[walkinthewalk]

IMO, no it is not. While spraying does help YOUR horse keep the bugs off for “five minutes”, it won’t help her horse. She needs to reevaluate her thinking as to how a horse can get pigeon fever.

This is a great article from UC Davis. The other horse owner might benefit from reading it.

Pigeon Fever

What is pigeon fever? Takeaways The causative bacteria, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, can live in the ground, feces, hay and shavings for long periods. Horses are infected when bacteria gain access to the body through small scrapes or wounds in the skin, either by direct...

ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu

 

[ClearDonkey]

Nope, I'm cheap and only ever use fly spray prior to riding or horse showing (only if the flies are being obnoxious).

If I didn't have fly issues, I would never use fly spray. I certainly don't use it as a preventative in the pasture - it'd have to be reapplied frequently throughout the day to have any effect whatsoever.

 

[Elessar]

We use it when the flies are really bad, but mostly not. I'm cheap and $65/gallon is crazy expensive for short term protection. The horse doesn't really care, much.

 

[dustyk]

If her horse is sprayed and spraying is effective wouldn't your horse get all the flys

 

[VenH]

IMO, no it is not. While spraying does help YOUR horse keep the bugs off for “five minutes”, it won’t help her horse. She needs to reevaluate her thinking as to how a horse can get pigeon fever.

This is a great article from UC Davis. The other horse owner might benefit from reading it.

Pigeon Fever

What is pigeon fever? Takeaways The causative bacteria, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, can live in the ground, feces, hay and shavings for long periods. Horses are infected when bacteria gain access to the body through small scrapes or wounds in the skin, either by direct...

ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu

that’s the article that the other horse owner sent me to try to convince me of her point lol

 

[Morgan.taylor]

No not really, I try to fly spray but it never lasts very long and really only gives momentary relief.

 

[SmokeyC]

I agree with almost everybody else, I only spray if we notice the bugs are especially bad and we are going to go for a ride.

 

[newtrailriders]

When the bugs are really bad and we're going for a ride, I spray, let it dry, and spray again but keep it away from the face. Be careful about putting it on the fronts of the legs, where they might rub their eyes. Don't use any type of fly repellant, even a "gentle herbal" repellant around the eyes - use a fly mask instead. If they're really suffering out in the pasture I've sprayed them in the past but after what happened to my mare's eyes I think I'm going to start using fly sheets instead.

I'll still spray their butts and the places they can't reach with their tail or face.

 

[Knave]

I don’t think it’s necessary, but have a couple of horses who think it is. One is like me, and he cannot stand biting bugs. He will panic over a mosquito cloud. I get mad, but I am the same way. Flies were really bad here this year though.

I use it before I ride during fly season, and if horses are panicking in the corrals we go spray them to give them a bit of relief. Like everyone said though, it really is short term and very expensive.

Yet, if your horse was in my yard, and you didn’t fly spray him, would I have a problem? Nope. Yes, flies transmit pigeon fever, but I don’t care how much you fly spray, if it’s coming it’s coming. What we do when there is a breakout is move and quarantine a sick horse. There is a thought that a half mile is enough distance, but really that’s been disproven. Now, I still will quarantine a horse at another place because I can, and because I do think it helps, but I realize it is no guarantee.