Just measured what I give: it’s a heaping tablespoon. Once a day. Mix in with the feed (I give soaked beet pulp and alfalfa cubes so the power is mixed Instantly).
It will take a few days for the garlic in the system to get to the stage of being effective - about 3 days or so.
You only need to feed it while the horsefly season is in full swing.
Keep the powder tightly sealed in an airtight container or the powder will pick up the moisture from the air and get hard and clumpy.
A heaping tablespoon. Once a day. Mix in well with the feed - if you feed dry, sprinkle a bit of water over the feed to encourage the powder to stick. My horses and ponies readily eat their doctored feed (wet beet pulp and alfalfa cubes). It doesn’t smell.
The powder will take about 3 days to build up in the system to make your horse “invisible” to horseflies. Keep feeding daily until the horsefly season is over. Then pack away whatever powder you have left until next year.
Keep the power in an airtight container, otherwise the powder picks up moisture from the air and becomes hard and clumpy.
2DogsFarm - I feed a heaping tablespoon per horse/pony. Once a day. Mix in well with the feed - if you feed dry, sprinkle a bit of water over the feed to encourage the powder to stick. My horses and ponies readily eat their doctored feed (wet beet pulp and alfalfa cubes). It doesn’t smell.
The powder will take about 3 days to build up in the system to make your horse “invisible” to horseflies. Keep feeding daily until the horsefly season is over. Then pack away whatever powder you have left until next year.
Keep the power in an airtight container, otherwise the powder picks up moisture from the air and becomes hard and clumpy. It doesn’t lose its effectiveness if it becomes hard and clumpy, just makes it more difficult because you have to re-powder it (squeezing and rolling in your hands to break apart the clumps) to cleanly mix into the feed.
Be careful with how much garlic you feed. There may be health implications. I was thinking of trying it, but have reconsidered. There is just not enough data for me to convince me it is completely safe. Maybe it is, maybe it is not. Like this article says, if you feed a low enough “dose”, it’s probably not harmful. But then is it even beneficial? Again, not enough data. https://thehorse.com/110261/should-i-feed-my-horse-garlic-to-repel-insects/
I’ve been feeding 1 tablespoon/day of quality controlled and quality supplied human grade powdered garlic for YEARS with ZERO issues and 100% effectiveness for the targeted problem (horseflies). Both horses and ponies.
As far as I’m concerned, that article is garbage filler and fit only for the trash can for any reasonable owner who isn’t going to go wackadoodle feeding a rediculous amount (like a half a cup or more) of random powdered garlic per day hoping to see some random nonspecific benefit. The horse would simply refuse to eat an amount of that quantity, just as they would not want to eat raw garlic.
The problem with these glossy magazine (or internet) horse publication articles is they are more often than not “vague” to the point of being useless as well as unnecessarily alarming, throwing good supplements under the bus in the process. Whenever one gives a suppliment to a horse it is best to use a high quality product by a reliable supplier, establish the minimum effective dose, and then draw one’s own conclusion on the effectiveness and health to the animal.
Don’t let some random article scare you off when this may be the product you and your horse will positively benefit from regarding relief from a serious pest.
Respectfully, we are all entitled to our opinions. I personally don’t consider The Horse magazine glossy, vague magazine. It’s overseen by a board of the American Association of Equine Veterinarians (AAEP). But again, we can differ on opinions. All I am trying to say is that we as horse owners should know what we’re feeding our horses. It just seems there isn’t enough research done to know if 1) it’s even effective, and 2) it’s completely safe.
According to a “non-glossy” Rutgers University published paper, “Toxicity is a possibility with symptoms including gastric irritation, decreased sperm production, Heinz body anemia, and occupational asthma. In dogs, 5 g of fresh garlic kg-1 increased oxidation of hemoglobin within red blood cells and decreased total hemoglobin concentration (Hu et al., 2002). Garlic consumption also led to oxidation of red blood cells in sheep (Stevens, 1984). Equine studies found that freeze dried garlic fed at > 0.4 g kg-1 d-1 resulted in symptoms indicative of Heinz body anaemia (Pearson et al., 2005). In this study 100 % of the horses (n = 2) fed garlic showed an increase in mean corpuscular volume and
hemoglobin, Heinz body score, platelet count, serum-free and total billirubin concentration, and decreases in red blood cell count, blood and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and serum haptoglobin concentration.”
And an Oxford published articled stated, “Allium Garlic, Allium sativum L. (Amaryllidaceae), is a widely grown crop that has been reported to have insecticidal and repellent properties against some pests (Showler et al. 2010, 2011). Cattle were fed garlic at 100 g/cow for 3 d, but no repellent or toxic effects against horn flies and stable flies was observed (Massariol et al. 2011).”
So, again, just know that there are potential risks, and there is not enough research to show the efficacy and safety, for me personally to want to risk it. Maybe it’s perfectly fine for others. (And personally, I think a good number of non-researched supplements need to be thrown under the bus, instead of our money.)
I feed high quality garlic–the air dried stuff from Springtime, which is supposed to carry less risk than the freeze dried stuff commonly available–and do not find it to impact flies at all, including horse flies. I feed it because I find it effective for ticks.
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Paradox Farm - Respectively, TWO horses (as in the n=2 part of the article you cited) does NOT in ANY universe, equal a study!!! Nor am I interested in more than one species other than the horse. I don’t give a rat’s *** about cows and sheep.
Sorry, but that article is not only garbage, it is comprised of garbage dressed up to look like it is legit. Legit crap, that is. I can beat their 100% number of horses of two subjects (once I stop laughing) by QUADRUPLE, and I can boast also having examined the results of the garlic powder supplement under different breeds of horses AND ponies over at least 10 years. I have no clue what type or quality of garlic they gave other than it was “freeze dried”. Was it chunks, cloves, what?? The garlic I use is powder from a very reputable supplier of human grade supplements. Same method of production as the one used in the article? Sincerely doubt it.
You haven’t tried garlic, so you personally have no real world experience. I have, and have for years with various equines, so my real world experience including where I get my supply, the dosage I give, the frequency - is what I offered. If it didn’t work, I sure as shooting wouldn’t be spending my hard earned money on it.
I’ve found some good advice over the years on this forum from people willing to share their real life experiences. I’ve also found some things that work for one don’t necessarily work for all. And I’ve also seen my fair share of bogus articles pretending they are handing out valid advice. Sorry, but I put the one you cited right in the bogus pile. Again two horses does not make a valid study. Ever. Three days is the bare minimum of time to BEGIN to START looking at effectiveness, so of course they saw nothing in that timeframe, and summarily dismissed it. And giving dogs fresh garlic will of COURSE cause tummy upset. Duh!!! The same dosage will cause tummy upset in humans (sometimes really bad cramping) until the digestive system gets used to it, and that “getting used to it” can sometimes take 2 to 3 weeks of ingesting small doses of raw garlic daily before the body feels comfortable.
Not being disrespectful to you personally, just pointing out the flaws in the article and why I have zero confidence in it as to having any worth at all.
There’s little question that feeding garlic can cause hematological changes. The question is what dose is required to do that, and how severe do those changes need to be to actually impact the horse?
@gothedistance unless you’ve been looking at blood smears and running cbcs on your herd, you can’t refute the studies that are reporting Heinz body anemia and other changes…you’ve just not been looking. That doesn’t mean they’re not there.
I swore I’d never feed garlic because why risk it? Then I had two horses with anaplasmosis and it became more interesting. Figured I’d try it, at the lowest dose, it wouldn’t work, and I’d move on. But damned if it doesn’t actually keep the ticks off. I sure wish it helped with flies, but it definitely does not for me.
I don’t see anything that has me concerned for Heinz body anemia, but I also keep the dose low and pull them off for the winter. Still, there might be some changes that would be notable on CBC or a smear…I just don’t know.
@dungrulla garlic does take some time to “kick in” (IME) and this might be something you’ll want to hold off on for now and try next year. By the time it’s at full effect for you, horse fly season, and perhaps fly season all together, should be wrapping up. If you want to give it a go, starting early next spring would probably be a better trial and more likely to give you results. There aren’t very many people, though, who report that garlic is effective for fly control.
I agree that two horses doesn’t make a very good study, but there still isn’t enough research out there to tell ME that it is safe and effective. Yes, you swear it works for your herd. That’s fine. But are you doing research and testing? Can you swear there’s no confirmation bias? I’m sorry, but unless you have a published article, I’m going to stick with my opinion. I’m glad it works for you. And like Simkie says, are you testing for any abnormalities? Do you have a control group? I’m not telling you or anyone else not to use it, but I’m saying for me, there’s not enough research. I feel like you are taking this as a personal attack. I just cannot take your experience with your herd as meaning it’s 100% safe and effective.
According to the American Journal of Veterinary Reserach, “Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Horses will voluntarily consume sufficient quantities of garlic to cause Heinz body anemia. The potential for garlic toxicosis exists when horses are chronically fed garlic. Further study is required to determine the safe dietary dose of garlic in horses. (Am J Vet Res 2005;66:457–465)”
I do agree that there are no studies with large herds, but I’ve read enough that for me, it’s not worth the risk until further research is done. That’s all I’m getting at.
Simkie - I actually did have a CBC panel drawn on one of my horses for another reason and did let the vet know the horse was on garlic supplement. Not a damn thing was found wrong - nothing toxic, nothing pointing to any anemia.
Interesting that you found it deters ticks. I noticed my guys were having zero tick issues this year. Last year I had issues in the spring, but that was before I started up the garlic supplement again. (Disclaimer: I got lazy and didn’t order the garlic until about April when fly season was already in full swing, and then had to play “catch up” with the time it takes to build effectiveness in the system ). Thanks for the heads up! I’ll keep this observation in mind for the ongoing future.
Paradox Farm - feel free to stick with whatever floats your believing boat. My “study” to determine if the garlic powder was of any use of all was done over the years, far more recent BTW in years than the 2005 (on just 2 horses), ignoring 1984 (sheep), 2002 (dogs and fresh garlic), 2011 (cattle) articles you are citing because they are irrelevent and NOT equine related. My studies included ONLY horses/ponies, adjusting dosages, looking at and removing anything that might be a mitigating factor, using one or two of the herd as a control group, and being very careful that what I was observing (all being conducted on very healthy, recreational or competition horses/ponies of various ages and breeds) was true to the results I was getting. As I said, I wasn’t about to throw money away on something that would be bogus. Yes, I was a one rat study, but I was both careful and consistent in the tests I did to determine level and degree of effectiveness. I had HOPED, and had begun my study with the goal to have it prove effective against the common stable fly, the damn gnats, biting green heads, and deer flies. It didn’t, or the results were minimal, much to my dismay. However, it did work against horse flies with a 100% success rate, enough that I determined the results (one type fly eliminated out of 5 different types) were well worth the cost of the product. When the fly season was over, the garlic was put in storage until the following March. Now, however, with Simkie’s observation in mind, I may just continue the garlic through into December since ticks are still active up to the point where multiple deep freezes are necessary to push them into dormancy.
And while I’ve written, and had published, many research articles over the years, and awards won, I’m not interested in doing a medical peer study on garlic for horses. It works for me based on my private research, and that’s all I need.
For the flying pests unaffected by garlic, a good spraying of Deep Woods Off and/or an ears-to-nose fly mask works the best for me and my gang. And yes, I have years of study and various tests with all sorts and methods of fly abatement: internal, external, homeopathic, natural, chemical, wipe on/roll-on/spray on, cheap, homemade, speciality, and needlessly expensive. Deep Woods Off works best for me.
The article in The Horse is not “garbage”.
I have read the study on which recommendations on amount were based, as well as spoken with the author of that study.
Her original question was “would ponies voluntarily eat freeze-dried garlic in high enough amounts to cause problems”? and her answer was yes. She stopped the study before she reached a level the animals would refuse in their feed, because she was seeing abnormalities (Heinz body anemia, indicative of oxidative damage to RBC) in the bloodwork.
The study was done by a PhD candidate who is favorably disposed towards integrative therapies, not a shill for the pharmaceutical or pesticide industry.
Personally, I have been in multiple barns where garlic was fed in sufficient quantities to make the place smell like an Italian restaurant, with no apparent reduction in flies.
I have also had at least 2 patients I can recall offhand who became slightly anemic on a “standard” dose of garlic.
The issue resolved when garlic was withdrawn.
I would guess that some individuals are more sensitive to the effects than others.
My recommendation is that owners who wish to try it get a baseline CBC done before starting it, and then, if issues arise, there is a basis for comparison.
That’s actually a very good idea.
So you have n = 1, without a baseline, without a control, and probably without a smear to actually look for Heinz bodies. You don’t have any proof that you don’t have hematological changes or no Heinz bodies, and you don’t have any proof that the garlic studies showing dyscrasias are incorrect.
I get where you’re coming from–you’re feeding garlic, your horses seem to be doing fine, and you see benefit. I’m in that same boat! But there really is evidence that garlic can cause problems and to claim it absolutely won’t is ignoring the data that IS out there. But we don’t know what dose is risky or who is likely to develop problems or how risk changes with product (freeze dried vs air dried, for example.) It’s totally understandable that some people weigh the risk/reward and say nope. I did that too…until ticks 
I keep thinking I should pull some blood and stain some smears and see if I can find Heinz bodies on my guys, just for giggles. Maybe when the summer wraps up and things slow down…
(And it’s also worth saying that even though I NEVER see ticks or evidence of ticks on the horses since starting garlic, I just wrapped up treating most of them for high chronic Lyme titers. Sigh. So am seriously considering if it’s worth it. :sigh:)
If you do, post back! 
I’d be curious.
This is very effective on horseflies and greenhead flies! Positioning is critical. Move it around for a few days until you find the sweet spot, or make a few. Let lowes do the cutting and assembly is easy.
”‹https://esc.rutgers.edu/fact_sheet/the-greenhead-and-you/”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹
This is interesting to me as I have noticed that the Plaidcast has been advertising a similar garlic supplement. It had me thinking about these potential issues.
A few thoughts, not having read through all of the replies. Sorry.
First is that a “heaping tablespoon” is not an accurate dose. I weigh all meds and most supplements for all my animals (I don’t currently own a horse but would do the same if I did. I am anal.) I prefer dosing by weight as it is far more accurate than dosing by volume. I use milligram scales, which are expensive, but so-called “jewelry scales” do just fine for dosing purposes (even in small animals, in my experience). In this case we are talking in grams and not milligrams for horse dose. A gram scale should be far more reasonable price-wise… if it were me, I would use that… even if just to get an average of what your tablespoon measure weighs.
Second, and related, is that meds are almost always and supplements are often dosed in mg/kg or g/kg. In this case, the study cited (yes, small sample size is concerning) stated that doses above 0.2 g/kg of freeze dried garlic led to hematologic changes. Do you know many grams of freeze dried garlic (or its equivalent) are in a heaping tablespoon of your supplement? And is is pure freeze dried garlic? Or is it prepared differently? Is there a conversion based on preparation? And how much does your horse weigh? An average horse weighs 450 kgs, thus the study threshold for the average weighted horse seems to be 9g of freeze dried garlic, if I am reading correctly. Does that align with what you are feeding your horse? You need to know the g/kg in this case to know the dose.
Third, is that if the recommended dose in any way approaches that threshold, then I would absolutely agree with getting a baseline CBC with path review/smear for Heinz bodies (if your lab doesn’t ID them on regular CBC… I don’t know, haven’t owned a horse in years and have found small animal labs to vary). I would then repeat at intervals once on the supplement to monitor. Something to discuss with your vet, anyways. I would probably get the baseline done and monitor anyways, but I am paranoid.
Hope that helps… have cared for some pretty sick animals and have learned the hard way.
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