A Fly Mask Tough Enough for a Horse Who Rubs
Heavy-duty see-through poly vinyl Dura-Mesh, fleece-covered elastic at the nose and crown, and colored mesh ears — built for the big biters and the rough-and-tumble of turnout.
The Problem
The Mask Is Already on the Ground — and It's Not Even 9 AM
You put it on at six-thirty, watched your horse trot out, and by the time you got home it was lying by the water tank. Nobody saw it come off. You went back, put it on again, and told yourself it probably would not happen twice. It happened twice.
Every horse owner who deals with summer flies knows the other version too: you walk out to check turnout and find the mask twisted sideways over one eye, still technically on and doing nothing at all. Meanwhile deer flies, greenheads, and horse flies — the big biters that power straight through a light mesh — are working your horse's face while he shakes his head in that tired rhythm that tells you it has been going on for hours. And a mask that gives up after three weeks of rubbing and rolling is not protection. It is a mask you have to buy again.
Every horse owner who deals with summer flies knows the other version too: you walk out to check turnout and find the mask twisted sideways over one eye, still technically on and doing nothing at all. Meanwhile deer flies, greenheads, and horse flies — the big biters that power straight through a light mesh — are working your horse's face while he shakes his head in that tired rhythm that tells you it has been going on for hours. And a mask that gives up after three weeks of rubbing and rolling is not protection. It is a mask you have to buy again.
Why It Keeps Happening
Most Fly Masks Were Never Designed for a Horse That Actually Moves
A fly mask is asked to do a hard job: hold its position through grazing, rolling, sweating, head shaking, and rubbing, while keeping mesh clear of your horse's eyes and ears. When the fabric or the fit is wrong, ordinary turnout finds the weak point fast.
A mask can feel substantial in your hand and still lose its shape the first time your horse drops his head to graze or scrubs along a fence rail. If the mesh collapses inward, the eye clearance you checked at fitting disappears. If the binding is stiff or badly placed, it presses at the nose or crown. Ear pockets that are too short or too loose leave gaps or invite rubbing. And a closure a pasturemate can reach turns protection into another piece of gear you go looking for at dusk.
That is how fly masks become disposable: one is on your horse, one is drying, and one is somewhere past the gate.
A mask can feel substantial in your hand and still lose its shape the first time your horse drops his head to graze or scrubs along a fence rail. If the mesh collapses inward, the eye clearance you checked at fitting disappears. If the binding is stiff or badly placed, it presses at the nose or crown. Ear pockets that are too short or too loose leave gaps or invite rubbing. And a closure a pasturemate can reach turns protection into another piece of gear you go looking for at dusk.
That is how fly masks become disposable: one is on your horse, one is drying, and one is somewhere past the gate.
- ✗The mask ends up in the dirt or twisted sideways before the day is half over.
- ✗Deer flies, greenheads, and horse flies power straight through a light mesh.
- ✗Stiff binding at the nose and crown rubs a horse who wears a mask all summer.
- ✗Buying a replacement every few weeks costs more than buying the right mask once.
The Solution
Heavy-Duty Dura-Mesh, Soft Where It Touches
The Schneiders Dura-Mesh Original Fly Mask with Ears starts with the fabric: a durable, soft, see-through poly vinyl mesh your horse can see through clearly and that holds up to the rubbing, rolling, and pasture roughhousing that ends most masks early. Thick Dura-Mesh is your horse's best defense against deer flies, greenheads, and horse flies, the big biters that go right through a lighter weave. Gnats and mosquitos are small enough that some can still get through the larger holes of this fabric. If the tiniest bugs are your pasture's real problem, our Mosquito Mesh II mask uses a finer 350D window-screen weave built for them.
The colored mesh ears keep your horse's ears protected from insects, which is where a mask earns its keep on a head-shaking horse. Around the nose and crown, fleece-covered elastic binding conforms to your horse's head instead of fighting it, with no hard edges on sensitive skin and enough give to move with him. The hook and loop assist throatlatch adds a second layer of retention, so rolling, fence-rubbing, and pasture antics are far less likely to leave the mask in the dirt.
The mesh carries a 70% UV protection rating for the sensitive skin around your horse's eyes and nose. And a slot at the poll lets you attach a neck cover when you want coverage past the face, because for some horses in some regions, the face is only the beginning.
The colored mesh ears keep your horse's ears protected from insects, which is where a mask earns its keep on a head-shaking horse. Around the nose and crown, fleece-covered elastic binding conforms to your horse's head instead of fighting it, with no hard edges on sensitive skin and enough give to move with him. The hook and loop assist throatlatch adds a second layer of retention, so rolling, fence-rubbing, and pasture antics are far less likely to leave the mask in the dirt.
The mesh carries a 70% UV protection rating for the sensitive skin around your horse's eyes and nose. And a slot at the poll lets you attach a neck cover when you want coverage past the face, because for some horses in some regions, the face is only the beginning.
🛡️
Built for Hard Play
Heavy-duty poly vinyl Dura-Mesh shrugs off rubbing, rolling, and pasture roughhousing, so one mask can carry the season.
🐴
Ears Covered
Colored mesh ear pockets shield your horse's ears from flies and airborne debris, which is where head-shaking usually starts.
☁️
Soft Where It Touches
Fleece-covered elastic binding at the nose and crown conforms to your horse's head, with a hook and loop assist throatlatch closure.
☀️
70% UV Protection
See-through poly vinyl mesh with a 70% UV protection rating over your horse's eyes, nose, and face.
Side by Side
How Three Ear-Coverage Fly Masks Compare
These masks all provide ear coverage, but their published materials, closures, UV ratings, and fit features differ. Information below reflects manufacturer and retailer specifications available on the as-of date; unpublished details are marked “not listed.”
| Feature | Schneiders Schneiders® Dura-Mesh Original Fly Mask with Ears | Cashel® Crusader™ Fly Mask Standard with Ears | Farnam® SuperMask® II with Ears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ear coverage | Colored mesh ear coverings | Soft micromesh nylon ear sleeves | Soft, sewn-in mesh ears |
| Published face-mesh construction | 1000D poly vinyl Dura-Mesh | Soft-coated nylon micromesh | See-through mesh; fiber and denier not listed |
| Published UV protection | 70% UV protection on the current dedicated product page | Up to 70% UV protection | Protection from glaring sunlight stated; numeric UV percentage not listed |
| Closure design | Hook-and-loop assist throatlatch closure | Adjustable hook-and-loop closure strap with trim-to-fit guidelines | Double-latch closure positioned under the jaw |
| Poll or forelock feature | Poll slot for attaching a neck cover | Three-hole cap designed to accommodate the forelock | Forelock opening |
| Published nose coverage | Extended nose coverage not listed | No extended nose coverage on the Standard with Ears model | Extended face coverage stated; separate long-nose coverage not listed |
| Published size range | Small/Medium Pony, Medium/Large Pony, Cob, and Full Size | XX-Small through XX-Large | Size range not listed on the cited product page |
Built Tougher Than Every Fly It Fights
The Dura-Mesh™ Original is constructed from heavy-duty poly vinyl mesh that holds its shape, resists tearing, and maintains UV-blocking density through an entire season of daily outdoor wear. A fleece-covered elastic binding wraps the nose and crown contours without creating pressure points, rub marks, or the migration that plagues lesser masks after a few weeks of use. The hook-and-loop throatlatch closure locks the fit in place through rolls, fence rubs, and every other test a horse can invent.
- ✓Dura-Mesh™ — Maximum durability for active horses
- ✓Best protection against deer flies, greenheads & horse flies
- ✓Better protection against gnats, stable flies & mosquitoes
- ✓0.7 UPF UV rating
- ✓Hard Play Durability — built for the most active horses
Total Fly Protection From Poll to Nose. Nothing More, Nothing Left Out.
Warmth: Small/Medium Pony
Size: Gray
Color:
Ready to Order?
Cover the Face, Cover the Ears, Keep It On
The Dura-Mesh Original Fly Mask with Ears pairs heavy-duty see-through poly vinyl mesh with colored mesh ears, fleece-covered elastic binding, and a hook and loop assist throatlatch, plus a 70% UV protection rating and a poll slot for a neck cover. Schneiders has been the trusted name in horse protection since 1948. Order today and give your horse a quieter summer.
🚚 Free Shipping on $99+
↩️ Free Size Exchanges
🔒 Secure Checkout