Summer 2018 - Horsefly Hell...!?
My pony, Lula, is currently living in luxury! I keep her in a beautiful place where she is happy and relaxed with her companion; they have free access to wander in and out of stables, trees to shelter underneath and scratch against, and enough grazing to satisfy her little stomach! But despite all this luxury, we have been constantly pestered by flies in this extreme hot weather…as flies also like the shelter of the trees, the coolness of the stables and the nearby stream.
This year, I think you will agree the flies have been HORRENDOUS, and my body is plastered in bites so I can only imagine how many bites are hiding on our horses’ skin, only visible to us if they react and become swollen.
Initially this summer, I was leaving Lulas’ fly rug on and this was slightly reducing the pesky flies, but in the heatwave and having NO breeze, she was sweating under the fly rug, so that was removed, leaving me with the problem of finding a fly repellent…
Some people swear by making their own homemade fly repellent sprays, but I was pretty shocked to see so many 'homebrew' remedies involving washing up liquid?! I know how much my skin itches if the smallest amount of diluted washing up residue is left on my skin without being washed off, so the idea of using this as part of a fly repellent potion seems madness to me?!
With so many ready made fly repellents on the market, it can be a real struggle to find a spray that works. I’ve lost count of the amount of fly sprays and lotions that I have bought over the years, but usually within a few minutes of spraying the horse, the flies were back again, landing and biting.
Well, that was until I discovered ‘Red Zone Super’ by RedHorse Products. I already use other RedHorse products and have been really impressed with them, so I decided to give the fly/insect spray a try, and I’m so glad I did!!
When I first tried the RedZone on Lula, I admit I was sceptical if it would work, but I shouldn’t have worried…! As soon as spraying Lula, I noticed there were LOADS of flies buzzing around her, but NOT landing! Result!
But not content with this immediate result, I went back to assess the fly situation about 30mins later, and she still had no flies on her! This was the opposite of her field companion who was wearing another brand of fly spray (which I applied after putting Lulas spray on), and he was still being plagued by flies; swishing his tail, stamping a leg, twitching his skin to try and deter the pesky critters, whilst Lula was stood a few metres away from him, contently grazing. Fantastic to see the comparison of different products applied within a minute of each other!
The other thing that struck me about RedZone is that the smell of the spray lasts SO much longer than I expected! The smell of most fly sprays has gone within 5mins of applying it, but RedZone lasts much longer! I’ve sprayed RedZone on Lula before going out for a ride, and for the entire ride, I’ve not seen any flies settle on Lula at all and I could still smell the spray on returning to the yard! After returning from the ride, I used a glug of Red Zone in the water to wash her off too!
Not only has Red Zone impressed me with its ability to repel flies, but it also repels insects too! It has a citrus smell, and it is kind on the skin as it doesn’t use chemicals.
Available in 500ml spray bottles (£13), or in 2.5l refill bottles (£45).
Available online HERE
RedHorse Facebook Page HERE
By the way, I am not endorsed, paid or sponsored to write this – but I am a HUGE fan of Red Horse Products, so I’m happily spreading the word about their wonderful products so that other people and their horses can get the benefits too! RedHorse produce a range of products from equine skin care, hoof care, supplements and a few new products for humans too! Take a look!
