Insect Repellents

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Alternative Fly Repellent / Remedy recipes for horses:

Recipe 1:

15ml citronella

2 tbsp meths

1 tbsp washing up liquid

4 tbsp vinegar

1/2 pint strong tea

Make the above ingredients up to 2 litres and use daily.

Recipe 2:

Make a pot of strong tea, using 4 or 5 tea bags. Add 15 drops of citronella, 10 drops of tee tree oil and 10 drops of white mint (or peppermint).

Recipe 3:

White wine vinegar, water and any combination of citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, sandalwood or tea tree oils. Mix a few drops of each essential oil into a little washing-up liquid and add to the vinegar and water. Put the resultant mixture into a spray bottle and shake well before using. Variations include the addition of strong, cold tea instead of water, crushed garlic (although this can clogs the 'spray' mechanism of the bottle), meths, and Dettol.

Recipe 4:

Take a large lemon with a thick rind and slice thinly. Place in a bowl with a few sprigs of rosemary and cover both in boiling water. Allow to steep overnight and strain the mixture the following morning. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake before applying. A similar response seems to be had by doing the same with leaves, stems and flowers from Elder bushes. (Slipping flowering elder twigs through your horse’s browband can also act as a fly repellent.)

Recipe 5:

Mix one part crushed garlic to five parts water. Shake the mixture and leave overnight. Strain and pour liquid into a spray bottle.

Recipe 6:

An internal fly repellent. The addition of garlic to a horse's feed causes the skin to secrete garlic-scented oils that deter flies. Garlic powder can be bought from most saddleries and feed merchants.

Recipe 7:

Adding a little vinegar or cider vinegar to a horses water raises the pH of the horse’s blood sufficiently to put flies off from biting.

Recipe 8:

1 oz citronella oil
2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
125ml of lemon juice
1 cup of cider vinegar
1 cup of water
Mix altogether in a spray bottle and spray plenty all over the horse.

Recipe 9:

Tie Bounce fabric softner sheets to your saddle d rings while riding to keep your horse bug free. A golf course passes out Bounce fabric softener sheets to each golfer to repel insects. Next time you go riding tie one to your horse's headstall & stick one in your back pocket and see the difference.
 

Recipe 10:

If your horse is allergic to fly bites try 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar on their feed once a day. This raises the blood acid level just enough to bother flies, but is completely healthy for the horses. It takes about one week to start to see the effects. You can also add vinegar to your horse’s drinking water during the summer to repel flies & mosquitoes.

Recipe 11:

Mix seven parts water with one part citronella as fly spray, (it’s not oily either). Mix four parts water to one part citronella during the worst of the fly season.

Recipe 12:

Take a bottle & fill it with white vinegar & two tablespoons of dish soap. Add water if you wish to dilute it a little, shake & spray it on for a nice & very cheap fly spray.

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