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Other fly repellent alternatives
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There are many other types of fly control available on today's market.
There is feed through fly control which is added to your horse's grain ration each day. I've never used this so don't know if would work against our tough northern bugs or not. Someone else once told me to add Brewer's Yeast to their feed and that it helped repel flies as well. I had Riser on Brewer's Yeast this spring to help keep his coat darker palomino, but honestly couldn't say if it had any effect on the colour or the flies.
One of my favourite fly control recipes is to mix oil of citronella in with skin cream. I buy the small (400 ml or so) plastic jars of cheap brand Vitamin E or Aloe Vera skin cream, pour in some citronella, and shake well. A 100 ml bottle of citronella will do four to six 400 ml pots of skin cream. This cream can be applied anywhere the insects bite, and is especially effective for reducing and healing blackfly bites.
I smear it on under the elbows and forearms, chest, fronts of front legs, belly hair swirl, umbilical area and sheath or udder. It also works well around the base of the ears, forehead at the base of the fetlock (if the horse gets bit there - some do, some don't), around the eyes, between the lower jaws and around the muzzle. It smells pleasant to us though it repels bugs, keeps the previous bite scabs soft, promotes healing, and it sticks better than conventional wipes or sprays. It even works on people!
An old cowboy trick is to use pine tar. This thick goopy stuff , which looks like molasses, can be found in most feed supply stores. The strong pine smell and stickiness combine to repel bugs and trap and kill the ones that land in it. However, it is very messy, as it is so dark (especially when you own three light coloured horses like I do!). Because it is so sticky, it lasts for days - I would not recommend it on a show horse (and it's sticky on your hands too!). I also found that it burned one 3/4 Arab mare I used to own - where it melted in the heat and ran down her legs she lost all the hair. Whether this was due to the pine tar, the citronella, or just the fact that this mare was sensitive skinned I don't know, but I won't repeat it - personally I'll stick with the skin cream mix above.
There are fly tags made for cattle, which are attached to one ear like their number tags. I have been told that the chemicals used in these tags can be harmful to horses, so not to put them directly on their skin. Some people do hang them from a halter but then you are risking injury to your horse from having the halter on the pasture (see December 13 issue)
Next week I'll go over some non-chemical means of fly control. |
| If you have tips or questions on equipment care, purchases, fit, or anything else to do with equestrian equipment, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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Past articles are all available in the
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BVR Schooling Reining Show report
The BVR Schooling Reining Show unfortunately ended up being cancelled on short notice. I sure hope nobody showed up down there! There were only 10 people pre-entered as of Friday, and we were going to run it anyway, but then it turned out a few horses seemed to be coming down with a cold and so their owners scratched their entries... leaving us with only 6 horses! Not enough to run a show with for sure - what a bummer!
The class line up offered was excellent, with all of BVR's modified beginner patterns on the list. I think we will try it again some other time, as the variety is excellent for the newest of beginners through to the more experienced reiners.
Some of the patterns are similar to Prince George Reining Horse Association's modified patterns, and some are close to the Western Canadian Reining Association's intermediate patterns, but BVR has the largest selection of them with eighteen in all, and all progressing until you reach the open National Reining Horse Association unmodified patterns.
So, if you are into reining, and would like to attend a show but haven't got all the components of a full pattern mastered yet with your horse, keep tuned for future BVR events (or any othe show that uses BVR modified patterns). You can also contact me if you are interested in purchasing copies of our patterns, but remember I won't be around to answer for a couple of weeks!
Happy spinnin' and slidin'!
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| If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page.
Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.
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Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse.
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Show ring etiquette
I'll start this week's column for horse show newbies with some important etiquette tips.
Riders must be aware of some of the basic rules of show ring etiquette in order to show successfully. Most of these are passed down from rider to rider, but sometimes come in a nasty tone if the beginner has unknowingly done something offensive!
Warm up pen - pass left to left (that means just like in driving a car, your left side is to the other ride's left side), try to stay the same direction as flow of traffic, no lungeing more than one horse at a time if mounted riders are in the arena, be prepared to holler 'heads up!' if working against other riders (ie, fencing a reiner while others are circling), and don't hog the warm up area or equipment (practice jumps, barrels, etc) and don't gallop about madly, especially if you are scaring someone else's horse.
Rail classes (pleasure, etc) - when approaching a slower moving horse from behind, begin your pass before you reach his hindquarters. You should always keep a minimum of one horse length between you and the next horse, so practice checking distances and if you are gaining on the lead horse, prepare to pass. Passes can be done two ways - either pull off the rail and stay a horse's length from the other horse as you pass, or look for a spot on the rail further ahead and cut across a corner to it. You can also circle and return to the rail if there is nobody coming up behind you, but this can be misconstrued as an effort to slow your horse down which may knock points down on the judge's scorecard. Better to pass or change rail position fluidly than to circle.
Courtesy - Be polite to everyone! The whipper in, outgate person, and other show staff have volunteered their time to come and make things work easier for you, so be friendly to them. It goes a long way to say thanks, they might even come back and help at the next show!
Punctuality - Be on time for your classes, and report to the whipper in as soon as called. This means paying attention to the announcements over the loudspeaker, not talking through them (something I'm guilty of often!).
Talking to the judge - If you are at a schooling show, if the judge comes to talk to you about your ride, feel free to ask one or two important questions, but don't monopolize his or her time. They are there to tell you why you did or didn't place well, not to teach you training tips and ideas. Otherwise, enquiries to the judge must be directed to the ring steward.
Kindness - Pat your horse no matter where you placed. You may have to ride in a lot of classes before you get your first ribbon, but that doesn't mean your horse didn't try hard. Your horse can only perform to the level of ability you have prepared him, but he has done what he was ready for and you need to praise him for that. To him, a pat on the neck is worth much more than a red ribbon!
Safety - If you know or suspect that your horse may kick, tie a red ribbon in its tail to warn other riders. If they don't heed your warning, politely let them know (they may not know the meaning of the red ribbon either!). Treat all other horses as if they kick, even if they never have before. Better safe than sorry, and as one old saying goes, there's no such thing as a horse that doesn't kick!
Like last week, if you can think of other show etiquette tips, please email at kristi@hiway16.com and I'll pass them on. I know I haven't covered them all here!
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com
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Because I usually write the editorial on the weekends before publication, there likely won't be any until I get back (besides this quick note!). Till then, I hope you enjoy the pre-written columns and more important, I hope you enjoy your horse!
