Sunday, May 17, 2009

Shoo Fly!


So I want to know:
What do you all use for fly spray???
My experience with fly spray has been poor - usually horse flies ignore it, but it does help with the smaller flies that swarm around the face somewhat. I just have not been satisfied with any products I've used - do any of you guys have fly sprays that just always seem to work well??
My horses don't enjoy wearing fly masks. Jack ran through an electric fence wearing one (I guess he just didn't see it!), and Arabee just seems VERY spooky when she's wearing hers out on pasture. Seems as though wearing the mask diminishes the eye sight enough to put her "on edge" and I think she'd prefer shaking her head free of flies than being nervous about the stuff she thinks she can't see.
So I'm curious - does anyone have specific products they use that they swear by??

3 comments:

All Who Wander said...

We fly mask all three. I've dealt with some bad eye infections due to those pesky critters crawling over the eyes. So here, it is fly masks all around.

If you find a really "good" fly repellent you are going to be a rich woman.

Mel said...

I use aborabasine (spelling is wrong) in either the black or purple gallon jug. It's $50/a gallon. I used the black for the past 2 summers and liked it, but it's getting hard to find. The purple is about the same thing, so I'm using that this summer.

That being said - I've been told that the flies in CA valley are not as bad as the southern part of the country. Less humididity, and it just seems like less bugs. Minx and Farley both have fairly long forlocks so I usually only fly mask in the trailer when feeding hay.

Anonymous said...

Huck is terribly hypersensitive to fly bites. I left his fly mask off yesterday because it was raining off and on (and frequently, raining heavily) all day. When I brought him in last night to eat his face was covered in welts. The flies started bugging his eyes back in early March so he's been in a fly mask for a while.

Fly spray isn't much help and I've yet to find a great one. Right now I'm trying out Absorbine's Dura-Guard (in the orange bottle) which claims to "bond to the hair follicle" or something. Honestly, it feels like show sheen is on the horse - not quite as slick, but that same feeling. But it does seem to work; not for the 14 days they claim, but for a few days at least. But it's expensive, at $18/bottle!