It’s no surprise that I love incorporating an easy DIY into a lot of my equine practices. If I can conjure a recipe at home for something I need before running to the store to purchase it, I totally will! I’m an absolute sucker for a phenomenal dupe and so I’d love to share one with you that has worked wonders for me (and my mares).
We all know, that when the heat arrives, so do the flies. There are a few tried and true fly sprays available (ahem, Pyranha.) but who doesn’t love a super fun and easy DIY?!
Side note– This makes for a fun experience if you have kids and they want to join in on the summer fun! I know mine loved making this with me and then using it on our horses and steer to see how well it worked.
What you need:
- Measuring Pitcher
- A plastic spray bottle (Hello, Dollar Tree)
- Water
- Apple cider vinegar
- Bath oil (literally whatever you have on hand will work great!)
- Citronella oil
Steps to follow:
- Mix two cups of apple cider vinegar and one cup of water in your measuring pitcher. 2. Add in one cup of bath oil.
- Add in two teaspoons of citronella oil.
- Mix all of the ingredients well and pour them into your spray bottle.
- Give it a good shake and then apply it to your horse’s coat! BAM you’re done!
Pro Tip:
I think this DIY serves as a great Pyranha dupe. However, I also suggest adding anywhere in between ¼ and ½ cup of 50/50 diluted apple cider vinegar to your horse’s daily feed to also help repel insects!
Play around and see what works best for you and your horse. You may find that you only want to use the DIY repellant or that you only want to add ACV to their feed as an insect repellant and both of those are great options. Personally, I prefer to do both so I figured I’d share that tip with you all as well.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this and if you have a different insect repellant that you’ve made or you’ve tried mine and you have feedback, I’d love to hear it! Drop a comment below or reach out to me on my personal Instagram at @unbridledmama.
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