Posted: 22nd July 2014 | Back to news feed
Sentomol’s David Loughlin provided visitors attending the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies (SWHP) Open Day with welcome relief from horseflies last fortnight, which was particularly fitting as this charity, near Monmouth, was the test site for the H-Trap in the UK.
“In South East Wales, we have a lot of horseflies in the Spring and Summer months and they are a constant nuisance when out of doors. I didn’t have to look far to test the H-Trap before we introduced it to the UK market,” says David. “Our near neighbours, the SWHP, regularly house up to 35 horses and ponies on 30 acres of grazing in the secluded Monnow valley near Monmouth. With Jenny’s (Jenny MacGregor MBE, chairman of SWHP) agreement, I set up the H-trap…and no sooner had I finished erecting the first trap, than a horsefly entered the chamber. A matter of a few hours later, there were masses of flies inside the chamber and I was convinced- not only did the H-Trap work, but I could see the benefit it could provide to horses and their owners.”
The Open Day on 7th July was very well attended with a variety of stalls, a dog show and the popular parade of horses. The day raised over £5000, which helps to support the centre and contribute towards its running costs, which last year were in excess of £250,000. The H-Trap was a popular attraction with the large black ball and its green canopy leaving visitors mystified as to its purpose!
“It was great to be able to attend the SWHP’s Open Day and explain how the H-Trap works to the many visitors,” says David. “We’ve donated a number of our horsefly traps to the charity and I’m so pleased that they’ve proven to be of value to SWHP- the visitors also seemed to appreciate them! Not only are they chemical free, they can be used year on year and help to reduce the local horsefly population. It’s the female horseflies that are attracted to the H-Trap and removing these helps reduce subsequent fly numbers. This reduction helps to provide long term relief for the animals at SWHP and the staff that work there, and we’re really pleased to be able to help.”
"We are delighted with the Fly Traps David Loughlin has provided for The Society for the Welfare or Horses and Ponies,” says Jenny MacGregor from SWHP. “They have made a great difference to our horses, even catching lots of bot flies, which we are thrilled about."
For more information on the H-trap Horsefly Trap, see www.horseflytrap.co.uk. To learn more about SWHP, see www.swhp.co.uk.
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