Spring brings warm weather, which means something less welcome for the horse and its owner: the return of the fly.
Flies tend to be one of the most sensitive insects for horses and their owners. If you feel you’re losing your battle with a barn fly, we recommend considering giving your horse a fly control supplement.
Key takeout
- Insect growth regulators and fly deterrents can be added to horse food to keep flies away.
- Common ingredients in horse frying supplements include garlic, apple cider vinegar and diatomaceous earth.
- Always discuss adding new supplements to your horse feed with your vet.
- Do not supply more fry supplements than the product label recommends.
What are horse fry supplements?
Fly supplements are products that can be fed to horses in an attempt to control flies.
Oral frying supplements are traditionally used in conjunction with other products that can be used topically in horses and environments.
Like most other orals Horse supplements and horse fry supplements are provided in a form that horses can take by top dressing the feed.
Fry supplements work in two main ways:
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Reduce flies’ counts by disrupting the flies’ lifecycle
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Makes horses appetite as flies’ blood
There are two main types of flies supplements: insect growth regulators (IGRs) and flies deterrents.
Insect growth regulators
IGR is a substance in fly supplements that passes through fertilizer without changing the horse’s body. By inhibiting fly larvae from reaching adult stage, it is fertilizer that they “will” do.
Diflubenzuron and Cyromazine are the two most common IGRs. They work by inhibiting the formation of the exoskeleton, preventing fly larvae from translocating to adult fly. Since horses do not have exoskeletons or chitins, IGRS does not affect horses.
Two products containing diflubenzuron and cyromazine are A tribute horse nutrition essential k and Lonely Igrrespectively.
Flies’ deterrent
Fly deterrent is a flies supplement substance that stimulates the horse’s appetite for flying insects to bite. This is similar to how local bug spray works. It covers the horse’s smell and makes it less noticeable when the horse flies.
The two most common feedthrough deterrents are garlic and apple vinegar. Hilton Herb Bye Bye Friedfor example, pure and cold garlic SmartPak SmartSupplements SmartBug-Off Includes apple cider vinegar.
Ingredients for horse fry supplements
Garlic
Garlic is known for its strong odor and taste. Supplying garlic to horses can work like a bug spray. It covers the horse’s scent, making fly less likely to notice or chew.
Contrary to popular belief, garlic supplements do not work by making the horse always smell like garlic.
You should pay attention to the amount of garlic you feed your horse, as it can cause Heinz’s body anemia (when) Dogs eat onions and garlic). Commercial supplements have a concentration of garlic below the threshold for causing Heinz body anemia.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
ACV is an acid produced by fermenting apples. Its topical use is highly regarded for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, but is questionable as a feedthrough.
Note that ACV is an acid. Therefore, if you are generally trying to reduce acid to prevent ulcers in your horse, you must pay attention to the fact that acid is added to your intestines.
Do not supply more than 1 cup of ACV per day and do not use on horses with a history of ulcers.
Diatomaceous soil
Diatomaceous earth is a particle derived from fossils. At the microscopic level, the granules are very pointy. Sharp granules damage the exoskeleton of the fly, leading to their end mise.
When added to horse feed, the diatomaceous earth earth does not turn through the horse’s body into fertilizer. There, it prevents flies from landing on fertilizer and laying eggs.
Diatomaceous earth is used more commonly topically by sprinkling it around livestock and fertilizer. It is effective only in dry conditions, so in wet or rainy springs, it may not be very useful for fly control.
Diflubenzuron and Cyromadine
Diflubenzuron and cilomadine are both insect growth regulators. These chemicals continue to pass through the horse’s body and are excreted in fertilizer, preventing the fly larvae from developing into adult insects.
Rather than killing or repelling adult flies, IGR reduces the amount of new flies hatching from fertilizer. Therefore, it may take several weeks to see the difference in the number of flies.
If your horse lives in an area with many other horses, or is stable in the boarding barn, and all horses are not fed into supplements, feeding the IGR will not yield good results. Flies hatched from the fertilizer on the next horse will be equally attracted to your horse.
Does my horse need a fly supplement?
Depending on your horse’s environment and daily life, some people may benefit from fly supplements over other supplements, including:
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A horse living outside in warm weather
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Horse among herds with high concentrations of horses per acre
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If fertilizer is not picked up every day, or a stable with a mountain of fertilizer near the meadow and barn
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Horse that cannot be brought inside during periods of high insect activity
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The horse I have Hits biting hypersensitivity, hives, hair loss, or rub/itrrrr
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Horse with existing skin allergies
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Horse playing at high levels of activity that causes flies bites and itchy areas to cause discomfort under the saddle area
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Inadequately immunized elderly horses or Cushing syndrome
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Horse or other behavioral issues that are particularly plagued by flies on display by running fence lines or pacing.
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Horse suffering from eye condition or illness and does not maintain fly mask, or masks cause discomfort in the face
How to Choose a Fry Horse Supplement
Decide if you need a very effective frying supplement, if you have a stomach that is particularly sensitive to horses, or if there are noisy people.
Please note that these supplements can help reduce the number of flies and help eliminate all flies. With these supplements, it’s not even better. Feeding more than the label recommends can lead to toxicity. “Natural” alternatives also have a large amount of toxicity.
Always ask your veterinarian for recommendations for horse fry supplements, as some ingredients may respond to other medications.
When used in conjunction with other fly control methods, fly supplements can be a useful aid to horse owners’ summer rescue supplies arsenal.
