Flies can make turnout time miserable for your horse — and they can be annoying for us too. To help ease the irritation you’re likely to use a fly repellent, but with so many available, which one do you spend your money on?

To help you find an effective one our testers have tried out eight over the past few months. Read on to find out how they rated each of them and which one is highly recommended.

Each fly repellent is marked out of five for ease of use, effectiveness, and value for money. This gives an overall rating out of 15.


Our winner is…

Leovet Power Phaser

1. LEOVET POWER PHASER

RRP £20 for 550ml

leovet.de/en

Ease of use: Quick and easy to apply. A very good spray that offers excellent coverage in just a few squirts. 5 stars

Effectiveness: This repellent has a strong smell which bugs definitely don’t like and it makes them stay away. It’s particularly good at keeping horse flies at bay. The effect seems to last for hours too, which is a positive. 5 stars

Value for money: A little more expensive but it’s effective, so good value. 4.5 stars

Total score: 14.5


2. CARR & DAY & MARTIN FLYGARD

Carr & Day & Martin Fly Guard

RRP £12.49 for 500ml

carrdaymartin.com

Ease of use: Love the spray on this one — it produces a fine mist that covers the coat quickly and easily. 5 stars

Effectiveness: This repellent works well — both of my horses seemed less bothered by flies. On hot days I did reapply it in the afternoon. It doesn’t have a strong smell and their coats look amazing thanks to the conditioner it contains. 4.5 stars

Value for money: Very good value for an effective fly repellent. 4.5 stars

Total score: 14


3. BARRIER SUPER PLUS FLY REPELLENT

Barrier Super Plus Fly Repellent

RRP £13.42 for 500ml

barrier-biotech.com

Ease of use: The spray covers the coat well so you don’t need to use too much. It contains avocado oil which leaves a nice shine, not residue. 5 stars

Effectiveness: This fly repellent has quite a strong smell of cloves but I like it. I’m pretty impressed at how well this product works, although I did reapply it in the afternoon on warmer days. It also contains only natural ingredients, which is plus. 4.5 stars

Value for money: Very good value — works with no need to coat your horse in it. 4.5 stars

Total score: 14


4. NAF DEET POWER

Naf Deet Power

RRP £17.99 for 750ml

naf-equine.eu/uk

Ease of use: A big bottle that’s easy to hold. Initially it didn’t spray very evenly but this has improved as the amount of liquid in the bottle has gone down. 4 stars

Effectiveness: This fly repellent is excellent. I only had to apply it once a day — the effects really last. The smell is a little chemically, but the flies don’t like it. 5 stars

Value for money: Very good value for an effective fly repellent. 5 stars

Total score: 14


5. EQUIMINS FLY REPELLENT EXTRA STRENGTH

Equimins Extra Strength Fly Repellent

RRP £15.73 for 500ml

equimins.com

Ease of use: This one recommends you apply using a sponge, and to rub onto the coat. This takes a little longer than spraying but a little goes a long way. 4 stars

Effectiveness: This works well and keeps the bugs at bay for some time. It works really well on mosquitos which irritate my horse on our evening hacks, but no a problem if I apply this before we go. 5 stars

Value for money: Very good value for an effective repellent. 4.5 stars

Total score: 13.5


6. EQUINE AMERICA STINGER FLY AND INSECT REPELLENT

Equine America Stringer Fly and Insect Repellent

RRP £16.99 for 750ml

equine-america.co.uk

Ease of use: Simple to apply. The spray is not as fine as some others tested so I did find I applied more to get the coverage on my horse’s coat. 4 stars

Effectiveness: This repellent is very good. It has a pleasant smell to it and the flies stay away, there is definitely less tail swishing and head shaking when my horses are wearing this repellent. On warm sunny days I did reapply in the afternoon. 5 stars

Value for money: Good value for an effective fly repellent. 4.5 stars

Total score: 13.5


7. ABSORBINE ULTRASHIELD GREEN

Absorbine UltraShield Green

RRP £25.03 for 946ml

absorbine.co.uk

Ease of use: Love the spray on this one; the fan covers a large area. It also sprays upside down — great for under your horse’s belly. 5 stars

Effectiveness: This product has a pleasant fresh smell and it contains all natural ingredients, which I like. It works well enough but is not as effective as some others in this test. I reapplied it halfway through the day. 4 stars

Value for money: One of the pricier ones, but you won’t waste any thanks to the clever spray. 4 stars

Total score: 13


8. NETTEX ADVANCED FLY REPELLENT

Nettex Fly Repellent

RRP £18.10 for 500ml

nettexequine.com

Ease of use: A good spray giving good coverage, but I did find it left the coat a bit greasy. 4 stars

Effectiveness: A DEET-based repellent that works well — both horses seemed much less bothered by flies. On warmer, sunny days it did need reapplying. 4.5 stars

Value for money: Fair price — just be prepared to reapply during the day. 4 stars

Total score: 12.5


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