Bugs on the trail

[Nezzy]

ok, any secret tips on how to deal with bugs on the trail? i went out for 10 minutes this morning, in the state park, and the bugs were biting his belly, i know, b/c he kept Kicking his belly. This is AFTER i sprayed him with the best fly spray i have used, and i got his entire body, and wiped his face, and ears. i paid a lot of attention to fly spray this morning, when it was only about 78 degrees. i don't know if i feel comfortable putting deet on him, so what else can i do? the deer flies can get bad, too. UGH. i guess i'll be riding at 5 am..:(

[NovDressageRdr]

I bring a mini bottle of ly spray with me and add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to it. When my mare starts kicking I spray her down.

[Auventera Two]

THIS! I LOVE IT!
http://www.cashelcompany.com/ProductDetails.aspx?C=1&SC=5&ProductID=9549

And this:
http://www.cashelcompany.com/productdetails.aspx?C=1&SC=4&ProductID=9571

Expensive but worth every last penny! :yes:

All the exposed parts I spray with Deep Woods OFF or the Eqyss Marigold Spray. But you have to really spray to soak the hair - not just a light mist.

[Nezzy]

i don't really want the big Bug net. where i ride, i am afraid it will snag on a branch or something and rip.it also looks like a pain to put on and take off all the time.

i don't really want to use Deet on my horse, but i will try the marilgold. a friend at the barn uses it.

[Auventera Two]

I've used deet for years.

I've also used the bug armor for years - gosh probably at least 5 by now. Sometimes I ride in heavily wooded areas and have never had it get snagged. It is VERY tough. Also, it is not a pain at all to put on or take off. Sure, it takes you 5 or 6 minutes but that's a small price to pay when there are 31 trillion blood suckers after you. :cool:

I do like the Marigold but it's expensive and you really have to soak the hair, but it really works for a few hours.

The other thing I do - just ride faster. Seriously. I rarely walk on summer trail rides. Even a nice medium trot keeps bugs from landing.

[baylady7]

we have one of those swishers- like a crop but with a tail-like extension on the end. Used it today on everything from deer flies to green heads- worked like a charm!!! We also wear an ear net/bonnet.

[sublimequine]

we have one of those swishers- like a crop but with a tail-like extension on the end. Used it today on everything from deer flies to green heads- worked like a charm!!! We also wear an ear net/bonnet.

A little word to the wise; if you have an exciteable or jumpy horse, introduce them to the fly whisk slowly. My mare was sure it was some sort of crop with hair, and the first few times I used it, she kept jumping as if she was smacked. :lol:

[Auventera Two]

A note about the bug armor - I frequently use just the butt piece and the mask and skip the neck. I just did that yesterday and while the other 2 horses had horseflies landing on their hindquarters, mine didn't. :cool: I also have just the ear bonnet from Cashel, and I use that on the Arab because she doesn't really like the mask covering her eyes. The butt piece is only 2 strings to tie it on and it literally takes 30 seconds - if even.

[twofatponies]

I had a thought the other day - I've been riding out on trails despite the bugs, which are at their peak here (southern New England) and been surprised by how NOT bothered my mare is. Last year I remember her being very fussy about flies, tossing her head, being tense, fussing, stomping, swishing her tail constantly. But this year she seems to pretty much ignore them - once in a while she shakes her head and snorts, and a couple times I've forgotten the fly spray and her ear net, and still she is not bad.

What's different this summer is she is at a barn where the horses are all out 24/7 instead of only having half-day turnout. In fact at the previous barn the horses went out only at night in the summer, to avoid bugs and bleached coats.

Is it possible that because she has to endure bugs all day every day, she has become less sensitive to them?

Do any of you think this could be a factor? Or maybe the bugs just aren't as bad at this new barn? I think they are the same, but I'm only there for an hour or two a day, not all day.

[Nezzy]

i don't know. my guy is out 24/7 and he was still stomping and kicking his belly. And i made sure to cover him with fly spray and get his belly, and wipe it on his face, etc..

[matryoshka]

I've been feeding garlic for the first time this year, and I've noticed a major difference, as in fewer flies bothering them. You can feed up to two TBS a day. It takes a few weeks to build up enough for effective control (or so I've heard), but this is the first year that I don't even need fly spray out on the trail. Flies still love me, though. ;)

[HiddenStars826]

http://www.americanlivestock.com/pc-645-15032-bug-out-riding-hood.aspx

These things rock my socks.

[twofatponies]

I've been feeding garlic for the first time this year, and I've noticed a major difference, as in fewer flies bothering them. You can feed up to two TBS a day. It takes a few weeks to build up enough for effective control (or so I've heard), but this is the first year that I don't even need fly spray out on the trail. Flies still love me, though. ;)


That's interesting. A friend of mine in college was doing research in the Amazon, and ate several cloves of raw garlic a day to keep the mosquitos off. He said it worked. Hadn't thought of giving it to a horse!

[matryoshka]

I was skeptical about the garlic, especially since it is not cheap to feed. But I noticed last year that my friend's horses had a lot fewer flies eating them and she didn't really need much (or any) fly spray when we went riding. So this year, they are getting garlic, and I've seen an improvement. It isn't 100%, but it is signifiant, IMO.

The trouble is that I hate the smell and taste of garlic, so mixing it is a pain (even though I hold my breath). All my horses get low NSC pelleted feed, and I mix it up before adding water. I can taste the stuff for hours afterward.

[gabz]

for deerflies and horseflies... DEET, DEET, DEET.

Buy towellettes if you can. I use 2 and do a tiny dab at each of YOUR shoulders, and a dab at the back of your neck, then take towellettes and do the center of the horse's belly (including the sheath / udder area), a couple of swipes down the hindquarters, and the top of the neck.

I also use the crocheted ear/forelock bonnet when riding for the horse.

I wouldn't use deet on a daily/ hourly basis - but a dozen times a year or so, when trail riding, isn't going to cause any long term irritation to me or the horse. Consequences of deer and/or horse fly bites, on the other hand, have more serious health risks.

[GallopingGrape]

Putting a Bounce Dryer Sheet under your brown band, or somewhere near the ears keeps flies away.. it looks silly, but it will last longer than your fly spray - and cheap! Otherwise, Marigold Fly Spray is awesome, and natural, and you can use it on yourself!

[Nezzy]

for deerflies and horseflies... DEET, DEET, DEET.

Buy towellettes if you can. I use 2 and do a tiny dab at each of YOUR shoulders, and a dab at the back of your neck, then take towellettes and do the center of the horse's belly (including the sheath / udder area), a couple of swipes down the hindquarters, and the top of the neck.

I also use the crocheted ear/forelock bonnet when riding for the horse.

I wouldn't use deet on a daily/ hourly basis - but a dozen times a year or so, when trail riding, isn't going to cause any long term irritation to me or the horse. Consequences of deer and/or horse fly bites, on the other hand, have more serious health risks.

you only ride the trail a dozen times a year? i ride the trail 2-3 times a week. That is why i worry about DEET.

[Beanz]

I trail ride alot and do all of the above except the garlic.

One silly thing that really works is a branch with leaves off a bush.

I tuck one end under bridle at his poll and let the leaves kind of flop around.

Dont laugh it works!

They look like salad heads, high entertainment value!

I love when they try to each each other's heads!:lol:

[MaybeMorgan]

And then can I put a whole bush on his butt?:D
Really, the leafy browband sounds like a good idea and I'm going to try it!!

[Auventera Two]

Have you guys read the research about garlic being dangerous because of some toxin it contains? Something about blood disorders when used long term....I can't remember it all because I haven't read it in a while. I don't use garlic so I didn't pay much attention.

[matryoshka]

Yep, read about it. Made my decision based on the relatively low dosage fed to my horses. It is an introduced risk, but honestly, there are so many other things we do with horses that are even more likely to cause problems. The evident relief I've observed from flies added to the resistance to rain rot it also appears to give (and my horses are out 24/7), makes it worth it. This is the first year Butch did not get rain rot from the spring downpours.

Lots of people feed flax seed without a problem, even though too much can be toxic. If one stays under the bar so that possible problems are unlikely, and the benefits outweigh the risks, then one can make a decision. After years of looking at it, I finally decided to try the garlic. So far, no problems in the horses at the dosages I feed, and regardless of what the studies say, I have observed considerably less annoyance from flies.

I usually prefer the "less is more" approach. I don't add many supplements and look for feeds that have what each horse needs. I don't over worm (or under worm). If there is a problem, it gets addressed with the least possible application of meds or intervention. However, flies are a major annoyance to horses, all day long. Fly sheets and fly masks just get ripped up in the woods. Plus, the horses are HOT in fly sheets. So, I'm trying garlic, and I like the results. Fly sprays use chemicals that may be harmful to the environment and not so great for equine skin, either. I actually had one fly spray cause a chemical burn on a horse. :eek:

Every product we apply internally or topically has some undesireable effects in addition to the benefit we are looking for. It's a trade off. For garlic, this year I finally tipped the scale in favor of trying it. I did not do so lightly. However, I buy the stuff that is prepared for horses and do not get it from the grocery store.

[wendy]

the bug armor actually lasts? I bought the face mask part separately and it ripped within a week of purchase.
I don't believe feeding garlic does anything. I have friends who claim it does, but on trail rides together their horses seem just as buggy as my non-garlic fed horse.

[gabz]

you only ride the trail a dozen times a year? i ride the trail 2-3 times a week. That is why i worry about DEET.

The deerflies and horseflies are typically only active for short periods of time .... and while I can't ride trails 2 - 3 times a week, my riding is more in the spring and fall when the worst of the biting flies is not a factor (and the weather is cooler and less humid) hence the "dozen or so times a year" using DEET.
(I'm not a competitive trail rider)

And, as said, I weigh the consequences of using DEET against the consequences of "chewing" flies transmitting a disease.