Face Flies Are Transmitting Disease While Your Horse Stands There Defenseless
Face flies spread pinkeye, irritate eyes and nasal passages, and trigger skin sensitivity that makes horses hard to handle at exactly the time of year when you need them focused. The Cashel Crusader fly mask stops them before they land — while blocking 70% of UV to protect your horse's eyes and skin through the whole summer.
The mask fly control professionals reach for first.
Face Flies Do Lasting Damage Before You Even Notice
Face flies and gnats do more than annoy your horse — they actively transmit bacterial conjunctivitis (pinkeye), deposit parasite eggs near mucous membranes, and cause chronic eye irritation that can lead to ulceration and vision impairment if left unmanaged. A horse that spends fly season squinting, head-shaking, and repeatedly wiping its face is accumulating inflammatory eye exposure that compounds every year, particularly in horses with sensitive pink-skinned eye tissue or naturally light coloring.
An Untreated Fly Season Becomes a Winter Vet Bill
Eye infections from fly-borne bacteria don't always resolve on their own — the ones that don't become corneal ulcers requiring prescription eye medication, daily treatment regimens, and veterinary follow-up that can extend for weeks. UV damage to lightly pigmented eye tissue around the orbit accumulates silently over years before manifesting as sun-related sarcoids or chronic skin sensitivity. The economic case for a quality fly mask is straightforward: it costs less than one vet call.
- ✗Eye infections and pinkeye transmitted by face flies in warm months
- ✗Constant head-shaking and ear-pinning from gnat pressure during rides
- ✗UV damage to light-pigmented eye tissue and sensitive skin around the orbit
- ✗Fly masks that slide off, get removed by pasturemates, or fail before season ends
Cashel Crusader Blocks Insects, UV, and Flies Without Blocking Vision
The Cashel Crusader Fly Mask uses plastic-coated mesh that allows air to flow through while physically excluding flies, gnats, and insects from contact with the eyes, ears, and nasal area. The mask blocks up to 70% of damaging UV rays to protect sensitive eye tissue and the surrounding skin. Available in standard with ears or extended nose options, the Crusader design stays in place during turnout and is comfortable enough for all-day wear without the rubbing issues that make horses remove other masks.
Plastic-Coated Mesh Barrier
Soft yet durable plastic-coated mesh excludes face flies and gnats while maintaining full airflow around the face.
70% UV Ray Blocking
Blocks up to 70% of damaging UV rays to protect sensitive eye tissue and light-pigmented skin from sun damage.
Ear Coverage Included
Standard with ears design protects the inner ear canal from gnat infestations that cause intense irritation during turnout.
All-Day Comfort Fit
Designed for extended wear — horses tolerate the Cashel Crusader through full-day turnout without rubbing it off.
What Riders Are Saying
"
My Paint mare is very fair-skinned around her eyes and squinted all summer before I started using fly masks. Since switching to the Cashel Crusader — which she's worn for three seasons now — she has zero eye irritation and no squinting. The UV blocking is real; I can see the difference in how comfortable she is in direct afternoon sun. She keeps this mask on and doesn't try to rub it off the way she did with other brands.
""
I manage turnout for a 30-horse facility and Cashel Crusaders are the only fly mask we stock because they stay on and they last. The ear coverage on this model matters because our barn sits near a pond and the gnat pressure around the ears is intense all summer. I've seen other masks get pulled off by curious pasturemates but the Cashel design is resistant to that. We replace fewer masks per horse per season than we ever did with other brands.
""
My gelding had a summer eye infection two years in a row that my vet attributed to fly-transmitted bacteria. I put the Cashel Crusader on him the following spring and we have not had a single eye issue since — through two complete fly seasons. The plastic-coated mesh keeps insects out while allowing enough airflow that he doesn't overheat. A genuinely problem-solving product.
"How We Stack Up
| Feature | Schneiders Cashel Crusader with Ears | Farnam SuperMask II | Rambo Protector Fly Mask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic-coated mesh for softness | yes | no | no |
| Up to 70% UV ray blocking | yes | partial | yes |
| Ear coverage included | yes | yes | yes |
| Extended nose option available | yes | partial | no |
| Full-day turnout comfort | yes | yes | yes |
| Fly-borne disease prevention design | yes | yes | yes |
| Eye-clearance mesh structure | yes | partial | yes |
| Under $40 | yes | yes | no |
| Multiple size options | yes | yes | yes |
| Available at 78yr trusted retailer | yes | partial | partial |
Why the Cashel Crusader Has Been the Industry Benchmark for Decades
Cashel fly masks have been a consistent top-seller at Schneiders for years because they do what fly masks are supposed to do: stay on, keep flies off, and not irritate the horse into removing them. The plastic-coated mesh is softer than standard hardware mesh against sensitive skin and the eye structure maintains clearance from the actual eye surface. The range of styles — with or without ears, extended nose option — means there is a Crusader configuration for virtually every horse's head shape and fly pressure situation.
- ✓Soft plastic-coated mesh allows airflow while excluding insects
- ✓Blocks up to 70% of damaging UV rays
- ✓Available in multiple configurations: with ears, without ears, extended nose
- ✓Comfortable enough for all-day turnout wear
- ✓Designed to prevent fly-transmitted bacterial eye infections
What You Get
