08/20/2026
So I'm doing a little experiment with 3 different fly sprays to see which one works the best and lasts the longest. I NEVER go by how long the label says it lasts as they all say they last days to weeks when in reality you're lucky if they last hours to a day. I'd love to experiemtn with every fly spray on the market but they are a little expensitve and many are just a waste of money so I picked the 3 that some up in searches and posts as working the best. I put a different spray on each horse so they're all being tested under the exact same conditions.
My test subjects are Gunner, Gambit, and Storm.
The fly sprays are Farman's Endure at $73.97/gal on chewy, boasts being sweat resistant, : kills and repels several types of flies, gnats, mosquitoes, lice, and ticks, and contains sun-screen;
Absorbine's Ultra Shield EX (often refered to as Ultra Shield black as there are several different types of US in different colored bottles) at $79.19/gal, boasts the same as Endure;
and Ecovet at $165.90/gal boasts a natural oil-based formula that creates a "barrier" rather than killing insects so as to not harm benificial insects like honeybees, with no insect resistance.
Ecovet is over doulbe the price of the others so I would expect to only have to use half the amount for it to be worth it! Ecovet is also very irritating to the nasal passages. It doesn't have an unpleasant smell (smells clean) but it'll seize up your lungs! The horses HATE it! You cannot apply it inside a stall or barn, you really need at least a little breeze or walk the horse out of the fumes as you spray it, especially when spraying around the neck, chest, and front legs. I never spray any fly spray directly on the face as they STING the eyes. I spray in my hand and wipe it on their face and ears. The others don't have this effect. US smells like citronella and Endure smells kind of plasticy. I started out today with a light spray covering the entire body. A few minutes after spraying I wnet out and took pictures of them and observed how much they were stomping, tail swishing and skin twitching. Don't mind the muddy feet!
Gunner w/ Endure was moderately stomping and skin twitching already.
Gambit w/ US was mildly stomping (not stomping hard, just lifting and placing his feet like flies were maybe touching but not landing), no skin twitching, and moderate tail flapping.
Storm w/ Ecovet was not stomping at all but did have a lot of skin twitching going on.
I will observe again later and post in the comments below. Tomorrow or the next day, depending on if there's still any residual effects from today left, I'll spray a bit heavier and add the results in the comments.
