Standard Fly Rugs - are they effective?

Joyscarer

Joyscarer

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Dec 30, 2006
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I couldn't help wondering, as I drove back from the yard this morning, how effective fly sheets really are? I'll put my hands up now and say that as it stands I'm pretty anti unless its a proper sweet itch issue and a sweet itch rug.

It's going to be 28c today and surely the poor beasts are going to be boil in the bag? Are standard fly rugs that effective to make them worthwhile against annoying flies, rather than sweet itch cases? It's just that whenever I see flies on my 2 it's around the eyes, inside leg, udder/sheath and bottom and with fly sheets not being fitted I see flies being to get under and then not be able to get out again. What happens then when they get ridden? If the rugs are that affective against annoying flies then the horse is going to be more wound up when ridden without one on!

So please convince me I'm wrong and make me feel better, that fly sheets are affective enough against irritating flies to make it worth them wearing them in this heat. I'm not feeling too happy to see the poor things sweltering in this weather so would love to be convinced my prejudices are wrong.
 
If Joe had had his fly rug on two summers ago he would still be with us now. It is exactly two years since his accident which led to him being pts. Yes, he already had issues with his ligament but the fetlock dropping was nasty and could have been prevented. So yes, I love fly rugs!! He tried to escape the beggers and that was what caused the damage, plus he was in the flat field which meant he could run faster and faster - and think that he wouldn't do any damage.
I remember kicking myself after wards, too late of course.

I have an Amigo one (think that's right) for Storm which is very good, with neck piece she's wearing it today and a Shires one for Chloe with a belly part which is invaluable.
Yes, flies do sneak under - but the amount of bites are a LOT less than if they didn't wear them. I don't hold much with fly spray, because I've tried tons and nothing seems to work. I had a fly mask for Joe, but the mice ate it over the winter and I don't think Chloe would have been happy in it. Yes, the flies do congregate around their eyes, but not usually the horrible tabinadae (horse flies with their knifes and forks) just the usual black flies.

I think it's each to their own tbh. For a few years here I didn't hold with the fly rugs - but since what happened with Joe I now get them out at this time of year. Don't get me wrong, I prefer them naked and neither of them love their rugs! But, just for a few weeks they are a necessary part of our life.
Just wish they made them a little more stretchy like the Boett rugs then the pesky bugggers couldn't sneak in...................hmmmmmmmmmm
 
I think it depends on the fly rug and the horse - I don't like the mesh sheets as they don't stop midges getting through so I see little point. Madam wears a cotton sheet - amazing thing - she is never wet under it (its not waterproof though?!) and is never hot and sweaty under it either.
 
I like the idea of the new zebra print rugs - apparently flies don't go near them as much because the stripes confuse them in the wild on actual zebras. They are a bit pricey tho.
 
I bought a HY fly rug from Goyt Mill the other day, comes with fly mask, and all fly rugs are currently on offer until tues. Dues to Shadow's accident the only pro to come out of it, is he's not leaning on fences and ripping them, so maybe this one will last more than 1 week.
It's got a belly flap and also goes over the ears. I like it :smile:
 
IMO they are more effort than they worth.

I hate it when horses are left in soggy fly rugs after its been raining, must feel horrid.

I realise horses with sweet itch its a life saver, but for normal horses i don't really think they are necessary.

Mine get bitten mostly on there sheath, belly & armpit area, even with a fly rug on the flies can still get to those areas, so i personally think there is no point! :tongue:
 
Not a fan myself. I understand sweet itch rugs and I don't have a problem putting the on for other people but for me;

a) They wear a rug for months during the winter, I like to see them free in the summer
b) never found one that does not slip back and cause rubbing
c) static
d) I make my own fly spray and this year it is working a treat given thin skinned Ginger has not a single bite and I spray them twice a day.

I have seen people put a fly rug on and not check under then for days at a time.
 
OwnedbyChanter said:
I have seen people put a fly rug on and not check under then for days at a time.
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That is slack. Our girls have them put on and taken off twice a day when they come in for their afternoon nap - I'd never leave them on for much longer than a few hours.
So far we've been lucky and none of ours have rubbed. I can see if they were left on indefinitely they might though.
 
OwnedbyChanter said:
I have seen people put a fly rug on and not check under then for days at a time.
Click to expand...

This happens at my yard OBC, and it drives me MAD!

This one couple will leave fly masks/fly rugs on there horses for weeks on ends without taking them off :frown:

My lot do wear fly masks but not for a continuous amount of time, i always make sure they have them off for a few hours every day x
 
Coming from a country where flies and heat are the norm, white cotton sheets were very common on horses to keep them cool.

As long as the horse has an adequate tail, long enough forelock and mane. I won't put a fly rug on. One of ours did have a midge type rug on as he was eaten alive by a type of bug and it stopped him getting eaten alive for the two week window that it occurred but out of that.

No I won't use one.
 
He having his on in the day and I take it off at night. He's a dark horse, and it reflects some of the sun rays off him.
 
I think they are a goid thing if used properly. To just stick one on and leave 24/7 without checking is not good - today I am glad of ours. I think the ones that are treated with peth(something) fly repellent are good too. Storm's isn't Amigo tis Rambo Horsewear Ireland.
 
I have two of the Rambo SI hoodys for Dolly and also three of the much finer/thinner HyGuardian and Derby House ones. If it is very wet here she has a waterproof liner that goes under the Rambo one.....if it is very hot then I put her in the light weight cheapos.

They are not nearly as good as the Rambos IMO (as PF says the midges can bite through them I think) - but today she is sweating under the heavy material of the Rambo so I just tossed a coin and went for getting her a little cooler in the thin one and plastered even more fly gunk on her than I would usually.

If she didnt have sweet itch she would never, ever have a rug on in the summer, I never have done with any horse and never would. I would give a sizeable chunk of my pension to find something that would enable me to let her enjoy the summer rolling and grazing out in the meadow naked.

Her rug is removed every day for a quick brush and check over, I cant imagine not doing so, poor horses!:frown:
 
Vicki100 said:
IMO they are more effort than they worth.

I hate it when horses are left in soggy fly rugs after its been raining, must feel horrid.

I realise horses with sweet itch its a life saver, but for normal horses i don't really think they are necessary.

Mine get bitten mostly on there sheath, belly & armpit area, even with a fly rug on the flies can still get to those areas, so i personally think there is no point! :tongue:
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You've summed it up nicely for me Vicky.

Added to that their tails can't effectively get to swat any flies that go on the belly, inside legs, sheath/udders etc.

I was kind of hoping to be persuaded otherwise. I know that those with sweet itch need all the help they can get but I am not convinced that the downsides outweighs the plus points on those without sweet itch.


Don't get me started on soggy fly rugs.
 
I too use a Rambo flybuster rug with waterproof breathable liner if raining so not soggy and not roasting as breathable. I use it as my mare has sweetitch and she hates the sweetitch snuggy rugs as just too clingy and tight and will snap having it put on as she has tummy issues.

I take it off everyday and some days if not alot of flies she goes out without one to get the sun on her back and be naked au naturele. Sadly, if she does this all the time she suffers so much and rubs her tummy raw.

I also use avon skin so soft dry oil spray and avon insect repellant. The former stops the midges gripping and marines use it!! It is the only thing to keep midges away from her i have found in 5 years of trying every product on the market. The latter is the only thing to keep cleggs away and I never ride without them both in weather like now as she freaks out bless her.

Our gelding does not have sweetitch and he freaks out from cleggs too. He would run around and stress without a flyrug and the same sprays on. He would prob hurt himself without them.

I sometimes uses flymasks for short periods as he can get conjunctivitis from flys and she can be bitten badly on her face and scratch raw or I use the snuggy hoody. I use this very little now having found the avon to work great but sometimes I hack in a ride in mask and she actually stciks her head into it for relief!
 
Well .............. I had a TB ex racer who would gallop himself into the ground with the flies in the field. He would INSIST on coming in during the day, even being prepared for being in by himself and if when I wanted to turn him out, if he stuck his nose out and decided it was too flyie still at 7pm, he would plant,

Fly rugs then became popular and I bought him one and a fly mask ........... and suddenly he could stay out.

I look at my appy who has a fly rug and fly mask. He is a lot calmer than the ones without any rugs who are charging around the place with biting flies latching onto them every few seconds. He actually grazes!!

Edited to add, that the only fly rugs that I rate are the Premier Equine rugs. They are deep, have a sensible non garrotting neck, and do actually STOP the biting flies which an awful lot of them, including a lot of VERY expensive fly rugs, don't actually seem to.

If I didn't have a fly rug he would have to come in for a substantial part of the day.
 
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I don't judge anyone who finds a fly rug useful, but I do hate it when people follow the fashion by putting a fly rug on their horse regardless.

Almost every horse on my yard (apart from mine) has fly rug. One of the fields has a lake in it and the horses love to bath in it. This just results in horses being soaking wet wearing their rug and therefore looking uncomfortable all day.

I considered getting Ben one, and watched him in the fields for 2 hours on a very hot day to see how he coped with the flies. He wasn't really bothered at all. He flicked them away with his mane and then he got together with his best friend and they stood nose to tail and flicked them off each other. I am sure that he doesn't need one - plus he loves to roll and lie down and I feel that a rug would make him uncomfortable.
 
Magic wears a fly rug now as he got a couple of nasty big bites on his side a couple of weeks ago :-(

I was not a happy bunny the other night when I paid the yard to take him in for me and I popped along later on in the evening to drop something off and they hadn't bothered to take his fly rug off to save themselves having to put it on the following morning (he's on part livery) They obv weren't expecting me to be back that night so thought I wouldn't know :(
 
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