Stables and insects: treating the yard, not the horse

Anyone who keeps horses knows the summer routine: flies at the stable door, horseflies in the paddock, mosquitoes at dusk, and a horse that stamps, swishes and will not settle. Insects are a welfare issue for the horse and a daily irritation for the people around it.

Stable flies and horseflies are persistent biters, and bites can become sore. A horse bothered by insects is restless in the stall and harder to work with.

What the usual tools do

Fly sheets, masks and fringes keep insects off the horse physically. Sprays and wipes for the horse work for hours, need frequent reapplication and are products for the animal, with their own labels and rules. Good muck management and drainage reduce breeding sites. All of these remain the basis.

Treating the building instead

Repeltec is a surface treatment for the stable itself, not a product for the horse.

Where to apply it

• Stall walls above the bedding line, partitions and the frames of stall doors.
• Stable doors and windows, and the frames around them, where insects come in.
• The tack room: walls, racks and the cupboards where equipment is stored.
• Feed rooms: walls and floor edges, away from feed and anything that touches feed.
• Wash bays and covered areas where horses stand to be groomed.

Read the label first. Clean the surfaces, apply a thin, even layer and let everything dry fully with the doors open before the horses come back in. Keep the product off the horse, out of water troughs and away from feed and mangers.

How long it lasts in a stable

A stable is dusty and parts of it are washed down often, so expect to treat busy edges more often, and treat again after washing down.

A treated stable sits alongside the rest of the routine: fly sheets, muck management and drainage. It does not replace them.