Summer is such a great time to be a horse owner, with longer daylight hours, sunshiny days, glossy horses and lots of fun horse shows happening... one of the only downsides is that the bugs, midges, ticks, mozzies and flies arrive along with the warm weather.
What bugs and horse flies to watch for
Your standard annoying houseflies and black flies. They don't do a lot of damage but blackflies can swarm the horses and houseflies can transmit infection, moving from horse poo to eyes or wounds for moisture.
Stable flies can really pack a bite as they feed on the horses blood and mainly target neck, legs, belly and flanks. Understandably, horses can get really flustered or even a bit panicked at the incessant harassment.
New Zealand horse flies also bite, they look like a house fly but larger and the females bite the horses skin for blood to stimulate their egg production. Nasty.
Bot flies are every kiwi horse owner's nemesis. We've all spent too much time trying to slap these down and facing the horrendous chore of cleaning up a row of horses who have been 'crop dusted' with a thick coating of tiny, tough to remove bot eggs. There's also the possibility that your horses will get seriously panicked and gallop about or kick out wildly which.. you know; horses, injury, say no more.
In the evening and night, mosquitos can be a real issue for some horses with more sensitive skin. We've seen them in a thick cloud over horses in the far north, and a horse with itchy, bumpy skin in the aftermath.
Sandflies don't generally upset horses but many horses can be reactive to their spit, with some breeds being more prone to a sandfly spit allergy. Friesians, Thoroughbreds, Quarterhorses Icelandic Ponies (yes, there are some in New Zealand!) and the 'hardy' Shetland Pony are horse breeds that more often have reactions to sandfly bites.
Midges can cause allergic reactions like Sweet Itch in horses, and this is a serious and very hard to heal skin condition for horses which requires constant attention and care.
If your horse's skin becomes itchy, lumpy, irritated or they begin to get bare patches or rub a lot, consider the possibility that mozzies, midges and sandflies may be to blame.
Here's how to give your horse top-notch fly protection
The first, most important and most effective step is prevention! If you can protect your horse with physical barriers and fly repellent, you can keep them calm, comfortable and healthy.
Horse fly rugs
Browse Mesh Rugs and Fly Sheets to find mesh fly rugs, breezy mesh/cotton combo sheets, and specialised bug-protection rugs for horses with sweet itch and allergies, or check out the cotton turnout sheets if you want simple fly protection.
Fly masks for horses
Shop Fly Masks to protect your horses faces and ears from flies and midges - choose from a wide variety of fly masks and nose guard styles from top equestrian brands to find the right fly mask solution for your horse's needs - from full face and ears to eyes or nose only.
Some riders find their horses are calmer or cough less with a mesh nose guard to help against midges, flies and dust during exercise, while other horse owners simply use a fly mask in the field during the daytime to give their horse fly protection.
Unless your horse is being affected by mosquitos it is generally suggested that you remove fly masks at night as they do impair the horses night vision - and always check your horses fly mask for good fit and check for rubbing.
Horses Fly boots
Check out mesh Fly Boots for leg protection. Lightweight and breathable, fly boots for horses can protect the horse from flies and bug bites with a physical barrier, and can also be helpful for horses with white socks who have UV reactivity and develop 'mud fever' from the UV. Always make sure they are in great condition and well fastened.
Bug repellents and Fly spray for horses
Boy do we have you covered here - check out the fly spray and bug repellent collection! Fly spray can be fantastic for horses in the field, and also in the show ring. For sensitive areas (or sensitive souls who are scared of spray bottles) you might prefer a bug repellent gel, or a balm.
Shop all fly protection for horses
We've collected all our top Fly Protection products for horses into one handy collection. Have a browse - and if you're unsure about anything just reach out to our team; we're happy to help!
