During the summer, The Shea Center is buzzing with activity. The warm summer weather also brings the return of barn flies. Horses may try to combat the flies by stomping their hooves, shaking their heads, or swishing their tails. However, The Shea Center employs methods to deter them and help minimize their presence around the property.
A fly mask is a vital accessory many horses wear in their stall. Visitors often ask if the horses can see out of these masks, which cover their eyes and are usually secured with Velcro. The answer is yes! Fly masks are made of firm, structured mesh that is easy for the horses to see through. Flies often gather around horses’ eyes, and fly masks are effective at preventing that irritation.
Staff uses fly spray to deter flies from landing on the horses. Fly spray is made for horses and other farm animals and contains ingredients that irritate the flies upon contact and, consequently, repel them.
The Shea Center barn staff works to reduce the population of flies by mucking the stalls twice a day. Every stall is thoroughly cleaned in the morning and new shavings are added. Later in the day, any manure and dirty shavings accumulated during that time are removed. In addition, all horse waste is removed from the property twice a week, which limits the opportunity for flies to reproduce.
The open-air barn design, and fans placed throughout the stalls and on the ceiling not only promote airflow and help keep the horses cool during the summer months but also prevent flies from being able to easily fly around the barn.
Interested in learning more about our horses and The Shea Center barn? Head over to the Barn category page of our blog to read more blogs like this.