Tee Tree Oil As Insect Repellent
We asked horse training expert Cheyanne West. More about Cheyanne

Question
Hi,
I was just reading your article on Tea Tree Oil. I was interested in using it as an insect repellant. I'm curious, does this work well for the big horse flies. I have a broodmare that they just drive crazy. She sweats a lot and she is a dark color......they will not leave her alone. I feel sorry for her and I try to keep them off of her by using the conventional fly sprays. Because she actually gets frantic sometimes and runs and runs. We are gone all day at work and I worry she will get too stressed out. But at the same time I hate using all that pesticide on her.

So I wondered what your experience was with the horse flies and about how long to you think the protection lasts?

Thank you for any information you can spare.
Liz Watson

Answer
Dear Liz,
Unfortunately I have not had the best success with tea tree oil and those nasty horse and deer flies. What I have found to work best here in the mountains of Colorado is a mixture of one part Pinesol household cleaner and 2 parts mineral oil cut with a bit of water. Though it is NOT natural it is the only thing I have found that has kept the deer flies away.

Cheyanne West C-Hom
www.AskCheyanne@TodaysHorse.com