...and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.
You know summer is here when the greenheads arrive. Sounding like an extra-loud beehive, they bite and harass the horses in fields until turn-out time becomes a living torment for the animals.
The other day, I was bringing mine inside for the day and I thought I heard a C-130 descending from overhead; it was actually a huge, black horsefly, close to two inches long.
The size of those things is the stuff of nightmares, and one might think it was a WWII air raid. Incoming! Everybody get down!
Mosquito pests are a concern during the summer, also, because they carry disease. Chief among these are West Nile Virus and Eastern, Western and Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitus.
Some horses develop allergic dermatitis due to mosquito bite sensitivity. (1)
Mosquito breeding areas include ponds, puddles, stagnant horse troughs, old tractor tires and garden buckets full of rainwater. They lay their eggs directly on top of the water. Elimination of standing water is key to controlling mosquito breeding and proliferation. Application of insecticides and repellants are effective in controlling these irritating pests.
Relying on sulfur, cider vinegar or garlic to keep them away works to some degree, and there are even garlic supplements to add to grain for natural repellant, but a good bet is “Permethrin,” applied topically.
Mosquitos can bite right through most kinds of cloth, so fly sheets are minimal protectors, here, also. You can spray a light coat of 0.5% permethrin right on the sheet and this seems to work well.
The biggest mistake with repellant is not covering all exposed skin of the horse. If you even miss a few tiny spots, mosquitos and flies will find that spot and will feed there.
Big barn fans set in barn doorways are a great barrier as mosquitos won’t fly against the strong wind current.
Spraying barn walls with 1.25 oz. of 10% permethrin in 1 gallon of water, via pump sprayer, keeps mosquitos and flies out of stalls.
Birds are a source of the West Nile Virus infection of mosquitos. The “reservoir potential,” or bird species that have the highest level of virus in their blood, or who keep a high level of circulating virus for the longest period of time, is important to know, in the event of finding dead
birds in your fields.
Crows and black birds seem to be common for carrying high levels of circulating virus.
Bird to bird transmission of the virus can be caused by bird droppings. Help your horse avoid bird droppings by keeping pigeons and sparrows out of your facility and removing the horse from areas where you notice nests and bird activity.
Try to limit barn swallow activity to one area; this can be difficult, as they are persistent.
The following are the top 9 types of birds that get infected by mosquitos: Red-wing blackbird, American robin, house sparrow, American crow, grackle, blue jay, house finch, black-billed magpie, ring-billed gull. (2)
Low infection potential is indicated in these species: Parakeets, ring-neck pheasant, bobwhite, American coot, Japanese quail, flicker, Canada goose, and mourning and rock doves.(3)
Species identified as shedding WNV in droppings include: Crow, magpie, blue jay, great-horned owl, mourning dove, ring-bill gull, killdeer, Japanese quail, bobwhite, American kestrel and chickens. (4)
Always report dead birds to local USDA office, (Shout-out-hello to Jess Agnew!!) and it is a good idea to have your horse vaccinated yearly for WNV, depending of mosquito infestation in your area.
Yearly vaccines for EEE, WEE and VEE are also recommended along with removal of old tires and buckets or any other stagnant water sources where mosquitos lay their eggs.
Horse flies, face flies and mosquitos are painful and annoying; help out your buddy this summer with fly masks, scrim sheets and bug repellants.
Turning him out at night and inside during the day is a good idea. This also keeps him out of the sun’s harsh rays and keeps his skin from sunburn or from developing cancer.
Also, a tick warning has been issued by the PA Game Commission, due to the light winter.
Spray your feet and legs with Deet, and always check your body for ticks after walking or doing work in fields, pastures or yards.
You don’t want Lyme’s Disease, believe-you-me.
That’s all for now.
Looking for a shade tree and some cool lemonade while leaving you with the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, “Happy Trails to You.”
(1) Horse Owner’s Veterinary Handbook by Drs. Giffin and Gore
(2,3,4) Horse Journal