DIY Fly Spray - Natural Help against annoying Vermin
Unfortunately, the horses can only share our euphoria for warm spring and summer weather to a limited extent. The reason? Exactly, the buzzing, buzzing martyrdom. Black flies, horseflies, stable flies and the like seem to have been waiting for us to plan an "actually relaxed" ride with our horse.
Even in the riding arena, the pests chase the animals incessantly. But only indoor riding is no solution, is it? And even there, there are still stubborn biting insects that seem to easily find their way inside. The horse is annoyed. It bangs its head, its tail, stamps its feet and, at worst, scratches itself.
A clear statement:
A preventive fly protection for the horse is needed!
Of course, you can achieve a lot with a fly mask for the horse and an air-permeable mosquito blanket, but when training with a fly blanket, the horse will quickly start to sweat. Therefore, this is rather recommended for a quiet ride.
Fact is:
Horseflies and mosquitoes look for open places. And they find them. That's a promise! Now we have to resort to more drastic means. The market offers a lot. Unfortunately, this fly protection for horses is expensive, often chemical and tends to have strong side effects. Nevertheless, you don't have to do without spray protection.
The solution:
Prepare your own DIY fly spray. We have listed a few useful recipes for you to make your own. With natural ingredients, of course!
Fight mosquitoes with the garlic power spray
You need:
- approx. 10 -12 garlic cloves
- 1-2 bags of black tea
- a few cloves
- 1 litre of water
Preparation:
Crush and mince the garlic. Boil the water well with the tea bags, cloves and garlic. Afterwards, you can either pour it through a sieve or let it steep in cold water for 1-2 days (increases the effect!) and then sieve it. Pour into a spray bottle. That's it.
ATTENTION: Not suitable for grey or very light horses, as the spray tends to stain brownish!!!!! As you can imagine, the smell is very, very intense. A change of clothes after riding is therefore an advantage.
Vinegar-oil-DIY fly spray
You need:
- 0.5 litres of light vinegar
- 0.5 litres of water
- 10 ml geranium oil (cinnamon leaf, citronella or catnip oil can also be used)
- 50 - 100 ml black cumin oil
Tip:
You can find most oils in pharmacies, drugstores or on the internet.
Preparation:
Put everything in a large, empty PET bottle and shake well. If you have a spray head, you can attach it to the bottle. However, the bottle will then be relatively heavy and unwieldy. It is better to put it in your locker and fill only as much into a small extra bottle as you need for the next few days or your ride. This makes handling much easier.
Tip:
You can buy very small trial bottles (e.g. disinfectant spray) at the drugstore. When used up and washed out, these are great to have on the go. This way you always have a dose of insect repellent ready for the horse when the effect wears off during training or a ride.
Eczema - make your own fly spray
Horses that react strongly to black flies and horseflies with allergic sweet itch need a mild but effective remedy against these beasts. Here, too, you can make your own fly spray to give your treasure some relief.
Unfortunately, you will hardly be able to do without a fly mask for your horse. Likewise, a well air-permeable fly blanket will be a daily companion for the horse if it reacts strongly to the mosquitoes.
But you can already do your horse good with daily grooming. A troubled horse is very happy about a gentle massage. You are welcome to take a look at our ANIMALON products. Many of them are just right for a sensitive eczema sufferer because of their flexibility and can be a great addition to the horse's fly protection.
But now back to the DIY fly spray!
You need:
- 0.5 litres of apple cider vinegar
- 0.5 litres of water
- 10 ml neem oil
- 5 ml tea tree oil
- 200 - 300 ml black cumin oil
Preparation:
Very easy. Pour everything directly into the spray bottle and shake well. That's it.
