Absorbine UltraShield EX Insecticide & Repellent

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UltraShield EX sits at the top end of the fly spray range, and the reason people pay for it is duration. A cheap fly spray knocks flies off a horse and is done in an hour or two; a product like this is formulated to keep working, which changes the arithmetic when you are spraying several horses every day through July. It is both an insecticide and a repellent, which is a distinction worth understanding. A repellent keeps insects off; an insecticide kills what lands. Products that do both give better results against the range of things bothering a horse in a prairie summer — house flies, stable flies, horn flies, mosquitoes, and the biting midges that drive sweet itch. Read the label and follow it. It states the species the product is registered for, the insects it is registered against, how and where on the animal to apply, and the reapplication interval. Never assume an equine product is safe for another species, and never assume more frequent application is better than the label allows. Apply to a clean, dry coat — dirt and sweat cut effectiveness considerably. Work it in with the hair rather than misting the surface, and cover the areas that matter: shoulders, barrel, belly, legs. Use a cloth for the face and never spray toward the eyes. Test a small patch first on a horse with sensitive skin. Fly control is still management first. Pick up manure, drain standing water, hang traps, and stable during peak fly hours if you can. Store it out of the sun, away from heat and flame.