Tarp fun

I decided that it would be big fun to take a tarp out to play with the horses and see if I could get them to walk on it and check it out

I took the tarp out of the package and spread it out on the one side in the babies pen. They immediately came over to see what the heck I was up to and were stepping all over it without any hesitations. They sniffed it, pawed it, nibbled it and were more curious then afraid. Well that was easy... hmm maybe I should lift it up a little and see what they think of it then?

So up the tarp comes and Shoni decides that's enough for her and she walks over to a different section of the pen to watch. Tabasco perks his ears up and with the tarp taller than him he proceeds to walk on the tarp towards the high end and what do ya know, the tarp is now ground level. Now that he is completely standing on it I decide why not see if he will wear the tarp? So I wrap him up like a wonderful present and he is falling asleep on me. Well that went well lol I thought I would have to work a little harder than that- but I am NOT complaining just awed.

Eventually Shoni came back over to walk on the tarp and nibble on it some more and she let me rub it on her face and a little bit on her body. She did great with that but you could tell she was thinking hard about it and worrying a little. This is where pressure and release work so well and it really gives her more confidence.

At this point I notice how thick the flies are getting so I run up to the garage to get some flyspray and a brush. I brush all four horses and spray them down. Now it's the fifth horses turn... Shoni. She despises being sprayed with the bottle and likes to run away when she sees it. I don't usually halter any of the horses to brush them or spray them unless I need them to stand still. I didn't want to halter Shoni because I don't want her to associate being haltered with being sprayed but sometimes I do alternate. At this point the battle is on and she is running and Tabasco and trying to figure out what's going on. When she finally stops (behind Tabasco) I get her to look at me and sniff the bottle. Then I step back. Now she remembers this game. I get up to her and rub her with the bottle like it is a brush and as I am I spray her back then just rub her. Then I move down her legs and spray her leg. She runs off. And so the process continues with the touch and go- literally.

As she is running she is passing over the tarp and isn't thinking too much about it. After so many times of running over it it started bunching up. The next time she passed it got caught around her back legs a little and startled her and she kicked out at it. I guess I have a "oh no don't touch me there" spot (-Clinton Anderson) that I get to work with using scary objects. Eventually I got her mostly sprayed down and ended on a good note of rubbing her with the bottle and spraying her a couple of times without her moving then walking away.

Does anyone know any good spray for horses that kills/repels flies, mosquitoes, and ticks? And maybe doesn't smell so bad or have to be applied while wearing a glove? What do you guys use?