One of the few downsides to the lighter evenings, sunny days, and dry weather is the presence of flies. Flies, of all varieties, are the number one pest to our horses and can be bothersome all through the spring, summer, and even autumn months.

Keeping on top of the fly situation doesn’t just keep your horse more comfortable but it helps to keep their welfare in check too. In extreme cases, excessive fly bites can cause some nasty reactions or lead to itching and open sores. Horses already prone to sweet itch and allergies will find fly season particularly challenging, so it’s super important that you keep on top of their comfort whilst the flies are out in force.

Unfortunately, no one can get rid of the flies altogether, otherwise I’m sure we’d have done it by now! Nevertheless, there are a few practices you can put in place to keep your horse more comfortable.

Step One: Identify the flies

Knowing which flies are out and when will determine which measures you put in place to warn them away from your horse. There are a few types of flies that typically bother horses throughout the spring, summer, and autumn months but they all keep different schedules, so unfortunately there isn’t much respite!

Your Horse magazine has published a very useful guide to help us all identify the different types of flies and when they’re likely to be aggravating our horses.

 Your Horse magazine ‘Active Times for Flies’

Horse flies are by far the worst of the flies. They’re large and feed on horses’ blood, meaning they latch on and bite the horse. As horses swish their tails or kick their legs, they can disturb the horse fly’s feeding causing them to land and reattach themselves to the horse in a different location. Because their bites are painful to the horse, it can cause significant distress and cause a horse to display some pretty extreme behaviour. Horse flies are attracted to smell, particularly sweat and urine, and are most active when it’s bright and dry.

Midges are the most common irritant for horses turned out in fields. Even though they are small, they are mighty, and can cause extreme upset for horses. They tend to bite horses around their manes and tails and can elicit a reaction known as sweet itch. Once sweet itch occurs it is very hard to get rid of and tends to crop up every year during fly season. Midges are found in highest numbers in areas with standing water, as this provides the ideal climate and breeding ground for them.

Stable flies and black flies (house flies) are often found buzzing around horse’s legs and faces. Stable flies are attracted to the warmth as well as the smell of urine and faeces, whilst black flies linger around horses’ eyes, nose, and ears. Both fly species are known to carry and transmit diseases amongst horses.

Step Two: In the field

Environment control is one way to reduce the presence of flies in the field where you turn your horse out. Flies prefer stagnant air so being outside with a breeze is a good start to minimising their numbers, but as we know, we can’t control the weather (particularly not British weather!). 

When choosing where to graze your horse, pick a paddock that is far away from any stagnant water like a lake, pond, river, reservoir, or marsh land. This damp climate is the ultimate breeding ground for midges and flies, so keep them as far away from this as possible.

Access to fresh drinking water is a must for horses in the field, however it’s important to keep on top of cleaning water troughs regularly to ensure that no midges are using it for breeding. Regular cleaning and small troughs dotted around the field is the best method to keep midge numbers down.

When it’s time to turn your horse out, make sure your horse is wearing a well-fitting fly rug and a fly mask to keep the flies away from their coats. This will prevent midges from getting under their manes and any black flies from landing around their eyes. It also prevents them doing too much damage if they do find a post to have a good scratch on! When picking out a fly rug, choose one that is either striped, white, or spotted as it reflects the light which deters flies from landing on them.

Step Three: In the stables

If the flies are getting too much for your horse, it might be time to bring them in for a bit of respite. Stabling horses during the day and turning them out at night ensures they are out of the sun and away from the worst of the flies when they are at their peak. But that does not mean they are not still lurking about!

Flies prefer stagnant air as we mentioned, so keeping windows open to encourage air flow is the first step to reducing flies inside. If your horse will allow it, set up some fans around the barn to keep air flow up.

Stable flies and black flies are attracted to the smell of faeces, so keeping your stables mucked out is another way to stop them from setting up camp in your horse’s stable. The muck heap situation might not be something you have control over, but if you do, consider moving your muck trailer further away from your stables so there aren’t too many flies buzzing around near your horse.

Horse flies are particularly attracted to sweat. When you’ve finished exercising your horse it’s important to wash them off thoroughly, not only to prevent them getting itchy or sores from dry sweat build up but also to prevent horse flies being attracted to your horse. Using a citronella shampoo or even something like a little bit of Dettol diluted in water will further repel any horse flies that come near your horse for a snack.

If your horse doesn’t enjoy being stabled but they’re struggling with the flies, why not invest in some stable toys to keep them occupied? The PolyJumps Treat Ball will keep your horse occupied all day with its unique design. And if your horse is looking a little rounder from all the grass this summer, the PolyJumps Hay Ball is an excellent alternative to a hay net, encouraging them work for their hay and providing entertainment! The Hay Ball is also a great tool to use in the paddocks if the grass is scarce, to ensure they’re getting enough nutrition whilst being able to move around.

And lastly, investing in a strong fly spray to douse your horse in whether they’re stabled or in the field, is an excellent addition to your anti-fly routine. Make sure to reapply regularly throughout the day. Keep an eye on your horse’s demeanour and make sure to step in if you notice them becoming overly distressed or uncomfortable from the flies. 

Want to know more about PolyJumps’ products? You’ve come to the right place! Head to our website or get in touch with the team who will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.