Fly Masks

[Dent Ranch Kickaboo Kitty]

Do you put fly masks on your minis? What brand do you use? Do you leave them on 24/7 or take them off? If you keep them on how do you stop them from rubbing the hair off?

I use the Kingston fly masks and they are getting rubs.

 

[MiniNHF]

I actually do not use them on my minis but when I had them on my big horses, I would use them only when they were turned out and when they came in I would take them off because the flys were not bad at all in the barn.

 

[MajorClementine]

I use the on my minis most of the summer. I usually put them on in the morning and take them off in the evening. They come over to the fence every morning and wait while I put them on. I use the cashel brand with the ears. http://www.horse.com/item/cashel-crusader-fly-mask-with-ears/SLT180443/

I did have to turn the ears wrong side out and sew and trim them a bit to make them shorter. They were quite large for a mini. Other than that they are a perfect fit, stay on well, don't rub, and maintain their shape. Just throw them in the washing machine when they get dirty.

My dogs got hold of a couple of mine last year and tore them up pretty good (the fly masks). This spring I got some scrap fleece out of my fabric stash and fixed them up. They look a little "Frankenstein" but they still work great.

I also use Cashel for my riding horses. The Cashel masks cost a little more but they are well worth the money. You won't have to replace them for years. I've had mine over 5 years and other than a few small snags in the ears they look brand new (except for the ones the dogs chewed...)

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I use both kensington and cashell. I like them both. I have had mine for years also. I wonder if your horses have itchy eyes and that is why they are rubbing? If so, you can try an eye drop made for people, such as OpconA.

 

[SparklinJewel]

I use a mask on my 9 month old Jewel but the one I bought for Bunny does not fit and she gets it off every time. She also doesn't seem to have nearly the fly issue that my quarter horse or Jewel have. She does fine without it. I remove the masks when they are stalled for the night. For those needing smaller masks than what's available online, I bought Jewels teeny tiny mask off Etsy for $7.50. Fits her perfectly and at that price I have no problem buying another when she grows out of it. It is well made too!

 

[SparklinJewel]

Oh and Cashel is the brand I use for both my Quarter horse and my adult mini. Love the masks just wish the "mini" size mask

Wasn't so large on Bunny.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I take mine off at night also. Always check fly masks at least once a day. Sometimes debris gets under them and can get into their eyes.

I do have one small concern with the kensington mask; if the little nylon weave gets broken if they rub, I worry that it will poke into their eyes. It's never happened, but it could...

 

[AngC]

I bought what they had at our local co-op, labeled for minis. (...after a judicious peek in the box.)

I'm relatively happy. The brand name is Farnam; I forget the "type/model" but it was in a pink box and has purple plushy fur. I like these masks because they fit Baby; she has a very small head. The "mask" material is fairly stiff, and the darts hold the mesh away from their eyes. On the days that I use the masks, I put masks on in the morning and remove at night. I really don't like putting anything on ours, but a couple years ago the flies were so bad that Coco and Baby got some nasty white eye goop.

I only use the masks when there's flies. This year I haven't had to use them much except a few days in May. These masks seem fairly sturdy. I bought 3 each for each horse. That way I can wash them. The only thing I guess I don't like is that the purple plushy stuff is a little hot; they get sweaty underneath. Also, Coco--our spooky mare--doesn't much like when I have to separate the Velcro to remove the mask. Oh well, sucks to be her. ;-}

 

[lucky seven]

I don't use one on my boy, either, if I can get it on him, he takes it off so if the flies bother him too much he goes in his stall.

 

[amysue]

Some of mine wear them and others do not. My mares in the pasture wear them because the flies tend to be worse in the tall grass. My stallions in the sand paddocks do not wear them because the flies are not that bad, and they just take them off and destroy them. My lil guy, Timmy wears one because he is always getting stuff in his eyes and he had two very bad corneal ulcers as a weanling so his eyes have never been quite right. I too, use the farnam mini masks and I like them. I made my own for my mares, out of the pet mesh screen from home depot using the suitability pattern.