WINNING
THE FLYSPRAYER BATTLE
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
Summer’s
finally here, bringing with it hot days, rain storms and pesky
flies and mosquitoes. For some, this time of year can be a nightmare,
especially if their horse is terrified of the ominous flysprayer.
The game of flyspraying has been played by equine and human
since the beginning and man has become quite creative at accomplishing
his mission. Just look in the flyspray section of any tackshop.
There you’ll find shelves of sprays, wipes, roll-ons and
ointments all claiming to keep those pesky critters off your
horse. There are even fancy flysheets, facemasks and ear covers
to help in the bug war. All of these products are great aids
for defeating flies, that is, as long as your horse will allow
you to use them. Unfortunately many horses have convinced their
owners that the flysprayer contains a horse-eating mist that
must be avoided at all costs. The second the horse sees the
sprayer, he pulls back or starts running in circles on the leadrope.
Because of this behavior, many owners have resorted to twitches,
blindfolds and tying up a front leg just to get horsie sprayed.
These methods all work eventually, but there’s an easier
way to accomplish this mission. It just takes time, patience
and understanding.
Most horses
are very tolerant of the things we do to them and, if introduced
properly, they’ll accept flyspraying also. Usually horses
become frightened of the spray because we have assumed they
know what it is. The typical scenario is like so: handler ties
horse to rail or cross-ties then without warning points the
sprayer at horse’s neck, usually on the direct stream,
not the mist, and sprays. Horse is startled and jumps back,
pulling on the rope. Handler yells at horse for pulling. The
horse becomes confused and within seconds, a vicious cycle has
begun and the handler declares the horse is afraid of flysprayers.
To counteract
this situation, use an empty spraybottle. Then, with only a
halter and leadrope on, put your horse in a small corral or
large stall. DON’T TIE HIM UP! Stand next to his shoulder
and show him the sprayer. Let him sniff and touch it. Then hold
the bottle at arm’s length to the front and make a hissing
sound. Don’t spray it. If your horse backs up, go with
him. When he stops, bring him forward and repeat the hissing.
Watch his body language. If he relaxes for a split second, praise
him. Continue until he begins relaxing, stands still, and lets
you rest the sprayer on his body. Repeat the process on the
other side. You might need to hold the leadrope and the side
of his halter in the same hand. At first, things can get pretty
hairy with your horse running in circles. Keep your cool and
be calm. As long as he doesn’t kick at you, continue calmly.
This could take days. Go slow. Reward your horse any time he
relaxes, even for a few seconds. When first starting this, avoid
letting your horse run into a corner as this gives him an escape
and a good shot at kicking you. He might even try to rear and
come over backwards. Don’t quit the first few times until
he stands for at least a second or two then quit on a good note.
Once your horse starts to slow down, start telling him to whoa
or stand.
When he
stands with the bottle at his shoulder, start on the rear. Stand
close to his shoulder facing backwards, Keep his head tipped
toward you. This puts you in the safety zone. By pulling on
the halter, all your horse can do is run around you in a circle.
Hold the sprayer at arm’s length away from his side, make
the hissing sound and begin bringing it closer. He will most
likely jump forward, trying to escape. Pull his head close and
let him run in a tight circle around you. Alternate the hissing
sound with words of calming encouragement. When he stops, praise
him with your voice or a treat. Continue until he stands. Repeat
the process until your horse relaxes as you hiss and rub the
sprayer over his back, rump and legs. If he kicks at you, get
professional help! Never tolerate a kicking horse!
When he
stands calmly as you do this, it’s time to add the water.
At this point, it’s cheaper to use water instead of costly
flyspray since you will be using a lot of it. Make sure the
sprayer is set for mist, then repeat the above process. Show
him the sprayer, then begin spraying about three feet from his
nose. Talk to him as you spray closer to him. Praise him as
the mist hits his chest. If he pulls back, go with him. After
he stops, bring him forward and try again. Don’t lose your
temper. Continue until he stands. Do this on both sides. Use
the same process for the hindquarters. If he wants to run around,
keep his head tucked into you and let him. He’ll soon tire.
Keep spraying. When he stops, praise him. Work at it until your
horse will stand with the leadrope draped over your arm. Only
when he will stand like this should you attempt to spray him
when tied, never before.
A few words
of caution: never spray your horse’s face as it might get
in his eyes. Be careful around his ears, you wouldn’t want
flyspray running down your ears, neither would he. It’s
best to simply put some flyspray on a towel and wipe it on
Depending
on your horse, the desensitizing process can take a few days
or weeks, but you’ll benefit in the long run.
archives
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
