Flies are the bane of horses and their owners. They are irritating, biters, and can spread disease. There are different types of flies including the stable fly, face fly, horse fly, and black fly. Most of these flies do bite, though the face flies prefer to feed on the secretions of the horse’s eye.

Unfortunately, there is no way to completely get rid of them, but there are several things you can do to keep the population down:

Keep your paddocks and stalls clean! Most flies lay their eggs in manure or soiled bedding, so cleaning the horses’ living area will help greatly in the prevention of flies. Also find a way to discard or compost the manure.

Use baited traps, sticky traps, or insect repelling herbs around the barns.

You can also buy fly predators and release them on your property.

The best way to protect your horse from flies is to equip him with fly masks, sheets, leg wraps, ear covers and fly spray. Depending on your fly population and the sensitivity of your horse you may need one or all of these products to help your horse stay comfortable.

(free photo from Canva - https://www.canva.com/)

~ Saddle Up