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fly protection, over or under harness?

Driving
#1

While I was planning to get the string fly net as recommended so many times, I had credit with another company and so purchased the Cashel bug armor. I do like the quiet ride fly masks, effective, durable and fit over the blinker bridle nicely as an added bonus.

So question is, should fly protection go over or under a harness?

Since its in two parts I was thinking of doing the back half under, but the front half over (doctoring for the neck terrets). Only reason is the material is soft yet substantial, I would hate for my horse to develop rubs on the chest/shoulders from grinding away at the fabric our entire drive. Nothing else on the harness is engaged 100% of the time, with the exception of the saddle but its in two parts so I think we’ll manage that.

First time with bug gear so I’m really pathetically clueless.

#2

I think you’ll find it easier to put it on over your harness. I use string nets for driving and they go on over the harness, before I put the reins on. But I also use the Cashel Bug Armor for riding and it seems like it would be bunchy under the harness, being rather voluminous. I think it would work OK with harness but I’d probably simply tie it onto the harness vs putting it under the harness.

I’ve been using Cashel’s ear nets and nose nets this year and finding that I like then better than the Quiet Ride masks (with ears) that I used to use over my driving bridles. The masks did the job but the separate ear and nose nets look neater (to me) and don’t cover the blinkers.

The main thing of course is the comfort of the horse however you achieve it. I drove my boys this morning and they were covered from nose to tail and were quite comfy. I on the other hand, spent most of my time swatting very annoying gnats away from my face. Did wonders for my one-handed driving. :lol: This is shaping up to be a heck of a year for bugs. I needed a fly mask on my face. :eek:

#3

Cashel does make a face mask that attaches to a neoprene brim you put on your helmet.

#4

I got caught by surprise yesterday morning and will be applying extra bug repellant to MY face in the future before setting out! It was the worst gnat attack I’ve experienced in 20 years of living in FL and was really bad at dusk last night. There was a storm approaching-not sure if the atmospheric conditions made the gnats come out in force. Whatever the reason, it sucked scissors.

#5

Thank you so much!

Yes I’ve been wanting the Cashel ear and nose nets, I think they do look smart and would be just as effective. I’m sure I can find them but as happenstance the few times I was ordering other things and went to purchase them they were sold out.

I fly fish and often times it gets really buggy along the streams, mosquitos and gnats mostly. I have a cheap mosquito head net that I found at Wallyworld in the camping department, it works fantastic. I slip it on over the top of my ball cap and the brim keeps the netting from touching my face. Thanks to your suggestion I’ll remember now to bring my spare to the barn for driving.

thank you!!

#6

i live in those camping head net things… They are around $4. A bonus, they keep the bugs out of the air vent holes in your helmet too. BUT, they are itchy at my neck (the ones i have are elastic at the neck). Friend of mine had one that was really soft and longer so it kind of pooled over her shoulders so it wasnt around your neck. She got hers from Australia… Sadly, i havent found that in the US yet.

However, i hate breathing “hot” air, and it gets stuffy with the bug nets over your head. The gnats are ridiculous. We’ve had the biting big black horseflies here too, which i never had in Augusta an hour away… Though i havent seen the dear flies, and i had them over there… I guess i traded one for the other, but the horse flies are NOT FUN when you have a really buggy horse. I need to get me some fly gear too. I’ve gone through 3 bottles of fly spray already.

#7

I use the string net on my driving horses. i have taken to using two fly face strings on my horses when I drive and ride. One on the brow and one on the cavason.

Ridesahaffie, I have plans for one to go from along each side of the neck and one for the chest . Now that I am soon to be a retired person, I have time to do something about my ideas. :winkgrin:

#8

Cartfall and RAH, I used a pony sized string fly cover run down the neck and it works pretty well. I put a collar on the horse to anchor the front of fly strings, and tied the other end at the horse shoulder strap of the breastcollar, to keep it in place. I thought of achoring it on the bridle, but decided not to, in case the fly strings would be pulling in it. I have a couple larger collars that fit the horses, so that is what I went with.

You might want to measure your equines necks, to see if that pony size would work for your guys. My horses have rather long necks, so the pony size is good for us, overlaps the front of the breastcollars, so horse is almost totally covered with the two fly string covers.

I have only used this a couple times, last fall. Horse did get a bit warm being covered, but not sure if it was weather heat or horse being excited since driving things were rather new to him then. I do like that those string covers are washable, since sweat always happens when we drive. Strings do seem to help with the flies a lot.

We have one horse who won’t tolerate the fly covers. He is just SO reactive with all the touching strings on his body, that he about jumps out of his skin wearing them. Trying to get him less reactive with various ideas has not worked. No fun to drive him like that! So he goes out with no covers and so does his partner, to prevent the over-reacting issue. We just cover them in fly spray.

LOVE the fringe swinging along as they move. Very graceful.

#9

I also love watching the strings flutter as we go down the road! Graceful and very effective.

My boys have thick double manes that protect their necks. But this discussion has got me thinking that one (or maybe two) of the fringe browband-type things tied across the breast collar would protect their chests. That’s always been their only exposed area when they’re decked out in full fly gear, so maybe I’ll get that problem solved this year. Thanks for all the ideas, guys. :cool:

#10

We aren’t “buggy” like you all in the south and east but do have flies.

I recently ordered Fly Armor, http://www.flyarmor.net/index.htm I am hopeful that it works!

#11

We will be awaiting reports on how this is working

FLies, bombers, greenheads, skeeters -
we have them all

we depend on the string sheet when driving and have been working on the “right” version of neck protection

but those things looked interesting for turnout

#12

Well, I used the Cashel bug cover on my drive yesterday. I put on the front half over the harness, and it went just fine. I went to put on the back half under the harness and just as I had it done up a green head flew up his leg, got caught under the net and started buzzing his rump. Good boy stood like a rock while I squished the devil, but I considered this a warning and removed the back half, just drove with the front half.

It worked quite well. He had just an ear bonnet on and I could secure the neck of the cashel to the winker stay buckle on the bridle crown, so there was no gap from his forehead all the way to his withers.

He does look a little silly though, rather like a knights horse, and we did freak out all of the other horses on the property as we drove around.

It worked well enough that the bugs eventually gave up trying to attack his head and neck and focused on his back end, which had me wishing I’d put on the back half of the netting. Cautious about a big biting critter getting under there, but hopefully we’ll survive if it does. When I was grooming him for his drive earlier, I spotted dripping blood on the mat, looked up and there was a green head noshing on his sheath and the blood just dripping down like a faucet leak. :frowning: He never flinched, I felt so terrible for him.

And I have Fly Armor and I have to say its not working for us. Perhaps it works on gnats and mosquitos, but it does nothing for stable flies, greenheads and deer flies. I drove with the nose band fixed over the hip strap on his rump the other day and it did nothing. I put a second one over the crown of his bridle and the deer flies literally landed on it and hung out.

Shame, I had high hopes, it is strong smelling. I will likely drive with it affixed to my carriage though.

#13

You have had happen - exactly what I was concerned about on the Cashel type full net “suits”
what if a bug gets up UNDER the shield???

thats why I love the fly-sting net
the strings wiggle to keep the flies from landing and they are open so flies can get OUT

We have been driving with the strings all summer since some time in the 90’s or before

we bought an antique string net - the string kind - not the leather one - at Martins auction
Never used it for years til I got a Hackney horse with cobbed tail who was allergic to bug bites (Isnt THAT a good mix!?!)
Used to ride as well as drive with the thing

As far as the Bug Armor - my concern was if it worked more like the OFF Clip-on bug thingy for people. They work well for us when our yard is mosquito-y but you really cant be moving around a lot (like riding or driving) They emit a sort of bubble of repellent around you. Thought the Bug Armor might do something of the same sort

#14

I’ve thought about buying the string net for several years now.

I’m constantly concerned about it getting caught on something or tangled in the harness and delay our getting Francey out of it in an emergency.

Two of the trails we drive on are “manacured” trails where catching on something would not be an issue. However, the other trails are pretty much “rough and ready”

Has anyone driven with the fly string nets on narrow wooded trails?

THANKS!

#15

I too was hoping the Fly Armor would work like this but its just not quite as potent as OFF or Theracell, and it doesn’t seem to do a thing for the big biting bugs.

it does seem effective against mosquitos though.

I too had the same concern as horsegeeks about the strings. I too drive both wide manicured trails as well as the trails less traveled. We frequently go through “the car wash” large leafy boughs hanging down over the trail that brush us as we walk under, etc. The Cashel fly sheet has been great for deflecting leaves and twigs, and I especially like that covers the ends of my buckle in traces, my traces are a touch too long with my new breast collar and the tab sticks out a bit and the reins sometimes get hung up on the tab. No problem with the fly sheet.

#16

road driving

With the help of my experienced driving friend, I took my boy on his first adventure on pavement the other week and we had a great time. He’s not accustomed to suburban sights and sounds, and when we got into the neighborhood and dogs came rushing out, and kids with toys and parents taking photos, people waving, busy intersections with signs and traffic lights and large tractors and dump trucks going by, etc., he handled it all like a pro. Even a rotten harley guy buzzed us on purpose :mad: (and hey, I had a harley I rode once too!) and though scared out of his wits he kept it together and calmed down fast. I am very very very proud of him.

My boy, who has great bare feet, was tender on the pavement. He shuffled at a trot. My friend kept telling us to get onto the side grass so we could trot faster, but this is a very busy road we were on (photo looks desolate, its not, its heavily trafficked and 60mph) and there is a LOT of debris in the grass on the side, broken glass, nails, etc. I insisted we stay on tarmac and insisted we walk as I was shocked how tender he was. So we had a long walk back to the barn.

Having conquered the road and seeing that he was so tender, I figured I’d leave well enough alone. I have a pair of hoof boots for him, so I decided I put them in my spares pack and if we ever needed to get someplace on pavement again I’d boot him.

OTOH, I had heard that responsible riding on pavement was good for hooves and legs, and the discussion in off course now has me reconsidering.

Do you regularly drive on roads?

Do you boot your barefoot horse? Or do you condition your barefoot horse to toughen up on pavement?

Do you ever trot your barefoot horse more than a few strides?

Is being barefoot on pavement hazardous? My boy scrambled a bit when the big bad biker guy :rolleyes: buzzed us, I had visions of him going down but he was fine.

In the interest of toughening up hooves and tendons I’m considering adding a mile pavement walk to our work once a week. Thoughts?

THANK YOU!!

#17

We have used the flystrings for around 20 years now
Everything from trail RIDING to driving

Ive never worried about having to extricate the horse from the strings and harness in an emergency - and think about it - how often do you REALLY have that kind of emergency

We have ridden on pretty narrow trails with the strings and never gotten caught
driving is on wider paths but sometimes in taller grass/weeds and the strings pull through
Dont remember ever having them tug so they are pulling off

there is a little tab for the crupper to run through and you do need to use that or sometimes the strings have shifted off to one side - but it doesnt bother the horse

I do have a bright yellow tab on my sheet to make the center stripe and where it goes over the terrets - makes it much easier to put on without lots of adjusting

I consider it an essential part of summer driving

#18

THANKS! We’ll get one and try it out. I’ve admired them since I first saw them.

I’m never happy drenching Francey in fly spray. I don’t think this will completely prevent the necessity of fly spray … but I hope it adds an extra level of comfort to Francey when we do drive.

THANKS again!

#19

I drive thick brushy trails and have never had the strings get caught on anything. It has never even occurred to me that such a thing could happen. I think it’s very unlikely. I guess if you were really concerned you could make sure the strings were tucked inside the shafts and held down by the shafts. I always pull the strings out over the shafts so they can swing freely and do their thing. I don’t bother with the crupper tab. I just catch a couple of the horizontal strings in each of the crupper buckles and that does a good of stabilizing the net, along with the straps that buckle to the neck strap. The rein terrets on the saddle also help keep the net in place. I’ve never had it move much one way or the other. In fact once it’s on there I don’t give it another thought. The five minutes it took me to write this is the most attention I’ve ever paid to it. :lol::D:winkgrin:

#20

Where can you purchase the driving string nets?

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