Fly protection for the horse – what remedies help?

As soon as it gets warmer, the first insects come out of their winter quarters and colonise our stables, paddocks and riding paths. Riders should think about fly protection management early on and check what equipment is needed before the fly season starts. We show you what accessories are available and how you can best protect your horse from flies and other insects.

Fly protection management is made up of several components. Ideally, fly repellents in the form of sprays or gels are combined with textile barriers such as fly rugs or fly masks. In the following guide, we provide you with the most important facts about comprehensive fly protection for your horse. Another possibility to support the horse during the fly season is the targeted feeding of supplements. Primarily, garlic preparations are offered on the market as feed supplements.

1. Fly repellents

Fly repellents are applied to the horse’s skin and form a protective layer against insects due to their ingredients. They are available as sprays, but also in the form of gels or creams.

Advantages:

• The application is simple and fast
• The effectiveness is very good
• You can treat parts of the body that cannot be covered.
• If necessary, it can always be re-dosed

Disadvantages:

• Some of the products carry a risk of allergies
• The protective effect is limited in time
• The intense smell

Effectiveness of the fly repellent sprays

Not every product works the same on every horse. This depends on the following factors:

• Body odour of the horse
• Perspiration pattern (does the horse sweat a lot or a little?)
• Native insects (mostly broad-spectrum products, but some insect species react more or less to certain fly repellents).

Insecticides have a lethal effect on insects. The active substances are absorbed via the insects‘ body surface and thus enter the organism. Insecticides for use on animals are often made from the active ingredient permethrin, which is extracted from the leaves of the chrysanthemum. The substance is harmless for dogs and horses. Cats cannot break down the substance in the body, so there is a danger to life.

Repellents deter insects, which is why they are also called insect repellent sprays. The insects are prevented from landing by the ingredients contained in the repellent; this is done by stimuli that affect the sensory organs. The insect can no longer locate the horse at all or is so repelled by the smell that it looks for another target. Repellents are available with either synthetic (e.g. Icaridin or IR3535®) or natural active ingredients (e.g. essential oils).

Repellents – pure nature or synthetic power?

Most horse owners attach great importance to natural husbandry and want to burden the horse as little as possible with synthetic additives (e.g. in feed or care products). When it comes to fly repellents, both synthetic and natural active ingredients are available, offering advantages and disadvantages depending on individual needs:

Instructions for use

Regardless of whether you choose the natural or synthetic variant, a fly repellent is a biocidal product (= pesticide) that should be used with caution! Therefore, please observe the following instructions:

• Read the label and other product information before use in order to apply the product properly and achieve the desired effect.

• Before the first large-scale application, you should apply the remedy to a small area and wait 24 hours to be able to rule out allergic reactions or other intolerances. This also applies to the natural substances, which can also be skin-irritating and allergenic due to the essential oils.

• Apply the remedy all over the body, avoiding the following areas: Eyes, nostrils, mouth, mucous membranes, injured skin (e.g. from wounds or sunburn).

• For sensitive areas such as the head, gels are recommended.

• Protect children and always keep fly repellents in a place inaccessible to them and apply it out of their reach.

• Fly repellent sprays do not provide one hundred percent protection. Depending on the weather and the intensity of the horse’s activity, the protective film is worn off at different rates and must then be renewed more frequently. If the horse stands in the rain in the paddock and/or rolls frequently, the effect wears off more quickly. Additional fly protection measures, such as putting on a fly rug or using traps in the paddock or stable, strengthen the protection.

• Never use sprays indoors!

• Spooky horses may be frightened by the sound of the spray. Gels and creams are a good alternative, even if they are a bit more tedious to apply. Alternatively, you can first spray the spray on a cloth and then rub the horse with it.

2. Textile fly protection from head to hoof

Textile fly protection is an important component in keeping insects away from the horse. The textile barrier prevents flies, mosquitoes and co. from landing. The fly rugs are the most important piece of clothing in the summertime. They are supplemented by other suitable accessories such as fly masks, fly boots, etc.

Advantages:

• the protective effect of textile fly protection is unlimited in time and is therefore a long-term investment in repelling flies
• large parts of the body are covered
• no use of chemicals
• particularly sensitive areas can be reliably protected (e.g. the head with a fly mask)
• textile fly protection has no allergy potential

Disadvantages:

• there is no full body protection, the legs usually remain free and insects can also crawl under the fabric or some species even sting through the fabric
• The body odour that attracts the insects is not masked.

Fly rugs for horses

Fly rugs are usually made of a light breathable mesh material so that the climate conditions are kept at an optimal level despite the rug. To ensure maximum protection, most fly rugs for horses are equipped with a neck piece, which in some cases can also be removed if necessary. In addition to the basic fly rug for grazing and stabling, there are also exercise sheets made of airy mesh material, which provide good service in terms of fly protection, especially for nervous horses during training.

If you go hacking near water or in the forest, you should have an exercise fly sheet ready in the fly season, especially for horses that react very sensitively to insect attacks and then instinctively buck or kick. Sweet itch rugs offer the greatest possible textile protection. They are more tightly woven than conventional fly rugs, but are still breathable. The edges are usually elasticated to prevent insects from slipping under the rug. Do you have a horse suffering from sweet itch and would like to know more about the condition? We have written a comprehensive guide to sweet itch for you.

	Basic fly rugs	Exercise fly rugs	Sweet itch rugs
Special features	– airy mesh material – protects the most important areas	– cut with saddle recess or shoulder clearance – fly protection also possile during training	– fine mesh fabric – covers most of the body
Fly protection factor
Recommended for	insensitive horses kept in stables or on pasture	Horses that are worked intensively (hacking, horse walker) and/or react nervously to insects	Horses suffering from sweet itch or extremely sensitive horses

When buying, pay attention to the following details:

• Shoulder gussets: As fly rugs for horses are mostly used outdoors, the horses‘ range of movement is correspondingly large. If the horse moves a lot, the maximum freedom of movement should be provided by shoulder gussets.

• Fringes: Some rugs have fringes attached to the hem for extra protection. The horse’s movements cause the fringes to swing back and forth, making it more difficult for insects to land.

• Sun protection: Some fly rugs are even equipped with UV protection. This is especially beneficial for light-skinned horses and is helpful in protecting their bodies not only from insects but also from sunburn. If you have an sweet itch sufferer, you will most likely prefer to put your horse in the paddock between 9 am and 4 pm, as insects are mainly active at dawn and in the evening hours. Here, too, a rug with good UV protection is often useful.

• Rug colour: As with our summer clothing, it is advisable to choose light colours. Dark materials absorb the sunlight, while light colours reflect the light. Light-coloured fly rugs thus promote good climatic conditions under the rug and prevent additional heating. In addition, insects are less attracted to light colours than to dark fabrics.

To ensure reliable protection, you should make sure that the fly rug fits well on the horse. Would you like to learn more about how to recognise the optimal fit of a horse rug and how to determine the right rug size for your horse? We explain it to you in our horse rug-guide.

Innovative solutions: Zebra fly rugs and repellent fly rugs

For some years now, fly rugs with a striking zebra pattern have been very common in the paddocks. What seems like a „fashion gag“ to the uninformed has been scientifically studied and is supposed to give our horses additional protection against insects. Swedish and Hungarian researchers conducted experiments with various fake horses at a Hungarian horse farm years ago. They set up plastic horses in different coat colours and one with the infamous zebra pattern. It turned out that the zebra model was the insects‘ least favourite target. The thinner and more „zebra-like“ the stripes were, the greater the effect. It is assumed that the pattern is perceived quite differently by their compound eyes and that the insects are so confused by this that they are no longer capable of a landing approach and look for another target.

Thus, many riders began to paint their dark horses with a water-flour mixture or their grey horses with charcoal before they turned them out. Thanks to the zebra rugs for horses, one combines the effect of the zebra pattern with the protective textile barrier of the rug. In the meantime, zebra fly rugs are available in all kinds of variations – from the basic rug for the field with a neck piece to the exercise sheet.

In addition to zebra fly rugs for horses, there is another innovative solution to fight insects by impregnating the fly rug with a repellent. One of these solutions has been brought onto the market by the HORSEWARE brand with the so-called Vamoose technology. These horse rugs are additionally coated with the biocide permithrin, which is extracted from the chrysanthemum flower. The permithrin evaporates through the horse’s body heat and sunlight, forming a protective layer around the body. The Vamoose technology confuses insects in their approach and prevents them from landing on the fly rug.

The active ingredient lasts for approx. 20 washes (please be sure to follow the care instructions on the label). If the rug is heavily soiled, the permithrin cannot evaporate. Therefore, Vamoose rugs should be washed regularly during the season. As a supplement, it is advisable to put on a fly mask treated with the HORSEWARE Vamoose technology, so that the vermin are also kept away from the horse’s sensitive head.

Fly masks for horses

Especially the eye area of a horse is extremely sensitive and is often colonised by insects, as they suck up the tear fluid. Horses then react by banging their heads and becoming nervous, which leads to imbalance. In addition, unpleasant conjunctivitis can occur if the flies leave bacteria in the horse’s eye. Fly masks are made of light mesh material through which you can see in the eye area. The horse can thus see without any problems, without flies being able to settle on the head. They are available with or without ears and also with integrated nostril protection or fringes. They are attached to the horse’s head with the help of attached Velcro fasteners, zips or by being pulled over the horse’s head.

Fit of the fly mask

When buying, make sure that the fly mask fits well.

The fly masks are usually offered in standard sizes from mini-shetland to full and extra full. The sizes offer a first orientation, but depending on the individual physique, the required size for your horse may differ slightly. However, the Velcro fastenings can usually compensate for differences in size very well.

As the wearing time of the fly masks can be very long depending on the duration of the turnout, you should choose the maximum comfort for your horse. The insides that rest on the horse’s head are in most cases padded with soft fleece or synthetic fur. Some horses are also sensitive to the mesh material bulging inwards to touch the eye area. There are some models that have reinforcing frames so that the mesh material keeps its shape and thus allows an optimal distance to the eyes.

Other fly protection aids

Any accessories can be added to the textile fly protection for the horse. The most popular item in summer are the fly veils, which are used when riding. They prevent insects from flying into the ears during work and thus irritating and disturbing the horse.

A nose protector, which is also used with headshakers, can also provide relief for nervous horses in summer. The protection is simply attached to the headcollar or bridle with the help of Velcro fasteners and the insects can no longer fly around the nostrils. Please check with your organiser if you are allowed to compete if your horse is wearing a nose protection.

Fringes support the effect of the fly protection accessories. You can find them on fly rugs or on fly masks for horses, among other things, but they are also available separately for attachment to the bridle and headcollar or as a breastplate. The permanent movement of the fringes disturbs the insects when they land and chases them away.

Textile fly protection for horses also has its limitations. Until now, the legs have always remained unprotected and could only be treated with additional fly spray. As an innovative solution, there are now fly protection gaiters that are also suitable for use in the field at higher temperatures due to their airy mesh material.