We received this lovely review from Alanna Clarke of our Neem based Fly Spray!
Her horse Halen suffers with some sweet itch, and she has been using our products to try to help the affected areas!
"The flies this year have been crazy, really irritating the horses and making their time in the field a misery so I was really pleased to be asked to review some of the products from The Alchemist Garden. This is a small company who make fly repellent sprays and balm using all-natural ingredients. Their website says “The Alchemist's Garden was born out of a desire to develop natural alternatives to the chemical based products that are offered in most tack shops throughout the United Kingdom. “
Firstly, I was interested to see that the fly spray contained Neem. Mum had told me previously about a spray she used with success on one of her horses who had sarcoids and found that neem had been great for keeping those pesky small biting flies away from the lesions. The Alchemists Garden’s spray also contains Lemon Eucalyptus, Citronella, and Carrot Seed Oil, which they claim work together to nourish the skin, and deter flies and insects and are safe to use.
I did a patch test on Halen the first time, just to check there were no reactions as apparently some horses can be sensitive to citronella, and I have to say the first thing that hit me was how pleasant it smells compared to the spray we’d been using before. All was well the next day so we sprayed Halen before I rode him in the school. We certainly weren’t bothered by flies during our ride and I was quite happy to turn him out having given him an extra spray. I found over time that the advice to reapply every 4 to 6 hours was right for normal flies, we were definitely getting great fly relief for up to 6 hours but would need to put it on again then.
There was an amazing and unexpected bonus though. Halen has a touch of sweet itch, and was rubbing his tail raw, in fact he’d made it bleed at one point, poor boy! Just 6 weeks after starting to use The Alchemist's Garden fly spray he now has his tail growing back and no more rubbing. The neem oil has helped to break the cycle of biting and rubbing. Check out the photo on the left for the before and after evidence!
I’ve also had good results with the Equine Fly Away Balm. Not only does Halen resent being sprayed but he is very difficult to handle around the face and head. He’s very tall and does an impression of a giraffe if you try to do anything, he always reminds me of a little boy having a dirty face wiped clean with mummy spit and a hankie! He also dislikes wearing a fly mask and is quite the Houdini when put out wearing one, he literally gets it off in 10 minutes some days, it’s just not worth doing. Luckily the balm is also pleasant and easy to apply, so I put it on him in the evenings before riding or bed and it seems to me that it’s still giving him relief the next day.
Do I recommend The Alchemists Garden fly repellent products? Yes. I do 100% especially for the amazing results with Halen’s tail. Not only did it look awful before but it was driving the poor boy mad scratching and it’s given him so much relief poor lad, Really good products that I will definitely continue to use. 5*****"
Check out Alanna's Blog HERE