horses and flys

Question
what is your solution to flies all over my horses.
i've tried commercial products galore and now i'm wondering if there is a good old fashion receipe
i can try.

thank you

Answer
Hello Carolyn. You don't say in your question whether you are getting fly problems only when your horses are turned out or whether the are problems in the yard aswell, so I will assume you are getting problems all of the time.
When out in the field, or in their stables or around the yard, horses will often get horrible problems with flies, and some horses seem to be worsely affected and suffer sores, weeping eyes and sweetitch as a result of fly bother. Firstly, althought you cannot reduce the amount of "wild" flies that bother your horses, you can reduce the amount of "homegrown" flies. Daily collection and disposal of waste (including manure, bedding and old feed) and treating of muck heaps with fly detterents can generally reduce the amount of flies, as can biological pest control (ie the introduction of small non-stinging members of the wasp family to the muck heap area which eat they fly larvae).
You say that you have used a lot of commercial products, but I will go through some of these just incase you haven't investigated a particular area.
It is also a good idea for you to buy fly protectors, such as fly fringes, ear and eye guards or even full face fly guards can ease irritation to the delicate areas. These can be bought from most equine stores.
If the situation is still bad, fly repelling bands which go round the neck, tail and feet can be put on for long periods of the day, even when in the stable or while being ridden, which will significantly reduce, or even stop, the amount of flies bothering your horse.
As for old fashioned recipes, the only thing I can suggest is talking to a homeopath, or getting hold of some homeopathic fly repellents, or making your own homemade fly repellent. In this you could include things like citronella, cedar oil, neem seed oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil and lavender oil which all seem to repel flies and sooth the skin. Also, keeping your horse out of the midday sun and keeping yards, fields and stalls very dry and clean will help reduce the amount of flies.  Also try feeding your horse powdered garlic, introducing it slowly. The scent of this on your horses breath helps repel flies.
I hope I have been of some use, I will read up on it and feel free to email me again if you need more advice.