Summer is in full swing and that means a new kind of grooming routine to keep your horse feeling and looking its best. The bugs, itchy skin, and fungus that come with the hot weather and rainy afternoons are all easy to prevent and maintain with the help of these helpful tips and products.
Keep Those Flies Off
When your horse has flies and gnats on its tail and hind end, he is most likely going to find a way to keep them off.
Constant scratching on trees, fences, stall doors, and anything else they can get to is going to cause some wear and tear on their tail. Any kind of fly spray is better than nothing, but it is important to find one that is sweat-resistant and weather-proof. A good option is the Opti-Force Fly Spray because it repels flies, gnats, and mosquitos and is also sweat resistant that will last through hot and rainy weather. You can also spray fly spray in and around their stall for added protection.
If your horse already has bites, sores, or raw spots from itching, try MicrocynAH Wound & Skin Care Hydrogel to clean and heal the skin.
Prevent Don’t Repair
Keeping your horse’s tail clean and healthy is one of the best ways to prevent seasonal damage. It’s easy to want to grab the cheapest shampoo from the grocery store and call it a day, but in the end, that isn’t the best thing for your horse’s tail. You want to look for a shampoo that does more than just clean. The idea is to improve their skin and hair health with every wash. Corona Concentrated Shampoo makes an easy addition to your bathing routine because it cleans and conditions but also balances the pH and makes the hair stronger.
If you think about it, your horse’s tail is subjected to a lot of sun damage and dirt as they use it to swat flies. Keeping the hair strong and healthy is an important step in their overall health care.
Try using Corona Detangler & Shine that provides SPF protection to prevent their tail from becoming dry, broken, and bleached. It also helps repel dirt and dust which will keep flies away.
Another easy preventative to add to your routine is applying an ointment on possible itchy spots after bathing. Most horse owners probably have some sort of skin-protecting product like Corona Ointment, but you might not realize just how many things you can use it for. Instead of waiting for your horse to rub their itchy skin and tail raw to apply the ointment, put some in the usual areas to prevent itchy, chapping, and dry skin. This will help keep the skin clean and will even act as a barrier against bugs. The good thing about Corona Ointment is that it is thick and will stay on until you wash it off.
Get Rid of the Itch
It’s amazing how quickly fungus and other forms of “crud” can develop on your horse. As soon as the summer weather turns humid and rainy, your horse’s tail becomes the perfect breeding ground for ringworm, summer itch, rain rot, and other fungal infections. It’s important to treat these infections quickly so they don’t continue to spread on your horse’s body. Try using Fung-A-Way to kill the itchy infections fast. This product is especially easy because it’s a spray, so it will sink into your horse’s hair and skin without a lot of extra work on your end. It also helps against a variety of fungal infections so you don’t have to keep testing different products to see if it will work. Just spray it on and go!
It’s amazing how important the health of your horse’s tail can affect their daily lives. You want to be sure to give them as much help as possible so they aren’t uncomfortable or end up with a dangerous infection. Using these methods to keep their tail in tip-top shape will set a good foundation for their overall health this summer.