Fly Season Is Upon Us…Yikes!
So, I just about got the last of the “shedding out” process completed, no small feat with Pirate…
When low and behold, I spotted the real bane of my existence ….. 
Yup, they’re BACK!
Just in time to ruin trail rides, distract from any kind of work, and generally stress out horses and humans alike. I don’t envy all of you who have to put up with them 24/7 365, but May through October is quite enough for me here in Pennsylvania. It seems as though every year I’m devising a new plan to battle the beasts…without much success.
The things I hate about most fly sprays are all of those nasty chemicals, disgusting smells, and skin irritants. Not to mention the fact that many of them are just plane ineffective.
At the end of the day my strategy was cheapest one on the shelf.
That is, until I started thinking about a more natural approach…egged on by my daughter the Herbalist.
She gave me the “skinny” on the best solution for our horses…and ourselves (as only daughters can do!)
Rebecca did some research, and surprised me with a bottle of Citraquin Environmental Defense Spray for horses.
It’s a new product out there, made by Draw It Out (DiO.) It’s a water -based proprietary essential oil-blend, that includes cedarwood, citronella and wintergreen… which is is the Holy Grail for her! With her sensitive skin she was happy to learn that Citraquin doesn’t contain pyrethrins, pyrethrum, pyrethroids, or industrial pesticides…they aggravate her asthma symptoms…wheezing, shortness of breath, etc.
Being an Herbalist, she’s a fan of all-natural formulas and learned in her research that DiO products go through intense three step testing, and independent third-party analysis to assure safety and effectiveness.
She was anxious for me to try it out on Pirate (who is her horse, after all!)
I also liked the idea of using it on Denver (my horse,) because he also has sensitive skin. He won’t even wear a blanket in the freezing cold because it “irritates” him. We’ve recently had some new horses arrive at the barn, and introduced into the herd. As per usual, the “pecking order” was thrown into chaos, and Denver came in with the scars to prove it! I was none too happy about putting those harsh chemicals on him, so this all natural formula fit the bill. Citronella, a key ingredient in Citraquin, also promotes wound healing!
I’ve noticed that he also enjoys the (oh so necessary!) calming effects of cedarwood and wintergreen found in Citraquin.
So…Now for the GOOD NEWS…it WORKS!
We went out for out first long trail ride this spring, and I’m happy to report that we won the battle of the bugs! The flies were kept at bay, as well as mosquitoes and those annoying little gnats.
I heard that the ticks are supposed to be particularly bad this year (totally scary) so good to know that Citraquin takes care of them too.
My daughter piqued my interest in DiO. I liked what I found, because the company was created by horsemen. People who know horses, and focus on effective, natural products that put the care of horses first. Kinda rare out there!
And bonus: 100% USA sourced!
I’m always keeping my eye out to recommend the best products, tools and equipment to keep out horses and ourselves healthy and happy!
Check them out here…
