Ashmark Pony Stud

05/01/2026

Are the pesky bot flies bothering your horse? Here’s what you need to know⭣

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗧 𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗦? 🪰
Adult bot flies are brown, hairy, bee-like insects. Their sole purpose as adults is to mate and lay eggs - they do not bite or feed.

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗘𝗚𝗚𝗦?
Female bot flies hover around the horse and rapidly glue eggs to individual hairs, most commonly on the legs. Although the fly isn’t biting, this fast, buzzing behaviour is why horses often react strongly by stamping, kicking, or running. Once eggs have been laid, the adult bot fly dies soon after (often within days).

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧
Warmth, moisture, or licking causes the eggs to hatch, allowing larvae to enter the horse’s mouth. After developing in the mouth for several weeks, the larvae migrate to the stomach, where they attach and remain over winter. After approximately 10 months, they detach, pass out in the manure, burrow into the soil, and eventually emerge as adult flies completing the life cycle.

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗧 𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥
As the larvae migrate, they can irritate the mouth and surrounding tissues. While many horses show no obvious outward signs, even with heavy infestations, the presence of larvae in the stomach can contribute to gastric irritation and ulceration. Higher parasite burdens may increase the risk of discomfort and, in severe cases, colic.

𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧
✔️ Remove bot eggs regularly using a bot knife or similar tool.
✔️ Remove eggs in an area where your horse cannot graze and ingest them.
✔️ Horses are best wormed for bot flies in late Autumn to early Winter, when larvae are established in the stomach and treatment is most effective.
✔️ Always include bot treatment as part of a strategic, vet-guided parasite program.

👉🏼 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗢𝗠 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘
Even if you worm for bot flies, removing eggs is still important. Worming treats larvae inside the horse, while egg removal prevents new ones entering.

💡𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧 - Adult bot flies don’t bite or feed because they have no functional mouthparts, they live briefly on stored energy purely to reproduce!

14/12/2025

True

Tip of the day☝️

10/12/2025

I can’t imagine not having a horse in my life

For those who were raised by horses.... 🐴

Some people go through life
never knowing what it feels like
to love a horse.

Not just ride one.
Not just admire one.
But love one
in that deep, wordless, life-altering way
that changes the shape of your heart forever.

Horse people know.
We know what it means
to grow up in a barn,
to measure time by seasons and shows,
to learn courage in the saddle
and patience on the ground.

We know what it means
to be taught by an animal
who never speaks a single word
yet somehow understands more about us
than most people ever will.

Horses become part of your soul.
They teach you how to breathe
on the days when everything feels heavy.
They teach you how to trust
in a world that hasn’t always earned it.
They teach you how to stand tall
even when you’re shaking inside.

They see the parts of you
you don’t want the world to see—
the fear,
the doubt,
the hope,
the quiet dreams you only whisper
into a warm, waiting neck.

There’s a love between a horse and a human
that doesn’t fade.
It doesn’t weaken.
It doesn’t grow distant with time.

It settles into your bones
like something ancient and true.

Because horses aren’t just animals.
They’re the safe place you run to
when life feels too loud.
They’re the steady heartbeat
in a world that won’t stop spinning.
They are
freedom,
healing,
home—
all wrapped into one gentle, powerful being.

You can explain it to people
who have never loved a horse…
but they’ll never really understand
why one touch of a velvet muzzle
can undo you,
or why one soft nicker
can make your entire day lighter.

They won’t understand
why you still remember the smell of the barn
more clearly than the sound of your own childhood,
or why your best memories
are measured in hoofbeats.

But horse people understand.
We always do.
We carry these animals with us—
in our stories,
in our scars,
in our victories,
and in the quiet places
where the deepest parts of our hearts live.

Loving a horse is not a hobby.
It’s a way of being.
A way of breathing.
A way of becoming
who you were always meant to be.

And if you’ve ever been loved
by even one good horse…
you already know:
you are changed
for life.

Did you grow up with horses?

26/11/2025

Foals by Ashmark Lord

19/11/2025

Anyone want a hat.

01/11/2025

Please SHARE and keep an eye out for this stolen and much needed float.

Thank you for everyone who has shared my posts.
Every single share, comment, and suggestion helps.

We have not found it. We won’t stop looking.
Please keep sharing.

There’s a running joke with almost anyone who knows me when I roll in to a horse comp “how many ponies are in that float today?”

Because of 2 reasons.
My ponies float like saints so we can take extras,
And because I always have extra horses for kids who don’t own a pony.

I spend my life trying to help other kids enjoy horses.
I didnt ride as a child. I didnt have those opportunities. I know what it’s like to love something and not have the ability to achieve it.
I had to watch my friends ride, and just enjoy one lesson a year, as it’s all my parents could afford.

Now as an adult, I have a beautiful little business where I work every single day of my life, creating kids ponies out of quirky ponies, unbroken ponies, rescue ponies, all shapes and sizes come thru the gates. And most turn into fabulous kids ponies who go on to create dreams for and with children.

On Sunday night my float was stolen, after pony club and Geelong show, so it’s full of my girls gear.

I took 7 ponies to that rally. 2 were for my own children.

My float is gone. Full of irreplaceable gear.

I can no longer take ponies to pony club, or to local events for my children, or for the children who borrow ponies.

Help me find my float and the Hilux that stole it.

Sunday 26th October between 11:30-midnight a white hilux with a tray, scrub bars and NO front antenna was seen driving up to our gates and a young male got out of the passenger seat and went thru the paddocks to access the property.

Rego of my Olympic silver and navy float is
W38926

Pink interior

Stolen from chirnside park VIC

Somebody knows something.
Please help us

31/10/2025

How lovely

31/10/2025

27/10/2025

Please read and share Help find this stolen horse float