The temperatures are rising again. And with summer temperatures come pesky, flying insects - flies, mosquitos, horse flies and more winged annoyances. And not only are they annoying, they can also be dangerous for horses when they consistently try to get rid of those little insects. In this blog, you can learn how to make summer the most comfortable your horse.
What do all these flies want here?
Why is the stable always a breeding ground for flying insects? It’s because flies looove the smell of horses. They know that they can get all their nutrition with horses and especially the ears, mouth and nose are popular because of the protein-rich tear fluid. If a fly sits at the horse’s eye, the eye produces even more tear liquid – fun for the flies, but not for the horse! An abundance of tear fluid can even lead to inflammation of the eyes. Therefore, wearing a
fly mask or
cap is a great solution for your horse. Make sure that the masks sit snugly, to avoid flies from crawling underneath.
Outsmarting the flies
Apart from normal flies, there’s of course also other insects that can sting and bite, like mosquitos, horse flies or midgets. Those bloodthirsty insects bite or sting your horse for nutrition. So you won’t only find them specifically at the eyes, but all over the whole body. You can protect your horse with a fly sheet, which are available in lots of
cuts,
colours and
sizes. Depending on how bad it gets, you can also pick a model
with neck and/or
mask. If horses have summer eczema, it means that they’re allergic to midgets. A fly sheet is often not enough then, and an eczema rug is needed instead.
Out and about with your horse? Flies can also be really annoying during a trail ride. That’s why there’s also fly sheets than can be used for riding or driving!
The war on flies at the stable and in the field
We all know that there’s lots of flies at the muck heap. But why is that?
Flies use the muck heap as feeding and breeding ground. That’s why it’s important to take out the poop from the stable or field. You can also avoid fly invasions in the stable by hanging up special lamps or glue strips and having a fan. Flies prefer laying eggs in wet or damp areas, so keep your stable dry and try avoiding fields with water pools as much as you can. If your horse is very annoyed by the flies throughout the day, you could also have the horse out in the field at night, as insects are less active at night.
Hanging up
fly traps can also help. They lure the insects into the trap by sending out a sweet smell that’s attractive to flies. Because of that smell, it’s recommended to hang the traps a few meters away from the stable or field and not right in the middle of it.