Disclaimer: For the first time ever, this post includes referral links for the products that I use. I encourage you to buy local if you can. Fly Predators is my #1 recommendation and an awesome small business to support! Any commission that I earn will go towards Winnie’s treat budget.
I was given the opportunity to buy this property on one condition: that I keep and take care of the then-25-year-old Quarter Horse that had lived on the property for her whole life. While I was happy to do so, I was very surprised to fall head over heels for Winnie within days of moving here. She has one of the most entertaining personalities I’ve ever seen in a horse – smart, funny, a little sassy, and incredibly safe to be around.
Winnie has the typical old horse problems, including arthritis and loose teeth, but she still gets around okay and enjoys grazing her 5 acre field. Unfortunately, the manure that she produces and the marsh that abuts the property create perfect breeding conditions for flies, which are the bane of our existence.
My goal is to give Winnie the best and most comfortable life possible, which means that fly management is top of mind. Over the past year, I’ve followed a three step fly management protocol that has allowed me to get a handle on the situation.
Step 1: Manure Management
Manure attracts flies, so I haul out as much as I can, as often as I can. The manure pile is far away from Winnie’s paddock. Ideally, I would clean the paddock every day. Since life sometimes gets in the way, I make sure to at least do it two or three times a week.
Step 2: Fly Barriers & Sprays
Winnie wears a fly mask for much of the summer. In addition, I also apply fly spray at least once a day. I keep Bronco in a pump sprayer – it’s the least expensive and you get what you pay for, but I am able to spray on a thick layer. I then supplement with a higher quality spray (lately I’ve been using UltraShield, but I’m not partial to any one brand). It’s much more expensive, but it’s effective for both flies and ticks, so I focus this around her face and legs. They have a few varieties – gold, red, and black bottles – but I have never noticed a difference*, so I buy whichever one is on sale.
*Note: There is also a green bottle version, which includes all-natural ingredients like citronella. This is definitely less effective than the gold, red, and black bottles. For Winnie, I stick to the pyrethrin-containing versions. I do, however, use the green version on my riding horse, Virginia, who lives next door and is allergic to pyrethrin. It’s fine, but it’s no match for the serious chemicals.
I also keep Swat around, which is a paste. Sometimes, when Winnie is not wearing a fly mask, the gnats will take up residence in her ears. I wear a glove and spread it around inside of her ears; it makes us both look insane, but it does work.
Step 3: Fly Predators
About once a month, I sprinkle Fly Predators – little parasitic bugs that target the fly pupae and disrupt the fly reproductive cycle. I concentrate on the areas where Winnie produces the most manure. My family lives next door with four equines, and they’ve been using this for about ten years. This is my second summer using it here. We have definitely noticed an impact.
I am not sponsored by the people who make Fly Predators, but I do have a referral link. If you order with my link, your first shipment will be doubled – which is really helpful if you’re establishing a routine with it! Any commission I make will go towards Winnie’s treat budget.
When I first moved here last summer, the flies were horrific; it was hard to spend time with Winnie because we were constantly swarmed. After a year of diligence, this situation is much more manageable.
These are the fly management techniques that have worked for us so far, but there are many other solutions out there – if there’s one that works well for you, I’d love to hear about it!
KC