Fly Spray for Mare and Nursing Foal

[HunterMolly]

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for fly spray / mosquito repellent for a mare and a nursing foal. We have had an deluge of rain in Texas this spring, and every time I go out to check on the mares and babies they are getting eaten alive by flies and mosquitos. I was going to try skin so soft, but wanted to see is anyone else had an organic solution they like. I do not want to put the stronger sprays that work on her as I know the baby will lick anywhere. Does anyone have any ideas? Or things that have worked for them in the past?

Thank you!

[Didi]

I am using Ultra Shield Green for a nursing foal and mare. It is advertised as safe for foals and seems to be all organic. CoThers feel free to correct me if this is not okay.

[clint]

Although I’m careful not to get it anywhere near my mare’s udder, I have used Pyranna fly spray for years. I put it on my foals face to keep the flies out of her eyes, and spray her legs and body, as much as she will let me. The mare wears a fly mask, and get spray on her legs and body. I have never had a foal have a reaction to it. It is one of the few fly sprays that is effective on flies in my area.

[camohn]

I mix cider vinegar / water equally , add aloe gel for skin care, and anti bug essential oils: pine, cedar , tea tree.

[krfarms]

[QUOTE=HunterMolly;8160003]
I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for fly spray / mosquito repellent for a mare and a nursing foal. We have had an deluge of rain in Texas this spring, and every time I go out to check on the mares and babies they are getting eaten alive by flies and mosquitos. I was going to try skin so soft, but wanted to see is anyone else had an organic solution they like. I do not want to put the stronger sprays that work on her as I know the baby will lick anywhere. Does anyone have any ideas? Or things that have worked for them in the past?

Thank you![/QUOTE]

I have used Avon Skin so soft on the foals for years. Bonus it helps them shed the baby fuzz and by inspection time they will be all slicked out. I use regular fly spray on the mares except for their udder

[Kareen]

I use products called Kerbex and have found them effective and safe. Not sure if they are available in the States. For mares and foals I chose the garlic-free version, there are two others with the strongest being - well - interesting in the smell lol

[camohn]

My issues with skin so soft: I have three white horses ( pink skin) and SSS is oil based. I don’t want to put oil on white horses out in the sun. They need sunscreen instead! And being oil based dirt sticks to it something awful. I also use feed through garlic. I don’t find it helped with the flies so much… But did help a lot with the ticks…important in the land of Lyme…

[DawnJL]

I am using this new product: Ecovet and have been pleased with its effectiveness in keeping away ALL insects. The downsides are the slightly noxious odor and the expense. I haven’t used it long enough to say for sure, but my impression is that I can use much less of this spray so in the end it may be more cost effective even though the per oz cost is higher than traditional repellents. For those who don’t want an oily spray, this one is fatty acid based so it is oily; though again, the light application minimizes the associated problems. It really does stink though, and since the way it works is associated with confusing the insects via scent, the smell persists.

2014 Horse Journal review

[purplnurpl]

Calm Coat makes a citronella spray.

[epowers]

I would really not encourage people to feed garlic, especially to pregnant and nursing mares and foals. There is strong evidence to suggest that garlic is harmful to horses, specifically that it causes hemolytic anemia.

[camohn]

[QUOTE=epowers;8170033]
I would really not encourage people to feed garlic, especially to pregnant and nursing mares and foals. There is strong evidence to suggest that garlic is harmful to horses, specifically that it causes hemolytic anemia.[/QUOTE]

I have read the studies.

1. the doses they fed were massive. Far more that you would ever feed your horse. I don’t even know how they got them to eat that much. You can also make your kid diabetic feeding them massive doses of sugar.

2. one study was done with garlics cousin onion grass. Similar / same plant family but hey not the exact same thing, which makes it bad science.
   The other with actual garlic:
   Dose - Freeze-dried garlic was mixed with molasses and fed to two horses in increasing doses until the maximum accepted dose was reached. The beginning dose was about two ounces per day. The amount was increased gradually until it reached almost nine ounces per day.
   Result - For the first 31 days, no changes in blood chemistry were noted until more than seven ounces per day was consumed. Then, about nine ounces a day was consumed for another 30 straight days and eventually resulted in anemia. The horses recovered completely after about a month without any freeze-dried garlic.
   Conclusion, the study clearly shows how difficult and unlikely it would be to overfeed garlic to horses. Researcher Wendy Pearson notes that an overdose probably could not be achieved with any other form of garlic than freeze-dried. Freeze-dried garlic is the same as raw garlic dehydrated at below 0° temperatures. It takes three pounds of raw garlic to make 1 pound of freeze-dried. Nine ounces a day of freeze-dried would be 27 ounces of raw (over 200 cloves). 25 times the recommended dosage.

3. the active ingredient in garlic and onion grass in question about causing anemia is all Allicin. Allicin breaks down very quickly in contact with air. So air dried garlic ( which is what I use) has low Allicin content. Now the stuff you get at Costco in a big old jug is freeze dried…which preserves the allicin content.

So would I feed it to a horse with known anemia? No. Anyone else in low doses with air dried garlic…yes. The risk of horses getting Lyme disease here from ticks far outweighs a minimal chance of anemia from half a scoop of garlic only used during the summer months. Since I only use half a scoop ( all my horses will eat!) the study actually used fifty times what mine get…

[Nootka]

^^^^ interesting. I never knew that. Can you link an article? I would like to read it. I fed my mare garlic all the time before I sold her. Sounds like a needed read!

I have never done it so I have no idea…

Just saw this on FB

combine in 16oz spray bottle

15 drows lavender oil
3-4 tbsp of vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
Fill bottle with water. Shake. Ready to use.

If nothing else they may smell mighty fine

[sid]

Avon Skin So Soft, diluted is what I’ve used since the late 80’s on mares/foals…and I do spray the mare’s udder as those nasty black “crotch flies” always head for the udders on mares and sheaths on boys – the first bad blood-sucking flies of the year. They really kick at them and can whack a foal by accident.

They should die out in a few weeks…then it’s greenheads next. Oy.