Flies The Limit
The calendar says it is September but it sure doesn’t feel like it. Summer has dug in and refuses to leave. The days may be shorter but the sun is still hot and bright. Don’t even get me started on the flies, it seems they know their days are numbered and are a major nuisance. Luckily for my horses, I discovered a great fly mask that easily beat out all it’s competitors. The Woof Wear UV Fly Mask was a face saver this summer and apparently for fall too.
My horses aren’t outside for long periods of time in the summer and they only need fly masks occasionally. I was always hesitant to use them, since so many are made from thick plastic that is hard to see thru. They look and feel uncomfortable. But Shooter occasionally suffers from head shaking syndrome brought on by bright light. Exposure to bright light causes a nerve in the head (trigeminal nerve) to send a shock-like sensation to the horse's face, and he reacts by obsessively shaking his head and snorting. He almost goes into a trance when he does it.. Shooter rarely has this happen except for this winter (when he came in from being turned out in the snow and bright sun) and again this summer when the sun was so bright and intense. We quickly learned that putting on a fly mask was equal to putting on a pair of sunglasses and it does the trick. It filters the light and keeps it from aggravating his trigeminal nerve.
It was time to ditch the traditional, uncomfortable, Farnam fly mask and find him one that he could wear all summer. Woof Wear ticked all the boxes: fine, easy to see thru mesh; soft, stretchy, breathable mesh fabric around the jowls; padded noseband; fabric that stays off the eyes and durable velcro. It also blocks 60% of UVA and UVB rays.
The Cashel Leopard Crusader Fly Mask came in a close second to the Woof Wear Fly Mask. It’s mesh is a bit stiffer (but stays off the eyes) and it is not stretchy around the jowls. But it’s fit is excellent and is durable and very affordable at $19 from NRS. The leopard trim adds a bit of fun style.
