Whisper and I recently had the opportunity to put Ecovet's Fly Repellent Spray to the test. A new product, Ecovet is said to repel stable flies, horn flies, ticks, and cattle lice. But it's not just any old fly repellent. According to the Ecovet website, "Ecovet uses a proprietary mixture of naturally occurring fatty acids that confuses and overwhelms the insect’s normal directional ability, so the insect is unable to locate your horse as its next victim. It’s like having a GPS system that is shouting confusing and conflicting directions at you … until you finally give up." Sounds good to me, plus Ecovet is marketed as being a less toxic alternative to traditional fly sprays.
I received the 18 ounce bottle of Ecovet and put it to the test on Whisper. Flies are rampant in our area, and I traditionally use sprays such as Supershield Green and Repel-X. However, I was intrigued by Ecovet's use of fatty acids to confuse and repel insects.
From the first spray, it's evident that Ecovet is a very different product from the other fly sprays on the market. Ecovet has a very unusual smell - it is not at all what you would expect from a fly spray. Smelling similar to a men's body spray with hints of sage and other herbs, Ecovet smells powerful.
Unfortunately, I found that smell to be troublesome - no matter how much I held my breath and tried to stay out of the line of fire, I found myself going into strong coughing fits whenever I applied the product. My advice would be to apply Ecovet in an open area, not in a stall, to allow for maximum ventilation. Other horse owners at the barn agreed with me - the smell is powerful and irritating to some.
However, don't rule Ecovet out because of the smell alone. The product proved to be quite effective - I would say that it's more effective than the other fly sprays that I had been using. There were noticeably fewer flies on Whisper when I used Ecovet, and I was impressed by this spray's performance. A little goes a long way with this spray - the Ecovet website recommends reapplying only every two or three days - and the product smells so strongly that I found myself using it sparingly during each application.
I should also note that Whisper, being the thin-skinned Thoroughbred that she is, is highly sensitive to products. Ecovet didn't irritate her skin at all, which is always a concern. The product does seem to attract dirt once applied, but I've found this to be true with other fly sprays. It doesn't bother me enough to make me stop using the product, but if you applied it before a horse show, I'd recommend wiping your horse down with a rag afterward to pick up any extra dirt.
All in all, I was impressed by Ecovet. If I could change a single thing about it, I would make its smell less irritating, but that very characteristic may be what makes this product effective. An 18-ounce bottle of Ecovet retails for $25.00 on their website - while it's pricier than other fly sprays, I would say it's also more effective.
I received the 18 ounce bottle of Ecovet and put it to the test on Whisper. Flies are rampant in our area, and I traditionally use sprays such as Supershield Green and Repel-X. However, I was intrigued by Ecovet's use of fatty acids to confuse and repel insects.
From the first spray, it's evident that Ecovet is a very different product from the other fly sprays on the market. Ecovet has a very unusual smell - it is not at all what you would expect from a fly spray. Smelling similar to a men's body spray with hints of sage and other herbs, Ecovet smells powerful.
Unfortunately, I found that smell to be troublesome - no matter how much I held my breath and tried to stay out of the line of fire, I found myself going into strong coughing fits whenever I applied the product. My advice would be to apply Ecovet in an open area, not in a stall, to allow for maximum ventilation. Other horse owners at the barn agreed with me - the smell is powerful and irritating to some.
However, don't rule Ecovet out because of the smell alone. The product proved to be quite effective - I would say that it's more effective than the other fly sprays that I had been using. There were noticeably fewer flies on Whisper when I used Ecovet, and I was impressed by this spray's performance. A little goes a long way with this spray - the Ecovet website recommends reapplying only every two or three days - and the product smells so strongly that I found myself using it sparingly during each application.
I should also note that Whisper, being the thin-skinned Thoroughbred that she is, is highly sensitive to products. Ecovet didn't irritate her skin at all, which is always a concern. The product does seem to attract dirt once applied, but I've found this to be true with other fly sprays. It doesn't bother me enough to make me stop using the product, but if you applied it before a horse show, I'd recommend wiping your horse down with a rag afterward to pick up any extra dirt.
All in all, I was impressed by Ecovet. If I could change a single thing about it, I would make its smell less irritating, but that very characteristic may be what makes this product effective. An 18-ounce bottle of Ecovet retails for $25.00 on their website - while it's pricier than other fly sprays, I would say it's also more effective.
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