Sure, they smell pretty, but do "natural" & homemade fly sprays work?
Because I have my hands on horses for a living, I’m an advocate of natural fly sprays. Well, theoretically. You and I both know that for the most part, they lack the strength and staying power of the chemicals we use on our horses, most of which could decimate a small country.
I’ve found that if you’re frequently spraying your horse, that homemade/natural sprays will bring some relief – and keep you and your horse from becoming EPA Superfund sites. Some work better than others, and Avon Skin So Soft is becoming a common ingredient among the better ones. I don’t know if Skin So Soft is so much natural as it is a less-threatening ingredient, but you get the drift. Note, though, that over-applying any fly spray can irritate your horse's skin. Citronella can burn if overdone.
I’m offering up a few recipes for you to try. I’ll let you know if I find something that really gets the job done.
Aromatic Bug Stopper
• 4 16-oz bottles of Skin So Soft
• 40 cc (5 Tbsp) pure eucalyptus oil (make sure it is pure and not the fake variety; this makes a huge difference)
• Enough white vinegar to make a gallon
Optional: 2 Tbsp real citronella oil
This preparation is on the oily side, so you need only a light misting. It is supposed to work well and stay put longer than other preparations. Shake well!
Essential Oils Repellant
• 1/2 Tsp oil of myrrh
•
2 C water
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 Tsp citronella oil
I’ve used this and if you really lay it on, it will get you through an arena ride. Not so much on the trail, and iffy in the show ring.
Pretty Good Fly Spray
6 capfuls Skin So Soft
1 C white vinegar
Squirt of Ivory liquid
Then fill a 32 oz spray bottle with water
Inexpensive Spray
18 oz white vinegar
2 Tbsp dish soap (I’ve used Dawn)
I have used this on some of my client horses and it keeps the flies away long enough for me to get my massage work done. Can’t say how well it works on a sweating horse.
Other Possibilities
There is a homemade preparation out there that combines equal amounts of Pine-Sol and water, and I have heard it works. I am not sure I would want to put Pine-Sol on my horse, but it can’t be much stranger than the more chemical preparations we buy for considerably more. I'm not recommending it, only letting you know it exists.
I have also heard that Bounce fabric softener sheets work well when fastened to your horse’s headstall/halter, with another one on you when you ride. Probably worth a try, and if it doesn’t work you can have soft clothes instead.
Some horsepeople swear by giving their horses cider or white vinegar. One option is to mix 1.5 cups of white vinegar into a 75 gallon water tank. I would definitely keep an eye on my horses, though, to make sure they are drinking the water and not dehydrating because of the strange taste. With time, the vinegar is supposed to make your horses’ blood acidic and nasty tasting to the flies and mosquitoes. Some people put a quarter cup cider vinegar on their horses’ feed every day and swear by it. I have read that if you start with the vinegar a week before the flies start biting that you will be ahead of the game. Some, though, say the acidity takes much longer to establish.
Of course, there is always old-fashioned manure control to keep the flies down, and fly predators (tiny bugs that don’t bite humans or horses, that are ordered through catalogs and which destroy fly larvae) work really well when they are used consistently and in adequate numbers. I have tried pass-through mineral licks that contain fly-repelling products that make your horses’ manure less appealing, but a) the entire herd needs to be consuming it in order for it to really work, and b) I think these products are strange enough that I want a lot more information that has been gathered over many years.
Obi & me