Most of the time, a ‘great deal’ isn’t really a great deal. And today’s deal proved that point… unless this is perfect for your horse, in which case, it is a GREAT DEAL!
So, I was at Tractor Supply today. I always peruse the flymask section because often they have the type of flymask I like (Manna Pro Opti-Force with the silver nose) on sale.
But, not today… Today they had this fly mask on sale for $12.99. $12.99 is an awesome price for a flymask, especially if it is a good one. Since I have 9 horse faces to cover, this could have been a real boon!
I purchased one. The jar is smaller than a peanut butter jar. (I should have put an apple next to it…)
It came in a cute jar… And it was RED. Perfect. My favorite color. Also made by Professional Choice… a good brand. Things were looking very positive.
OK, NOW FOR THE REVEAL.
I took it out of the jar and Hmmmmm, there was no velcro! This flymask would have to go on a very ‘calm about flymasks’ horse because it would have to be slipped over his nose and his ears stuffed through the slots…
Well, most of my horses are fairly good about flymasks, but maybe not when they are slipped over their faces with a hail mary when it comes to getting the ears in the holes.
Finn would be the best choice. Unfortunately, Finn was eating, so I had to do it between bites.
This is the front. No darts for the eye mesh. No hole for the forelock.
The back. No velcro. The lycra felt nice.
FINNY IS SUCH A GOOD BOY!
First I showed it to him, and I think he liked the look of it. He had no issues with me slipping it on his face.
I wasn’t such a good aimer that I got it on his face and over both ears in one fell swoop. I got one ear and I kinda had the lycra folded by his chin.
My first attempt. Finn knows I have it on wonky. (Finn is a food dipper. He ruins his water at every meal. I’ve changed his hay and had his teeth floated… He just does this. So does his sister…)
The mask was easy to fix… so I did. And Finn doesn’t mind having his ears folded and inserted, so I did.
Here I am adjusting it and taking pics.
I want darts on the eyes. The poofy mesh isn’t hitting his eye lashes now… but they might later, when he rubs his face or leans against something. I like the red, though.
MY ISSUES WITH IT.
No eye darts. No forelock hole. No velcro.
Finn’s face is too narrow. I think this would work better on a wider face. This mask is horse sized.
The back fit nicely. (Yes, he has a feeder, but he dumps out his hay as he is dunking.)
The ears fit well, but no forelock hole.
CONCLUSION
This mask isn’t great for my horses because they all have narrow faces and heavy forelocks.
I prefer eye darts.
I do like the black, lightweight mesh… and I do like lycra in the Spring and Fall.
Maybe if my horse had some sort of injury that needed a wrap like this, this flymask would be good to know about… but for a regular fly mask, I still prefer Manna Pro Opti-Force with the silver nose.
But, it wasn’t $12.99… (and now I’ve wasted $12.99… so if anyone wants this mask, just send me $5 for shipping and I will mail it to you.)
I once bought a (different brand) Lycra fly mask for a part Arab 15 hand horse (he had a smallish head). Although it was a horse sized mask, it was very tight and difficult to pull onto his head. It did not appear to be comfortable, so I removed it, donated it to a horse rescue, and I have never been tempted to buy another Lycra fly mask.