Uh fly spray help : /?

Question

My horse has a fit when i try to spray her with fly spray where i live flys are bad and she really needs it she run in circle trying to get away from it and rears and kicks and when i finally get it on her she is breathing so hard and shaking cause she is scared and i feel bad cause i don't want to scare her and if i tie her up and do it she almost tears down the fence i need help!

P.S I believe she was abused before i got her because she is very skittish and acts like she will get hit when i lift up my hand to pet her or something

Answer 1

A good idea would be to put a fly veil over her head and a light weight summer rug this will stop the flys from getting close to her face and body, if you wish to use fly spray aswell just spray the rug and veil before you put them on her.  It works wonders and you can leave the fly veil on when you ride as well just put the bridle on over it your horse will be sighing his relief and so will you.

Answer 2

dont waste your fly spray take a spray bottle full of water take her to the arena and start spraying if she flinches or does anything keep it on that one spot till she relaxes take it away and rub her then try another spot and continue the approch and retreat method untill shes complitley finishesed

(note do it on a hot day and she will be more willing to calm down to the nice cold water)

hope i helped

Answer 3

Get a garden sprayer - the kind where you pump up the pressure in the bottle, then squeeze the trigger to spray.  When you spray with it, it doesn't make any noise, which is probably a big part of the problem.  My horses all react better to it than a regular spray bottle.

Your other alternatives are to get one of those pour on fly deterrents, or to put the spray on a cloth, then wipe it on her.

Answer 4

okay just spray a cloth and wipe her with the cloth instead of the spray

that's what i do with my skittish pony and when i put it on my equines faces you can't spray the face i put it on a cloth and rub it on them =)

make sure the cloth is not really absorbent though otherwise you will waste a lot of spray

Answer 5

My paint was the same way, he acted like it was a monster.  In his case he was not descincitized to it enough. I used a spray bottle and filled it with water, caught him put him in a halter, but I did not try to stop him form backing away, if you try to hold him he will fell clostrophobic like you are a preditor trying to hurt him.

You can out run a horse always if they are backing up. I stood off to the side and just started spaying near him not letting the water touch him just near him. Hwne he was used to that I sprayed him untill he stopped moving then stopped the spraying.  Hope this helps!

Also: If she is skittish spend some time with her, and get her to trust you and respect you. Spraying the flyspray on a glove or cloth does not fix the problem, just goes around it. Think of it this way: If your on a trail and a plastic bag flys by and your horse freaks, you would try to descincitize him to the badg and teach him not to be afraid then to try to take him where this is no bags. Its is much easier to fix the problem, then to try to prevent it!

Rearing and Buycking: If she respected you she would not try this, I have found that a lot of problems can be fixed by gaining ahorses respect. And when she shys away from your hand it is most likely a predator/prey reaction. She sees your hand as somethinfg that could potentially hurt her.

Answer 6

Hey!  We had a skittish horse that hated fly spray, so we got a glove, and sprayed it on the glove then totally wiped down her body, she didn't mind that at all, she just didn't like to be sprayed, and it helped out tremendously, after a couple months of using th glove she got so used to the sound she just let us spray it on her.

hope this helps.

Answer 7

Get a spray bottle and fill it with water. Get some one to spray it close to her but not on her. Just close enough that she is watching it not that she freaks out. Slowly move closer to her as she calms down. Dont try to spray her that day, just try to get a little closer to her. You are trying to desinsitize her to the spraying.

Everyday try to get a little closer but dont push it. She will learn that it wont kill her eventually. Untill she accepts it just use roll on or apply it with a rag. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

Hi there,

Okay take a clean spray bottle and put sugar water in it.

Spray it in her mouth and stuff get her used to it so she is looking forward to seeing a spray bottle!  Then take one with water so it doesn't have a cent and spray her with it.  Then put the fly spray in it and whola a horse okay with fly spray!

Hope I Helped!

ADD:

Until she gets used to the spray bottles I recommend that you rub the fly spray on with a rag.  Here is a link with a rub on fly spray!

Here you go:

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?...

~Driver:

That is a GREAT idea! The Garden sprayer!

I think you are talking about the type they normally use for pesticides?

Like this one?:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pr...

I think you should totally try that out!

ADD:

But I also think that you should work on getting her used to a normal fly spray bottle.  But the garden sprayer sounds like an excellent alternative!

Answer 9

Ive got a horse the same way!

Well the best thing to do is try 2 calm her down b4 u spray her!

Maybe rub her brush her and softly talk 2 her!

If this helps u may have 2 have someone twist her skin 2 take her mind off whatever u r doing.

Let her know that u r her boss.

It will take some time to maybe calm her down since u think that in the past she might have been abused at a time.

B4 u tack her up rub her with the halter or bridle!

Let her get used to it and let her know that ur not gonna hurt her!

That would be the last thing that u would do 2 her!

Always Always Always when u rub a horse go toward her with the back side of ur hand rub her with the back  side also.

And whenever u go 2 catch her dont just go out there and grab her rub her a little first!