Rachael's Corner: The War Against Flies

We’re getting to that time of year again! At the Tictac Equestrian office, we are all looking forward to the summer months, for us and our horses. A break from mucking out every day and our horses can run about without rugs and act like horses instead of being wrapped up all year round (we do live in sunny Scotland after all!) But along with all of the perks that the summer brings, we have to deal with the flies! L

Summer fly prevention for our Tictac horses is the same every year! I use NAF citronella or NAF deet spray for all over Honey’s body and NAF deet gel on her face and around her ears. The gel saves the drama of trying to get near her face with a spray bottle (she is a big woos!) You can buy all of these on our website at www.tictacequestrian.com Deet is and effective, alternative ingredient to citronella. It is used in some top quality fly deterrent products for humans.

A few years ago, citronella was banned from being used in any products to deter flies as it was discovered that it can damage the skin. Chemists still sell citronella oil, but will only sell it to be used for other uses, like making candles. Before, I used to make my own with citronella oil, cold tea, vinegar and some other things that are cheap and easy to come by. This was also really effective and I still do make it sometimes if I run out. You can find a lot of instructions for homemade sprays online.

A good quality fly rug and/or fly mask are also an effective way to keep your horse happy in the field. I would recommend the Hy Guardian fly rug as it covers all the way up to your horses ears and doesn’t slide down like some others. It also comes with a fly mask! Bonus! You can buy this on our website at www.tictacequestrian.com; along with a wide range of other quality rugs and masks from Mark Todd, Jhl and others.

The Tictac Team wish you the best of luck with your fly prevention over the summer months and hope all of your horses are happy! Do you have any useful tips or advice for any of our customers? We would love to hear from you.