Fly/sun masks left on at night ?

The_snoopster

The_snoopster

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I mask up my filly due to having typical appaloosa eyes which show lots of white which can look sore on very sunny days, normally I take it off around 8pm then put it back on 9am ish. However I see lots of gnats around at these times which also irritate her eyes, how many of you leave them on over night if the weather forcast in for several sunny days in a row ?
 
On overnight for my sweetitch girl, never had a problem, touch wood (other than her deciding to take it off that is!).
 
Yep I do, lots of little bitey ones at dawn and dusk. He used to pull his old one off if he didnt want it on any way so at least if I put it on he had the choice.
 
Thanks for the replies, I leave my old mares on all night. I suppose I am being a bit precious with my filly, its her first year wearing one. She is only 20 months old, and the huge velco strips did scare her at first when taking it off. This is why I started taking it off at night and on again in the morning so she got used to it, she does not mind it now. Then I started to doubt what I have always done by leaving them on over night, god I scare myself sometimes :D:D:D
 
This might be completely unfounded, but having had someone tell me that the mask makes it hard for the horses to see at twilight...I don't do it. I put lots of flyspray on my hand to wipe over my boys face.
 
Last summer I left Mollie's flymask on one night. In the morning, she had run into the fence. I found skid marks under the broken fence, and the barbed wire had been pulled off a post. The flymask was lying bloodstained by the fence. She had minor injuries all over, but worst of all was her poor nose. :(

Maybe she would have injured herself without the mask on but I couldn't help wondering if her sight had been impaired or maybe she got the mask caught and panicked? I felt very guilty and won't do that again!

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I always take off overnight to ensure they have a break from them. I just cream inside their ears and wipe repellent around their faces. I've never had a sweet itch prone one, so maybe would in that instance...
 
I leave mine on, as the midges are still active and annoying them well after 10pm and starting again at about 4.30am. I do make sure they are very familiar with their boundaries first though.

Poor horse that ran into the barbed wire fencing, must have been very upsetting for horse and owner - evil stuff. :(
 
We leave ours on 24 / 7 if the horse lives out. We have never had any problems this way and we are right next to a river so the flies are bad pretty much constantly!
 
Sprout said:
Poor horse that ran into the barbed wire fencing, must have been very upsetting for horse and owner - evil stuff. :(
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I'd only owned her weeks. :( Up until then she didn't come to me in the field, but that morning she came right across the field to me, as if to say, "Look what I've done!"

She healed incredibly quickly with no treatment (she wouldn't let anyone near it!) and has only the faintest scar.
 
One mask my horse wears is very thick black mesh quite stiff and he walks around in the day time like a blind thing but is ok although it makes him jumpy as I dont think he can see that well obviously!
I have another that is thinner more like net curtains sheer and this doesnt seem to be so bad

I leave it on unless its raining. They can make them sore if left on for days so I try to take it off when its pouring as there arent as many flies then.

He wears it on sunny days & nights only,
 
I have a heavy black one for real sunny days and a fine mesh white one which she wears over night in summer and on really bright winter days especially in snow. She is very sun sensitive.
 
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