Garlic query

[chapsi]

Well, as you kind of guessed, I live in a country where it gets very hot in the summer, although spring days can also be too hot.
Right now we are under a hot spell of weather. All fine for riding, except for the horses.
With the heat come all kinds of bugs, like flies and huge horse flies, that suck our blood like miniature vampires. Horses and sensitive people to insect bites (like myself) are left bleeding :eek:
So far, I've been careful to cover my horse with an anti-insect gel (LPC "Nelson Pessoa") citronella based, but I don't find it as protective as it should, as he still gets pestered in the arena by all these bugs.
Somebody mentioned to me mixing garlic powder to his feed. This way, his perspiration will exhale a garlicky odour, repulsing flies. Is this so? Any draw-backs? Would the garlic make him excited?
I appreciate your share of experiences on this, in particular from the Australian/New Zeeland girls.

[galadriel]

Garlic is widely reputed to have this power :) as well as being fed for various other things.

I have to say it didn't seem to make a difference for the horses who were fed garlic last summer (hot, humid Georgia).

[chapsi]

Galadriel,
in your experience, did it gt your girls more excited than usual?

[entreat]

Dunno about horses, but I had a garlic and onion laden meal on monday, and my hands still smell!!

I don't see why it wouldn't be effective, I don't wanna bite myself smelling like this!

[galadriel]

Chapsi, it wasn't my horses, and it's really hard to say if these horses got excited as a result; they were kind of neurotic. But they had just as many bugs around them as the other horses did, as far as I could tell.

But I don't think there are any "heating" elements in garlic, so I don't think it would make horses hyper.

[Aly]

Don't know how effective it is in detering bugs, but since feeding my horse garlic, I no longer seem to have that vampire problem, prevalant round these parts.
Love Buffy

[artemis]

Garlic certainly works for humans (me). I feed it to my horses, it works for them.

[Esther.D]

I used to feed garlic to mine for that reason and it seemed to help and it didn't make them any more excitable. I only stopped feeding it as it became impractical.

[Kelly_Milton]

I feed garlic to mine and it doesn't hype him up at all. He suffers badly from fly bites. If he gets bitten it swells up to about 1-2 inches and stays there for a week. He hasn't be bitten that much but I also use a fly rug. I would highly recomend the Rambo Dustbuster that goes all the way up to his ears, it's fantastic and it cleans the horse when he wears it. Well worth the money!!

[Miriam]

Rhi is fed Garlic and it does not make her more excitable. Does not seem to make any difference with the flies either but it does for her respiration.

[nat17]

i feed minnie garlic granules and the odd clove as well if she doesnt see it in my hand, and god, she wouldnt are spit it out as she may lose a bit of carrott!!!! She does not suffer as bad as her companion that wont eat it now , so i think it works a bit.:D

[belle]

I feed garlic granules, I would say that my horses are getting bitten less by the flies, and it hasnt made them anymore excitable.:)

[Peace]

I wouldn't think it would make horses hyper - all the supplements I know of that have this effect have some form of glucose in them. And I don't believe garlic does.

We've never tried it on the horses, but lots of hunters around here take garlic supplements so bugs don't attack them while they're hiding in their stands. Having had a whiff of some of these guys after they come back from a hunting weekend, I understand why it repels bugs (and most everything else).:)

[chapsi]

Peace, garlic is used over here at tons amounts in cookery. Yet, we are still pestered by flies and other similar bugs.
Young garlic is in particular stronger.
Anyway, thanks for the advice guys, I'll try it for the horse.