In their natural habitats, horses have various ways of dealing with the massive influx of insects that come out during the summer months. Horses can move away from areas that are heavily infested, find mud for a bath, or simply take a short gallop to get those pesky flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and other airborne vectors away from their heads. The thick coat and skin of horses considerably help horses deal with insects; however, there is always the concern about flies and other bugs getting into ears, muzzles, and eyes.
There is no real concern about flies getting into a horse’s mouth because they will eat them right up. Insects flying into the muzzle and other sensitive areas are definitely worrisome. Unless your horses enjoy the benefit of living in a very large wooded area complete with mud pits and water streams, they will not feel very comfortable when temperatures rise and insects start buzzing their heads. Transporting horses away from their stables and pastures so that heavy pesticide spraying can be done is an option, but this will not eliminate all flying bugs. The best course of action is to make life easier for horses with fly masks.
You may not see insects buzzing around horses, but you can certainly tell that they are being bothered through the following behaviors:
- Erratic stamping of hooves
- Short gallops to the fence
- Excessive head nodding
- Constant flipping of tail
All of the above are signs of frustration, which can in turn manifest into a bad mood when it is time for riding. Fitting your horse with a fly mask is the best course of action even if you have already sprayed their stable or barn.
Understanding Fly Masks
Those who are thoroughly familiar with the equestrian world know that there are various types of masks for horses. In fact, there are even masks for riders to wear during harsh winter conditions. In essence, fly masks are accessories that you can put on your horse so that it can be protected against flying/biting insects. This safeguard item offers protection for the eyes and faces of horses.
The beauty of fly masks is that they are affordable, simple, and highly effective. You already know that treating barns and stables with pesticides will only work to a certain extent. You also know that fly sheets in the stalls have a similar shortcoming. Insect repellent works when you take horses out to ride, but constant applications are impractical and unsafe.
When you think about the great return on investment you get from horse fly masks, it only makes sense to have a couple around before the weather heats up and the insects proliferate. You can be sure that your animals will appreciate masks shortly after they start wearing them.
The most common fly mask design covers all the sensitive areas with comfortable fabrics that insects will not be able to penetrate; this is a full fly mask, and it will provide coverage to the ears, eyes, muzzle, and face. The mesh fabric will not take away the horse’s ability to see, but it may reduce it to a certain extent. Partial masks do not cover the eyes or ears so that the horse does not lose too much in terms of sensory input, but they are not as protective as full fly masks.
Additional Benefits of Fly Masks
There is no question about how much horses enjoy being out in the sunshine; they simply love it, and they also know that there will come a time when they will need to move to a shady spot. If your horses are exposed to direct sunlight while in their stables or when they are grazing, they could end up getting sunburn in the same sensitive areas that are bothered by insects. When choosing a fly mask for your horse, you might as well look at masks made with materials that provide UV protection; this will help to prevent sunburns on ears and on the tissue surrounding the eyes and muzzle.
Choosing the Right Fly Mask for Your Horse
The factors to consider when evaluating a fly mask boil down to:
- Field of vision
- Comfort
- Materials
- Coverage
You will always want to make sure that your horse’s vision will not be impeded too much once the mask is on. This does not mean that you should only consider fly masks that do not cover the eyes at all; virtually all masks will have a very fine mesh covering for the eyes, but some may not fit well around them. You may run into issues whereby the padding or fleece materials around the eye covering get in the way of clear vision, and this is what you want to avoid.
With regard to comfort, you do not have to worry about the weight of the fly mask at all because modern materials such as Lycra and nylon are very lightweight. Most horse owners keep them in regions where insects swarm during periods of high temperatures, which means that masks are made with synthetic fabrics that are highly breathable. A more important factor to consider is whether the fabric has been treated for UV ray resistance. This is not a problem if your horses are able to rest under shade for most of the day; otherwise, check the mask description as well as the label because what you should be looking for is the UPF +50 designation.
If you are concerned about proper ventilation, and you should be, keep in mind that breathable fabric is not enough. What provides adequate ventilation in a fly mask is the design itself. Oddly enough, full fly masks with eye and ear coverings are more likely to provide ventilation thanks to the holes over the eyes, nose, and ears. The airflow must run between the fabric and the skin all the way down to the muzzle.
While on the subject of comfort, something to keep in mind is how the fly mask will fasten and stay in place once you slip it on your animal’s head. Elastic straps are pretty common, but you may want to look into Velcro fasteners instead. The Velcro advantage is that it often features fabric patches that cover the straps; this minimizes the risk of the mask coming off. Padding around the ears and eye holes is a nice touch as long as it does not interfere with vision, but you should also consider the padding materials. Some partial fly masks feature fleece pads, and this could be uncomfortable in very hot climates such as South Florida and the Valley of the Sun in Arizona.
If you want to make things easier on yourself and your horses, the fly masks you should consider will have eye protection, but it needs to be as large as possible. If you see a mask with pieces of mesh that are three times larger than the eyes, this is what you want to get because other factors such as airflow will be in your favor.
Most horses will not like any kind of mask in the beginning, but they should be able to get used to them rather quickly. Fleece is the material least likely to cause chafing, but it tends to feel warmer than Lycra and other synthetic fabrics. Adjustable straps with Velcro are always better than those that only feature elastic fasteners because the latter will eventually stretch out.