Another vote for shires deluxe.
I like the Bucas deluxe BuzzOff mask with ears. It’s well ventilated silver material, soft but sturdy. My sensitive arab cross mare usually rubs the ears off masks pretty quickly but this is our second year and it is still in great condition.
I don’t like dark coloured masks in the sun, mare gets quite sweaty under them.
It will help to know where it’s rubbing.
Is the mask too big and is sliding over skin and rubbing? Too snug?
Another vote for the Professionals Choice lycra masks - NOT the cheaper knock offs, either. They fit great, don’t rub, are cooler/lighter, and are surprisingly hardy.
Of the “traditional” fly mask types, the Kensington brand has been the best quality and fit my Arabs best with minimal rubbing. The Shires/Cashel/Absorbine type masks have always been way, way, way too big for my horses, no matter what size I tried.
I use the Pro Force( no ears) and have one horse who wears them year round 24/7 and she never has rubs.
Huh! That hasn’t happened with me, but is good to know!
I use a lycra one that has a zipper underneath. I think it’s more comfortable than a pull-on lycra mask if your horse has a longer forelock like my mare does.
1 Like
I use Rambo’s fly mask. The stiffening wire holds it away from their eyes. I have had them last over two years. With other masks, my horse seems to rub his eye at the dart and wear a hole in it and then little fiber edges poke him in the eye. Doesn’t happen with the Rambo.
I also like Shires with the fringe nose, but I like Rambos better.
2 Likes
I agree with @BlueDrifter about the Rambo mask. It is literally the only mask that my gelding will keep on his head, and I have tried lots of other brands. I suspect he keeps this one on because it is comfortable and doesn’t bother him in any way.
I’ve started using the pull on lycra masks and like them better than the velcro style. (They also fit better under pony’s grazing muzzle.)
I really like the Professional’s Choice (and it’s hot pink, so no losing it in the field) and also have this one from Shire’s: https://www.chicksaddlery.com/shires-lycra-stretch-fly-mask
(And look, sale!)
But want to try this one bc of the forelock hole:
https://www.chicksaddlery.com/rugged-ride-big-eye-lycra-fly-mask-with-forelock-hole-solids
I do have the 2 right now so it’s easy to rotate between them in case one gets wet or dirty.
Oooh!! Got a link to the brand??
I just ordered two of these – I tried the lycra ones from SmartPak as I wanted one with the extended nose, but the nose part ripped off essentially the first day and the ears are too small for my guy. Plus, the ears aren’t the same fine mesh on the SmartPak so the horrible gnats are still getting in. Fingers crossed the Rugged Ride ones fit!
The only lycra ones I have found with the zipper is Ger-Ryan
1 Like
Chick’s house brand Rugged Ride has zip-chin models. I tried one last year and wasn’t enamored of it, but YMMV
(And I swear, I don’t work for Chick’s, they’re just my local tack shop and I check their sale ads all the time)
1 Like
FWIW my Professional Choice Lycra have forelock holes. Nice addition that the Weathbeeta knock offs didn’t. I got mine on Amazon 2/$20 with free Prime shipping from a retailer in Cali.
As soft and stretchy as they are I’ve struggling to think you’d need a zipper. And my mare is a demasking Houdini
1 Like
To be honest, I couldn’t expect the barn staff to pull my mare’s forelock through the hole, especially because it’s long and thick. Pulling on a lycra mask pushed it back between her ears and damaged it. With the zipper mask, it’s placed over her face with her forelock in place before it’s zipped.
She’s a Morgan, and the breed is traditionally kept with a full mane and tail. I’ve managed to keep her mane and forelock long for most of the time I’ve had her.
1 Like
For those of you with the Prof. Choice lycra mask, how does the sizing run? I have a Oldenburg mare whose bridle is a mix of full and cob size pieces. Her Quillin’s halter is a cob size but her GreenGuard halter is the warmblood size. I currently have the Shires fly mask where the cob is too small and the full fits okay, but there’s a LOT of extra velcro. I’m intrigued by the Lycra mask as I could put it under the GG halter not over it like I have to do with the Shires.
Go with “horse”. My mare’s head sounds very similar to yours. Mix of cob/horse bridle pieces and she’s a Walsh halter cob.
Perfect, thanks!
My horse must be the only one in the world that cannot wear those lycra-style fly masks. I got him a professional’s choice one and he was fine in the stall with it. Turned him out at night with it on and the next morning the BO found him with it twisted around on his face, lycra completely covering one eye, ears no longer in the ear mesh, other eye being mashed by the mesh pulled too tight across it. His one eye was swollen shut and took days to recover.
It’s Farman Supermask II without ears for my boy. The one he wears the most is probably 10 years old and still works great. I got him a second just in case one gets muddy and needs a bath he’ll have a back-up. He lives in it 24/7 right now, only off for riding and baths. He’s a sensitve-skinned appaloosa and not one rubbed place anywhere on his sweet face.
