Best fly mask for nervous horse with good UV protection

lucymay9701

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Please could anyone let me know if you have any recommendations for a fly mask for a nervous girl? She has been having problems with headshaking this summer along with swollen runny eyes and rubbing her nose (rubbed the fur away in lots of places - I read this was probably due to pain in the nerve going down the nose from UV getting into the eye). My vet recommended a good UV mask and I got a guardian mask. It has worked really well for her symptoms - headshaking not fully gone but her eyes are so much better and all the fur has grown back on her nose so she has stopped rubbing. We're not using a nose net on the guardian mask so the theory about the UV light getting into the eyes seems to be right for her. Anyway the problem is that she isn't happy in the guardian mask. We have given it a fair trial thinking she would get used to it but it is making her really jumpy, she's hardly been caught since she's had it on and has to make her own way into the stable then when she gets there she rushes in and out of the door and trips over the wood in the entrance. She doesn't seem to be able to judge things properly so I don't think its fair to keep it on her. Its such a shame as it helped her symptoms but anyway I am now looking for something which might be a good compromise. The guardian mask has 95% UV protection so I will probably need to move down from this to get better vision and hope this still does the trick so I just wondered if anyone had any recommendations please? You can replace the 95% shades in the guardian mask for 80% ones but I wonder if its the rim on them that is affecting her vision aswell and the 80% ones do have the rim so I don't think that's the best option. I was thinking perhaps of the equilibrium but not sure what people think of the vision through these for a nervous horses? Any other recommendations would be great aswell. Thank you x
 

AdorableAlice

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Guardian masks are specifically made for UV protection. Not cheap but they work and have protected one of mine who has had a tumour removed from her third eyelid. She is a nervous type but seemed to cope ok.
 

Holzdweaver

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lucymay9701

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Thanks very much for the replies. The sun shade actually looks quite good but I wonder if it would be enough for what she needs. Could be worth a try though. Has anyone used these? Just wondered if anyone had any other suggestions aswell and if anyone knows what the vision is like through the equilibrium and also the one mentioned above with the 90% protection? Its difficult to tell from the picture how much vision there is through it. Thank you x
 

Tiddlypom

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The vision through the equilibrium max is pretty decent (I have held it up to my face to check!). It wouldn't be as protective as the Guardian (it claims 80% UV protection) but could well be worth a try. I've used it when lungeing, no probs. My mare won't tolerate the nose net bit so I use it without (it's velcro'd on).

I now use the midi's, which are a little more comfortable as they allow the forelock to be threaded through so that it lies outside of the mask, but they only block 70% UV.
 

lucymay9701

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Thanks for the reply - please can I ask you if you think the vision is better through the equilibrium with the 70% UV protection compared to the 80% one or do you think they're pretty much the same vision wise?
 

Auslander

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Why not stick with the one you have as it's doing a good job, but take it off before going in and out of the stable? Mine have their masks left on the field gate - off when they come in, and on when they go out. I've got one pink nosed grey, who wears a mask in the stable if its sunny, as his stable gets the afternoon sun, but he has a separate one that lives in his stable. I definitely notice more twitchiness/catching themselves when I move them around with their masks on, and mine only wear standard fly masks
 

lucymay9701

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We were thinking of trying that but unfortunately she will hardly ever be caught since its been on - just going towards her is making her jumpy and she won't even have the lead rope put around her neck in the field. Her eyes look a bit 'wild' when its taken off aswell so just feel really bad on her :(.
 

serenityjane

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One of our horses has to wear a mask full-time as she is a pink skinned white appaloosa coloured WB- her whole body has to be covered from the sun- we use the equilibrium mask with nose guard and lashings of sudocrem on the exposed bits. She is out 24/7 and has the mask on 12/7. She hates the sudocrem and putting the mask on is always a challenge because she is a nervous type, more so we think because her normal un-masked vision is not brilliant, once it is on though she is very calm. Her eyesight problems could very well be from not wearing a mask in the past so it is definately a necessity! I always take it off at night though, and will simply walk over and remove it in the field. Putting it on in the morning usually involves catching her in the headcollar (for the sudocrem, whilst standing on tip-toe to apply it-she is 16.1hh) and then keeping the rope around her neck and hooking the mask over one ear, by which time she says 'go on then, if you must' and lowers her head for the second ear and velcro! She has probably rubbed the mask off twice in total (both times the velcro was not as tight as it could have been), this summer and has not been sunburnt or got rubs from the mask at all-so UV protection is excellent.
 

Tiddlypom

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Thanks for the reply - please can I ask you if you think the vision is better through the equilibrium with the 70% UV protection compared to the 80% one or do you think they're pretty much the same vision wise?
Just been out to check, they seem pretty similar to me.

The midi is marketed as 'Offers excellent visibility making it ideal for veterans, visually impaired or spooky horses'.

My youngster has been wearing hers since she was a yearling. I can go out into the field and pop one onto any of my 3 without having to catch them up first. I use them primarily as protection against flies, the UV protection is a bonus.
 

lucymay9701

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Thanks for checking that for me! I think I'll go for the equilibrium then - have emailed them aswell to see what they would advise. In theory if I went for the midi without ears we should be able to attach the sun visor mentioned above to it without needing a headcollar, to give extra protection if necessary. Will probably try leaving it off at night for a break from it aswell and see how that works. Thanks everyone! x
 
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