Tick Tips: Protecting Your Horse From Ticks

Bronzz is a tick magnet

Bronzz and I would like to thank our kind facebook friends who offered suggestions for protecting him from ticks. Though I cannot vouch personally for the safety or effectiveness of anything, I am sharing those suggestions in case they are helpful to others, too. Do keep in mind that anyone can be allergic to anything, so stay alert when putting anything new in or on your horse. You can PM me if you would have suggestions to add.
- Fly sheet designed for riding, including neck cover. The sheet can be sprayed with repellent.
- My vet mentioned that ticks are less active when it is cooler, especially below 40 degrees (4 C), so plan riding in tick areas when temperatures are coolest.
- Keep pastures mowed low
- Keep tails trimmed so they do not touch grass
- Feed Diamond V yeast culture
- Feed cider vinegar, up to 1/4 cup a day
- Feed vitamin B1
- Feed SmartBug-off from Smartpak (this contains vinegar, B1, garlic, and MSM)
- Lever 2000 soap (original)
- Vicks vapo-rub. Ticks don’t like grease.
- MTG
- Essential oils such as: Citronella, Cedar oil, tea tree, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass
- Essential oils with Avon skin so soft
- Example of essential oil spray recipe: 2 cups of Eqyss Marigold Spray as a base. Add 3cc each of peppermint, rosemary, and lemongrass essential oils.
- Flicks all natural spray
- Frontline Spray or Frontline dog spot treatment
- Equispot
- Bugpellent
- Swat roll-on around ankles and cream on belly
- Show sheen
- Neem powder, in coat or fed to horse
- Lyme vaccine. Currently, this is the dog vaccine used off-label

For treating tick bites gone bad: When I emailed my vet a photo of a bite that was swelling and getting larger, she recommended hydrocortisone cream. Now I hit each bite first with triple-antibiotic, then 8-24 hours later I switch to hydrocortisone, washing the site with warm water periodically. So far, so good.

Another suggestion from a friend: Tick poultice -- smash up a small onion add a pinch of turmeric and enough cider vinegar to make a liquid. Use with a cotton ball. I'd attach where I can.