flies

Bothersome Beasts

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Usually by this point in the year I have written at least one post about battling the flies, if not more.  This year we have had much less trouble but part of the reason for that is that the ponies spent so long away from home!

As usual the ponies are in their fly masks, although they seem to spend more time escaping from them than actually wearing them.  I have four at the moment – two are fairly decent, one only has one ear and the other is almost unusable but is useful in an emergency.  If I don’t have time to traipse round the field looking for lost masks I do at least have backup!

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I have also been trying NAF’s citronella gel which appears to have been very effective.  It is obviously more labour intensive than a spray but given how much Galahad hates the spray I am more than happy with it.  For one thing, I don’t have to persuade him it is safe which is a great time saver!

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One of the reasons I have been enjoying riding early in the morning is that there are usually less flies then.  That’s not always the case though – Cookster and I were bombarded the other day and I had to resort to sticking some elder leaves in his browband. They seemed to work pretty well – when he shook his head one side fell out and after that there were definitely more flies on that side.

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Overall we do seem to be winning the battle and it has definitely seemed less of a hassle this year.  The system must be working!

Beating the Flies

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We are getting towards the end of the fly season  (hopefully!) but we are still working hard to fight them off.  Battling the flies is probably the hardest thing about horse ownership.   I had a few bad years where Galahad got nasty bites which didn’t seem to cause him any pain but looked horrid.  Thankfully we have had a couple of good years now where that hasn’t happened.  I put that down to my being much better organised at treating the ponies with deosect once a month instead of just spritzing them with fly spray every day.

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The trouble is that Galahad hates the spray bottle.  He has improved immensely  – I used to have to sponge the fly spray or deosect all over him.  Now I can actually spray him although he still has good days and bad.  Some days he stands like a rock, others he completely panics.  At the beginning of the summer he climbed up this giant step to avoid being sprayed. Needless to say, I no longer attempt to spray him there!

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We did try using garlic in the ponies’ feed as well but Galahad did not like it and would just leave it.  Strangely, he does like the garlic Horslyx – although as he only gets that as an occasional treat I don’t suppose it does much to put off the flies!

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The Well Shod (Trimmed) Hoof

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Last week the ponies had a visit from the farrier.  Neither of them are shod so they only get a trim and are now very good and standing still for him.  Galahad was never a problem – I think he was too worried to move to start with!  Cookster is fine now but did used to get bored and start to make a fuss.  He probably still gets bored but he can deal with it better now.  It may also help that we keep his feet a little longer as he can get a bit footsore.

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The farrier also noticed our fly zapper and when we mentioned how much the ponies hate the noise it makes – they still haven’t got used to it and will stand out in the blazing sunshine rather than the shade of the stable – he suggested an alternative.

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This apparently acts a bit like a Venus fly trap.  It is already hung up in the stable and is certainly starting to catch some flies.  Hopefully it will turn out to be effective.  The ponies are already happy to be in the stables again which is excellent news given the mini heatwave over the last couple of days!

Being Eaten Alive

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The time of year has come when the flies are getting to be a bother.

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It turns out that it is very difficult to photograph the flies bothering your pony.  If you look carefully you can just about see them!

The deosect worked very well for us last year and is being useful again this year.  The ponies have also been wearing their fly masks for a good couple of months, although Galahad’s could definitely do with a few repairs!  He has been very good at keeping it on recently but normally he is a proper Houdini and I am constantly having to hunt the field for it.

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We have a new fly zapper in the stables.  The old one was really only designed for indoor use and the stables are not indoor enough.  The ponies are not at all keen on the noise it makes when a fly is killed and run out of the stable every time.  We are working on desensitising them and they are definitely improving.  I am loathe to turn it off as it has had a visible effect on the number of flies around the yard.  The ponies don’t seem to be suffering so I am hoping that it will work out well in the end.

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Beating the Flies?

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Galahad’s fly mask has pretty much had it now.  It has gradually been getting more holes but now one of them is big enough for his ear to stick through.

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Given that I only got it because he has trouble with flies in his ears it seems a bit redundant now. It has also worn a (very small) bald patch on his ear which is obviously not good at all.  I would mend it but hopefully  (touch wood) the flies seem almost gone for now.  I’ll mend it if his ears get bad again, otherwise I’ll just get him a new one next year.

Strangely the more damaged it got the less often he managed to escape it.  Perhaps the holes gave it extra ventilation so he didn’t want it off so much.  I am now more likely to find my sister’s pony hatless.  His mask has lasted twice as long so far and the only problem with it now is that the velcro itself is wearing out.  He doesn’t have the same desire to get rid of it though.  I have found him in the field with the velcro completely undone but the mask still on his head!

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I just gave both ponies what I hope was their last dose of deosect for the season.  Galahad is not at all keen on being sprayed and most years up to now I have been spraying him every day with normal fly spray.   For several years I had to use a sponge to get it on.  Deosect shouldn’t be used nearly so often so he must prefer it.  It has also so far prevented him getting the nasty persistent bite he usually gets every summer so I am happy too.  It is pretty good stuff!

Jumping and Being Eaten Alive!

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On Wednesday we jumped for the first time in ages.  We started very small as Galahad can get rather over excited and we hadn’t played with the tyres before.

DSCN3267He stayed nice and calm though and considering our lack of practise he did very well.

DSCN3283The only issue we had was when I stupidly said I would try one more jump and he ran out.  A few times.  We had to lower the fence and start again.  I think (hope) he was just reacting to my sister being straight ahead over the jump.  I do need to get him more used to people being around – I am hoping to take him to his first proper show next month.

We had a nice gentle hack this evening which was lovely except for the FLIES which were awful.  We picked them up at the top of the hill and they followed us all the way back down.  Galahad can react badly to fly bites – not in a sweet itch way but he normally has one bite a year which stays raw for a couple of weeks.  I think it causes me more distress than him though!  So far this year Deosect has kept the flies at bay but if anyone has any tips I would welcome them!

This is our current solution. I'm not sure that it made any difference but it made me feel better.

This is our current solution. I’m not sure that it made any difference but it made me feel better.

Galahad also spends the summer in a fly mask as the flies in his ears can be terrible.  He is sometimes a real Houdini with it though.  He goes for days with no trouble and then it disappears, usually turning up neatly hung on a tree.  Last time it took me two days to find it and then it was here.

DSCN3070Something tells me he didn’t want it found!