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Spring Must Haves: Horse Edition

  • briambrosic
  • May 3
  • 5 min read

As we head into spring with our horses (or suddenly directly into summer for some of us), we’re happy to leave behind the cold and snow and head into warmer weather. But with warmer weather comes a few challenges we need to prepare for like mud, flies, and skin icks like rain rot. After years of trial and error with my very sensitive OTTBs and my overly opinionated pony (that hates all fly gear but also hates flies) I have come up with a list of things that not only make life easier, but that hold up to life with horses.


 **Before we dive in, just a heads up that I get a small commission at no cost to you from the Amazon links if you buy any of the linked products.


Here is my list of spring (and summer) must haves for your horse:


FLY GEAR


Fly masks: Harrison Howard masks are my current favorite. They’ve held up and aren’t crazy expensive. We've tested them with the nose and without (always with ears because the gnats are brutal on the horses' ears) and they don't rub; they even stay on through the geldings playing bitey face better than any other masks I've tried. My second choice is Cashel masks that also hold up really well and stay on but are more expensive. It's always good to have a few masks on hand since horses lose them and get them dirty so that you may need to rotate.



Fly boots: For the horses that just can't handle flies on their legs or that have legs that just get eaten up, the Leggins Shoofly fly boots are the only boots I’ve ever used. They hold up for years (Pony has had the same pair for 4 years! Crazy, right?!) and they keep the flys off the horses’ legs without collapsing or rubbing. I've tried other brands' versions of these fly boots, and they just do not work. The other brands' boots slide down and get destroyed within a few days or rub like crazy. The added bonus of fly boots is that the horses are stomping less so their shoes aren't getting stomped off with the constant stomping off of flies. Pony has been wearing these boots for years and it has made a huge difference in how often she throws a shoe.



Fly bonnets: Riding outside is truly like a battle against the gnats (especially here in WNC) and the horse are so miserable that I have two solutions: fly bonnets or a riding mask. Honestly, I buy the cheapest fly bonnets I can find because they get sweaty and I like to rotate them out a lot. These SmartEquine ones work well but I do cut the string off because it’s basically useless. I also have used the equine couture ones with the crystals which are pretty, but the crystals do start to rust after being washed a few times. If your horse hates the bugs so much they can't just wear a bonnet the Cashel riding masks are pretty great. They come with or without a nose and are light enough that they don't seem to bother the horse. 



While we all know fly spray is a huge thing through spring and summer, I am loving the Equiderma neem horse spray which conditions the horse's coat and has the lovely side effect of keeping off the bugs without smelling like chemicals because it doesn't have chemicals in the spray. I've been a fan of the Equiderma lotion for the itchy horses for years but I didn't try the spray until last year. Now it's a must have for me in the barn and added bonus that they sell it in a gallon size.




Grooming


The two best grooming tools for mud I have found are an Epona Tiger Tongue and the Roma Miracle Brush (the interpid one works too) and everyone in my barn (yes, all 20 horses) have at least one of these if not both. I tend to use a Tiger tongue for the sensitive guys because it sort of works like a plastic brillo pad and can be used more gently since it's flexible and as an added bonus you can also use it like a sponge to bathe. For my less sensitive horse, or the ones that are bigger mud monsters, I use the Miracle Brush. I do make sure I get the Roma or Intrepid ones because they tend to have stiffer bristles that work better than the more flexible ones. The only catch with the miracle brush is that it is a bit harsher so I don't like to use it on the horses' faces or my more sensitive horses.



And of course, with spring comes all the shedding and even if you clip your horse they are still going to shed in the spring, it will just be very short hairs. After a lot of trials with different shedding tools, the one I can’t survive without is the horse grooming tool from SleekEZ. I have a few around the barn and they make the grooming process so much easier as the winter coats are coming off. It can be a bit must for the sensitive horses, like my OTTB, so make sure to watch your horse for when they decide they've had enough.



Products That Solve Problems


With all the rain that comes with spring rain rot likes to make an appearance. Especially if you have a horse that lives outside or the kind of horse that looks at water and gets rain rot (seriously the sensitive skinned OTTBs are a struggle) you want to have something on hand to take care of the skin icks before they get out of control which can happen fast. In the past I've tried so many different antifungal washes, sprays, powders, and of course old school MTG (which smells rancid). This spring I tried the Medica wash and lotion and was so impressed by how well they worked. The combination of the wash and lotion took care of Fiddle's rain rot and grew back his hair within 10 days which was amazing! I definitely will continue to use

this set for all my horses.




Just a note, because this does mean a lot to me, both Medica and Equiderma are small businesses with fantastic people who truly love horses and care about their well being. Both companies have gifted me products, but I truly believe in their products or I wouldn't share them with you. 


This is just the list of my must haves for my horse; don't worry I have one for riders too!

 
 
 

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