Handy hints and tips to make your and your horse’s summer the best yet!
With the cold, wet and miserable winter months behind us (aside from a small set back over the past few days), we can now start to enjoy the summer warmth. Long evenings, the gentle breeze and summer turnout – pure bliss.
However, all is not as dream-like as we imagine. As the weather heats up, so do our horses and we face the problem of how to keep them cool. And we all know that another problem that the hot weather brings is flies!
Stop the attack of the flies!
Nobody is a fan of flies – especially our horses – and the summer time brings them out in force.
They not only bother you while riding, but they bother your horse in the field, get in their food, their eyes and their ears, leaving some horses very uncomfortable.
Are you a tasty meal for flies?
Some of us are plagued by flies and it can be distracting, if not only uncomfortable when we ride! Why not try some of these handy tips to alleviate the stress?
All you need is a few tumble dryer sheets. You know the ones – the little sheets you pop in with your washing to make them come out smelling like a summer’s day. Fortunately for us, flies hate these things! It might not be very ‘Charlotte Dujardin’, but pop one hanging out the side of each boot and one hanging out of a pocket and may see a difference! It also saves time having to cover yourself in tacky smelly insect repellent – win win!
Does your horse get hassled by the flies?
You can just buy an off the shelf fly spray to use on your horse – but these are expensive and not always very eo-friendly. However, you could also make your own which will be cheaper and importantly will last a lot longer!
We’ve heard of plenty of recipes – from boiling and cooling water with lemon or using a tea tree oil mix, we equestrians turn to various recipes to help alleviate the swarm. Why not let us know your own recipes and tricks below? Just remember to always patch test new recipes for 24 hours before covering your horse!
If you’re looking for a great PolyPad for the Summer, why not take a look at the Jump Forma, GP Forma, and standard Forma. The shaped desgn helps to keep horses comfortable and cool!