At 07:47:51 on 03.08.10, Flicka wrote:
Some interesting research has just been released which shows that white horses attract less flies and the darker your horse is the more he attracts! I shall make a point of studying whether this is true of our herd.
http://tinyurl.com/38b9rd3

At 09:49:48 on 03.08.10, NMH wrote:
Well that's odd, because over the years I've reckoned (tho' didn't coat horses with sticky paste & count the flies lol...) any 'white' greys I've had in a mixed herd attracted MORE flies. Maybe it depends on the flies, Hungarian ones behave differently from Somerset ones??

At 08:43:51 on 04.08.10, Flicka wrote:
Ha ha-well when I fed my horses yesterday I noticed the grey had one fly on him and my mare who is a bright bay had four. Actually I've hardly used fly spray this year and don't think I've noticed my horses being bothered with more flies than usual. I've been trying out a lot of Lucinda McAlpines natural horse management - she doesn't use it and says that flies are natures chiropractors for horses-have you ever seen your horse swipe at a fly and heard a crack in it's neck? LOL!

At 22:05:44 on 10.08.10, Em28 wrote:
ha ha that's a very good point Flicka about horses having to swipe for flies. I have never really considered the colour having an effect. I will try and notice more, although there aren't many greys up at the yard I ride.

At 22:40:53 on 10.08.10, La Palma wrote:
Silver is white in the winter, but in the summer he gets small brown spots all over his body from all the bites he gets from the flies. I have not seen any difference between colors, but some horses seems to have a thiner skin, and the flies likes that. We have two thoroughbred here and the flies likes there fine and soft skin.

At 12:01:20 on 11.08.10, LadyJennivieve wrote:
I have been walking somewhere cold and windy where there are lots of flies, and the person wearing the black shirt had their back covered in flies, but the person wearing a lighter colour had barely any. Maybe it's the same for horses?

At 13:49:33 on 11.08.10, EspritCheval wrote:
I dunno... Jack is a large grey thoroughbred at my riding school and during summer he gets tons but DJ is also a thoroughbred and he is a deep chocolate, almost black and I've only seen some around his bum. So I dunno =S hahaha

At 14:09:56 on 11.08.10, potty wrote:
My white connie is always covered in flies and my bare mare seems to be less attractive to the flies, but they have both been bitten on the eye virtually within a few days apart. Alongside the horses, i consider that they like me just as much . I dont think the flies are fussy, humans, horses. Conclusion MOST IRRITATING!!

At 18:12:04 on 12.08.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
When i ride out with june on her grey and she gets loads of flies whereas grenville who is very dark bay gets only a few :)

At 12:39:36 on 15.08.10, sophieandcallum wrote:
both callum (grey highland) and Prickle (bay thoroughbred) get LOADS of flies when we go for hacks up the forest, definately doesn't matter about the colour and it becomes even worse when they break a sweat! So the secret is to go as fast as possible haha