:encouragement:
In my experience, different fly sprays work completely differently on each horse, so trial and error is your best bet.
My gray mare stays fly free with the basic dilution of Repel-X.
My fly-allergic, chestnut gelding does best with Endure, Tri-Tec14, or a coat of SWAT on extra sensitive spots. The Ultrashield lines don’t last near as long on him, but I’ll layer it with the others for some early morning mosquito protection that’ll wear off by midday. He will instantly break out in hives if Pyranha is sprayed anywhere near him.
Endure
I make my own natural spray. My horse is really sensitive to chemicals and I find this works really well. Basic flyspray blend is mix equal parts of ACV (with mothers) and Witch Hazel (you can also lessen the amount of witch hazel used and use distilled water).
- 20 drops terrashield (this is a doterra bug blend!)
- 5 drops tea tree
- 5 drops lavender
- 5 drops Eucalyptus
- 5 drops Peppermint
I make my own spray. Works really good. I use the Southern States fly spray as a base and add other ingredients that seem to work well.
I have to have a full ingredient list to make sure my allergy filled pony wouldn’t react.
I sometimes use Eco-vet and I find it either works great or not at all. I guess it has to do with the types of insects that are around at the time. For me, it seems to work best in the Spring and Fall. It recently stopped working for me and I have been using Equiderma Neem and Aloe spray with great results.
I absolutely love the Espree Aloe Herbal Horse Spray. It has coat conditioners and sun screen, plus it smells amazing. It’s super gentle on my horses’ coats and doesn’t dry them out at all. I buy a gallon of concentrate and it lasts all summer!
I’m an Ecovet fan as well though I HATE using it because of the odor; makes me sneeze etc. They came out with a new scent for 2018 – I just ordered a bottle. Hopefully it’s better.
Remarkably UltraShield Green is working for me at the moment – but the flies are not out in full force yet.
I primarily use bronco because it’s cheaper, and I hose my working horses off every day in the summer after I ride, so spending more on a spray that could last longer doesn’t make sense since I would have to reapply it every day anyway.
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