This Bug Dope is a God-Send, she says

Marsha Craig and her miniature horse, Lily, have provided hundreds of therapy hours to folks in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. Read more here.

But they spend most of their hours outside, at their home in Massachusetts.

Bugs are a problem there.
Or, at least they used to be.
After my Bug Dope Despair blogpost, Craig wrote to give props to Iguana Oil. Like many of us, she tried just about everything.

I live in an area called Hockomock Swamp, in other words –  Bug Haven!  The Hockomock Swamp is the largest freshwater swamp in Massachusetts.  It comprises almost 17,000 acres spread across parts of Easton, Bridgewater, Norton, Raynham, Taunton, and West Bridgewater.
I groom Lily in the morning and many hours later it’s a relief to see her relaxed, content with no foot stomping or tail swooshing.  Daily I take Lily for a walk down the street and as I pass my neighbors three minis, I feel so sorry for them as they swing their heads, always stomping their legs and constant tail in motion.  They get sprayed every day but you couldn’t prove it watching them.
Jack and I have never been able to work outside for any length of time or go beyond our field into the woods (where our muck pile sits) without being bombarded and bitten by all forms of bugs.
Iguana Oil has been a god-send for us.  The bugs may hover, but they have never land and that means no bites.  And I have to be honest, if we forget to oil up in the house and we’re near the barn, yes, we use the equine spray and results are as positive as they are for Lily.
Everyone comments on how great our animals smell (horse and dog are registered therapy animals and smell is important).  The birds, hummers, nothing near the barn or animals seem to be impacted negatively.  Won’t use anything else and believe with all my heart it is 100 percent safe.

BestHorsePractices tried it, spraying it liberally and wiping it on five equine faces. Then I watched the horses stomp hooves, swish tails, and seek the barn for fly relief just as much as they did before applying it.

Argh.

It smells lovely, though. And seems like it’ll be great for their coats.

And the ingredients are great: aloe vera, coconut oil, jojoba, patchouli, rosemary, cedar wood, neem, thyme, lemon eucalyptus, clove bud, geranium, peppermint, juniper, olive oil.

In considering all these products, I realized there is ONE which seems to be effective for a specific use: SWAT, an ointment for minor wounds and abrasions that has a fly repellant component. It wears off in a day, but most often, that gives the horse enough protection and relief from something like a cinch rub.