Do Horses Get Fleas?

While grooming my horses the other day, I was brushing one when I began to notice little black dots leaping around its tail.

Since I also have dogs my mind instantly went to one place: fleas.

I was straight away concerned that my horse had fleas, although I’d never seen this before.

My assumption was that fleas could get anywhere and live anywhere there was hair, so, since I wasn’t sure about horses and fleas, I decided to look into it before panicking.

So, do horses get fleas?

In general, horses don’t often get fleas. Fleas tend to attack animals that live in nests, tunnels, caves and dens, and horses spend most of their time walking out in the open air. This doesn’t eliminate the possibility and it can still happen, but typically fleas are attracted to smaller animals.

It’s perfectly fine for me to say that horses don’t usually get fleas, but you may be sure that your horse does have fleas.

There are a few things you can do to help your flea-ridden horse out once you’ve spotted them, and there’s a few things you can do to prevent them coming back.

So, let’s take a look at what those are.

How do horses get fleas?

Fleas like to lie in wait in bedding, where ever they might have come from.

Often, all that needs to happen is one or two fleas get in from outside and have a chance to lay their eggs on a new host, which multiplies their numbers exponentially.

This is essentially how horses get fleas.

Fleas will get into their straw and their bedding, and wait for the horse to lie down at night.

Then, they will slowly crawl on and begin laying eggs.

Typically, horses are short-haired animals, and this is part of the reason they’re less affected by fleas than dogs or cats.

They have less hair to hide in, whereas with dogs and cats their hair is often very long and very thick.

This is why fleas are often found in a horse’s tail.

Fleas could also spread from other animals if you have dogs or cats on your homestead that are able to interact with them.

This is another very common way that horses can get fleas.

So, if you’re worried about fleas, you should always check your horse’s tail and its mane.

These are the two most likely spots to find fleas.

So, once you’ve found them, how do you get rid of them?

How do I get rid of fleas on my horse?

Getting rid of fleas on your horse is simpler and easier than you might imagine, and keeping them gone is easier still than with dogs and cats.

First of all, fill a bucket with water and about ¼ dish soap.

Thoroughly mix the two up to get the soap to dissolve.

Taking a dry brush or large flea comb, brush over the horse’s whole body once or twice.

This will be the most time-consuming part of the process, but it will make sure the horse is thoroughly cleaned before the proper job begins.

Dip the comb into the soapy water on the third go, and run through your horse’s mane and tail.

Then, take a spray bottle and fill it with equal parts water and white vinegar.

Mist this over your horse, being sure to keep it away from eyes, nose and mouth.

The vinegar gives off an extremely bitter taste and smell that will repel fleas—do this every couple of days to ensure they don’t return.

You can also add a very small amount of vinegar to your horse’s water.

Enough that it won’t notice, but also enough that it will get into your horse’s bloodstream and make them unpalatable to the fleas.

Finally, make sure to thoroughly clean your horse’s sleeping area and replace all the hay if you’ve noticed fleas.

As I said, this is where they will be hiding and one of the most likely areas they are to return from.

Remove all bedding and, if you really want to be sure, scrub the whole place down with soap and water.

Then replace with fresh bedding.

Can horse fleas live on humans?

Another question on a lot of people’s minds about horse fleas is whether or not they can transfer to humans.

Well, the important point here is that there are no particular kinds of flea specific to horses.

The fleas that affect horses are the same fleas that affect dogs and cats, so, yes, they can live on you as well.

This is another possible avenue of transmission; if you carry fleas from your dogs or cats to your horse.

So, fleas on horses can live on you no problem.

If you notice a lot fleas on you, take your own hygiene just as seriously and use medicated shampoo or any product to repel them.

So, fleas aren’t just a pest for your dog or cat: they can affect your horse too.

But there’s nothing to fear if you do find fleas on your horse.

Just give them a thorough clean and make sure as much of it is gone as you can, and then give their sleeping area a good clean as well to make sure they don’t come back.

Fleas live in the bedding of animals, and this is usually how they make their way on to the animal.