How Protecting Your Horses from EEE with Mosquito Control Makes Perfect Horse Sense.

If you are a horse owner, you probably already know all the must do’s and must have’s to properly care for your equine. These include feeding the right combination of nutrients for each horse’s diet, the proper amount of roughage in their diet, keeping their stall and paddock clean and orderly, making sure they are groomed properly and making sure they are wormed and immunized properly. One aspect of protecting your horse is keeping them safe from the risk of contracting illness or disease.  Since horses spend a great deal of their lives outdoors in the pasture, or even in the show ring, protecting them from mosquito-borne illnesses like Eastern Equine Encephalitis should be part of their maintenance and care.

What Is EEE?

Eastern Equine Encephalitis, commonly known as EEE, is a viral disease which is transmitted to mosquitoes through feeding off birds infected with the virus. The disease is then passed onto a host by being bitten by a mosquito infected with the virus. The disease can infect equine such as horses, donkeys, mules and zebras and other types of animals such as alpacas, llamas, and sheep. Humans can contract the disease as well and the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems are most at risk for becoming gravely ill from EEE.  Last season alone, the disease claimed the lives of  five horses in our area. Horse enthusiasts and those who depend on the horse industry as their livelihood should take the dangers of Eastern Equine Encephalitis very seriously because there is no cure for the disease and in horses the disease is usually fatal.

Controlling the mosquitoes in your horse’s environment is one aspect of horse care that is often overlooked by horse owners. They feel that fly sprays and topical insect repellents are enough to keep the mosquitoes away which is not the case. Fly sprays generally target flies and lice and offer very little protection from biting mosquitoes. In order to properly protect your horse you have to instill the practice of mosquito control and prevention. One of the most effective and safest methods for protecting your horse from mosquitoes is a mosquito misting system.

The North Shore area is horse country and some horse facilities in our area are concerned about the negative effects that mosquitoes can have on the welfare of their herds. One advocate of our mosquito control system is Myopia Hunt Club which is located in close by Hamilton, MA.Their program is centered on the good health of their horses at the facility, and if Myopia Hunt Club uses Mosquito Squad of Chelmsford & Cambridge, it makes perfect horse sense that you should too.