PLEASE DON'T USE LYCRA FULL HOODS!!

Superted1989, I used a Lycra neck/hood (only up to the ears tho) on mine to try 2prevent mane-loss under winter rugs and it didn't work:( Have concluded mine just has poorly rooted hair that falls out/rubs off easily,as have tried lots of things:-/
 
Found a stabled pony with two swollen eyes because of a lycra hood, one evening. Removed the hood, checked the pony and texted the owner to let her know.
Owner arrived, put the hood back on and left.
Seemingly, keeping clean for a small local show, was more important than the pony's sight.
 
Just brought one for Rosie. So far all it does is slip back and it sits just under her eye which is a tad annoying. She has rolled in it as yet hasn't managed to twist it thank god. Will be keeping an eye on it.
 
Hope she recovers quickly.


I had this happen to my gelding it was a detachable hood but just didnt fit him properly , his mum however it did, hers very rarely moved.

These hoods seem to fit some horses better than others, my mares son has small head and finer than her so nothing like this fits appart from plain old neck covers.

I have had this trouble with licra ones too.


Now I think for the sake of grooming his face for an extra 5 minutes is it really worth the risk of putting a hood on
 
Rosie'smum said:
Just brought one for Rosie. So far all it does is slip back and it sits just under her eye which is a tad annoying. She has rolled in it as yet hasn't managed to twist it thank god. Will be keeping an eye on it.
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If it slips back and sits just back under her eye I imagine it must be even more annoying for her than it is for you.. if it doesn't fit well then why keep using it, especially after seeing these posts? Not trying to offend but surely common sense would say it's not a good idea to keep using it, especially if it is already moving around a lot?

OP I hope your mare recovers very soon, fingers crossed for you!
 
Venevidivici said:
Superted1989, I used a Lycra neck/hood (only up to the ears tho) on mine to try 2prevent mane-loss under winter rugs and it didn't work:( Have concluded mine just has poorly rooted hair that falls out/rubs off easily,as have tried lots of things:-/
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This could be related to staph aureus my mare has it , her mane grows mostly in summer when she has fly rug and mane gets air to it, winter bacteria thrive under her warm neck cover and it falls out easily. If i dont put a neck cover on she rubs it on trees.. Bacteria attacks the hair root and makes it weak and fall out easily. My mare has a chunk of her mane that never grows more than 1 1/2 inches long before rubbing.. I bought some of this

EQyss Mega-Tek Rebuilder
http://www.tailgator.co.uk/

but haven't been able to use it yet as she is on box rest . for lami

These neck covers stretch as they get was and used.

IMO get a good rug L_M_H weight with a good neck cover , not worth the risk. I tried the one on the ears and it ended up popping off and slidding down his neck, i got rid after that

I get no rub with my mares sons fals rug and i always wash them every summer on the inside of the neck for the build up of grease
 
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Because its not that bad it literally just touches it. But im not using it at the moment as its far too warm. Its just if its cold as have no hood for her lw. Once it gets cold for mw she will not have to wear it.
 
I use a turnout hood, only when the fields are thick mud, once its slipped round and he's stood blinded. But then there's nothing to rub on in the field.

I have the supreme Lycra hood, that doesn't move an inch.
 
While I am really sorry to hear of the problems people have had, I have to say I have used a Snuggy Hood for 5 winters on my mare and it has done it's job without slipping.

I do wonder if getting a correct fit is the biggest problem?
 
Leviathan,that's interesting,as he doesn't lose any mane in summer,despite wearing a flyrug with a fixed hood for most of the time(v bothered by flies!). It's only under heavier rugs(have tried several brands(Fal,Amigo,Rambo,Rhino,Prem Equine,Weatherbeeta-all end up in hair loss of bottom third of mane,despite fitting beautifully)The positive is that it does grow back each spring/summer! The eqyss rebuilder looks worth a try,thanku:)
 
It's not a snuggy hood but i'd rather not name brand as is a good brand generally. I've used there for about 3 or 4 years on this horse with no problem. She looks a bit better today. Vet coming back later in the week should be able to give me prognosis on vision then but some swelling gone down a little and more herself. Shiny-ish she had a cookie and shoe is in to keep her company as lottie was in with her overnight and needs to stretch legs.
 
Do horses really need to wear a "hood" that sits over their head with just eye holes to look out of? The one pictured earlier with the strip in front of the ears looks pretty good and would have no risk of the hood sliding round and irritating the eyes or even covering them. The thing is, it's not something anyone can really keep an eye on is it? You could keep an eye on things for weeks, when you go to your horse twice a day, and then half an hour after you leave a problem could happen.
Some years back a horse at a local livery yard managed to get his lycra hood twisted so that it covered his eyes and blinded him. He panicked, galloped about, through a fence and ended up dead. Even though people saw it happen they were powerless to stop him. Not all horses will stand still if they can't see.
 
Right...some advice about lycra hoods. We use them overnight in the stable in the winter (and during the day in bitterly cold weather) - horses with long manes and very fine coats, to keep the mane and coat in good condition and keep them warm without piling rugs on.
Most important is to use a good quality brand NOT cheap stretchy lycra which soon goes out of shape and can slip. Most of the brands sold in the UK are rubbish - snuggy hoods are probably the exception, although we don't use them. Ours come from the USA and are designed to fit well, with very large eye and ear holes for comfort, and to minimise the risk of the horse rubbing them into their eyes. We also wash them regularly to avoid them getting baggy.
Equally important is to make sure that the hood actually fits the horse - ones that are sold in small-medium-large rarely do.
We very rarely use them for turnout, using full neck turnout rugs instead because they are safer if there are branches etc to get caught on.
If they are the sort that really feel the cold and they have to go out with a hood on, then they are closely supervised and not left out with them on for long periods.
Like many things related to horses, accidents can happen, and I feel very sorry for anyone who has had a horse with a sore eye from a hood, but it can be avoided! Used properly, they are useful tools to keep horses warm, comfortable and tidy!
 
sbloom said:
Rubbish picture as it doesn't show how it fits over the face, totally different to regular hoods. I used one on my first horse and no mishaps, but no idea if that was down to accurate fit, luck, or it being a safer product...he felt the cold when he had his head clipped, not sure I'd use one now as neck covers are so good.

http://www.wunderwear.com/wcartpro55/agora.cgi?cart_id=953.6961&product=WrapHoods#thumb
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that looks like a great design. i have a few of the original w'undercover bibs from yonks ago and they're still going strong, never slip, never rub. great bits of kit.
the ones with the eye holes should be banned imho...
 
Venevidivici said:
Superted1989, I used a Lycra neck/hood (only up to the ears tho) on mine to try 2prevent mane-loss under winter rugs and it didn't work:( Have concluded mine just has poorly rooted hair that falls out/rubs off easily,as have tried lots of things:-/
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I have given up with neck rugs because of this problem. I find that traditional cut rugs and 'wug' style are fine and don't rub my horses' manes out.

When the horse puts it's head down to graze, the neck cover would go very, very tight. It's not surprising really that the mane was rubbed out.
 
Can't understand why you'd use one of these, they're an accident waiting to happen, and what's wrong with brushing to get a bit of mud off?
 
I have two snuggy hoods (full hoods) and my pony has to wear them as she reacts badly to sunlight and it's the only thing she doesn't pull off. She has worn her from feb-nov for two years now. When wet they are more liable to slip but worst that has happened is her ears pop out.

It isn't anything to do with mud for us, and never would be. I don't rug to stop mud - I can only dream of a muddy pony :(
 
I sent mine back for adjusting after the first time it happened. I asked them to send someone to measure but they assured me emailed measurements and photos would be fine. I was advised on fitting but second time round it did it again, this time worse. I would never put a hood on her again. I was fobbed off, promised a refund, which I had to keep chasing and never did get. I haven't got a good word for them I'm afraid. Previous to this I worked as a show groom so do know how to fit hoods and supreme ones on the stables horses seemed to be fine.
 
Something similar happened to mine: I'd put on a lycra hoody coz he's sweet-itchy, and turned him out. Luckily I keep mine at home so can keep a close eye.

He'd only been out for the morning, and I looked at him in the afternoon, and he was just standing hunched up in the corner of the field and not moving, so I went over to take a look, and the damn cussed thing had somehow slipped down and covered his eyes so he was in effect totally blind, plus had slipped down over his nostrils so he was pretty miserable.

Bless him, he was just standing there, but he could have been out for e.g. all night, or all day, or whatever.

I chucked the thing on the bonfire straight away after that. NEVER EVER AGAIN. I think they should carry some sort of warning. What worries me is that they're continuing to be sold and people think they're the best thing since sliced bread. They may have their uses, i.e. in say a showing yard or in a situation where the horse is stabled and there's constant supervision, but NOT to just chuck on and turn out.
 
Horses and ponies have hair to keep their necks warm, only lazy people want to keep horses clean. I fail to see why anyone would choose to use a hood. Some people use the 'plaiting the night before' argument, doesn't wash with me, if you are so hard up for 20 minutes that you can't plait in the morning before a show then perhaps you don't have time to go showing.
Hope your horse recovers fully.
 
Hope OP's horse recovers well.

Another person here who has seen them moved all around where they shouldn't be (mainly by boys being boys) and luckily the only injury I've seen as a result of one is a minor chafe to the lips when on one occasion they managed to get half their mouth through the eye hole. How long he stood in the field blind, sore and unable to eat I have no idea, but luckily he was the type who didn't really care. Same goes for the one who used to regularly be found with his sweet itch rug's "face" hanging to his knees, making him look like the grim reaper!
 
Baggybreeches said:
Horses and ponies have hair to keep their necks warm, only lazy people want to keep horses clean. I fail to see why anyone would choose to use a hood. Some people use the 'plaiting the night before' argument, doesn't wash with me, if you are so hard up for 20 minutes that you can't plait in the morning before a show then perhaps you don't have time to go showing.
Hope your horse recovers fully.
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Somewhat harsh and rather narrow minded. Its not just a one off and when time is tight hoods are a godsend. BOTH my horses are turned out with full snuggy hoods and ears as got fed up with spending a long time removing mud every night. Not funny when you are late up after work and spend a lot of time just removing mud to put a bridle on. Plus as we all know, regular mud baths mean its very hard to keep the coat clean. Both snuggy hoods are properly fitted and have the full necks (the head only is no good) and I have no problems. I also have the lycra hoods BUT.. I would never turn out my horses in hoods at night or if they were being left alone. They are both on part livery so pretty much supervised all the time. I have used the lycra when prepping for a show during the day but again would not leave hoods on at night.

Tip for anyone wanting to leave plaits in overnight. Plait up and then cover with an old stocking/tights and secure with bands over the top. It then just a matter of minutes to tidy them up but it keeps the plaits secure and the shavings out.
 
Baggybreeches said:
Some people use the 'plaiting the night before' argument, doesn't wash with me, if you are so hard up for 20 minutes that you can't plait in the morning before a show then perhaps you don't have time to go showing.

You can plait a mane for show in 20 mins!!!!!!!!!!. Wow is all I can say !I would have to use rubber bands to come anywhere near that, certainly couldn't do a proper job.
Glad to have read this thread as it is a serious wake up call. Many thanks to OP.
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