# Fly Mask pros and cons, please.



## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Hiya,

I am considering putting a fly mask on my horse, the flies won't leave his eyes alone!

What are the pros and cons of using one?

This is the one I am considering: 
Cashel Crusader Fly Mask - Statelinetack.com

Thanks in advance.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

The only cons I can think of are having to go find it after your horse removes it and trying to find the one that is not caked with mud that you know you took home and washed and just has to be in this tack trunk some where.

They not only provide some protection against bugs but they also provide some protection against the sun.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Thanks AB


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## dreamsintotreasure (Jun 22, 2011)

I use one almost everday on my horse and from what little I know, there aren't many cons. Pros obviously keep flies out of their eyes and like the previous post it does give some protection from the sun. I have heard that it can lesson their vision if they are out in the rain with it on (not permanetly but just while it is raining), but if it is raining then the flies won't be bad so you can just take it off. I don't know that for a fact, but that is what somebody told me.

(Knock on wood) my horse hasn't figured out how to take his off yet so I haven't had to search through the field for it.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Thanks dream.

My next question...with or without ears?


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## dreamsintotreasure (Jun 22, 2011)

Either... If you clip your horses ears I would recommend with ears but if you don't their hair acts as a regular deterent for flies. My horse is SUPER sensitive when it comes to flies (I even ride him in a bonnet) so I prefer ears for him. It really just depends on your horse and what you want.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Cool, thanks.
I will try without ears first.
Smart Pak has free shipping on fly masks/sheets etc. if you use the code FLYFS! 

It can be embroidered too. Nifty!


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

ON a side note, i love smart pak <3


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

LetAGrlShowU said:


> ON a side note, i love smart pak <3


Me too!!!


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## Jake and Dai (Aug 15, 2008)

I haven't seen any cons other than, as AB said, having to go find them out in the field once my big guy rids himself of his (almost a daily occurence). I have the Cashel with the extra piece that extends down to the muzzle and the ears. Since both of my ponies have big blazes, I find it helps prevent sunburn on their muzzles. That is, when they keep them on.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

There are just a couple potential downsides to ears.
One is that if a fly does get inside, they'll sometimes work their way up to the ears and get stuck in there, which is worse than having nothing covering them so at least the flies can come and go. I haven't seen this happen to my boy, but I've heard of it happening to others once in a while.
Two is that some horses (or at least one at my barn, lol!) knows how to grab the ears of other horses' fly masks to pull them off. Everyone in his field has earless masks right now, it's the only way to keep them on.

That said, I prefer ears on my boy. He gets annoyed when flies are in his ears. Like an earlier poster, I also always ride in a bonnet this time of year.


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## MyLittleHunter (Jul 20, 2009)

Hey there,

Both my horse wear fly masks as the bugs really get to them. Not only in their eyes but in their ears too. The barn I work/ride at also puts fly masks on almost all the horses there. They just make the horses more comfortable.

*Pros: *

*Protection from bugs in eyes and ears.
*Can offer protection from sun in the eyes. (good for sensitive horses, or ones with eye troubles.)
*Allows my horses to be turned out longer as they are more comfortable despite massive amounts of bugs in my area.
*Keeps the bugs from munching on your horses ears until they bleed.


*Cons:*

*If the horse rips it off in the pasture you get to go searching for it. lol
*If they're not strapped on tight and a bug gets inside the mask some horses really hate that.
*Some horses get a little nervous when wearing one because their vision is slightly limited.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Ears or no ears..
Tough call.

I prefer the ears because it cuts down on the problems with the gnat things during gnat season.

And heck, pink ears on a fly mask are too cute to pass up.

Bad side of ears is I have to meet a horse that does not find it much easier to remove their fly mask if it has ears. 

Not saying not having ears is some type of guarantee it will stay on. But having ears seems to make it much easier to remove.

Mine all have masks with ears most of the time. BF wears a mask with out ears all winter to act is a sun screen for her eyes. If you think trying to find a fly mask in the summer is a pain, try finding one in the winter in the snow....so not fun. 

I do suggest you buy more than one....just saying.


ETA - I have never seen my horses have an issue with a bug getting caught in the ear. That does not mean it has never happened. Just saying I have not seen it.


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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

The link wouldn't work here at work, so I couldn't see what fly mask you picked, but you might want to consider the ones with tehe nose guard on them too. It can keep a pink nose from gettting sun burnt. I don't have that on my horse or ears, but some of the other boarders do.

A big con that nobody has mentioned - my gelding can't wear one because he scratches his head on everything and rubbed an ulcer into his cornea. I even tried one with the popped out eyes so that they wouldn't rub and he did it again. He is fly mask free from now on. There was a boarder at a previous barn who had the same problem. I think it is rare, but keep an eye out if you've never used one before. My mare doesn't have a problem with hers.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Good thing to mention, livestoride. Though I think it is very rare. My three rub on things all the time. That is one of their creative ways to get their masks off, I sometimes find them hanging from the no-climb fencing.

I do make sure I glance at their eyes in the evening when I remove their fly masks.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

My guys keep taking their masks off but I remember once with my old black horse that he kept it on really well and then one day I went to pull it off and I had put it on too tight. (I'm not even sure how long it had been on). It had rubbed a sore and it had caked itself so bad that the mask was stuck to him. I felt horrible. I had to peel the mask off and then treat it. 

So my suggestion would be just check it every other day or so to ensure it's not to tight and no bugs have gotten inside.


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## brandilion (Aug 23, 2010)

This is more like the one I use:
Farnam SuperMask II Shimmer Fly Mask - Statelinetack.com
I like it because it has a double velcro closure so other horses can't pull it off.

I've never tried one with ears, so I don't have an opinion on that. I think I would like it because the flies bite my horse's ears so bad. But maybe not if other horses try to pull it off that way. Plus they look kinda silly.

Like some others said, make sure you get it on tight enough that flies can't get in (& it's not sagging below their chin to get caught on things) but not so tight it rubs when your horse moves or eats. You will definitely feel like a mean horse mom if you cause your horse to get a sore on her jaw (not that _I _ever did that!) Definitely check it every day or better yet, take it off every night.

Yes, I believe there is reduced visisbility when wearing them while it's raining. Think about looking through a window screen that's been sprayed with water. It kinda drives my girl crazy so I try really hard to make sure she's not wearing it when it rains. I would assume there would be more difficulty seeing through it at night as well.

For me, for my one horse, a fly mask is a MUST. They bother her so badly. My other mare I use one sometimes if they seem to be really bad, but she doesn't really like it, so often she doesn't wear one.


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## Stakie (Jul 11, 2011)

I think the only Con for me is.. You can never really just have one mask. Thankfully they don't cost all too much in my area.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Fortunately my Barn Owner will put them on/take them off for turn out.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I can't even think of any cons.

I keep fly masks on Apr - Sept, sometime into Oct. My only suggestion would be if your horse has white face/nose, long nose mask seems to work nice to prevent sunburn.

BTW, I ride with one on too (even 2 on my qh: nose net + short mask)


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## DejaVu (Jul 6, 2011)

No cons that I've discovered so far. As long as I buy the double Velcro latch, my gelding never takes his off.

I don't leave them on at night, for vision reasons.

Good protection for bugs, sun, and for protection on trailer rides.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

I wouldn't get one with ears unless you NEED one with ears. - I find them harder to put on. (especially when you're short and the horse laughs at you and says, "you can't reach me!") and the horses find them easier to take off. apparently.

I also agree with the double velcro.


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## ScharmLily (Nov 23, 2009)

I don't think there are many cons other than the added work to keep them on  I love the cashel crusader masks because they are the best for keeping the mask away from my arabs' big eyes. I always buy masks with ears. It seems like this is where the bugs bother them most anyway, and seems completely counterproductive to leave this area unprotected (and I NEVER clip the ears either). I also agree that smartpak is great! They have awesome customer service, and competitive prices


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

brandilion said:


> I like it because it has a double velcro closure so other horses can't pull it off.


Double velcro only helps if the reason the masks are coming off is another horse pulling on the velcro and opening it.

It does nothing if your horse manages to rub their mask off on their own.

Double velcro is also a pain. If I was a barn owner that had to put on and take off lots of fly masks I am sure I would hate double velcro even more than I already do.

That aside, the Farnam masks are a decent mask.


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## Beauseant (Oct 22, 2010)

We never use fly masks, for the reasons stated below:

Unless the fly mask is a PERFECT, custom made fit, flies can and do get inside the mask and can feast on your horse. We've had this happen many times. Even a small opening, they got inside and bit the horses relentlessly. The flies can get in a small area, so to keep them out, the fly mask would have to be form fitting with not even the slightest gap .

When the horse itches/rubs whether due to itchiness or in an attempt to get the mask off, the mesh can rub the hair off around their eyes, and in some cases, could damage the eyelid and/or cornea as even a soft mesh is abrasive. Some manufacturers state that one must be careful to make sure the mask fits loosely over the eye....but even so, rubbing makes that advice null and void. If a horse rubs their face against something, the mesh becomes a brillo pad...

It is a danger when pastured with an aggressive pasture mate, as Beau is. 



We don't use them, and we have very little problems with flies on the face/eyes. We simply use a roll on/wipe on fly repellent like Endure roll on for their ears and around the eye area....and that seems to work wonders. Haven't used fly masks for years.


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## Prinella (Jul 12, 2011)

I've noticed we have a couple of horses that detest blue masks. After much research looks like it's a slight colour blindness. So don't get blue ones!


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## orangetictac (Nov 4, 2008)

We only use masks during the day if the flies are really bugging their eyes. I take them off at night because 1. they don't need them. 2. it gives me a chance to check and make sure the mask isn't rubbing every day they wear it. 

My gelding will not wear a mask with ears. He also won't wear an ear less one that has a piece that goes between his ears. We tried the cashel crusader mask both with ears and without. Total waste of money for my boy as he lost them both. The one that works best for him is the farnam supermask II. I am pro double velcro. I could see where putting on and taking off masks for a lot of boarders would get tedious, but for my two it's fine. I'm also able to find the farnam mask for cheaper (quite a bit cheaper too) than the cashel one locally.


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## Tymer (Dec 28, 2009)

One other con- If you're like me and you have a QH-fat pony cross with a really short and fat-Imeanwide head...No sizes will fit. Ever. Then, choose the size that comes closest to fitting but is maybe a little snug. Only then, of course, do you have to spend ten minutes a day checking for rubs. 
Anyway. For about 99% of people fly masks are a wonderful thing.


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## Macslady (Oct 23, 2009)

The one con I can think of is when a bee got in the mask, just as a fly can do and stung the crap out of our neighbors horse. That was a vet call and she almost went blind. :shock:


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I use one with ears. I ride with it and it makes a world of difference.


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## 2manypets (Mar 28, 2011)

I use them with no problems. Mine have ears and each horse has 2. That way you can launder one, and they'll still have one to wear!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I only use mine for riding. I put fly spray on the ears before I use it. I will say that my hot blooded Arab did not initially like the thing.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I just put my baby on my website wearing her fly mask. You will see right away why I no longer leave it on her in the pasture. It is too big and she will no doubt lose it. I do ride in it when the flies are bad. She does ok with it.

My website with Becka in her mask.


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## Royal Pine Buck (May 28, 2011)

the reasons i use a flymash with ears on dillon is:

1. protecting his eyes from the sun. it seems as he got older he has become more sensitive and his eyes water a lot if it isn't on.

2. he gets nasty crusties in his ears from gnats and fly biting him.

3. protects him from flys from going around his eye secretions and laying eggs and spreading diseases such as leptospirosis and conjuntivitis.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Here is the pic. 










Kinda too big for her!


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Celeste: I love her expression in this!


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

The biggest con I can think of is the other day I found a tick under my mare's mask-- not by her eye, but right under the padded edge of the mask. Other than that, I love having it on her.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

spookychick13 said:


> Celeste: I love her expression in this!


lol. 
I'm not so sure she likes it, but it saves the day when we ride past a creek bottom full of deer flies. Those things get all over her ears without it. They HURT when they bite! I need to wear one of those myself I think.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Better than getting bit, for sure.
But she looks like she is saying "Seriously? I have to wear this?"


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

spookychick13 said:


> Better than getting bit, for sure.
> But she looks like she is saying "Seriously? I have to wear this?"


For sure!!! She is not that terribly thrilled with getting it put on either.


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Froggy loves his mask. It is part of the reason that he comes running when I come...because I switch out his masks. I have a stash of 12...yes 12....because he is very very very good at losing them. He does have 'goggles' around his eyes from rubbing his head on his Bovine BFF but he doesn't have runny eyes or bites on his face. Being around a herd of 50+ cows brings a lot of flies, a little hair rubbing is worth the protection it offers.


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## JustLopeIt (Jul 31, 2011)

Pros- sun protection, fly protection, can prevent sun burns
cons- getting caked with mud or having to go find it. reasonable i believe


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