Has anyone given up on fly spray?

[Libby2563]

I’ve been trying different brands all summer and nothing really seems to work. I follow the directions, brush it into the coat, etc. etc. and 5 seconds later flies are landing again. I’m using other fly control methods too (Fly Predators since April, traps and QuikBayt, Smart BugOff, fly masks for turnout) but when it comes to fly spray I seriously feel like I’m dousing my horses with chemicals for no reason. Still, I can’t quite bring myself to stop doing it because then I would feel like a bad horse mom.

Does anyone not fly spray their horses?

ETA: I’m not looking to start another fly spray recommendation thread…there are already plenty of those. I am just curious about whether there are people who don’t spray and how their horses do.

[sublimequine]

I use homemade fly spray - it’s cheap and has less chemicals in it than the store bought stuff. So I don’t feel as bad using it up like crazy.

When the bugs are REALLY bad, I use Deep Woods OFF. It’s the only thing that seems to truly work. I use it very sparingly.

[cayuse]

I have been using Nature’s Force fly spray by Manna Pro. It works fairly well. It smells very strongly of something I can’t quite identify, cloves maybe. It does not smell bad exactly, but not good either, so I spray them outside instead of stinking up the barn. It lingers like bathroom deoderizer or something.
I would love not to spray but the flies are horrid this year. I keep fans on when they are in to keep the bugs moving. That helps too.
The Nature’s Force is “all natural.”

[merrygoround]

I use Absorbine black Ultrashield. Expensive but does work, and lasts.

[eclipse]

I use Deep woods off… The human stuff. It seems to be the only one I can tell keeps the flys away plus it’s ok when it gets on me too! I also only use it when I’m riding , day to day he’s not overly bothered about flys and this year we luckily have no Mosquitos so he hasn’t had to wear a fly sheet!

[Rusty15]

Nothing works. I’ve tried the ones that everyone says work…they don’t. To top it off my horse has allergies and gets hives from bug bites and there are 60+ horses on the property and cow pastures on all sides, so alternative fly methods don’t really work. The one with allergies lives in a fly sheet and I do spray when I ride (not like that helps) but I’ve essentially given up otherwise.

[RPM]

I never knew one that really worked well. Pyranha in the yellow bottle was the best – do they still make that? My friends had one brand that came in a silvery bottle and smelled like Raid. It worked OK.

But whatever we used, we would spray it on and the flies would come right back and land right where we sprayed.

[AmarachAcres]

Raises hand

The ones that do work, I’m allergic to, and work for such a short time it isn’t worth my allergy outbreak. Then I’m just as miserable as the horse.

[DustiC]

To the person who used the Manna Pro spray - how do you get it to spray? I bought some to try but I can’t get a true spray out of it. It spits out a thick stream. I’ve cleaned the sprayer, sprayed water thru it (it sprays water just fine) tried another sprayer, shook the bottle till my arm about fell off, and it still won’t spray. I can’t try it if I can’t spray it. I also tried turning the bottle upside down & spraying to unclog it, didn’t work either.

[TWH_Girl]

Yes, so frustrating!! Even my Cashel quiet ride fly masks don’t seem to help this year.

I tried the Manna Pro…its ehh at best. Smells good. The only one I have liked is Endure.

[ryansgirl]

Bug spray is really just a huge marketing scam - nothing really ever works. I rarely spray. My mare has access to the barn and comes and goes as she wants 24/7 - all depends on the amount of bugs. And no I do NOT use fly sheets - had my old TB almost kill himself when a giant bug got trapped - very scary and dangerous scene for an incredibly docile old guy. Not worth the risk. I do use fly masks and fly leg wraps since those can fit without any gaps for bugs to fly under. Access to shelter is your best option.

[Cluck]

Hell no! I use Endure and it works quite well for a few hours. It stops my horses from stomping all day. I spray at least twice a day and liberally. The trick is to use enough spray. Hardly anyone uses enough. It’s darned expensive but does work.

[rizzodm]

[QUOTE=merrygoround;8239259]
I use Absorbine black Ultrashield. Expensive but does work, and lasts.[/QUOTE]

^^^This is what I use too. But only before I ride.
I have given up on keeping my guy fly free. He always gets his fly mask off and fly sheets are ripped to shreds. He is not allergic to flies and seems happiest without all the extra clothes(probably more annoying to him than the flies)

[PNW_AMTS_Dealer]

Raises hand…for the most part I no longer use fly spray. I do use the roll on stuff to keep the ear gnats from eating their ears to bloody messes, I also use swat on the navel and sheath and they wear fly masks. That is it, no more daily spraying of any kind. I am battling lung cancer and I don’t want any of that crap any where near me. I do use an herbal mix for hoof trimming days and put a fan on them to blow the flies away. That seems to work just fine.

[pony_baloney]

For years I’ve used Clac Deolotion, since it’s natural and safe. It works OK. Last year I bought the Absorbine Ultrashield…and it was only OK too. So I’m back to Clac because it’s safer and I don’t worry about my horse and I inhaling it.

The Pyranha is still out there. I thought it worked well but my horse doesn’t like it and hates being sprayed with it.

Every day I smear a mix of Vaseline, Desitin and Eucalyptus oil on his sheath, inner thighs and navel area and it’s keeping him quite sticky but bite-free. I think I spray because it makes me feel like I’m doing something, even though it does practically nothing.

[12hooves]

Almost gave up. I was using Pyrahna but it’s so strong. Then I found Absorbine in the green bottle…all natural, I think, smells good, works good. I’m in Florida. I do have one horse who seems to be allergic to bug bites though, so I am using MTG on certain areas. Smells like sulfur and bacon. A neighbor told me to try the black ichthyol stuff.

[PhoenixFarm]

I’m seriously allergic to an ingredient in about 70% of fly sprays and I don’t think they work that well anyway, so by and large we don’t bother. But:

1. on farrier day they get sprayed. I don’t think it does much but farrier insists and I want my farrier happy, so . . .

2. we don’t live in a place with bad flies–nothing like when I lived on the east coast. We do worry about pigeon fever so we do do a lot of midline treatment with SWAT.

[Crockpot]

I use Absorbine black Ultrashield. Expensive but does work, and lasts.

Same here. This one works!

[Guilherme]

I’ve never found one that didn’t work. Some work better than others. It’s not “persistent” and wears off. Just how fast depends on the venue and activity of the horse.

Some horses are very “stoic” regarding flies, others are not.

G.

[saultgirl]

I have pretty much given up. I spent the big bucks last year on the absorbine ultrashield and it didn’t last a ride.

I had a visitor to my barn the other day who is kind of new to horses; she asked when I started spraying “Oh, what spray do you use? Does it work well?” and my answer was “I think all fly spray does is make ME feel better.”