new favorite fly spray

Quick tip: I've been using Nature's Defense last summer and again this one, and found we were having to reapply it several times a day. A friend recommended Espree, and I ordered a gallon of the concentrate b/c she's pretty picky and if she was touting this new product I trusted it would work.

We finished out our Nature's Defense concentrate and mixed up the first batch of Espree yesterday evening. It smells wonderful, and has a very soft "feel" to it. It's the first spray, even among the natural ones we've used, that I haven't minded putting in my bare hands and rubbing on horses' bellies and faces.

This morning when it was time for grooming, tick checks, and spraying, the horses lined up. Salina stood in the barn aisle waiting for her turn, and at one point went and touched the Espree spray bottle with her nose. Keil Bay refused to budge from his stall door, rubbing his neck against the top of the door. Cody went and stood at the gate to the small barnyard. They wanted their Espree!

The flies are not landing on the areas that have been sprayed. Salina went out in her paddock to graze (which she won't do if any biting insects are after her) and even out in the sunny barnyard, the green biting flies did not land on Keil Bay once I had sprayed him.

It's early to say I'm completely sold on this, but thus far, I'm very pleased and wanted to pass it on. Here's the blurb from the place I bought it:

Praised by horse owners, this all-purpose fly repellent combined with natural coat conditioners and sunscreens is incredibly effective. Espree's all natural non-irritating horse spray will aid in the control of flies, mosquitoes, gnats and other insects. Luxurious coat conditioners solve insect related skin problems. This gentle yet effective spray concentrate contains Citronella, Eucalyptus, and Cedarwood in a combination of Aloe and Mineral Oil that conditions the coat. Aloe Herbal fly repellent also contains a natural sunscreen.