My horse objects to having a fly mask placed over his ears ( the type w/o ears) He has sarcoids in his ears that can’t be removed, He objects to a bridle as well, so we unbuckle it, put it on like a halter, then re attach, Thinking we can split a fly mask apart and use Velcro? not sure what to do, any ideas? thanks
You can get a fly Mask without ears with a buckle. You can change the one you have with velcro if you want.
You can make your own flyveil out of baling twine and make it any way you like.
Have you tried the freezing wart removal products from the drug store to remove sarcoids from his ears? (Don’t buy the product with the metal tip, you want the wart remover with the cotton/material tip) My friend used this product to remove sarcoids from the ears of her 3 draft horses. Each time a sarcoid appeared, she applied the wart remover and it worked.
I don’t know how to cut a fly mask to get it on as you need, but buy that heavy duty velcro that is in hardware stores to use.
If the sarcoids can’t be removed, try teaching him to lower his head and desensitize him to something being near his ears (obviously don’t touch his ears since they are sensitive). This way you can actually reach him and be able to put his mask on without having to bend his ears.
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Swat works fairly well as an alternative to fly masks. I just slather a healthy amount under my gelding’s eyes. He looks like a football player, but because it’s greasy it stays in place for 12-24 hours. He won’t keep a fly mask on, so this was the next best option. A sensitive-skinned horse might have some issues with the greasiness, but I haven’t had any skin issues in the years I’ve been doing it.
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I’ve hadn’t to resort to what Halt Near X does for one mare. She tend to get her mask off no matter what I do, yet she is extremely thin skinned. Her legs look like she has been cut with razor blades by the end of the day because she will bleed at the slightest bite. I use the clear Swat on her legs and on her ears and face. It’s kinda gross but it keeps her bug free and I have started using on other horses in spots that don’t seem helped by bug spray.
You can buy insect boots to stop the flies biting.
Would a Farnam Supermask fit him? They only have a small (narrow) fleece strap that goes over the poll, there’s nothing bulky around the base of or between the ears. It might be easy to alter one of those with Velcro.
The Guardian Flymask has a Velcro strap over the poll area. These flymasks are pricey and mostly made for horses with vision problems. I had one for a vision impaired horse I rode. It was well worth the price. Even the eyepieces had Velcro. You could also try looking on Esty for custom flymasks. They are not always pricey on there and there may be some fun styles you can find or have custom designed for your horse.
I’ve used fly boots on another horse in the past, and even the expensive form fitting ones don’t seem to stay put or help much, and considering she doesn’t keep her fly mask on, I doubt she would tolerate leg boots for very long. Add to that she is has very petite and almost pony like cannon bones, I will just stick with the clear swat which I know works.
I found the same thing. I sewed all of them smaller so as the would fit.
My husband and I have a boarding facility. I put on a lot of fly masks. Many of them don’t like the mask coming at their face. The best solution I have found is to drape it over the neck and pull it forward over the ears and face. I haven’t ever had a horse object to that.
