First Look
Banish those pesky blighters for good with the new Amigo Vamoose Evolution rug. Allison Lowther takes a closer look at what makes this fly rug so different
A new fly rug
YOU’VE PACKED AWAY the last of your winter rugs for a few months and now your attention turns to another potential issue for your horse – flies! Just when you think your horse can enjoy some quality time in the sunshine grazing with his pals, those pesky flies come along to make his life a misery. Making summer turnout more bearable can be an expensive business and usually the best form of attack is a combination of a lightweight mesh fly rug and applying copious amounts of fly repellent too. Help is now at hand with a new rug from leading rug manufacturer, Horseware Ireland. The Amigo Vamoose Evolution rug has been cleverly designed and developed to offer your horse complete protection from flies and other flying insects.
The use of colour
The first thing you’ll notice is the colour. This isn’t merely the new season’s colour combo; there’s some science behind why these particular shades have been chosen. Insects respond differently to different colours and interestingly, most insects cannot perceive orange or aqua. This is because their vision centres on different sections of the electromagnetic spectrum. Using this colour technlogy is a natural deterrent in itself, but combine this with the Horseware’s Vamoose technology and you have a rug that will keep flying nasties at bay.
Repel the flies
The top and sides of the rug are treated with Horseware’s Vamoose insect control technology. Vamoose is a synthetically engineered form of permerthrin, a powerful, natural fly repellent that’s odourless and invisible and proven to be an effective repellent for flies, mosquitos and midges. Now for the clever bit: the Vamoose technology is infused into the fabric of the rug and when worn by your horse forms a shield against insects, so they leave your horse in peace. Also, Vamoose technology eliminates or drastically reduces the need to use fly-repellent products and remains effective even after 20 washes, so should save you some money too.
Modern styling
On top of all the innovative fly-repelling technology, this rug features a disc front closure. The disc is positioned comfortably on your horse’s chest, complementing his shape and allowing his neck to lower comfortably while grazing. The top two fastenings form a V-front design that mimics your horse’s shoulder movement. The outer material is soft, strong and absorbent knitted polyester net, with sun-reflecting properties too. A supersized tail flap with a silky lining provides extra protection and the shoulder and mane area are lined to stop rubbing. For more coverage over the delicate tummy area, this rug has a large belly flap with Velcro closures and three straight surcingles to help hold the rug securely in place.