How do You Protect Your Horse from Mosquitoes?
Tuesday June 20, 2006
It seems that every summer, I head for the local feed supply store to see what's new in mosquito sprays for horses. The mosquitoes are so thick at dusk and dawn here that you dare not walk outside and open your mouth unless you're looking for a buggy meal. My poor horses pace, swish and rub--and nothing I've tried brings much relief. Not only are mosquitoes annoying they carry diseases like EEE and WNV. We've tried fly sprays, fabric softener sheets, homemade concoctions without success. Bonnets and fly sheets help somewhat, but bonnets aren't safe to leave on at night and sheets are unsafe for mares with foals at their sides. No barn is safe either, unless hermetically sealed.
So what do you do to protect your horses from mosquitoes? Have you discovered a sure fire method or product you'd be willing to share? Click on the "Comments" link below to leave your solution for protecting your horse from mosquitoes.
Comments
My daughter made a homemade mixture of lavender oil, parafin oil, eucylyptus oil & distilled water. She would then put it in a spray bottle to apply. Seemed to help with the flies as well. Good Luck.
has anyone ever used apple cider vinegar for flies /does it help w/t mosquitos?
Avon’s Skin So Soft bath oil is great and smells good too. Also, Avon has a bug spray that is Deet-free, can be used safely on children and does not need to be washed off so should be safe for the horses as well.
My horse breaks out so bad from mosquitos and gnats but let me tell you-the BEST spray is called Pyrhana.(spelling might be missing a letter) It comes in a yellow spray can with a black cap and it works the best!!! Try it…
Avon skin so soft mixed with eucaliptus or centrella oil, and white vinegar wiped on with a cloth does really good on horses.
Best I’ve tried was Mosquito Halt. It’s the only one I’ve used that actually works. It is strong but we use very sparingly and only when really need (this year was especially brutal with all the rain we got).
I have been told that Avon Skin so Soft will blind a horse if it gets in their eyes. (???) Even if it’s applied to a leg & they itch their eye against it. I would like to know if there’s any truth to it.
As Im in Australia it ist our mossie season at the moment. But when it is I find lighting a fire in the paddock with a fuel of dried horse dung so it has heaps of smoke does a good job, mossies hate smoke and will disperse fast,and the horses soon seem to know the smoke protects them.
YES~Skin So Soft by AVON works like a charm & I can vouch for it as we used it in our barn for ages!! ea horse & child were delighted not to be offended-we used it at shows & glistened manes & tails! It always worked for us! esp. with a cotton ball to smooth just inside the ears & outside of nostrils-kept bugs at bay! even on the babes~try it you’ll like it~
I keep horses and also have a pest control company called insectsaway. We sell machines that will clear anywhere from 500m2 to 6000m2 of all biting insects including mosquitoes.
Take a look and e mail us if you would like to know more
I was wondering how to apply the skin So Soft. I purchased a bottle and now I do not know the best method for applying it. Spray bottle, cloth? what do I do? Email me please, sypriss@bellsith.net
Cloth or spray work fine. Some people think SSS causes their horse’s coats to bleach out. Anyone else had this experience?
I’m looking into Natural sulfur and garlic applied to the ground and trees around the paddock. Anyone with success please write here.
SSS has always been a good choice! We have a horse that has been malled here in New England within the past week and will try SSS again. The summer here has been uneventful until recent heat wave and we have had an explosion of mossies. Stay away from Listerine on the horse with sensitive skin. Drives em nuts, put some on your neck and you will see why. Better to be sprayed around and on the barn.