Testing

I know two posts in a row.... don't anyone faint out there. It is all part of my new me for 2011, getting back to the things I love and need in my life. I realized with the help of a good friend (Kim) that blogging is a way for my to express my feelings and release some of the stress in my life by talking about my life. Thanks again for all of you following and if this is your first time reading one of my posts than WELCOME and I hope you join in and comment and follow along as well.

This week I have been blessed with hubby taking the boys on the road with him for spring break. That means Me, mommy gets a much needed spring break as well! Yes, I still have to work but that sleeping in an extra half hour and being able to go see Frank after work without time constraints is wonderful. I even managed a girl's night out for dinner with friends the other night!

Last night I went out to the barn to ride and was joined by a young lady that works with me. She has riding experience but was rusty and is wanting to get back into trail riding and perhaps showing again. She has heard lots of stories about Frank and seen his pictures that plaster my office walls but never met him. She met me at the barn and got to meet my boy in person. He was turned out and not in gleaming show condition the way he appears in most of my pictures, but she could tell it was him. Frank is quite happy that spring has arrived and that he gets to go out on grass now. However, along with spring comes the flys. Hence our testing begins.
I hate to openly admit this but I was supposed to do this testing last summer for the folks at Absorbine. They were nice enough to tell me that they had been following my blog and asked me to review some fly spray for them. Unfortunately with WEG here at work and my limited time with Frank being at the trainers barn I did not get to post the results. I am happy to give you my brutally honest opinion on their product. Please note that I am not compensated for providing my opinion on the product in any way form or fashion. Sean if you are reading along you should know by now I am nothing if not brutally honest.

THE PRODUCT:


















Absorbine's pitch:

New Ultra Shield® Green from Absorbine® proves that "going green" can be both highly effective and Eco-safe. Ultra Shield® Green is a natural fly repellent that repels and controls biting flies, mosquitoes and gnats for up to 8-hours as demonstrated in an independent university study. 100% guaranteed.


My review on the product:

I started using the product in the middle of summer last year when the fly's were in full force. My program is to turn Frank out after feeding in the morning and he stays out until evening feeding. This leaves Frank pretty vulnerable to the little bloodsuckers all day long. I found the Ultrashield bottle to be easy to grasp and definitely easy to spot in my tack trunk due to the bright green label. I put the spray nozzle to spray and my routine is to start at the neck and work my way back, covering all areas generously. The Ultrashield Green has a bit of a fru fru smell for me and my barn owner also commented on the feminine smell of it. It did apply well and evenly but I noticed an almost oily sheen to it, it made me wonder if it would collect dirt. My fears were unfounded, what I did find is that is held up remarkable well to Frank rolling around in the dirt/grass and it did a great job keeping the flys off of him. When I returned that evening there were flys on his face around his mask where I had NOT applied the spray as a test. The next day I put a small amount on the fuzz at the bottom of his fly mask (think over the nose area) to see if this would keep the flys at bay. The test was a success! When I returned in the evening NO FLYS!

My overall opinion on the product is that it is a great fly protection product. The spray lasted at least 12 hours outside and did not collect dirt/dust to the horse's coat. While I found the smell a bit strong, I will say I am pretty sensitive to perfumes and smells in general. I would rate this product a 8 out of 10 with my on complaint being the smell.


If you are looking for a fly spray that stays on is natural and not full of icky pesticides than this is one for you to try!



Thank you to Absorbine for sending me the sample and for allowing me to critique your product. Frank and I think it works great and if you did an unscented version we would love to try it!



Happy trails.......