What I thought was just a possible infection turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma on my mare. Vet ended up removing her third eye lid this morning. The vet recommended the guardian fly masks. I just looked at them and had a :eek: moment at the price tag. My mare hates things on her face, and imagine the tight fitting nature of this will just annoy her more. I foresee this fly mask getting rubbed off and stomped into the mud and that would really stink at this price point. Are there any cheaper alternatives to the guardian fly mask?
They are worth it. $100 is steep for sure, but they last forever, through abuse, stomping, and the guy that I took care of who had uvetis and HSS rarely ever got his off and he was a headshaker extraordinaire and lived in it 24/7 if he wasn’t in a stall.
My mare isn’t hard on masks, but she’s lived in one pretty much 24/7 for the past two years. She has two. The first was a standard size and worked reasonably well.
I called to ask for a couple adjustments, which were happily accommodated. The second, improved model is what she wears most days. It fits perfectly.
There’s no comparison with a regular mask.
I used this http://www.equinesunvisor.com/esvmaxx-2.aspx one on my headshaker. Not much cheaper than the Guardian, but never rubbed, and they will customize size if needed. A great company to work with!
[QUOTE=islgrl;8600179]
I used this http://www.equinesunvisor.com/esvmaxx-2.aspx one on my headshaker. Not much cheaper than the Guardian, but never rubbed, and they will customize size if needed. A great company to work with![/QUOTE]
Those look good. There was a pony with ERU at one barn where I boarded C&C and he had the guardian, which rubbed his face. This might be a good alternative for horses with eye problems.
Keeping horses in during the day in summer also helps.
A friend of mine had a horse that had eye surgery and had to cover the eye. She used horse racing hoods for blinkers with a full cup. Like these http://tfloki.com/blinkers.html
I used the Rambo fly mask for my mare that to live in one 24/7 because of eye issues. I can’t remember the exact name of the mask, but it is the one that is held out away from their eyes.
They run from about $40 give or take. She seemed to find them comfortable. And they stayed on.
[QUOTE=islgrl;8600179]
I used this http://www.equinesunvisor.com/esvmaxx-2.aspx one on my headshaker. Not much cheaper than the Guardian, but never rubbed, and they will customize size if needed. A great company to work with![/QUOTE]
But that one comes with the nose part, which is nice. The Guardian ones would have been another $30 for the nose piece, and she has a pink nose so I want to cover that too. In years past she has been in a muzzle so sun burn wasn’t too much of an issue, this year she is on a dry lot so no muzzle to cover her nose.
Keeping her in during day light hours isn’t really an option. She has PSSM so shouldn’t be confined for more than a few hours at a time.
Take a look at the Equivizor fly masks that we have for sale - www.truecoloursproducts.com
They have a hard “dome” over the eyes which prevents the fly mask from collapsing onto their eyes and also acts as a sun visor as well. The mask is rated at 95% UV protection so would be perfect for her. My guys all really loved wearing them and didn’t try and rub them off as soon as I turned them loose. The ones with ears are USD $32.95 and the ones with ears and nose flap are $35.95 so a huge price difference for you
The other things you can look at are the Recovery Visors with the removable fly mask. Ultimate protection for their eyes especially in the dark tint version. They are USD $199.95 so not really a cheaper alternative but its a completely different product that is really the Gold Standard in eye protection and they last forever
Good luck - hope this helps! 
[QUOTE=TrueColours;8600850]
Take a look at the Equivizor fly masks that we have for sale - www.truecoloursproducts.com
They have a hard “dome” over the eyes which prevents the fly mask from collapsing onto their eyes and also acts as a sun visor as well. The mask is rated at 95% UV protection so would be perfect for her. My guys all really loved wearing them and didn’t try and rub them off as soon as I turned them loose. The ones with ears are USD $32.95 and the ones with ears and nose flap are $35.95 so a huge price difference for you
The other things you can look at are the Recovery Visors with the removable fly mask. Ultimate protection for their eyes especially in the dark tint version. They are USD $199.95 so not really a cheaper alternative but its a completely different product that is really the Gold Standard in eye protection and they last forever
Good luck - hope this helps! :)[/QUOTE]
Wow, in the cheaper masks the best I could find was 70% UV protection. How fast is your shopping? 
Any without ears or nose ? please and thank you ~
- any without ears or nose extensions/parts … just fly mask not for surgery recovery or … TIA
[QUOTE=TrueColours;8600850]
Take a look at the Equivizor fly masks that we have for sale - www.truecoloursproducts.com
They have a hard “dome” over the eyes which prevents the fly mask from collapsing onto their eyes and also acts as a sun visor as well. The mask is rated at 95% UV protection so would be perfect for her. My guys all really loved wearing them and didn’t try and rub them off as soon as I turned them loose. The ones with ears are USD $32.95 and the ones with ears and nose flap are $35.95 so a huge price difference for you
The other things you can look at are the Recovery Visors with the removable fly mask. Ultimate protection for their eyes especially in the dark tint version. They are USD $199.95 so not really a cheaper alternative but its a completely different product that is really the Gold Standard in eye protection and they last forever
Good luck - hope this helps! :)[/QUOTE]
Draftmare ~ sending Jingles & AO for your mare ~ ((hugs)) for you ~
I’m sorry you two are going through this ~
If and when you feel up to it ~ an update on her recovery would be appreciated … I know little about this third eyelid surgery …thank you.
[QUOTE=Zu Zu;8601031]
Draftmare ~ sending Jingles & AO for your mare ~ ((hugs)) for you ~
I’m sorry you two are going through this ~
If and when you feel up to it ~ an update on her recovery would be appreciated … I know little about this third eyelid surgery …thank you.[/QUOTE]
The procedure itself was fairly straight forward. Done under general sedation and local numbing in the aisle of the barn. I expected it to be something complicated that would require a clinic visit. The recovery is two weeks of antibiotics, and a lifetime in a fly mask. I’m also going to get her a UV fly sheet. She has even less pink skin than my last Appaloosa. I was kind of blind sided that Sydney ended up with this and my last mare did not. Plus Sydney is only 7.
Just another curve ball in a list of curve balls that have really sucked the last few months.
[QUOTE=Draftmare;8600934]
Wow, in the cheaper masks the best I could find was 70% UV protection. How fast is your shopping? :D[/QUOTE]
Google this product, there are cheaper places to buy it, if that is what you are going with.
I have not been able to find any other site that claims the UV protection that TrueColors does. Not saying it is not truly that number, just saying that TC is saying numbers I can not find anywhere else. (I willing to admit that Google hates me so it might be me not finding it.)
[QUOTE=trubandloki;8601361]
Google this product, there are cheaper places to buy it, if that is what you are going with.
I have not been able to find any other site that claims the UV protection that TrueColors does. Not saying it is not truly that number, just saying that TC is saying numbers I can not find anywhere else. (I willing to admit that Google hates me so it might be me not finding it.)[/QUOTE]
I ended up ordering off of eBay. With shipping the mask would have been $50 from TCF, eBay was $10 cheaper.
eBay mentions the 95% UV protection as does a couple other sellers. A couple other sites mention that the mask is “UV proof.” It seems to depend upon the seller. Hopefully it really is 95% UV protection. 
Thank you for the information Draftmare ~
Glad to hear Sydney’s procedure has been completed at home and she is recovering ~
((hugs)) laced with strength and comfort for your stressed heart ~
Jingles & AO for a smooth recovery for Sydney
and a nice summer for you two ~
If you decide to buy another one, this place seems to be even cheaper.
http://www.bigdweb.com/Equivisor-Fly-Mask/productinfo/2061J/
Please come back and update us on how you like it, etc. I have a horse that lives in a fly mask and we go thru many every year.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;8601515]
If you decide to buy another one, this place seems to be even cheaper.
http://www.bigdweb.com/Equivisor-Fly-Mask/productinfo/2061J/
Please come back and update us on how you like it, etc. I have a horse that lives in a fly mask and we go thru many every year.[/QUOTE]
Good to know. If I like it I will likely end up buying another so that I can have one clean and one on her, or one for riding and one for in the pasture.
Just got back from the barn. She looks much better than I thought she would. Yesterday she looked like she had been on the losing end of a cage fight. You can’t really tell that she had anything done other than just a small amount of bloody discharge.
Ah - the difference in the one shown on the BigD link was it was a standard mask with no ears or nose flap :). The one I was quoting was for the ears only and the ear and nose flap combination :). Hence the price difference … It doesn’t appear that Big D even carry the upgraded models - only the standard one
The manufacturer has stated 95% UV protection on the fly masks. I don’t know what tests or data they used to make that claim but its the number we have been told to go forward with . The dome also helps - a lot - to deflect any suns rays from the eye area, the same as a visor or a hat peak would work for a human
What compromises the UV protection on any fly mask is rubbing - once the horse rubs away the top mesh layer and instead of being black or grey you start to see the white fibres coming through, you know the UV protection has been affected. SO just something to keep in mind with any fly mask that your horse is wearing, especially if they have eye issues that need to be protected
