Ticks can have devastating effects on your horses health.

Can Ticks Really Put My Horse's Life In Danger? Yes They Can!

Ticks live by feeding off the blood of mammals, birds and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. They are carriers of a number of diseases including Lyme disease.

They are blood-sucking parasites that are most often found in tall grasses and shrubs. There they patiently wait for a passing victim.

They can be found in most wooded areas, pastures or forested areas throughout the world. They are most common along deer trails or horse paths.

These monstrous little creatures along with mosquitoes and flies can cause horses to severely rub against anything they can find to rid themselves of these biting creatures. This can lead to mutilation of manes and tails. They can also lead to severe health problems for your horse.

deer tick

How to prevent these blood-sucking pests:

Treat horses with repellent products designed especially for horses.

Grooming your horse on a daily basis will alert you to possible infestations. Quick tip: Always be sure and check inside the ears. The ears seem to be a favorite hot spot. A horse that gets a severe infestation of ear ticks can become very ear shy. This makes them extremely hard to remove.

To solve this problem, I spray the inside of my horse’s ears with Frontline once a month. If you don’t know what Frontline is, it is a flea spray for dogs. You can get it from your vet or local co-op.

Remove the parasites from your horse by grasping them as close to the head as possible. After removing it, drop it into a small container filled with alcohol.

Keep a flock of guinea fowl or chickens in the field for insect control. They love to eat all kinds of insects. A quick note about guineas. If you decide to keep them, Do Not--buy fly predators to control flies. The chickens and guineas will eat all your fly predators. (Learned that the hard way).

Common Name	Genus & Species	Physical Description (Adult Ticks)	Range	Diseases Transmitted & Conditions Caused
American Dog Tick	Dermacentor variabilis	Dark brown with creamy-gray markings behind head	Eastern 2/3 of U.S.; Pacific Northwest	Piroplasmosis (Babesiosis); Spotted Fever, Tularemia
Brown Dog Tick	Rhipicephalus sanguineus	Uniformly brown; about half the size of wood ticks	Worldwide	Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (Ehrlichiosis)
Deer (or Black-Legged) Tick	Ixodes scapularis	Tear drop-shaped; the size of a poppy seed as adults	Eastern U.S.	Lyme disease, Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, Piroplasmosis
Gulf Coast Tick	Amblyomma maculatum	Oval with striped legs. Females: white collar behind head. Males: White striations throughout body	Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coastal areas; Kansas; Oklahoma	Heartwater, African Theileriases
Lone Star Tick	Amblyomma americanum	Rounded with striped legs. Females: pearly-white spot on back; Males: scattered white streaks on back.	Southeastern and South-Central U.S.	Lyme disease, Spotted Fever, Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis
Pacific Coast Tick	Dermacentor occidentalis	Light brown with a spotted white collar behind head	Pacific Ocean coastal areas	Colorado Tick Fever, Tick Paralysis
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick	Dermacentor andersoni	Tear-shaped, black body with brown and silver pattern collar behind head	Western U.S.	Rickettsia, Colorado Tick Fever, Tularemia, Tick Paralysis
Spinose Ear Tick	Otobius megnini	Peanut-shaped and covered with small spines	Western U.S.	Causes intense irritation, rubbing, and hair loss
Tropical Horse Tick	Dermacentor nitens	Dark black body	Southern U.S.	Piroplasmosis
Western Black-Legged Tick	Ixodes pacificus	Dark brown with a black collar behind the head	Western U.S.	Lyme disease, Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis
Winter (Moose) Tick	Dermacentor albipictus	Oblong oval shape, entirely brown body	Throughout U.S.	Emaciation, Anemia

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