TOUGH fly mask suggestions?

[Vandy]

So my new mare has destroyed 3 brand new flymasks in about a week - 2 Farnam Supermasks and a Cashel. Obviously, she doesn't want to wear a flymask, but the flies this year are TERRIBLE here and are really irritating her eyes. Any suggestions on a tougher mask? Or do I just give up and treat the inevitable eye infection :(

[saddleup]

I feel your pain. My horses take great joy in removing each other's fly masks, then stomping on them and tearing them apart. So far I've just kept buying new ones, plus roll-on fly repellent and lots of fly spray. Not a great option, I know.

[mypaintwattie]

Kensington- they are tough as nails.

[laskiblue]

Oddly enough, the cheapest fly masks I've bought have been the longest lasting on my mare. I picked up a bunch of Horse Sense fly masks for about $7 each at Equine Affaire and they hold up well. When I splurged on a lovely purple plaid fly mask with matching fly boots for my dear Appy, she had them trashed in a week.

[tikihorse2]

A second on the Kensington! They last the longest of any I've ever tried--and one of my geldings goes out in a herd, where they like playing with each other's clothes.

I was able to buy a bunch on sale in January, of all times, at a local tack shop.

Kim

[TikiSoo]

For some reason I do really well with the Absorbine masks. They are soft mesh and balloon out giving lots of eye room.

I sew velcro strips at the poll and/or sometimes at the nose to help secure the mask to the halter. It seems to be much harder for them to remove and keeps it in place better.

Sew to cloth band, not the mesh itself. It takes about 5 minutes.

[pony grandma]

Kensington!! I was so glad that I bought some new ones at the American Livestock sale prices. And I got the long face ones with ears - this summer what a big relief those were with all of the mites that we had!! Now the long nose covers are the big blessing. These really stand up to horse houdinis. The double velcro keeps them on. Do caution - they do run large on size. The WB size is more Draft size.

[SarahandSam]

Just got the Kensington a month or two ago after my horse demolished his old mask... this seems to really stand up to damage, especially since it's a little big on him and he manages to get it off and stomp on it every now and then. d;

[Sing Mia Song]

Word of advice on the Kensingtons--don't get the "bug eye" ones with the bulged out eyes. They quite easily collapse in on themselves when the horse rubs his face on a foreleg, and then you've got mesh making direct contact with the eye for the rest of the day.

Great theory, bad in practice. :no:

[hipy]

I have a bald faced paint who recently won a bout of squamous cell sarcoma, and the Kensington is the best hands down, both for longevity and UV protection.

[Chief2]

Kensingtons are my top pick for durability. My only gripe is that when the serious heat and humidity are on, they can be too hot. Perhaps out west, where it is drier, that won't be a problem. Here, on those nasty days, I put SWAT around the eyes and on the ears, and that works okay, too.

[hey101]

Are Kensingtons hard for the horse to actually get off? My mare seems to be a master at getting the mask off in under 25 seconds, :rolleyes: no matter how I try to keep it on her. Then once it's off, she destroys it in another 25 seconds. :lol: I went through no less than 4 masks last summer and then called it. This summer I haven't put anything on her but I'm starting to feel guilty about it.

So which is the hardest to get off?
TIA!