Summer is finally here - but summer time is also fly time!
The winged insects annoy and sting not only us, but especially our horses. The flies, mosquitoes and horseflies are more than just annoying, because they not only suck blood, but also transmit pathogens, which can lead to skin rashes, summer eczema and infectious diseases.
Horseflies find their victims with the sense of smell, which is characterized by sweat and exhaled carbon dioxide, as well as with the vision of their compound eyes, which consist of several individual eyes. With them, they not only recognize light and dark contrasts or size differences and movements, but also perceive warm temperature zones similar to an infrared thermal imaging camera. Warm-blooded animals like horses and, last but not least, we humans become the target of their bite attacks.
To ward off horseflies and other unpleasant stinging insects, we have a wide variety of products in our range that you can use to protect your horse from outside and inside.
Horsefly trap: Horsefly traps, such as the TAON-X or TAON-X Mini from Kerbl, promise a large effective radius. They use the insects 'ability to see and use a large black ball that is heated by the sun to direct the insects' temperature perception onto the trap. Once the insect has arrived under the umbrella of the trap, the only alleged way out is the collecting container.
Spray: The sprays from Bense & Eicke use the insects' sense of smell to keep them away from the horse. Similar to mosquito sprays on humans, the horse is simply sprayed with BremsenSchock, BrummerControl or PferdeDeo. The smells, which the horse and rider can hardly or even positively perceive, have an unattractive or even deterrent effect on the insects.
Garlic food: Supplementary food such as the Eggersmann Mineral Bricks Garlic or the Eggersmann Profi Knoblauch Plus Pellets also affect the insects' sense of smell. When regularly added to the feed, the garlic products can provide relief from the sulphurous odor. The smell exuded by the horse's sweat glands, mosquitoes, flies and horseflies perceive this smell as very unpleasant and stay away.
Fly rugs and masks: Fly rugs and fly masks for horses, such as the FinoStretch fly mask or the RugBe fly sheet from Covalliero, work like protective armor. The products are designed in such a way that the horse is not restricted in its movements and vision. The elastic materials ensure a comfortable fit. In addition, the fly rug in zebra optics uses the eyesight of the insects to keep them away through a natural effect, because the alternating light and dark contrast of the zebra pattern is less attractive on horseflies. Long fly hoods are not permitted in tournaments according to the LPO, which is why the short version, the so-called "fly hood", must be used during the tournament.
