flymask overnight?

NeverSayNever

NeverSayNever

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do you?


Ive always thought not tbh but have never really used one for any length of time with any of my horses.

However Dazzler seems to be reacting to bites on his face and now has scabby/sore areas round his forelock. Unfortunately, my field is by a river, we've had heaps of rain, it's fly heaven down there. It would be really a last option to try and move him so I wondered about him having a flymask on all the time? Does anyone else do this?
 
When the Rapeseed is at its worst, and now during harvest time, I leave one on Snip all the time as he is very sensitive to the pollen and dust and is prone to eye infections from it. He's never had a problem keeping it on over night, and he's the kind of horse who would have found a way to have a problem if there was on, useless beast he is!!! lol
 
Munchkin said:
They can see perfectly well with them on at night :)
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But not if it rains! My 4 year old sustained a serious injury last week. Weather forecast didn't predict rain for days and the sky looked lovely so I left mine's on over night. In middle of the night though, there was a thunder storm and a short spell of heavy rain; next morning I was called by yard early to say my mare had bolted through two electric fences and straight into a 6' high hedge at speed. Goodness knows what made her panic and bolt from her field like that (wondering if a deer spooked her??) but the wet fly mask would have rendered her pretty much blind and made things 100 times worse. She's badly injured from being impaled into the chest area, but thankfully she'll recover. It could have been so much worse though. She may well have bolted regardless of the mask (as it must have been something pretty significant to have scared her like that) but I am sure it was the wet fly mask that caused her to bolt straight into a hedge at full gallop. Even she's not that daft :rolleyes:

Dry, fly masks are fine. Wet, they are not.
 
Spyda said:
But not if it rains! My 4 year old sustained a serious injury last week. Weather forecast didn't predict rain for days and the sky looked lovely so I left mine's on over night. In middle of the night though, there was a thunder storm and a short spell of heavy rain; next morning I was called by yard early to say my mare had bolted through two electric fences and straight into a 6' high hedge at speed. Goodness knows what made her panic and bolt from her field like that (wondering if a deer spooked her??) but the wet fly mask would have rendered her pretty much blind and made things 100 times worse. She's badly injured from being impaled into the chest area, but thankfully she'll recover. It could have been so much worse though. She may well have bolted regardless of the mask (as it must have been something pretty significant to have scared her like that) but I am sure it was the wet fly mask that caused her to bolt straight into a hedge at full gallop. Even she's not that daft :rolleyes:

Dry, fly masks are fine. Wet, they are not.
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Wow shame for your horse i hope she make a full recovery poor thing :(

I have to say tho i have never had a bother wet or dry... But them again mines is one of the tented ones that even wet doesnt stick to the face :)
 
we do, they come off twice a day for five mins, for the boys to have a good scratch, and to check for any rubs.

But, we have well sheltered fields, so if it rains the boys will hide so the masks don't really affect them.
 
I used to, until my mare got kicked and received a fatal broken hind leg. I blame myself for leaving it on her, I convinced myself she couldn't see properly or clearly enough to get out of harms way. I don't keep fly masks on my current two overnight. But that's only cos I have had that bad experience, others at my yard do and they are all okay.
 
Ours come in at 6pm and have all rugs, masks and muzzles off for three or four hours. Other than that, they have them on overnight, rain or shine, without any problems. I don't think that rain makes much difference to them.

They do have to look at things a bit harder in the dark - so an already spooky horse may have more issues.
 
Ritzyroo said:
I used to, until my mare got kicked and received a fatal broken hind leg. I blame myself for leaving it on her, I convinced myself she couldn't see properly or clearly enough to get out of harms way. I don't keep fly masks on my current two overnight. But that's only cos I have had that bad experience, others at my yard do and they are all okay.
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You can't blame yourself for that Ritzy! Really. :) That's horses and I really doubt that having a mask on would have made any difference, sadly.

However, I do agree with Spyda that I don't leave one on if I think it's going to pour, day or night just because it must be annoying!
 
we leave ours on but check for problems rubs etc. everyday, we bring them in during the day if hot so they come off then or at night if wet so they do get a break, but to be honest the flies drive them crazy so its masks and repellent by the bucket load.
 
Yes he is very efficient at pulling it off if he dosent want it on :rolleyes: If he isnt bothered by the flys he pulls it off but if they are bothering him he keeps it on.
 
Ive got one that is supposed to be specially designed to ride in (ie, they can see better through it) and she wears that as often as I can get her to keep it on. The longest shes kept one on is 3 days, but lately shes taken to getting them off almost immediately - the quickest being 4 minutes the other day, I put it on after she had had breakfast and I left the field to go to work, the lady I rent from was over doing her chickens, and when she looked up it was off....

The only time Ive had a problem with it (that I know of!) was after it had rained a lot, becuse she loves to grind her face into the mud, and she had filled up almost all the holes with mud so she couldnt see a thing.... numpty ;)
 
Most sweet-itch ponies have them on 24/7 unless stabled as the midges are worst at dawn and dusk. I've looked through them myself - in daylight, at night and in the rain. Could see fine. Better in the rain as wasn't squinting to get the stuff out of my eyes lol! What does make a difference is the placing of the fluff around the edges and any non-mesh parts. Can seriously affect vision if in the wrong place.
 
Mine's is on 24/7 as he has a close-to-eye sarcoid: we are waiting for BCG vaccs from Liverpool.

He seems to manage very well in it, and I have no doubt he can see well! I've watched him.
 
I leave mine on mya for as long as it will stay on. It's been raining here tho so been checking it's not rubbing. started rubbing a little this morning so in my infinite wisdom at 7am after a nightshift thot would take it off a scatty 2 year old in a muddy field on a hill. Who needs skis??!! :-)
 
If you are wondering if your horse can see when the mask is wet wet it and hold it to your eyes and look through! I did and discovered how little you can see through my horses mask when soaking wet! So it now comes off in heavy rain.
 
mine has hers on all the time unless forecast heavy rain, only has it off for ridden work.
she has it on in lighter rain as typically i will take the mask off and then as soon as i leave, the sun comes out and wet + warm + sunny = fly swarm ! i dont know what it is about my pony but the flies are very attracted to her, so she is soaked in fly spray head to hoof and wears fly mask almost all the time- seems to keep most of them off if i can do this every day.
 
charleysummer said:
mine has hers on all the time unless forecast heavy rain, only has it off for ridden work.
she has it on in lighter rain as typically i will take the mask off and then as soon as i leave, the sun comes out and wet + warm + sunny = fly swarm ! i dont know what it is about my pony but the flies are very attracted to her, so she is soaked in fly spray head to hoof and wears fly mask almost all the time- seems to keep most of them off if i can do this every day.
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Ditto this. I have one who wears her fly mask overnight too, I Cant risk her eyes being affeCted when the sun is up so early in the Summer. She Copes perfeCtly fine.
 
My boys have theirs on all the time but I buy masks with really good visibility & that are stiff enough to stay away from the eyes even when soaked. Works a treat.
 
NiknKia said:
Wow shame for your horse i hope she make a full recovery poor thing :(

I have to say tho i have never had a bother wet or dry... But them again mines is one of the tented ones that even wet doesnt stick to the face :)
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Mine is the harder one that doesnt stick to the face and I leave them on all day and night in dry or rain as they hate the flies and they are twitching all the time. Obviously in the winter months when there are no flies, I dont put them on. :)
 
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