question for horse owners

[praire hunter]

just wondering what if anything you use to control mosquitoes on horses.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Absorbine Fly spray and Watkins for humans is what we use around camp. Fortunately we have next to no skeeters around the farm.

[Grizzly Adams]

Unfortunately nothing that really seems to work well for an extended period and soon as they start to sweat, it's gone. Then there are the biting flies,very prevalent this time of the year, nothing seems to deter them. Wife was trying to get some stuff from the US that's supposed to be very good, but contains chemicals that prevents it's import. In the old days, people just use to build smudge fires. My poor nag is extremely sensitive and is covered with bumps.

http://farnamhorse.com/product.php?mainkey=200005&pid=100012&key=300002

Grizz

[sawbuck]

Ultrashield Just don't put under saddle pad if planning to ride .I spray a clothe for the face area ..

[Lefty]

Ultrasheild works good short term, but I have had a couple bad experiences with it and now use mostly human stuff on them. Bounce dryer sheets seems to work for some bugs. Tied it onto the cinch yesterday and had no problems with the bigger biting flies or moisqutoes bothering them underneath, when the big biters were really causing the horses discomfort.

[sawbuck]

Ultrasheild works good short term, but I have had a couple bad experiences with it and now use mostly human stuff on them. Bounce dryer sheets seems to work for some bugs. Tied it onto the cinch yesterday and had no problems with the bigger biting flies or moisqutoes bothering them underneath, when the big biters were really causing the horses discomfort.

What kind of problems? most of the time I use deep woods too.Spray me and the animals down before and during long rides..

[bruceba]

Ultrasheild works good short term, but I have had a couple bad experiences with it and now use mostly human stuff on them. Bounce dryer sheets seems to work for some bugs. Tied it onto the cinch yesterday and had no problems with the bigger biting flies or moisqutoes bothering them underneath, when the big biters were really causing the horses discomfort.

We had a couple bad experiences with Ultrasheild on a trail ride last year. Used very sparingly it does work great but never use it multiple days in a row thinking it has wore off, bad medicine. Now I just spray them down with deep woods off when we're out. The rest of the time they're on there own.

[praire hunter]

thanks for the input everyone, peavy-mart had Ultrasheild, so I will give that a try.

[roger]

My solution is remove the horse from the equation. However the wife has other feelings.
I took a solar light, put it in a plastic jug with tiny holes cut in it. Then spray the inside of the jug liberally with a bug killer of choice. Place it next to horses shed out of there reach. In a few nights there will be a couple inches of dead bugs. Inside jug. Dump it, respray.
Not a real solution but dont hurt either.

[Grizzly Adams]

thanks for the input everyone, peavy-mart had Ultrasheild, so I will give that a try.

25. a bottle, .5 pyrethrins, highest allowed in Canada, wife says it's the best you can get here.

Side Effects

Pyrethroids:
Inhalation: coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, runny or stuffy nose, chest pain, or difficulty breathing.

Skin contact: rash, itching, or blisters.

Long term effects: disrupts the endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone, estrogen, thus causing excessive estrogen levels in females. In human males, its estrogenizing (feminizing) effects include lowered sperm counts. In both, it can lead to the abnormal growth of breast tissue, leading to development of breasts in males and cancerous breast tissue in both male and females.

Neurotoxic effects include: tremors, incoordination, elevated body temperature, increased aggressive behavior, and disruption of learning. Laboratory tests suggest that permethrin is more acutely toxic to children than to adults.

Other: A known carcinogen. There is evidence that pyrethroids harm the thyroid gland. Causes chromosomal damage in hamsters and mice; deformities in amphibians; blood abnormalities in birds.

Found some 30 % DEET repellant for humans at UFA. Gonna give that a try.

Grizz

[Fredo]

Thanks for the side effects list Grizz.
Might follow you there with the 30% DEET.

[sewerrat]

My dad has a bunch of Friesian horses, he buys big jars of garlic at Costco and gives them a tea spoon a day, he also has an old bale feeder in the pasture and every night he lights up an old square bale of hay or straw, as the bale smoulders and smokes the horses are standing around the smouldering bale.

[Grizzly Adams]

My dad has a bunch of Friesian horses, he buys big jars of garlic at Costco and gives them a tea spoon a day, he also has an old bale feeder in the pasture and every night he lights up an old square bale of hay or straw, as the bale smoulders and smokes the horses are standing around the smouldering bale.

From "Dr. Adams", as I refer to my wife at times. :lol:

http://www.equinescienceupdate.com/articles/garlic.html

Grizz

[Ranch11]

My dad has a bunch of Friesian horses, he buys big jars of garlic at Costco and gives them a tea spoon a day, he also has an old bale feeder in the pasture and every night he lights up an old square bale of hay or straw, as the bale smoulders and smokes the horses are standing around the smouldering bale.

Yup that works awesome. Onion powder in the grain will work as well. Hard to get em to eat it, but eventually they breakdown and do it.

[Dr. Phil A]

I have an old bath tub that I fill with wood, set it on fire then throw a crusher screen over it. Toss some old hay and manure on top and it burns all nite.

I have tried the dryer sheet on the halter, various sprays but nothing really good. Deep woods works the best but can be expensive.

[Lefty]

What kind of problems? most of the time I use deep woods too.Spray me and the animals down before and during long rides..

I sprayed one gelding with a light coating on his chest, front and back legs and belly. He rubbed his head on the front legs and got the stuff into his eyes. Caused both eyes to swell completely shut. Didn't use it for a long time after that and then started using it a bit, but not on the front legs but did do chests. Sprayed a mare's chest as she was getting bit pretty good there and had a real knob swell up where I sprayed the next morning. Could of been coincidence but with it happening the morning after I sprayed her in the evening I thinking that I should be cautious. Not sure if it got right into a bite and infected it, or it could of just been a bite that infected. The knob went out for about 4 inches and was hard, and didn't look like a kick injury.

[spurly]

Apple cider vinager in a spay bottle works not bad for fly's.

It also worked very well to remove swelling, from an injury, if soaked in a rag, then wrapped with a tensor bandage.

[brownbomber]

Unfortunately nothing that really seems to work well for an extended period and soon as they start to sweat, it's gone. Then there are the biting flies,very prevalent this time of the year, nothing seems to deter them. Wife was trying to get some stuff from the US that's supposed to be very good, but contains chemicals that prevents it's import. In the old days, people just use to build smudge fires. My poor nag is extremely sensitive and is covered with bumps.

http://farnamhorse.com/product.php?mainkey=200005&pid=100012&key=300002

Grizz
We still make smudges that seem to work. The sprays etc only seem to work for a short period

[Puma]

Avon, "Skin So Soft "applied on a rag wand wipe them down, works awesome,

maybe a little less toxic.

[sawbuck]

I sprayed one gelding with a light coating on his chest, front and back legs and belly. He rubbed his head on the front legs and got the stuff into his eyes. Caused both eyes to swell completely shut. Didn't use it for a long time after that and then started using it a bit, but not on the front legs but did do chests. Sprayed a mare's chest as she was getting bit pretty good there and had a real knob swell up where I sprayed the next morning. Could of been coincidence but with it happening the morning after I sprayed her in the evening I thinking that I should be cautious. Not sure if it got right into a bite and infected it, or it could of just been a bite that infected. The knob went out for about 4 inches and was hard, and didn't look like a kick injury.

Thanks for the heads up,{probably was the crap that swelled up your mare}good thing I ran out of the stuff.Funny thing the daughter was rubbing the skin so soft yesterday on the ponies,some times a guy should just listen to the woman ONCE IN A WHILE.LOL

[Red Bullets]

If you can find pure garlic extract locally, it can be very effective mixed with canola oil and water. Sprayed on the ground and water bodies. Great for acreages and large areas. Just spray a half acre for the horses to go to.

http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/?gclid=CP6drrG4t78CFU6CMgod9gkAyQ
(has a money back guarantee too)

Dealers in Alberta

Balzac (Calgary) Bluegrass
(403) 226-0468

Calgary Golden Acre Garden Centre
(403) 275-5615

Coronation Ramsay's Stockman Center
(403) 578-2697

Edmonton Agri-Growth
(780) 484-0102

Edmonton Earth's Aromatique (Quality Vitamins)
(780) 432-7955

Edmonton Quality Vitamins
(780) 452-5705

Lacombe Hanna's Seeds
(403) 782-6671

Red Deer Bluegrass
(403) 347-7211

Sherwood Park Salisbury Greenhouse
(780) 467-5743

Sherwood Park Quality Vitamins
(780) 467-6650

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Or:

If you love your horses and are rich, buy a ThermaCell 4 pack and a refill pack (120 hours) and hang one on the horses halter or a post where your horses are. Pretty effective at elevations lower than 4500 ft. Effective within 15 ft.
I sort of figured it out to about 10 bucks a day per unit to run. Not including the cost of the thermacell unit. The company website has a special on four units.

[Dan Foss]

Last year we were using the cobalt blue salt blocks. flies and skeeters were terrible. Was spraying every few days with ultasheild and my one mare had bad bites on her chest. Off a tip from a friend, this year I switched to the brown sulfur blocks. Bites are not nearly as bad. There was one bad week in spring after we had a ton of rain where I had to go out and spray them, but putting the sulfur in their diet seems to have done something to help.

Alot of good ideas here though

[Grizzly Adams]

Last year we were using the cobalt blue salt blocks. flies and skeeters were terrible. Was spraying every few days with ultasheild and my one mare had bad bites on her chest. Off a tip from a friend, this year I switched to the brown sulfur blocks. Bites are not nearly as bad. There was one bad week in spring after we had a ton of rain where I had to go out and spray them, but putting the sulfur in their diet seems to have done something to help.

Alot of good ideas here though

Hate to tell you this, but the sulfur is in the YELLOW ones. :lol:

Grizz

[guywiththemule]

Tryed some stuff today on 1/2 dozen head called "Boss" recommended by Pioneer in Sundre. 30cc on neck from ears to withers and top of hindquarters to tail head. Made for dairy cows but supposedly works for horses. Supposed to be good for 14 days. Looks good so far today as horses and mules were less stressed from flies etc.than they have been this spring and summer.