
https://www.statelinetack.com/item/wipe-original-formula/BUL20/
This is the only thing I’ve found that makes any difference. Plus swat for when the nasty little creeps manage to snack on the horses anyway.
My mare is a LOON about bugs - full meltdowns, will try to use her forelegs to swipe them off her face/chest while under saddle etc etc. Wipe makes it so she barely even flicks her tail.
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Mosquitos are attracted to carbon dioxide, so we (and our horses) attract them when we breathe out. SSS and other stuff with fragrances don’t do anything other than cover up the CO2, maybe, until the fragrance disappears. SSS may have been great years ago before there were any real bug repellants, but I tried it awhile back and thought it was expensive and useless.
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I used to use it but stopped because the oil in it was burning my horses coats when they stood in the sun. So keep that in mind if you are spraying her and then she will be standing outside, her coat may be severely sun bleached. Kind of like slathering tanning oil on your skin
Never used SSS, but glad to see you back. Visit often! I use vasaline on the midline scabbing, lasts about 2 days and clogs bug chewing parts. I get it at the dollar store, with VIT E if they have it, is not so runny. Try the baby section.
Use the white vinegar, not the good to put on food apple cider vinegar.
Get your skin so soft off of eBay, lots of good cheap prices vs. buying from Avon rep.
Get the original skin so soft, the stinky stuff. I swear that the smell keeps skeeters away. It also works to keep ants from coming up horses’ legs, keeps ticks from dropping onto horses, and keeps other horses from biting your horse. If you blanket and spray your blanket, it keeps other horses from chewing on your horses’ blankets.
I started using skinsosoft to spray my horses’ stalls at one barn on a salt water creek. It worked so well I started spraying my horses too. Also keeps the biting sand gnats from eating up your horses. I use tri tech but if I had a lot of horses, I’d still be using skin so soft.
There’s a shower gel, I used to use that on my horses legs, for ticks
I would put it on while grooming post ride, let it sit about 10 min and then rinse.
He was a Chestnut TB, and it never bothered his skin, even his one white sock.
I HATE the scent, but it worked.
I used to use SSS 30 years ago… But for the horses I found flyspray that actually works. Final Fly T - https://www.jefferspet.com/products/final-fly-t
One of my horses (Chestnut skin) has had two colic surgeries and has a mid-line scar that little gnats get in and cause bleeding. I spray the Final Fly on and no bugs.
For me I wear those Kastel type long sleeve shirts and a neck gator under my helmet.
Neck gator - https://www.rei.com/c/neck-gaiters?r=c&origin=web&ir=category%3Aneck-gaiters&page=1
