Horse flies and fly rugs?

Nimbus65

Active Member
Aug 15, 2005
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Are fly rugs an effective repellent of horse flies? I've had horse flies bite me through my jods so I suspect not . . . just trying to work out whether to put a fly rug on Kal when he goes out (finally - hurrah!)

N
 
SJP - I see if for regular flies and other midgy-type flying pests, but for these huge, honking horse flies? Seems to me if they can bite me through my jods, they could get Kal through a fly rug, no?

N
 
Henry has a cheapie Derby House fly rug (about £25 last year) we have TERRIBLE horse files at our yard (it’s in the middle of thousands of acres of woodland and knee high set aside), we had to get all the horses in yesterday morning before I’d had a chance to muck out, so I tied him on the yard (in his fly rug) he stood there and fell asleep.

I then took the rug off to sponge him off where he was hot, within about 15 seconds he was fidgeting, stomping and uncomfortable.

Even when horse flies land on the rug, they don’t seem able to bite though it as he doesn’t get tectchy.

I got bitten though leggings on Saturday, fly rug appears to be different though..?

IMO it’s worth it :D
 
Huh . . . good to know! But how on earth do they work (fly rugs I mean)? Clever stuff really.

N
 
Storm's usually dead unlucky with her fly rug, tho it keeps the majority of 'em off her, she nearly always comes in with a lump where either a fly or wasp has gotten stuck. I think they sneak in..........Joe however is a success with his fly rug, he relishes it, you have to see his fact to understand....lol, he even looks like he's smiling when OH puts the neck piece up........
 
Izzy has a premier equine one because it gives 70% UV protection and I mainly put it on him for the UV protection rather than for flies.

He looks like something out of Star Trek when he is wearing it. He does have a look like 'Can't believe I have to go out like this.':bounce:
 
After my recent rug thread - i took Harvey's and Piccolo's rugs off but now the fly rugs are back on as both ponies were being really badly bothered by them (big ones think they are horse flies) both seem happier with the fly rugs on but then at the moment they are in a small paddock without much shelter.
 
I put the big mans summer sheet on on saturday. He seems to get lumpy and bumpy from the flies without it. Its not a fly rug, just a thin fabric sheet which I got from lidl. It doesnt stop the bits but it seems to reduce some of them. I only put it on when the flys are bugging him.
 
Our yard is terrible for horse flies, as soon as they are out the rug goes on, I have though this year put a fly fringe on a leather headcollar instead of a fly mask. He seems to prefer wearing this (maybe he pretends he's a long haired cob or something :D) over his fly mask.

Today he had his feet done and even though we have an american barn I had to leave his fly rug on otherwise he'd have never stood still!
 
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