Repelling Bugs – Naturally

Bug season has arrived with a vengeance this year, and many people are looking for solutions on how to help their horses deal with the bugs. While to some horses bugs are merely a nuisance, others are driven crazy by face flies, mosquitoes and black flies. By combining good horsekeeping, non-toxic control and natural sprays you can keep the pesky critters away from your horse.

Minimizing Bugs in Your Horse's Environment

•  Get rid of standing water

•  Keep barn & aisles clean

•  Keep manure away from the barn location

•  Keep garbage cans & grain barrels covered

•  Scrub water buckets and tanks often

•  Keep the air in the barn moving with the use of fans

•  Use fly traps/baits/strips. Hang the fly strips out of the reach of horses and make sure you change them 2-3 times over the course of the summer. Though many fly baits are considered non-toxic, care should be taken to keep them out of the reach of horses, children and small animals.

From the Inside Out

Flies are attracted to energy imbalances, toxins and putrefaction. So the healthier your horse is, the fewer flies will be attracted to it. Reduce the amount of toxins you expose your horse to and consider a revised nutritonal or detox program.

People who eat a lot of refined sugar and flour will attract more mosquitoes because their B vitamins are being used up too rapidly when the body tries to process the sugar. The same goes for your horse – this is another reason why feeding commercial high molasses feeds to your horse can be detrimental to it's health.

Feeing thiamine (B1) or the entire B complex helps to repel insects. You can feed thiamine in a general mineral/vitamin supplement such as Dynamite or regular thiamine from your health food store.

Vinegar repels insects by causing thiamine to be excreted through the skin. You can feed ¼ cup of Apple Cider Vinegar daily to your horse as a top dressing on it's feed.

Garlic works much in the same way as well, but it can repress selenium if you feed it too often and cause an imbalance in your horse. So a general rule is to only feed garlic during the worst parts of bug season.

Protective Gear

There is a lot of protective gear on the market for your horse when it comes to keeping the bugs off. Masks, sheets, boots and mesh additions for your bridle to help keep the bugs from bothering your horse can all be helpful. Be careful when it comes to fly sheets – some horses can get very hot under them in the summer. If possible, only have the sheet on your horse during the times when the bugs are the worst, and remove it at other times of the day to give your horse a chance to breathe.

Repelling Bugs

Many fly sprays on the market contain toxic pesticides and chemicals. Studies have linked these to autoimmune disorders, liver damage, eye/skin/respiratory irritations and neurological issues. Although the labels often say “Avoid contact with skin, eyes and clothing” many people do not make the connection – if it is dangerous to humans it is damaging to your horse as well.

There are now several natural fly spray options on the market. You should still pay attention to any warning labels and read over the ingredient list – watch for sprays that have a base of silicone etc. Also, be careful when it comes to sprays containing Citronella as some horses are very sensitive to it.

DynaShield is an all-natural equine fly spray. You can also make your own sprays with essential oils such as Lavender. There are several recipes for these if you search on the internet.

Reactions to Bites

There are many different things you can do to help your horse out after it gets bitten by insects:

•  In a case where your horse has an extreme reaction to bug bites, a homeopathic remedy of Apis will help reduce swelling, redness, edema, heat and itching. The recommended dosage for Apis is 2-4 pellets of 30cc or 5-8 pellets of 200cc. Repeat the dosage as often as necessary.

•  Yucca is a natural steroid – mixing Yucca with MSM and feeding it to your horse can help reduce reactions/swelling.

•  Hiscorbadyne is a natural antihistamine and can be fed with your horse's feed.

•  To repel bugs that are being attracted to a wound on your horse, a spray of 1 Tbsp Tea Tree Oil mixed in ¾ - 1 cup of water will help repel the insects and act as an antiseptic.

•  Applying Wound Balm to an area where your horse has been badly bitten will help repel the bugs and heal the already existing bites.

Other Natural Options:

•  Aloe Vera – good for minor insect bites/irritation

•  Cedarwood – repels mosquitoes

•  Citronella – repels insects but can create irritation. Always dilute it before applying it to your horse and only apply it to a small area first to see if your horse is sensitive to it.

•  Tea Tree Oil – repellent & effective against bacteria/fungus

•  Witch Hazel – anti inflammatory/astringent, often used as a poultice for bad insect bites

•  Marigold – repellent/antiseptic/anti inflammatory