Last week, Lynette mentioned in a comment on this post that she’d like to look out through a fly mask to see what it’s like. She also asked if I’ve tried.
I don’t remember seeing fly masks on horses before moving to New Mexico. I’ll admit again that when I moved here, I was thoroughly confused about why people would put blindfolds on their horses to prevent them from seeing where they were going. After all, I figured if I couldn’t see the faces of horses who were wearing masks, they surely couldn’t see me.
That, Lynette, is why last summer, I had to look out through a fly mask to see what it’s like. After all, I had to balance the potential of blindfolding the Boyz versus protecting their eyes from biting flies before I put fly masks on them.
Turns out, fly masks aren’t blindfolds like I thought they were. Silly me.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to see what it looks like to peer out through a fly mask, this might help.
Here’s me looking at Ellsworth.
And here’s Ellsworth (and Nigel) through the “lens” of a fly mask.
Because fly masks are a tightly woven netting (keeps the flies out while allowing air to flow), wearing one is kind of like putting on a pair of sunglasses. Not bad at all.
Here’s Abigail the goat.
And here’s what Abigail looks like looking through a fly mask.
The cottonwoods out back.
And the cottonwoods through a fly mask. You can see in this picture that the fly mask was farther away from the camera lens than in the first two pictures (the farther away the mask, the more you can distinguish the netting).
The Boyz.
And the Boyz through a fly mask.
Thank goodness they can see. ♥
August 12, 2011 at 4:32 am
LOL…I’ve done the same thing of looking through a fly mask “just to be sure”! We even put them on when riding if the deer flies are bad, but we do use the Cashel Quiet Ride masks with ears that are a little more transparent. Really makes a difference with the head tossing on those rides. And no nasty deer fly bites on their ears, either.
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August 12, 2011 at 6:38 am
Ah, the Boyz…being boyz. Wonder what they thought of you wandering around putting a fly mask on…and off…and on… 😀
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August 12, 2011 at 6:39 am
I used to ride my horse with a fly mask on and once I had someone slam on their brakes, hop out of their car and start yellling at me for “riding my horse blindfolded”. They said it was cruelty and that they were going to tell my Dad. I just stared at him, I was too stunned to say anything.
My Dad straightened him up (after teasing him first by saying I ride the horse blindfolded so when I fall off she won’t run away), said it was just like looking through a screen door. Funny how things which seem so benign to some are a major deal for others.
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August 12, 2011 at 6:58 am
I thought the very same thing when I first came to Texas. Too bad they (equines) can’t wear a little disclaimer on their sides that says, “Don’t call the aspca, I can see just fine.”
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August 12, 2011 at 8:33 am
Too funny! And true.
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August 12, 2011 at 7:25 am
How’s Nigel doing? I see he isn’t ready to allow a mask on yet.
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August 12, 2011 at 7:42 am
Shirley,
Nigel’s doing well. He isn’t ready to allow a mask or halter on yet, but yesterday he allowed me to put my hand over his eye and keep it there. I took that as a step in the right direction and a sign of building trust.
I don’t know when, but he’ll get there. I’ll be sure to give him an extra few scritches from his Aunt Shirley today.
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August 12, 2011 at 8:05 am
Well, I feel like I’ve been right to Morning Bray Farm! Thanks for the demonstration!
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August 12, 2011 at 8:34 am
Let me join in on the “I thought they were a blindfold” camp. I was very sad when I saw my first one on a horse – I thought he was blind or injured in some way. Luckily, I was set straight.
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August 12, 2011 at 8:35 am
If you use the fly masks with eyes or sunglasses painted on them, people get even more confused!
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August 12, 2011 at 8:39 am
It’s kind of like looking through a screen door. Excellent before & after examples. Reminded me of the “here & there” skits on Sesame Street with Grover. *grin*
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August 12, 2011 at 8:45 am
Thanks for that info, Justina. I had wondered the same thing. I figured they could see somewhat with the masks on, otherwise there would be a whole lot of equines bumping into walls and trees!
Hope you and Don have a great weekend!
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August 12, 2011 at 8:45 am
Oh, gee, didn’t anybody else ever look through things when they were little kids? My sister and I used to pull my mother’s stockings over our heads to play cops and robbers . . . or something else . . . who knows. Couldn’t do it for long though, because the stocking was so tight that my eyelashes rubbed on it and made my eyes run.
Anyway . . . it never occurred to me that the boys’ vision would suffer.
Abigail looks as if she’s evaluating the edibility of the fly mask.
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August 12, 2011 at 9:23 am
Thanks for the view screen…..I always wondered what it would be like and now I know. On one of our adventures, out with the grands, we saw some horses with the tassel ones like at 7MSN. I guess Ry hadn’t noticed fly masks of any kind before. But when we got home he made his sister a horse mask….tee hee. She couldn’t see a thing….no mesh, no eye holes just blank. It was quite entertaining especially because GK went along with it.
This post has helped him understand now too.
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August 12, 2011 at 9:48 am
WOW!!! That was neat!! Almost like sunglasses!!
Thanks for showing us what it’s like to see through the eye shields.
I’ve noticed horses here — down the road also wear these – seems that I only see them on the horses in the evening. I live in Atlanta, GA.
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August 12, 2011 at 9:54 am
Ah! Me too, I always wondered about that mask… Thanks for the view screen. I am also glad they can see!
Have a nice weekend!
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August 12, 2011 at 10:26 am
Thanks for letting us “see” what the boyz see!! I knew they allowed the animals to see, but I’ve been curious, too, about just how much they CAN see through those things. Good job!!!
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August 12, 2011 at 10:52 am
I wondered why you blindfolded the fellas. I thought it was some sort of training apparatus or something 🙂 Thanks for clearing it up for us ‘dummies!!!’
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August 12, 2011 at 11:39 am
Ha ha ha! What an educational post (and your before and after CRACKED me up!!). Very informative.
Would you tell me what brand mask you are using? I’ve had a crazy-hard time trying to find one to fit my boys, so at this point, they’re getting wiped down every morning with paper towels soaked in fly spray….
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August 13, 2011 at 6:18 am
Danni,
I think it’s not so much about the brand, since we have used several different ones successfully.
Since you’re having a hard time finding one to fit your boys, I think what you might need is to find masks that are yearling sized.
Bernard started out wearing a foal sized mask, but that’s too small for him now. Bernard and Patrick (and Fergus) are all wearing yearling sized these days.
Ellsworth is wearing an Arab sized mask… the yearling size is too small for him. The next size up from Arab is usually horse, which is entirely too big for donkey boys.
Does that help at all?
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August 14, 2011 at 10:07 am
I know that Beau is wearing an Arab sized halter, so I’ll give that a try with him in a fly mask. He has a *huge* head, especially compared to Chester, who will most likely fit the yearling size.
🙂
Great tips, Justina – thanks!
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August 12, 2011 at 5:13 pm
I bet you looked really silly walking around with a fly mask on… LOL 😀
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August 13, 2011 at 12:56 am
Good to know what your boys see when they wear their fly masks.
I miss shots from you while doing this test for us 🙂
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August 13, 2011 at 8:58 am
The ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos crack me up! My boys all love their flymasks. I finally found one that fits Russell perfectly. It’s a mini horse size. I think the purple trim sets off his chocolate coat quite well. 🙂
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August 14, 2011 at 1:20 am
Great post, Justina. Your boys look handsome in their masks. I tried to get my hubby to wear a fly mask once and he thought I was silly. But I wanted him to see what a horse does while wearing them. I do take our horse fly masks off at night, though, because vision drops dramatically and it’s like walking around blind. I also remove the fly masks before it rains because my mare always rolls in the mud after the rain and then the mask is covered in mud…which also dramatically reduces vision, too. 🙂
~Lisa
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August 14, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Well, thank you for clarifying that. I, too, always wondered why they tolerated them as well as they do.
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August 14, 2011 at 9:29 pm
I’m off to get three fly masks tomorrow for the new crew…the camel one doesn’t fit donkeys ;)!
Great post!
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August 15, 2011 at 3:08 am
Funny you did that…I just bought a fly mask for one of the girls yesterday, and the first thing I did when I got it home was look though it *laugh*. Never thought about taking a photo through it though.
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December 13, 2019 at 2:49 pm
I was wondering if goats can wear fly masks
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