This article is part of our Fight the Flies Awareness Campaign, brought to you by UltraShield.
Whether it’s a long or short journey, you want your horse to travel comfortably in the trailer. This means providing him with the means to do so and keeping your trailer a safe and clean space. Fighting flies in the trailer might seem like a fruitless battle, but there are few ways that you can make your trailer a less desirable place for freeloading flies.
Keep it Clean
This might seem like a no-brainer, but flies love a mess. Cleaning your trailer out often is important. Your horse doesn’t want to stand on soiled bedding, or slick mats. These conditions are breeding grounds for flies and allows them to take a foothold in your trailer. Try and clean your trailer out after every use, at the least picking out the piles and wet shavings.
[BARN MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR FLY CONTROL]
Spray it Down
Before loading your horse, spray down the inside of the horse compartment of your trailer with an effective fly spray. Do this well in advance of loading your horse, to give it time to settle and dissipate.
Fly Spray Before
Give your horse some relief by spraying him with fly spray before loading, as well. This is a first line of defense in keeping him comfortable in the trailer and is a quick and simple fly management plan.
Close it Up When Sitting
When your trailer is not in use, keep flies out by keeping windows or screens in place, and closing the back door. An ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of cure. Keep the screens on your trailer windows in good shape, checking for holes or disrepair.
Side note: If your trailer has sat for an extended period of time, especially in summer, look carefully for wasp nests before using it. Check handles, the interior, and the exterior and anywhere a wasp nest might be. Do this with caution!
Let the Wind Work
Opening windows that are covered by screens, or opening the vents, keeps a breeze moving across your horse. This is a great way to keep flies off your horse, as they are unable to land in a wind. A fly mask is a good idea to protect his eyes and keep flies off his face. Be sure that the screens on windows are in place, and your horse can’t stick his head entirely out of the window. This increases the chance of serious eye damage, from bugs, or debris. You want air movement in the trailer during the summer, to keep your horse cool as well.
You can’t banish every fly from entering your trailer. But you can certainly take a few precautions to minimize their presence and allow your horse to travel in comfort.
