Horses wearing sacks on their heads??

[carlton23]

Whilst enjoying a small beer in a pub yesterday, I was interested to see two horses in a nearby field with what appeared to be sacks covering their eyes and wondered why this was. Can anyone supply a educated sensible answer? They didn`t seem to be bothered with it, and trotted around normally and grazing.

[tamborine]

Not a sack but a net to keep flies out of their eyes.

[grasscarp]

and to stop insects biting their faces

[carlton23]

Thanks, that`s what I thought tambo. never seen it before now.

[tamborine]

Some stables have mountains of manure that attract blow flies that can madden a horse with stings and infect the horses eyes.

My manure is contracted free to local grower's fields.

[icemaiden]

We use them on our horses here. Fly masks, does what it says on the tin.

As above, keeps flies away from their eyes and from biting them. A godsend today what with all the flies around.

[nightmare]

tamborine,
I assume you mean your horses' manure, not yours ?

[RATTER15]

Maybe they were just ugly horses that were on a breeding programme?

[carlton23]

Can anyone supply a educated sensible answer?
Obviously missed by Ratter age 15?

[DTCwordfan]

oh lighten up carlton, you had a sensible answer, so something amusing helps enliven things around here and it's a bit quiet in AB this evening

Neigh?

[Tomanyhorses]

Hi, They are protection from flies. You can have various contraptions from a fly fringe where you tie the fring to a halter or some fit over the ears to give them extra 'hair' length to swat flies away from their eyes to complete head covering where ears and eyes are enclosed and they look through 'netting' material. Flies can bother eyes that much they can inflame. We cut too much natural hair from ridden horses, they need hier long mane and tail for a reason! Hope this helps, I have a horse with sweetitch and he has to have full body protection in the summer so be prepared to see some horses covered all over. Cheers