Big fly and fly mask problem, anyone have advice?

Okay, so my horse won't keep his fly mask on. It's the right fit and everything, but he hates it. The past ten years of his life I'm pretty sure he never wore one (Amish) and he doesn't like having things on him in the pasture, so how do I keep it on?





Also I can't find anything good to keep the flies off. We use spray-- tried expensive stuff, the generic stuff, and everything in between-- and nothing works. The roll-on fly repellent doesn't work that great either. Plus, it's been raining again and he stands out in it and I think it's all washing off.





So does anyone out there have a good way to keep the fly mask on, or any good (tested) ways to keep the files away? Anything creative is welcome as long as it works.





Thanks!Big fly and fly mask problem, anyone have advice?
Some horses are very very bad about keeping fly masks on, and others don't mind them at all. Then again, another horse can pull the mask off during play.


What I've tried in the past: actually sew the mask on to a leather halter at the crown, cheek pieces and nose and chin straps. Use a poor quality cheap leather halter so it breaks easily if the horse snags it on something.


On my ';impossible-to-keep-mask'; gelding, all I use is Swat around the eyes, ears and nostrils.


If you own the property, invest in some long-term fly control measures like the Fly Predators (available from Spalding Labs). I've used them in combination with fly traps, and they are very effective, but you'll only notice results after 1 year of consistent use.


I also use fly spray for when I ride them, but these sprays only stay effective for a couple of hours. Absorbine Ultrashield EX is pretty good.





ADDENDUM:


Concerns over leaving a halter on a horse are valid. What I do is to ';weaken'; the halter straps with a knife: I score the leather to about half thickness at stress points. Done this way it will actually break under stress before any velcro closures will open.





And, yes, that's why I use cheap-o leather halters. ;-)Big fly and fly mask problem, anyone have advice?
my fly mask actually came with a loop behind the ears to put a halter through so it wouldn't rub off. either that you can sew your own onto it so it will fit him more customly since he is such a big horse, or cut a hole in it somewhere to tie it to his halter. i accidently bought my fly mask a little to big so my mare would put her head down and off it would slip. so i put her halter over it and it is awsome.
For keeping it on- put it on under a tighter halter, and get a durable mask. The halter prevents them from rubbing it off over their ears. My draft mare hates masks (but had cancer in her eye and needed to wear one). The cashel fly masks are pricey but work great- one lasts me about 3-4 months under a halter before she rubs right through the netting. I make sure that I take off the fly mask at night (for me, with no sun, for you, with very little flies due to colder temps) to give them a break and extend the life of the fly mask.


Also- why do you need to put a fly mask on? The only reason I used one is to block sunlight- unless he is very sensitive to flies, I would ignore it and let him be without one. It may look annoying to you, but he is probably not all that bugged by it (don't mind the pun, lol).


I know some horses that hate flies and shove their face in a fly mask. Others, such as my horse, and I am suspecting yours, don't see the point of it, and would rather be without one blocking their vision, no matter how slight.
maybe a halter on top of the mask might work. make sure that it is the kind that will break if it gets caught on something. 'wipe' (i think that's the name) wipe- one fly spray has a good rep. put a rain sheet on if it rains. also, get 'fly predators'. they help so much. they feed off of the flies' larvae and eggs in poop and anywhere else, which keeps the next generation of flies from starting, so once the adults die, there are no larvae left to be adults. where i used to board, they used them and i never saw any flies there. i think they have a 300 yard radius of flying from where they were released. i will be getting some next summer when the flies come back from winter.


http://www.thebeneficialinsectco.com/fly鈥?/a>


http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?鈥?/a>
I don't believe in keeping a horses' halter on when he is loose. I've seen tragic accidents that were directly related to a halter being left on. As Lisa M said, Swat, is great-even if it is pink and funny looking, there is a clear version and it stays on well. As far as the mask....good old duct tape on the velcro would take care of it.


Good luck.


p.s. Also, adding apple cider vinegar to your horses' diet can cut down on flies, they don't like the acidic taste and don't light on the horse for as long. About a 1/2 cup a day added to feed should take care of heavy fly coverage.
I fed my mare 1/4 cup of apple cidar vinegar a day ( I added it in her grain) and it kept the flys and mosqitoes away. It also made her coat really shiney and her hooves looked more healthier....I have also heared that it helps some breathing problems too.
You can either tape or tie the fly mask to his halter or I just use Swat on my horse's face and that will stay on in the rain. Mine won't wear a fly mask either.
i own a saddle %26amp; tack store...try the horse sense fly masks they run big!!!! their x-lrg is huge!!! they have the double velcro straps on the bottom too!! you can try the face roll- on and stuff but you cant get it too close to their eyes and since the flies love their eyes you really need to stick with a mask!!! just be delligent and keep putting it back on or try one of the horse sense and see if it works!!


as for fly spray have you tried the final fly-t by dionne??? its an oil based spray so it stays on longer than the water based sprays. i have 5 horses %26amp; 2 ponies and i have used it for yrs... i have tried all brands since i have access to them in my store and i swear by the final fly-t!!! it really works and its the brand i sell most of!!! if you have any more questions you can email me or call....


oh and just for FYI since your not supposed to leave your halter on your horse unattented EVER too many accidents can happen in the corral, arenas, paddocks etc... dont try the halter over the fly mask!!! dont try them with the throat latches either, the design with the velcro is so the fly mask can come off if needed with pressure its a safety feature!!!
The final fly T is GREAT!!!!
Fly mask -





I dont have the problem, except alot of the time my horses pasture mates rip it off. or ive seen horses rub it off themsevles. Do you have the velcrow kind? If so i suggest getting one that has elastic, instead of velcrowing it has ellastic and it takes some human strength to pull it off, along with having ellastic get some with ears. It will be more difficult to rub off and keep flys off.





As for flys -


I think flies become repelled to the stuff. they die but thye have babies and they dont mind the stuff. its like getting a shot. I use Marigold and find it works AWESOME. its kind of expensive. all natural but completely effective. Another kind is Purana. It comes in a arisol can and it works wonderful.


You can also get garlic supplements that repel flies.





Marigold:


http://www.bigdweb.com/search2.cfm?UserI鈥?/a>





Pyranha:


http://www.bigdweb.com/search2.cfm





fly mask:


http://www.bigdweb.com/search2.cfm





Not sure where to get the elastic kind. i would just look around online.





Good luck!!!!!
I just want to say that you should NOT put a halter on a horse that is loose in the pasture.





I don't have a solution to your problem, sorry!





EDIT: Just remembered that someone at my barn has an elastic one that works for her mare, she hasn't lost her mask yet. Good luck!





EDIT2: The elastic one I am referring to is slightly different from the person above (as far as I can tell from what she wrote). The elastic is in the straps, it still has Velcro but because it is elastic you can get a tighter fit, this one has ears also.