We use Farnam’s Aloe Heal, slathered on thick to protect the udders/ midline & hair whorls on a particularly sensitive mare. We wash it off daily, or EOD and apply fresh just before t/o. It’s enough of a physical barrier to keep the bugs from bitting.
Yes, these are deer flies and they go straight for the udder on my mare. I’ve been using the Absorbine UltraShield EX (in the black bottle), which works reasonably well. But I notice that as soon as I turn her out (after being ridden), she immediately drops and rolls in dirt, and gets it as much as possible on her belly.
So it may be that a concoction of fly spray and dirt works even better (at least according to my horse)!
