Need Help Choosing Fly Sheet for Most Sensitive !@#$ Mare Ever!

[elphillips]

Hi, I need help finding the right fly sheet for the most sensitive mare ever. I recently moved from Southern Pines, NC to Zuni, VA (I know, why would I do that??!!??) which turns out to be way more buggy than what I’m used to. I have a very sensitive mare who has reactions to every bug possible (hives, giant welts, rubbing, is totally miserable), but who will also rub easily with blankets and fly masks and who scurfs if I slather the fly spray on. I can’t use histamines because she’s a competing event horse. I had to use a long acting steroid with her at one point, but want to avoid using that too much because of the showing and possible side effects. As I said, her skin can scurf from fly spray - particularly fly spray in type and in enough amounts to work. All that sensitive skin, natural stuff either doesn’t work or I have to put on so much she scurfs. The best I’ve used for both issues is the Flysect Citronella (which I now have to order online because I live in No-whereville), but she’ll still scurf and it’s not working enough. Her legs will sweat, rub and swell from fly leg wraps, and she’ll rub and have a reaction from any of those fly repellent leg wraps. If you put a fly mask on her, she takes it off in 15 seconds (counted). If it’s tight enough to stay on, she’ll rub on her chin and get oozy wounds within 15 minutes. Her skin is so delicate that she rubs from almost anything, and anywhere she rubs or gets a cut she will react and ooze like no other horse I’ve ever had. It’s crazy. So both face masks and leg wraps are off the table completely. I got an Amigo Bug Rug that seems to be soft enough that she doesn’t rub in it, and it’s light weight enough that she doesn’t get too hot (it is pretty much as hot here as in So. Pines). But she quickly tore it on a fence, and she’s still bothered by bugs. I’m considering maybe the Amigo Bug Buster Vamoose Fly Sheet or the Rambo Fly Buster Vamoose Fly Sheet. I like the idea of having a fly-repellent component that is on the outside of her coat instead of against her skin like the fly spray, and so I don’t have to put as much fly spray on . (Just on her legs. Scurfing is better than oozing wounds.) I think the Rambo seems to be more durable, but I’m worried it will be too hot or will not be soft enough to not rub her. I think the Amigo is advertised to be get for hotter climates, but is it going to be just as soft as the Amigo Bug Rug so as not to rub her? If anyone has ever used these products on a !@#$ sensitive horse, please let me know your thoughts.

And anyone who is reading this and thinking, “why keep her?” She can pretty much walk you over a four foot fence like it’s nothing. And she moves like a dream. So I put up with her. She also gave me a really nice baby who isn’t sensitive at all. (Thank god!)

Thanks! El

[blitzkrieg]

That sounds like a tricky situation.

I used a Rambo Fly Buster on my solid black percheron and found that it was actually a LOT cooler than the softer, more meshy fly sheets. It was also incredibly durable and did not give him rubs (it has a more loose fit so as long as the sizing is appropriate, I don’t believe rubs should be an issue).

I don’t know how a horse with a history of reactions to fly-repellant wear (you mentioned leg wraps) would handle it though since my guy was not particularly skin sensitive. If you know what chemicals were used on the wraps, you could probably do a comparison to see if the two products have a lot of common ingredients.

[x-halt-salute]

You’re mistaken - mine is the most sensitive !#@$ mare ever, and I have the vet bills to prove it. Allergic to everything and princess-and-the-pea where rubbing is concerned.

My frustratingly sensitive horse is wearing a Rambo Protector this year, after years in Weatherbeeta, then Amigo fly sheets. I wish I had invested in it years ago. This year has been a record year for bugs in my area, and she was getting bites through her softer Amigo. Switched to the Rambo and she has some welts where the rug doesn’t cover but nothing where the Rambo covers her. Yesterday was ~95 degrees and today was in the high 80s, and she was not sweating under it. In fact, I think she sweats less under the stiffer Rambo than the clingy sheets. No rubs either but we’re only a few weeks into the fly season so no guarantees that will continue - it is quite a bit stiffer than the Amigo. She did get a cut over her hip bone by carelessly scraping it in a doorway, and I was worried the Rambo mesh would irritate it (because her skin may as well be tissue paper and she blows up huge swelling any time she breaks the skin at all), but it is healing up beautifully. Can’t speak to the Vamoose version because I was pretty certain the fly repellant element would be a no-go for my delicate flower of a mare.

I was under the impression that cetirizine/hydroxizine had a pretty short half-life and could be used for non-performance-related issues with appropriate withdrawal/disclosure. Might be worth inquiring with your vet if your mare’s insect sensitivity is that bad.

Long story short, I recommend Rambo fly sheets.

​