Summers are more fun without flies!

Spring days mean thoughts turn to warmer weather and sunny long days.  With the roadmap out of lockdown unveiled, everyone is planning what they will be doing to make up for missing out on so much of 2020 and after a long winter we are all keen to get to that time where our horses and ponies will be turned out and we can all enjoy the sun along with time with friends and family. However, summer can bring its own problems and flies become a concern for many, although exactly when the flies will arrive is generally dependent on the weather conditions. This is even more of a worry for those whose horses are afflicted by sweet itch, a horrible condition which is distressing for both the horse and the owner in differing ways.

In order to minimise the effect of biting flies, different management strategies can be adopted including stabling during risk periods i.e., dawn and dusk, utilising fly sheets or rugs that prevent flies landing on the horse or using fly sprays. Stabling is a very useful technique, but after a long winter we are looking forward to turning our horses and ponies out for some much-needed time at grass so adequate shelter may be required.  Fly rugs can be very effective if you don’t have a ‘rug thug’ but fly sprays are effective only when applied regularly, and once a day may not be enough to be effective in 24/7 turnout. An alternative approach is to use nutrition to help.

Garlic, Allium sativum, is a herb with a pungent odour that has been utilised by humans for centuries. Horslyx Garlic Balancer contains pure garlic oil to help provide a natural, effective and long-lasting way to help combat the problem of biting insects. Linseed oil and antioxidants are also added to help support the immune system and skin condition alongside the high specification balancer package to balance the nutrient deficiencies in forage and grazing.  The free access lick promotes a natural trickle feeding pattern that allows the horse to self-regulate and consume Horslyx as and when they need it.  This leads to the diet being balanced plus a supply of garlic being available round the clock and so the fly deterrent properties of Horslyx Garlic Balancer are not reliant on a person visiting daily but are simply present 24 hours a day to help reduce the irritation from flies and other biting insects.

Independent research, using Horslyx Garlic Balancer, conducted at Aberystwyth University reported that horses offered Horslyx Garlic Balancer had 64.5% less landing on them compared to control, unsupplemented, horses. A follow up study with horses who were already showing symptoms of sweet itch resulted in horses offered Horslyx Garlic Balancer spending less time on behaviours associated with sweet itch relief compared to unsupplemented horses. This research concluded: “Feeding Horslyx Garlic Balancer helped to alleviate irritation caused by sweet itch, which in turn may reduce stress, making for a happier, more responsive and co-operative horse”.

Horslyx Garlic Balancer is available in 650g, 5kg, 15kg and 80kg sizes and you can find out more information here.

If you would like to find out where to buy Horslyx Garlic Balancer please click here.