Fly Masks on 24/7??

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

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The 3 horses on our yard are normally out all night (from about 7-8pm until 7-8am) then in all day. If they do go out during the day they have fly masks on, especially the 2 girls as they get very watery puffy eyes.
Would you keep fly masks on in the stable during the day (our stables are very open, in an open on 2 sides barn)? Last night when I turned out, the girls had really puffy eyes
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and it was still warm with flys about, but the YO (owes 1 & half of the 3 horses!) doesn't like their fly masks on overnight. What would you suggest we do?
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I do not like fly masks on at night either. I remember seeing somewhere that it is not a good idea to keep them on over night.
 
A well fitted fly mask should be fine to leave on 2/7 so long as someone is checking daily for rub marks etc. The mare at our yard wears hers from early Spring to Late autumn as she has problems with her eyes and the sunlight irrates them, she has a UV filter mask on and she literally never gets it off.
 
My mare wears a Boett with a hood, she is out 24/7 at the moment and the hood stays on all the time. If she came into her stable overnight, I would take it off.
 
Mine wear their fly masks 24/7 without any problems. If you are protecting against midges, they are most active at dawn and dusk, so leaving a mask off at night will leave horses unprotected at the worst possible time.
 
My three girls live out...and have fly masks on during the day (I try to buy black coloured ones so they don't get white glare from them). When I go to 'do' them in the evening, I usually take them off for overnight, but if it's very fly-ie (why is there no word for that?) I might either leave them on or put different ones on, that I know they can take off if they want.
As long as they are taken off, and the horse checked regularly, at least once a day, I don't see a problem. Much better than conjunctivitis.
S
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I try not to leave Maiden's on for more than half a day, occasionally it goes on for 24 hours max. She doesn't have any problems though, I only use one to keep the flies off so overnight I smother her ears in fly cream (she hates it, which is why I use a mask generally).
I suppose it's no different to a horse living out 24/7 over winter with rugs on - as long as they are checked regularly for rubs etc then it shouldn't be a problem. I've certainly never had a problem with leaving fly masks on at night - at my old yard we turned out overnight and they all had fly masks on and survived it!
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The vet has advised me to keep Angels mask on 24hrs a day all year round! She gets eye infections very easily, from wind, sun, flies etc. I don't like leaving it on all the time and tend to take it off when i can if she has hads it off and wants it back on when i arrive she come trotting over and puts her head down so it can be put on. She has a black medi relief one with padding - she wouldn't be without it!
 
I 'do' my two at 6.30am eveyr morning and even by then they are covered in flies, particularly at the moment with the warm weather so I have been leaving their masks and even fly rugs on 24/7 for some relief. My old guy has an ulcer on his eye which is healing up well. It is aggravated by sunlight and white fly masks (now all in the bin). Go for Premier Equine grey one!
 
Ru has his on 24/7 generally because his eyes get very runny with the flies. Never had a prob leaving it on at night. Sometimes take it off when he's in the stable and regularly check it.
 
My boy has his on 24/7 all summer.

He has been known to wiggle out of it when he think he doesn't need it, but so far this year he has kept it on.

Much better than sore eyes.

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