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Fly mask recommendations

Horse Care
#1

I’ve been out of the loop for a few years (didn’t own a horse again until this past year), and would like to know what’s new or which fly masks you either love or hate.

While the Crusader masks have fun prints, I recall my last horse ditching his quite frequently. I noticed that Rambo now has a mask, Eskadron, and many others.

I prefer the fly mask to have ears, and long options are a plus since my guy has a blaze that I always must smother in sunscreen on his nose.

So, please enlighten me on today’s fly mask options. :slight_smile:

#2

I like the shires model with ears and long fringe g that hangs over the nose. With my horse, the masks that have a nose extension get bent back and full of dirt. The fringe works well

#3

I like the SmartPak mask as it has a “double” style velcro closure and big ears. My mare can still get it off—but not every day!

#4

I prefer the Kensington Catch Mask with ears and long nose. They stay on…period. Have used the same one on my mare for going on 3 seasons and it is just now ready to be replaced. strong material yet soft. Good Luck!

#5

I’ve been on a quest to find my favorite brand. Still searching…

What I currently have in the barn:

Farnam Supermask with and without ears-
Pros: Durable, true to size
Cons: Seem to be easier to lose than other styles with ears, tend to rub many horses under the chin

Cashel Crusader with ears (no nose)-
Pros: I love the design, especially with the forelock opening
Cons: My horses seem to oddly fall between sizes. And there always seems to be too much excess velcro on the closure to the point where I can’t even cut it. The ears seem to run small.

Rambo Plus-
Pros: Generous design will not rub/irritate eyes
Cons: Too darn big! My warmblood, who wears horse or warmblood size in every other brand, looks like an astronaut in their smaller horse size! So big! Also, the mask has plastic inserts between the ears and in front of the eyes to give the mask its rigid shape. I’m always nervous that they will poke through and stab someone in the eye. I couldn’t even use the detachable nose piece because it was so long.

Absorbine Ultrashield, new 2017 design with ears-
Pros: Advertises 80% UV blockage, similar to the Cashel style minus the forelock opening.
Cons: They seem to run small in size. I bought my horses their “usual” size in other brands and I wish I would have up-sized. They don’t have much clearance around their eyes and I’m concerned the eye darts will rub their lids and irritate their eyes.

I don’t love any of them. Kensington will probably be next on my list to try.

#6

Choose one that is NOT plastic coated. It is totally cruel to put that hot of a mask on a horse in the summer (a sweat wrap), just to make them not be able to tear/rip. Most horses also HATE ears. The original fly mask (Absorbine) was perfect. Never to be seen again.

#7

Haven’t found one yet that my pony can’t remove. He will leave the Cashel without ears on the longest. He has tiny little pony ears and they just slid right off when he puts his ears forward and shakes the right way.

@Fairview Horse Center you are correct most would prefer earless.

#8

Rambo

#9

My mare says, “if it doesn’t have ears, what is the point?!” (she hates bugs in her ears)

#10

I like Noble Outfitters Guardsman with ears.

#11

I’m with you. My horses seem to appreciate the ears a lot. My donkey doesn’t have the luxury of ears (can’t find anything in her size) and the bugs bloody her ears in the summer in spite of daily Swat.

#12

Cashel with ears. My mare has a total meltdown if the mask doesn’t have ears or if she has no mask on at all. I’ve seen too many horses with bloody, crusty ears if the mask doesn’t have ears (despite SWAT or other fly repellant). She wears one 24/7 from spring until the last bug dies in the fall. She gets a clean one every morning and every night. Needless to say she has quite a few (last count was at least ten - all Cashel in different colors…orange, blue, pink…). I’ve never had a problem with it coming off.

#13

I love the Kensington I have. Super sturdy and will easily last at least one more year if not more!

#14

Absorbine with ears!!

#15

I do love my crusader. I’ve noticed the ones with ears come off far more often than the ones without.

I got some Tough 1 fly masks on clearance and I do like them – they’re super lightweight. Sometimes they’d come off once every two weeks and sometimes almost every day (my horses are on a 12 hour turnout rotation so the masks were put on/off daily and sometimes weren’t put on snugly). They were nice and lightweight and I got zebra print so they were easy to find. My geldings have big jowls and small ears so unless it was put on snugly, off they went.

Both masks kept the bugs out and never rubbed.

#16

The mule version of the Cashel Crusader comes in 7 sizes on Amazon! The weanling size fits my mini-donkey perfecly. He’s about 36" at the withers with an average-sized head.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZVATJO

#17

My horses will not keep the ones with ears on…even though they get chewed badly in the ears by blackflies. My compromise has been to use Cashel without ears and coat the inside of their ears with ichthamol. It works a charm and they do not get bloody, scabby ears.

Of course it’s easy to see that my palomino mare has ichtahmol in her ears, but she only trail rides. I will show my black paint in May and he will have it in his ears, but no one will be the wiser :slight_smile:

Ichthamol really works well on the summer sores some horses get on their belly behind the front legs. No bugs will bite if you use it.

#18

Seven sizes?!? Last time I looked there was maybe two donkey/mule options! Thanks for the heads up! My donkey will be so happy!

1 Like
#19

Cashel crusader… but has to fit well. Two of mine take the Arab size despite one being a 16.3hh TB. The other TB has a large jaw and takes the horse size.

#20

Does anyone have experience with the Dura-Mesh Halter/Mask combo that Schneider’s sells? I have a large pony who has a Houdini-like ability to remove fly masks but MUST wear one with ear covers or the midges reduce his ears to a painful, bloody mess in the spring. I’ve considered rigging a mask with some velcro to attach it to his halter in an attempt to keep the mask on. (And yeah, he can get the mask off even with the halter on over it…)

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