Horse advice needed!

[Macaroon]

Horse flies bites through rugs, unfortunately

You're right, but only some of them; the point of the fly rugs and masks is to reduce the overall burden of the many species of flying grief that affect the horses here in the UK, and it's that overall burden that has changed dramatically here in only the last few years. We're seeing both numbers and varieties of flying nasties that were unheard of a short while ago and the livestock needs time to adapt.

If you pay top money for the best rugs and ignore the fashion thing that's rampant in the horse world you can provide an acceptable level of protection for horses.

 

[Tengu]

But what horse would want to wear a coat in the summer?

 

[GadgetUK437]

Horse flies bites through rugs

What rugs are you using?
Our Rambo with mask works prety well (DEET the exposed bits)

But what horse would want to wear a coat in the summer?

Do you use a mozzie net?

 

[Macaroon]

But what horse would want to wear a coat in the summer?

Fly rugs these days are very light, breathable and well fitting - most horses welcome them within a very short time of wearing them for the first time. But like most other things in life you have to do your research, find the best to suit your horses and their situation and then pay up for the kit and look after it properly.

 

[Leshy]

Wow, thank you everyone for the advice, there is shelter under the big field maple and also 2 big oak trees at the bottom of the field .
The field is fenced but it's huge , it takes about 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other...
I'm not even going to attempt guessing size...
Anyways, I went to b&q yesterday bought 2 of the big tarps and spent most of the afternoon building a shelter for the horses.
I used the hazel and paracord to tie it in so now they have even more shade, we will be getting some fly traps as suggested here from thwhites and hanging them around the edges of the tarp and on the maple tree.

I'm going to check them in a bit and see if the tarp is still up.

The lady has been away with work and she's back tonight, so I'll be discussing with her the best way forward with this problem.

She is holistic but she loves the herd so much I know the horses welfare is priority.
The citronella did provide temporary relief , but maybe the horse rugs will be the better option.
I'll show the messages on here and we will discuss the constructive feedback to come up with effective solutions.

Thank you all for your advice, I knew the community would come up with good ideas, keep them coming , we are open to suggestions and good advice.

I'll keep you all posted in the progress.

Thank you

Regards

 

[santaman2000]

But what horse would want to wear a coat in the summer?

......Do you use a mozzie net?

No. Not if you mean the close fitting ones such as a head net anyway. A larger "screen porch" type room? Yes.

Fly rugs these days are very light, breathable and well fitting - most horses welcome them within a very short time of wearing them for the first time. But like most other things in life you have to do your research, find the best to suit your horses and their situation and then pay up for the kit and look after it properly.

This answer seems the most relevant. If your climate isn't all that hot to begin with and your horses are adapted to it and you research the products best for that combination, there should be something workable.

 

[santaman2000]

But what horse would want to wear a coat in the summer?

......Do you use a mozzie net?

No. Not if you mean the close fitting ones such as a head net anyway. A larger "screen porch" type room? Yes.

Fly rugs these days are very light, breathable and well fitting - most horses welcome them within a very short time of wearing them for the first time. But like most other things in life you have to do your research, find the best to suit your horses and their situation and then pay up for the kit and look after it properly.

This answer seems the most relevant. Try to match the product to your climate and your horses' adaptability to said climate and product.

 

[Arya]

You're right, but only some of them; the point of the fly rugs and masks is to reduce the overall burden of the many species of flying grief that affect the horses here in the UK, and it's that overall burden that has changed dramatically here in only the last few years. We're seeing both numbers and varieties of flying nasties that were unheard of a short while ago and the livestock needs time to adapt.

If you pay top money for the best rugs and ignore the fashion thing that's rampant in the horse world you can provide an acceptable level of protection for horses.

That is true The rugs are God sent when it comes to gnats and smaller insects, I was just focused on the horsefly in my comment
The horseflies even bites through jeans, those spawns of evil!

 

[Arya]

What rugs are you using?
Our Rambo with mask works prety well (DEET the exposed bits)

I don´t use rugs, except from fly masks Don´t need to. My horses are treated with a tar ointment and gets to come inside when the going gets tough
I have foals and young horses too, and will never risk a rug on them because of the high risk of injury.

 

[Leshy]

Just a quick update, the shelter made a huge difference, and the lady is in the process of sourcing out the Tar ointment as suggested on here.
2 of the 3 horses don't mind the rambo rugs and hoods but one of them , Blackthorn hates them and clearly does not want it...
So loads of neem oil and citronella seems to be the obvious choice for now.
Luckily the weather has turned a bit here in the UK and the flies have mostly gone...
The horses will be moving to another field next week for the summer, this time not so close to the river and canal , so the situation should improve anyway.

Thank you all for your input , it's great to have all this community's knowledge and ideas at our fingertips...

We got a picture of one of the cobs asleep in the field the other day, and it seems like he's smiling ...

 

[didicoy]

When I travelled with horse and wagon. I always rubbed a handful of Elder leaves around the horses head, this does work.

 

[woodstock]

Our bug oil works for horses and is a natural deterrent, we tested it last year on cattle with great success.

 

[Leshy]

Thanks! PM sent and reply received , order will follow at weekend.
Thanks for the tip

 

[Arya]

Nice to know that things are improving for the animals
It is also very nice of you to concern yourself with their well-being! Good luck!

 

[santaman2000]

I came across this on facebook and thought you might be able to use it or at least get some ideas:

Built a horsefly trap 3 days ago. Day 1 killed 146 horseflies. Day 2 killed 375! We either have a terrible horsefly problem or it's a great trap.
UPDATE: The 7 day total was 1,697 Horseflies killed! They are big (1" long) and easy to count. They need to be cleaned out every day anyway so they won't rot. How it works is simple. Horseflies are visual hunters. From a distance the black bag looks like something to bite, they do a fly over and are deflected into the soapy water and drown within a few seconds.
UPDATE: I've added a couple of pics since many people have been sharing this and asking for plans. The leg configuration can be whatever you like. I just made mine so it would be easy to move and change the bag. One last tip: The plexiglass needs to be keep clean and free of scratches. We have high humidity here so I squeegy the dew off the plexiglass every morning. The 3rd pic is one day's catch! I've quit counting. ;-)
UPDATE: I just realized the pic of the HORSEFLIES was blurry so I replaced it with a clearer pic. Also added a 4th pic of the saw cuts in the 2x4 that holds the plexiglass. They are at 45 degree angles about an inch deep. The plexiglass fit tight enough that I didn't need to fasten it in any way. The bag I used was a 55 gallon trash bag from Sam's Club. It holds about a 5 gallon bucket of water with a big squirt of liquid dish soap.
UPDATE: Make sure and set this in an open area where the horse flies can see it from a distance. You may need to move it around until you find the "sweet spot". Clean it out with a cat litter scoop or large slotted spoon. Also I would love it if you would pm me pics if you do built it.
NOTE: Be sure to paint the top board a dark color so the light color of the wood won't reflect in the plexiglass and make it visible to the flies.
UPDATE: Dan Fowler from Tennessee sent me a video of his set-up catching a Horsefly. He caught over 6,300 in one week!

 

[Leshy]

I came across this on facebook and thought you might be able to use it or at least get some ideas:

Built a horsefly trap 3 days ago. Day 1 killed 146 horseflies. Day 2 killed 375! We either have a terrible horsefly problem or it's a great trap.
UPDATE: The 7 day total was 1,697 Horseflies killed! They are big (1" long) and easy to count. They need to be cleaned out every day anyway so they won't rot. How it works is simple. Horseflies are visual hunters. From a distance the black bag looks like something to bite, they do a fly over and are deflected into the soapy water and drown within a few seconds.
UPDATE: I've added a couple of pics since many people have been sharing this and asking for plans. The leg configuration can be whatever you like. I just made mine so it would be easy to move and change the bag. One last tip: The plexiglass needs to be keep clean and free of scratches. We have high humidity here so I squeegy the dew off the plexiglass every morning. The 3rd pic is one day's catch! I've quit counting. ;-)
UPDATE: I just realized the pic of the HORSEFLIES was blurry so I replaced it with a clearer pic. Also added a 4th pic of the saw cuts in the 2x4 that holds the plexiglass. They are at 45 degree angles about an inch deep. The plexiglass fit tight enough that I didn't need to fasten it in any way. The bag I used was a 55 gallon trash bag from Sam's Club. It holds about a 5 gallon bucket of water with a big squirt of liquid dish soap.
UPDATE: Make sure and set this in an open area where the horse flies can see it from a distance. You may need to move it around until you find the "sweet spot". Clean it out with a cat litter scoop or large slotted spoon. Also I would love it if you would pm me pics if you do built it.
NOTE: Be sure to paint the top board a dark color so the light color of the wood won't reflect in the plexiglass and make it visible to the flies.
UPDATE: Dan Fowler from Tennessee sent me a video of his set-up catching a Horsefly. He caught over 6,300 in one week!

That is brilliant!
Good idea to help get rid of the pests...

Geez ! those flies are huge compared to our British version of the horsefly !!

Thanks for sharing detailed measurements and everything!!
👍

 

[Leshy]

When I travelled with horse and wagon. I always rubbed a handful of Elder leaves around the horses head, this does work.

Nice to know that too! A good natural approach is always welcome by me!
Thanks D.

 

[santaman2000]

That is brilliant!
Good idea to help get rid of the pests...

Geez ! those flies are huge compared to our British version of the horsefly !!

Thanks for sharing detailed measurements and everything!!


You're quire welcome. I'm not sure where the builder is but his flies are quite a bit bigger than they are here as well.

 

[Robson Valley]

They look like the size of Canadian Horse Flies which sure can cut out a chunk of meat.
That's the best trap I've ever seen. Very thoughful piece of biology.
For the effectiveness, I'd be happy to have the chore of emptying/cleaning.

 

[Toddy]

If I thought that'd work for the clegs I'd set up a workshop making and selling them

M