Garlic For Horses – A Natural Repellent?

In my article Fly Control For Horses, A Non-Toxic Program, I covered several complementary methods you can use that can reduce if not eliminate the amount of toxic chemicals used when controlling flies.  After receiving a comment from a reader inquiring about using Garlic for assisting in fly control, I realized that was one item I didn’t cover.

The article on fly control is not complete without talking about Garlic.

I figured it would be beneficial to everyone if I answered some of her questions in this article.  I also wanted to provide a little more direction when it comes to using Garlic, especially for helping to control both internal and external pests / parasites.

For more information on parasite control see our article Parasite Resistance In Horses And Chemical Deworming.

If you Google “Horses and Garlic” you will get a significant amount of information on the subject, so I’m going to stick to what my own personal beliefs and experiences have been when it comes to using this wonderful herb.

First, A General Overview Of Garlic

Garlic is the best known and most widely used herb in the horse world and for good reason.  It’s one of those substances that Mother Nature provides that can assist us in many situations.

It’s rich in natural sulfur, and can sometimes help in reducing internal parasites.  It helps to cleanse the blood and, when excreted, will help with repelling external pests, such as biting flies or ticks.

Garlic is a natural antibiotic.  It’s especially ideal for most any respiratory problem, which I personally experienced with one of my horses many years ago.  Since it is both an antibiotic and it assists in soothing a cough, it can help with mucus in the lungs and any infection that is present.

Another attribute of Garlic is its ability to improve digestion by supporting the development of natural bacterial flora.  This is key to a good digestive system, which in-turn is important to a strong immune system.

If you would like to help protect yourself and your animals from infection, this is one of the best herbs to turn to.

My Personal Experiences With Garlic

Now that you got the CliffNotes / condensed version of some of Garlic’s benefits, I’ll move on to sharing with you my personal experiences and thoughts about using this herb for horses.

First of all, I tend to liken Garlic to Apple Cider Vinegar.  They are both capable of so much, but the results will vary depending on how your or your horse’s body prioritizes what issue needs help first.

Both are in the form Mother Nature intended (whole food, minimal if no processing) which is one of the reasons they both have so many benefits.  Most people might think.. “Wow that must be a miracle substance,” but in all honesty, when the body is given the nutrients it needs in the proper form, the results can be amazing.

I personally feed Garlic to my horses and know that the quality of the herb you purchase is important.  Some processing methods will compromise the product, and then you’re wasting your money and you end up thinking it just doesn’t work.  On that note, be careful whom you purchase your Garlic from.

I use to feed my horses a very good product that contained Garlic, Diatomaceous Earth, and other wonderful things, but then that company started adding a soy ingredient to the product so I quit using it.  I was pretty disappointed because it was a very good product.

So, always be sure to read the ingredients, even if you’ve been purchasing a product for a long time.

I now use straight Garlic.  We carry both the granules and the powder form in our online store.  My horses like both, and it doesn’t matter which form I feed to them.  Some horses are pretty picky and may not eat one form or the other, so it’s best to experiment.

Even quality Garlic is not too expensive and it doesn’t take much when you’re feeding it.  If your horses don’t mind the taste, you may need to bump up the amount you give them during the times of the year when external pests are at their peak.  Again, it’s best to experiment with the amount.

If you do increase the amount during high infestation times, you’ll need to allow it time to build up in the horse’s system.  Since this is an herb and not a drug, and it works naturally with the body, it’s best to give it about two to four weeks to build up in the system.

Another good quality Garlic product is by a company called Springtime Inc.  Their Bug Off Garlic is a great product.

Right now, those are the only two Garlic products I feel comfortable recommending:

• Hilton Herbs Garlic Powder & Granules – You can find these products in our online store
• Springtime Inc.’s Bug Off Garlic

One More Note On External Pests

Something I feel is worth mentioning… I have noticed over the years, no matter what horse facility I go to, there will be certain horses that “attract” more flies than others.  In my experience, this is usually an indicator of a horse who is more compromised than the other horse(s) around her (ie. immune system).

The level of a horse’s pest / fly or parasite “attractant” can correlate to how healthy they are or to their being fed an unnatural and inappropriate diet.

Don’t over analyze this concept; it’s good to just be aware of it.

A quick example in my own small herd of three… during the summer months, the flies will almost always gravitate over to my more compromised horse… my insulin resistant (IR) challenged horse.  All three of my horses can be standing side by side and the flies will almost always gravitate over to him.

I’m aware of it and I make sure I gauge it.  Not only that, I make sure I notice where on his body the flies gravitate to.

On that note, I’m going to sign off and thank you for stopping by.  Please feel free to drop us a comment and let us know if you are using Garlic or if you have more questions that may not have been addressed in this article.

We would be happy to help.

Until next time!

Non-traditionally yours,

Stephanie Krahl

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