Homemade Fly Spray

08.6.2014
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by Matt
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2 Comments
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Summer bugs — no fun for your horse, and no fun for you.

How about some natural fly repellent? Here are three homemade fly repellents for your horse to give a try. Some contain essential oils, some contain dish-soap, some Avon’s Skin-So-Soft. Where you live and the kind of insects you have in your area. Horsemen in mosquito-prone areas often swear by Skin-So-Soft, while barns that only have a minor fly problem might get away with little more than soapy water.

Keep in mind that every horse (and person!) is different and be sure not to use any ingredients that have irritated your horse’s skin in the past. And we can’t make any scientific claims for the efficacy of these fly spray recipes — everyone seems to have their own secret formula!

Fly Spray Recipe #1: Soapy Goodness

You probably already have most of these ingredients in your tack room (or kitchen).

Take a 32 ounce spray bottle and add:

– 1 tablespoon of Ivory Soap

– 1 cup of white or apple cider vinegar

– 6 caps of Avon’s Skin-So-Soft

Top it off with water and give it a good shake.

Fly Spray Recipe #2: U.S. Forest Service Bug Spray

Does the United States Forest Service really endorse this homemade bug spray? The Internet sure thinks so–it shows up under this name on multiple websites.

Eucalyptus oil can be found at natural food stores. Pure Citronella oil is commonly carried at many tack stores now. This is not the Citronella oil found at hardware stores for garden torches–that contains petroleum.

Take a 32 ounce spray bottle and add:

– 1 cup Avon Skin-So-Soft

– 2 cups vinegar

– 1 tablespoon Eucalyptus Essential Oil

– 3 tablespoons Citronella Oil

-Shake well before using to mix the oil and vinegar as much as possible.

Fly Spray Recipe #3: Essential Oil Floral Fly Blend from Experience-Essential-Oils.com

This website offers a wealth of information on using essential oils. Here’s a fly spray recipe that should, at the very least, make your horse smell fantastic.

Take a 32 ounce spray bottle and add 5-10 drops of the following essential oils:

– Idaho Tansy

– Geranium

– Sandalwood

– Lavender

– Rosemary

– Lemon

Top it off with water and shake it up.

For more homemade fly spray recipes, visit:

Experience Essential Oils: http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/homemade-fly-spray.html

Moniteau Saddle Club: http://www.moniteausaddleclub.com/flyspray_recipes.htm

The Naturally Healthy Horse: http://thenaturallyhealthyhorse.com/homemade-fly-spray-recipes-horses/

2 responses on “Homemade Fly Spray

  1. Loraine says:

    How often do you spray the horse?

    • Matt Johnson says:

      Usually, the recommended application for commercial fly sprays are 1-2 times a day. However, since homemade fly sprays do not contain harsh chemicals, you may be tempted to apply it more often. There is no official recommendation for applying homemade fly spray, but we advise testing it on a small patch of skin on your horse first and monitoring that there are no allergic reactions before reapplying.

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