I’ve ordered the war paint too on my trimmers recommendation. It should be here today. Good luck to us both.
[QUOTE=grey_mare;8154938]
FYI, the flies aren’t gnats, they are a horsefly of some type. When you pick them off they are the size of your fingernail, and go “crunch”.
When i pick them off i hear a crunching sound. disgusting!
I ordered the war paint paste.
:[/QUOTE]
I love that sound!! Fills me with glee and I do a happy dance every single time I get to crunch one.
[QUOTE=sublimequine;8154066]
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e071c5-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5
War Paint is much stickier than SWAT.[/QUOTE]
Is that one safe for horses that bite and lick at the irritated area? If so I’m getting it.
Not sure about the big horse flies, but for gnat’s other irritants, I’ve had good luck soothing the area and keeping them off of my mares and gelding with Belly balm as someone mentioned above. Also, there is a product made near where I live that has been awesome for the little ‘midge’s’ and gnats that cause the lumps on their chest and stomachs, Midge Magic. Google Midge Magic for horses and it should come up! It’s a little hard to work with on a cooler day, but when it’s warm out it spreads on quite nicely and just a thin layer does the trick!
Other than that, I try to just coat their bellies well with fly spray, and if they’re really bad keep them in with a fan-but I prefer to have them out 24/7 as much as possible
I use Zephyr’s Garden No Fly Zone on wounds and around my mare’s face to keep off the bugs. It smells wonderful and has a consistency similar to vasoline. The base is made from olive oil and beeswax.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/zephyrs-garden-no-fly-zone-healing-salve--12083
