How can you prevent horseflies?

Answer 1

There is no way to completely prevent horseflies however, there are many ways you can help to keep them off of your horse. #1 is management. You can help manage the fly population by keeping stalls and pens as free of manure as possible AND hanging disposible fly traps around the barn and corral area. Another popular fly control method are fly predators. These are tiny wasps that you purchase and release around your barn or pasture area that actually attack the flies and kill them. They do not attack humans. They are effective but if you have a lot of horses or a lot of acerage, they can become quite expensive. Most horse supply catalogs now have fly predators for sale and have a chart listed in the catalog that will help you decide how many fly predators you will need to purchase for your situation. Another option is feed through fly control. This is a supplement that you actually add to your horses feed. It is passed through their digestive system and remains in the horses manure that passes onto the ground and prevents flies from hatching their eggs in the manure. This is a personal choice that I don't recommend due to possible harmful side effects to the horse. If you're interested in this method, please do some research on the internet before making your decision and if you decide to purchase feed through fly control, please make sure to follow feeding instructions very carefully. Another option is the use of laundry dryer sheets (such as Bounce). Place one dryer sheet around the front of your saddle and one under the headstall of your bridle, (folded so as not to block your horses vision) or flap around in the breeze which may startle your horse. Many trail riders insist this will completely keep flies away while riding on the trail although I personally have not tested it and don't know its effectiveness. Probably the popular and most tried and true method are fly sprays made specifically for horsesthat you spray directly onto the horse. NEVER use insect or fly sprays intended for household use, (such as Raid or Hotshot), to spray directly onto any animal. There are many different fly sprays available, both commercially bought brands as well as homemade recipes. See question on Wiki Answers for recipes for homemade flysprays. Read warning labels and follow directions carefully. Spray your horse down with the flyspray every morning. If the fly population is extreme and/or temperatures are hot, you may have to spray your horse a second time later in the afternoon to give your horse the greatest protection. This is recommended but may not be necessary. It all depends on your area and your horse. Some horses are more prone to fly bites than others. Some horses sweat more than others. Most horses will really appreciate a flymask during the daytime hours that will keep flies and gnats out of their ears and eyes. Ears are sometimes very difficult to treat with flyspray and you should NEVER spray fly spray into your horses eyes so fly masks are very effective to give your horse relief from those pesky flies!

Answer 2

There are a few home remedies for keeping flies off of a horses skin. One of them is to apply bacon grease to the coat. Another method is to spray them with white vinegar.