A little entomology for horse owners

They are by far the most species-rich class of animals in the world – insects. Almost one million different species are already known to scientists. Most of them prefer warm and dry climates, which is why you hardly ever come across them in winter. Even if you don’t want to admit it as a rider, most of the small insects that populate the pasture and the stable every day in summer are incredibly important for a functioning ecosystem. In summer, however, insects can quickly become a nuisance – for us humans and also for our horses. The stable environment offers the perfect conditions for horse flies, mosquitoes and flies. They love the smell of sweat from horse and rider and find optimal breeding grounds in dung heaps, on damp paddocks, in horse troughs and feed troughs.

If you want to be prepared for the insect-rich summer in the stable and take care of the best possible protection for yourself and your horse, you should know exactly which animals you are dealing with. In our latitudes, it is mainly the following insects that make life difficult for our horses in summer:

	Ticks	Black flies	Gnats	Horse flies	Bot flies
Habitat	Tall grass	In swarms near water bodies & woods	Near dung heaps and standing water at dusk	Horse paddock, edge of woods	Eggs: Horse coat Larvae: Stomach
Stinging/Biting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Risks	Carriers of Lyme disease & TBE	Allergic reactions due to histamine in savia, swellings, inflammations, outbreak of sweet itch	Allergic reactions, very persistent and thus nerve-straining for the horse	Transmission of diseases such as Lyme disease, anthrax, tularaemia, Weil’s desease	Digestive disorders, stomach ulcers, colic
Protective measures	Check for ticks after grazing, vaccination against Lyme disease	Avoid water, cover body with textiles	Avoid grazing in the evening, textile protection, especially on tail and mane, paddock care	Textile protection, paddock care	Remove eggs from coat before they enter the stomach through licking or scratching
Important accessories	Tick tweezers	Sweet itch rugs, Fly spray	Fly rug with neck piece, Fly spray	Horsefly trap, Fly spray	bot knife

Printable insect flight calendar for horse and rider

Would you like to know which insects are currently in flight season? The printable calendar helps you to specifically ward off the insects that are most common in the stable and paddock and shows when it is time to make an effort to actively protect your horse from flies.