Sensitive Fly Spray

My Arabian gelding, B, is has very sensitive skin. I have to be careful what I put on him, or he gets these awful raw patches all over his skin... not pretty or comfy for him at all. He is also pretty sensitive to lots of sun, bugs, etc. His skin just has a fit. He enjoys staying in a nice cool stall on most hot days :) Anyway, after learning the hard way that regular old store bought fly-spray of various kinds doesn't work on him (well... maybe it kept the bugs away, but what good is that when it leads to big, oozing skin problems?), I scouted out recipes for 'sensitive' fly spray. After reading various recipes, I came up with what I now use. It works, doesn't hurt his skin, and is relatively cheap to make.

In a regular size spray bottle, I fill it a little less than half way with distilled white vinegar. Then I fill nearly the rest of the bottle with water. Next I squirt a little Ivory dish soap in, along with a dash or two of Avon Skin-So-Soft or citronella oil. Put on the nozzle, shake, and your ready to go!

Like I said before, it seems to work well, and it is so nice not to have to worry if it will cause my horses skin to break out. It may not last as long as the other types of fly-spray, but it seems to last me just fine through an all day ride!

B 

The Best Yard Sale Horsey Find . Ever.

Mom and I finally packed up our unwanted crud and headed off to have a yard sale. We chose to sell at a local fire department that hosts sales on certain weekends. Lots of people selling and lots buying. Perfect. A while after we unloaded our stuff and set it out, Mom went and perused the other stuff for sale. We are like that... take our stuff to sell, but won't pass up taking a look at what else we could bring home. You never know what treasure you might find and can't live without! Right? Right....

She was only gone for a few minutes, and then I see her headed back to our area with a large purple thing in her arms. As she gets closer, I begin to recognize what it appears she has found. Naw, I tell myself. There's no way. You see, I dabble in the awesome world of endurance riding, and I have slowly but surely acquired the tack & equipment that I need, mostly thanks to my family. Christmas, birthdays, and often for no reason at all, they have gotten me the stuff I need to ride competitively. They are the best family ever, but not only for that reason ;)

Anyway, back to the purple thing I am seeing in Mom's arms. A big grin on her face as she gets closer, and I know it is indeed what I think it is. It's a Toklat Cool Back saddle pad! From a yard sale... In an area where next to no one rides English, let alone endurance. Where the heck did this thing come from?? You may not be as excited about this find as me, but I thought it was amazing! How much did Mom pay for this not-at-all-cheap saddle pad? $1. Yup. That's it. Yes, it had been used, but it wasn't worn out by any means, and it was very clean. It was purple too.... and purple is my color. My biothane bridle is purple. My pack is purple. The brand new Toklat Cool Back pad I already have is purple. But now I have an extra pad to use, which is great, and it cost a whole $1. Yay! Mom also picked up some reigns and a lunge line I believe. I was too distracted by the saddle pad to pay attention to the other horsey finds. The people Mom bought the stuff from didn't know much about it; it was donated to them because they were selling items to raise money for the local animal shelter.

It's looking a little blue here, but it's really a deep purple.

Best yard sale find ever. Thanks, Mom! I hope to put it to good use this weekend!

Happy 4th!