By: Cheyanne West
As soon as summer comes, one of the most common questions I am asked is "what insect repellent do you use?
Well the answer is not that simple. Living in the mountains of Colorado we have nasty deer flies that bite....hard! For this situation, mountain trail rides, I mix one part household Pinesol with two parts mineral oil then cut the mixture with a little water. This I spray on the horses tail, legs and chest and have found this mixture to be the best on the nastiest flies. Not natural you say? If you have ever been bitten by deer flies, you'll use it until you find something "natural" that works. After the ride, I hose the horse down to prevent build up.
When needing an insect repellent around a wound or bandage I mix one tablespoon of tea tree oil in 3/4-1 cup of water and spray the area. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and natural insect repellent. This works great around ears (keep our of the eyes) and bandages as well. (Speaking of ears, you know that white crusty stuff that forms in the ears during the summer? Mix 1 tablespoon of tea tree oil with 4 tablespoon's of liquified vaseline, stir well. Allow the mixture to harden and put a little bit in the ears every other day and it will clear up the condition in a month or so and act as a repellent as well. Do not put too much in as it may drip into the ear canal when it is warmed.)
As for general use on my dogs, horses, cats and around the threshold of my doors, pet carriers, etc., I use Absorbine's BLACK bottle of insect repellent. I have used it now for many, many years and have had the best of luck with it keeping away flies, fleas and ticks. And with a mare that has very sensitive skin, it has proven to be her life saver.