Kensington fly mask with ears and detachable nose piece
Weatherbeeta fly sheet with tail flap, belly band, and
detachable neck cover (yes, he has gotten it filthy already)
New set of Kensington fly boots
(the last set was pretty busted up after 3+ months of constant use)
Try and get me now, f*ckers!
I'm not sure if I'm sold on this fly sheet. While I love Weatherbeetas and it does fit him well, the material is so thin and light that the neck cover falls and flops around. It does have a loop at the top to attach to a fly mask (if it doesn't have ears or has a special neck cover loop) or a halter; but Salem's fly mask has nowhere to hook the loop, and he doesn't wear a halter unless I'm messing with him. I originally wanted a Schneider's bellyband fly sheet, but they were out of stock in size 82. I guess we'll just have to make this sheet work. (Anyone know how to add some kind of loop thing-y to a fly mask? I really don't want to cut a hole in it.)
On the plus side, it does seem to make Salem much more comfortable. And, even though he rolls a ton, he was still very clean tonight when I took off the sheet.
And this is pre-grooming -- not bad!
Do any of you use fly sheets? If so, what brands? What do you like/dislike about them?
7 comments:
He looks so cute! I've never used fly boots before. Do they seem to help?
Bubble boy! :)
Yes, as u know, we are using the Schneider's fly sheet and while I like it-it's a bit stiff (no rubbing as of yet) and makes him a little hot/clamy feeling. He is STILL covered in bites though grrrr! our B52's GIANT green biting flies are out and are MEAN bastards.
I don't use a fly sheet, but am thinking about it. But I have those exact kensington sets. Fly mask with ears and nose, and boots. The horses that wear the boots don't stop their feet like the horses that don't have them on. And my fly mask has the "bug eyes" so they don't rub around their eyes like some the horses' masks do.
I have the exact same fly sheet for Bailey. The MONSTER horse flies we got up here in NC still go straight through it though. I like it, but I am not sure how much it actually does for flies. I use it mostly to keep Bailey cooler in this horrible heat. I got lucky, since Bails is a cribber I am able to hook the fly sheet onto her miracle collar. I don't think it would be hard to sew a little loop onto your fly mask though.
And shiny beast!! Yet another plus of the fly sheet, it keep them clean and buffs their coat!! Makes grooming a ton easier!
Megan, yes the fly boots do help quite a bit.
Kristen, I think the stiffness of the Schneider's fly sheet is a bonus, as it would help the sheet sit up away from the horse a bit (that's how Salem's other fly sheet is). I feel like that helps keep the horse cooler and helps keep bugs from biting through the sheet. ???
Gooddog, I <3 Kensington! I'm not a fan of their fly sheets, though -- they're heavy, dark, have no belly band, and are expensive.
Alana, I'm glad we don't have any of those crazy bugs! Right now, we have gnats, mosquitos, and barn flies and this sheet is effective against those. I also spray the walls of Salem's stall down with fly spray and that helps a LOT!
I wish I could use a fly sheet to keep some of the bugs off of Chrome, but it wouldn't last two seconds out there lol. At least he has a barn and twenty plus acres and two ponds so I'm sure he can figure out where to stay away from them. The ticks are my biggest problem. And chiggers. Ugh!
I use flag combo's. They aren't very tough but very breathable and seem to help against pests. Brand - I love Camelot Rugs, an Australian local man who makes very good fitting rugs and combos
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