Sometimes vendors send me items to review…  I love that!  So much fun…  And, if I like the item, I have something to write about it!

Today, I’d like to tell you about:

NAG HORSE RANCH FLY MASKS.

They are kinda the ‘Hummer’ of the fly masks out there.  Big, Durable, Built to Last, Kinda Spendy but not really for what you get.

Here are my thoughts…

LAST YEAR

Last year, I purchased a full-faced Nag fly mask for my BLM mare, Remi.  She has a lot of white on her face and was constantly sunburned.  I had read about these full-face masks from Nag Horse Ranch so I decided to purchase one for her.

I remember thinking it was expensive… I don’t remember what I paid but this year they sell for $54.95.

OK, anyway, it arrived and I thought it felt very durable and structured.  What I mean is that it would fit well and keep off of her eyes.  I hate it when the fly masks fall into their eyes…

I also thought it looked really BIG.

But, Remi is a very big girl.  She is the largest horse here (besides Bodhi) so I figured being BIG could be good.

And, it was.

Remi wore that thing all summer and it still looks new.  I swear.  It was great!

REMI LOVED IT!

In fact, she would come over to me and nudge it if I had taken it off of her and put it on a hook.  She wanted to wear it.  It kept the flies off, it was comfortable, the sun wouldn’t bother her eyes and her nose didn’t get sunburned.

Although the thing was a bit stiff and large, she did figure out a way to eat out of her bucket with it on – she’d let the lower flap contort upwards when she was in her bucket.  Once she was done, she’d use a fence board to flip it back down.

Smart mustang girl…

Bottom line, I loved it and she loved it.  That was her mask and she wore it last summer and is wearing it this summer.   She never purposefully gets it off of her face like she did other masks.  She wears it willingly.

NAG HORSE RANCH

Interestingly enough, Nag Horse Ranch emailed me and asked me why I hadn’t reviewed their mask.  I said that I’d be happy to review their masks if they sent this year’s model to me.

So, they did.

They sent an Eye Protection Shade.  Basically, a regular fly mask without the nose protection.  It is comparable to a every other fly mask except maybe the Cashel.  (The Cashel is more fitted.)

When it arrived, I thought that it looked like a cut-off version of Remi’s full-face mask.  I also thought the same thing that I thought last year.  Big, Durable, Built to last.  The price was a reasonable $29.95 for this model.

Immediately, I saw one difference from last year to this year –

The closure had a safety flap…  Hmmmm.

I know why they did this, of course… people want the masks to stay ON.

Not me… I figure if it gets caught, I’d rather it came off.

So, I didn’t attach the extra strap.  I left it simple.

TESS IS OUR MODEL FOR TODAY…

I put the new mask on my Grand Dam mare, Tess.  She needs a mask over her sensitive eyes every day so I figured this would be good for her.

Well, I’m sure she liked it, but it was waaay too big for her.

I mean, it did fit and it didn’t push on her eyes, but there was way too much room around the top and bottom.  As a sun shade, it was fine.  But, as a fly shade, it was too loose.

So, I took it off of her.

Hmmmm… who else has a larger head?

ROJO

Most of my horses have delicate heads.  This Nag Shade was too big for my Morgans and TWHs, but it might fit Rojo, the mustang.  Heck, Remi is a ‘stang and it fits her albeit she is huge and Rojo is tiny… still I thought I’d try it on his rather Roman-nosed face.

It fit!

It fit and it didn’t rub his eyes, either.  Nice.

I think he looks rather handsome in it…

BOTTOM LINE:

In my humble opinion, these masks are very durable, they definitely block out the nasty, eye-irritating rays and they keep the flies away.  I have used one for a year and it still looks new.

Yes, they are more expensive for the full-faced versions – but they also last much longer.

I think they run big so order accordingly.

I’m not a fan of the extra secure velcro but you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.  I also wish there were more colors but that is a trivial thing.

You can purchase the Rolls Royce versions with Sheepskin.  Very fancy!

And, I really, really want to try the visor.  OMG!  What a great idea!  I know Finn would love one!  Please, please Nag Horse Ranch, send me a visor!  I’d love to use it on Finn and take photos of our ride together as he comfortably navigates the trail without the SUN blinding him!  Great idea!

Here is the website for you to order your own!

 

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