Summer’s here and with it, unfortunately, comes flying insects. Not only do they make it difficult to enjoy time with your horse, but some of them are downright dangerous, disease carrying blood-suckers! Fortunately just a few simple maintenance tricks, along with a quality insecticide can take the fright out of the bite and offer both, you some peace of mind and your horse some welcome relief.

Spray it! Don’t Just Say it!

Pyranha has a long-standing reputation for safe and effective pest control. Four different formulas of direct application fly spray offer a solution for every horse-owner:

Wipe N’Spray™: Pyranha’s original lanolin-based insect repellent offers the power of pyrethrin to keep nasty insects at bay. The formula contains lanolin to help condition the coat and acts as a grooming aid. The citronella scent is pleasant and offers further insect eradication benefits. Spray it on then quickly brush through the coat with a soft body brush. The lanolin not only conditions the coat, but also gives it a lovely shine.

Available in:

• Quart and Gallon Size
• 3.4 oz trial size, perfect for slipping into your trailer’s grooming tote or your saddle bag

Equine Spray & Wipe™: Powerful water-based, award-winning formula, not only keeps insects away but also won’t attract dust. Equine Spray & Wipe™ goes on clean, dries quickly and leaves no residue. Oil free formula is a perfect solution for horses turned out during summer, or for horses with sensitive skin. Higher levels of pyrethrins and permethrins make Pyranha Equine Spray & Wipe more effective than other fly sprays on the market. Spray it on and it will keep insects away for days!

• Available in Gallon, Quart, and 3.4 oz Trial size, in addition to new 15 oz BOV non-aerosol continuous spray.

Zero Bite®: Pyranha’s all-natural insect repellent offers a botanical based formula and is perfect for use on small animals and horses. Fresh clean scent harnesses the power of Geraniol to make a safe, effective formula that offers an all- natural formula.

Available in:

• standard Quart and Gallon Sizes
• 3.4 oz trial size
• 8 oz pump size perfect for domestic pets or household use

Aerosol Insecticide Spray™: Pryanha’s professional strength formula offers maximum effectiveness through a fast and effective aerosol mist. With 0.3% pyrethrins, the Pyranha Aerosol Insecticide is perfect for offering quick knockdown and quick kill. Perfect ring-side to ensure a fly-free go-round, Pyranha’s Aerosol spray offers the added benefits of coat conditioners. It’s powerful, quick acting formula is a favorite among trainers and exhibitors. Keep it back at the stalls to utilize as an on-the-go premise spray and spray the inside of your trailer before you load up to head home.

• Available in 15 oz Aerosol Spray

Fly Mask: Because there is only so much you can do on a horse’s face, and particularly around their eyes, Pyranha has introduced their own Fly Mask. Perfect when turning your horse out, not only does the mask keep biting, flying insects from congregating around the horse’s eyes it also offers 70% UV protection. Available in a variety of sizes, its great fit will keep small biting insects away from your horse’s eyes without impairing their vision. Soft edging along the ears, neck, and nose allow for a comfortable, irritation-free fit. Pyranha’s Fly Mask is a perfect pairing with any of their fly sprays.

• Available in yearling, cob, horse, and warmblood sizes.

Horse people are stable people!

Let’s face it, horse people spend a lot of time at the barn and sometimes the most important place to maintain insect control isn’t always on the horse! Within the barn, lurk damp, dark, smelly locations that are a favorite breeding ground for most insects. Obviously, the best course of action is to keep all manure and urine cleaned up and away from the barn. But the reality is the moment you have everything clean and tidy is the same moment your horse walks into his stall and soils the very spot you just cleaned. Because we can’t stand next to our horse all day with manure-fork in hand, the best choice is installing a SprayMaster® automatic fly system – your personal, on-the-job 24/7 flying insect eradicator!

SprayMaster® SM55 Automatic Spray System consists of a 1/2 horsepower electric motor-driven pump controlled by a solid state electronic timer that is programmed to dispense an insecticide formulation in the form of a very fine mist, at specific pre-programmed intervals through special spray nozzles. The result is a state of the art, hassle-free solution to control harmful biting and flying insects in and around the barn.

The SprayMaster® system has your horse protected against flying insects when you’re not there! It is easy to set up by a single person in one afternoon and will benefit your horse, and you, all season long. Simply set your timer for the times you’d like the sprayer to go off and voila! Flying insects are defenseless.

The SprayMaster® system utilizes the powerful Pyranha Space Spray 1 – 10 HPS Concentrate. The beauty of the 1-10 HPS concentrate formula the convenient and easy way to ensure long-lasting protection from a variety of biting insects. This fly spray contains 0.55% Pyrethrins for the 55 galloon system and 0.30% Pyrethrins for the 30 galloon system.

Add Odaway® to the mixture and you have the additional benefit of a fresh, clean smell combined with your insect control!

And, that brings us to odor!

Many horse people claim that there is no smell better than a horse. But, really that only applies to clean horses. We love the smell of hay on their breath, the smell of leather combined with sweat in the tack room, the smell of fresh shavings, and the list goes on. What neither horse, nor hound, nor human enjoys is the smell of bad barn odor, or the acrid smell of ammonia. But, for some reason, what is offensive to us is an attractant to many insects.

When cleaning stalls, ensure you not only pick up and dispense with as much manure as possible, but also make an effort to dig out any wet, urine soaked areas, as well. Clear those areas of wet shavings and apply fresh bedding. Take the added effort of spraying Pyranha Odaway® to remove any added traces of ammonia smell from your stalls. Odaway® is perfect for use in barn aisles, the tack room, or in your trailer. Spray it on musty saddle pads and any tack that can’t easily be cleaned.

Available in:

• 1 gallon concentrate (for SprayMaster® and other 55 gallon systems)
• Quart (32 oz) Spray bottles
• 3.4 oz trial size
• 15 oz BOV continuous spray

Keep it simple, keep it consistent!

With just a few simple steps, you can keep your horse, your barn, your home and yourself virtually insect free. Remember, the best course of action is to get ahead before they get a chance to breed and really multiply. If you already have an “insect epidemic” take extra effort to keep things clean. Remove manure to areas away from your barn. Keep your horse sprayed and your barn clean and enjoy the time you get to spend with your horse every day.

Click here to shop all Pyranha products available at www.JeffersPet.com.

A special thanks to Stacy Bandock, Marketing Director at Pyranha, Inc. for providing us with this wealth of knowledge on Pyranha’s products for horses and barns.
For more information on Pyranha, Inc. and their complete line of products, visit them online at www.pyranhainc.com.

Click here to see our blog post about the Top 10 Fly Sprays.