Masks
for horses
Dr. med. vet. Stefan Gesell-May, 2023
I believe that horses should be able to live without a mask if possible.
It is good for horses and owners if there is no reason to wear a "mask". Drafts and wind are generally not a reason for a mask, they do not pose a problem for healthy horse eyes. However, there are situations in which the use of a mask is appropriate:
A fly mask provides good protection against flies and sun.
So if there are a lot of annoying flies around, it is good to ward them off from your eyes.
A UV mask provides greater protection from the sun than other masks. This is important when there is a risk of tumors developing due to UV light (see "Light spot in the conjunctiva, back and top"). With tight UV masks, it is important to note that they can severely impair vision in snow or heavy rain. Haflingers who are on holiday in Australia should definitely wear a UV mask.
The Equivizor eye protection mask provides effective protection against rubbing. Since we started using this mask, we have been able to prevent damage caused by rubbing in almost all cases without having to untie the horses.