From selecting nutritious horse feed to cleaning their hooves and providing regular exercise, you take many steps to keep your horses healthy. However, one of the most prevalent threats to horses is the presence of flies. Along with being an annoyance, flies can cause many issues, such as sores, eyeworms, and viruses. Below are several strategies to keep them away from your team. 

How to Protect Horses From Flies

1. Clean Stables & Grazing Areas

Horse dung is highly attractive to flies, as it provides a place for them to feed, live, and reproduce. Because of this, you should clean out stables and grazing areas daily. This creates a safer and more comfortable environment for your horses, as well as reduces the clutter of the area.

Along with removing dung, place excess horse feed and hay in a secure area, as these materials can also attract flies. Then, keep all areas free of stagnant water. Instead, use continuous flow waterers, which are much less likely to entice flies.

2. Use Fly Masks 

Fly masks are comfortable, mesh devices that cover a horse’s eyes and face. They’re semi-transparent and won’t hinder vision or hearing, allowing your horses to move around freely throughout the pasture. However, you should remove the mask at night to maximize their night vision. Also, wash the cover daily with water and some mild soap to prevent dirt and debris from irritating their skin. 

3. Set Up Traps

Fly traps are affordable and come in a variety of different designs that you can choose. For instance, fly paper features a sticky, sweet-smelling coating that traps flies when they land. You could also try fly trapping jars, which have attractants and sticky substances inside that prevent the pests from escaping. No matter which traps you choose, place them in your horse’s stable, as well as around their favorite grazing areas for the best results.

Keep your horse happy and healthy with high-quality fly masks from Bethel Feed & Supply Pet & Garden Center in Bethel, OH. This store offers a variety of horse care products, including fences, wormers, and waterers, as well as affordable horse feed, to customers throughout Clermont and Brown counties. The friendly team will help you find the perfect masks to protect your horse. For more information about their inventory, visit them online. Call (513) 734-2246 to speak to a friendly team member.