6/ JUNE 2018 THE RIDER The Way of Horses: Fly Spray Ingredients


a wetting agent, defoamer and lubricant. BPG is man-made. Butoxy polypropylene glycol cannot be used


on animals intended for slaughter or foals less than 12 weeks of age. It can cause minor eye and skin irritation, but is generally safe when used accord- ing to the product’s directions. BPG is never used as a sole ingredient. http://pesticideinfo.org/De- tail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34206 Cajeput – used as a repellent in some natural


products. It comes from the cajeput tree, which grows in Australia and southeast Asia. Cajeput is primarily used in human products


By Eleanor Blazer Copyright @ 2018


I read product “ingredient” labels. But reading the ingredient list on


horse fly spray is like reading a foreign language. What is that stuff? Well you better


know…some ingredients are toxic, some are poisons and some are just irritating. Some of the ingredients are natural,


some are synthetic, some are repellents (provides a barrier or drives off insects) and some are insecticides (kills insects through contact, ingestion or inhalation). The ingredients may be found in


different percentages and several may be mixed in the same product. In addition to the following active ingredients, fly sprays will also contain substances that act as carriers, fragrance, coat condition- ers or as an aid to prevent the sun from breaking down the ingredients. I’ve done the research, now you use


the list to check what’s in your horse fly spray.


Butoxy polypropylene glycol – classified as a repellent. It is also used as


as a treatment for joint problems, as an inhaled de- congestant; in topical solutions for burns, oily skin, eczema and muscle pain. Cajeput is also used in aromatherapy. It has a camphor-like smell that is slightly fruity. The oil can irritate the skin. Cedar oil – used as a repellent in some natural


products. It is extracted from cypress or juniper trees (rarely from true cedar trees). Cedar oil is primarily used in pet products to repel fleas. It is not very effective for repelling insects that com- monly torment horses. It is an irritant to the eyes and can also cause mild irritation of skin. Citronella – used as a natural insect repellent and is also classified as a biopesticide by the Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA). A biopesticide controls pests naturally and is non-toxic. It is ex- tracted from the cymbopogon (lemongrass) plant. Citronella is most effective against mosqui-


toes, though it needs to be re-applied frequently. It has also been used to control lice. It can be a skin


irritant in some horses.


http://pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_ Id=PC35066 Clove stem – used as a natural insect repellent. Clove stem oil is extracted from the stems of cloves, an evergreen type tree. Cloves are grown in Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and the Molucca Islands. It is common in human aro- matherapy and homeopathic products.


or eq Clove essential oils can be skin irritants and


should not be used at more than one percent dilu- tion. Precautions on human products state “clove essential oil should not be used in cases of hemo- philia, alcoholism, prostrate cancer, kidney prob- lems, liver problems and in conjunction with the use of anti-coagulants.” Corn mint oil – used as a natural repellent.


Corn mint is primarily grown in Europe. The corn mint plant has a strong overwhelming mint smell and is used in gardens to repel pests. If taken in- ternally it can cause abortion in humans. Cypermethrin – is primarily an insecticide (it


kills insects that eat or come in contact with it). Cypermethrin is a pryethroid (a synthetic or man- made chemical that is designed to work like natu- ral pyrethrin). It is highly toxic to fish, bees and water insects. In addition to killing insects, the chemical is


considered to be a barrier, providing dual protec- tion.


Cypermethrin is the strongest pryethroid on


the market and the most toxic. http://pesticide- info.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC35735 Di-n-propyl Isocinchomeronate – a synthetic


insect repellent. It is used to expand repellent properties of other ingredients. Target pests are bit- ing flies (i.e., black flies, bot flies, deer flies, face flies, horn flies, stable flies and horse flies), chig- gers, fleas, gnats, house flies, lice, mosquitoes, and t


i c k s .


http://pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_ Id=PC32798 Eucalyptus – is a natural insect repellent. The


oil is extracted from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree (found in Australia) and from a grass located in Asia (C. nardus and C. winterianus). It is thought the scent confuses insects, making it dif- ficult for them to locate the target. Eucalyptus is most effective against mosquitoes. The EPA warns of eye irritation. http://pesticideinfo.org/De- tail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC50


quine so os p tne sin outio p


Geraniol – is derived from plants (primarily


the geranium) and works as a natural mosquito re- pellent. It is also used in human perfume and as flavoring in some foods. It may attract bees due to its fragrant sweet odor. Lemongrass - see citronella. N-octyl Bicycloheptene Dicarboximide


(MGK-264) – a synergist, it enhances the proper- ties of other pesticide chemicals. It has no repel- lent or insecticidal properties of its own. http://pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_ Id=PC55 Pennyroyal – may be used as a natural insect


repellent. It is highly toxic and causes abortions. Pennyroyal is a plant in the mint family. It should not be used on pets or humans. Peppermint – sometimes appears as an ingre-


dient in natural insect repellents. It is extracted from a plant which is a hybrid cross between the watermint and spearmint plants. It is safe, but not very effective as an insect repellent. Permethrin – a pyrethroid (synthetic) insecti-


cide. Permethrin is highly toxic to cats and will kill them. Permethrin can be an ingredient in spray and


wipe-on products that are applied directly to the horse. It is also an ingredient in many premise sprays.


Continued on Page 7 Yor equine soutios patne since 1987 nce 1987 98


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