Km Elite Cashel Fly Mask Long with Ears Extra Large

Cashel Crusader Fly Mask Long with Ears – Extra Large

The Crusader is the mask the Cashel range is built around, and the Long with Ears version is the one that covers the most: mesh over the eyes and down the nose, with a three-hole cap that takes both ears and the forelock. The grey plastic-coated mesh blocks around 70% of damaging UV rays, which is why it is the mask reached for on pink-skinned noses as much as on fly-tormented ones.

What makes it stay on is the eye dart construction. The darts hold the mesh out and away from the eye instead of letting it lie flat against the lashes, so the mask keeps its shape when a horse rubs it on a fence rail — and a mask that keeps its shape is a mask that does not end up round the throat by teatime.

Performance & Benefits

• Three-hole cap takes both ears and the forelock, which is what stops the mask sliding round the head.
• Eye darts hold the mesh clear of the eye rather than letting it sit against the lashes.
• Plastic-coated mesh blocks around 70% of damaging UV rays, which KM Elite link to reduced Head Shaking Syndrome symptoms.
• Long style, so the mesh carries down over the nose as well as the eyes.
• Cut to sit close at the edges, so flies cannot crawl in under the rim.
• Hand-made by Cashel; Horse Journal Product of the Year 2008.

Suitable For

• Horses turned out through the fly season, particularly those that rub their eyes raw.
• Pink-skinned and light-coloured noses that burn, where the long mesh matters more than the eye panel.
• Horses showing signs of Head Shaking Syndrome in bright light.
• Turnout in open fields with no shade to stand in.
• Not the right mask for ridden work — the Cashel Crusader Quiet Ride is the one made to go under a bridle.

How to Use

• Fit it to the same size as the horse's halter — that is how Cashel size the Crusader.
• Settle the forelock and both ears into the three-hole cap before fastening, so nothing is folded over.
• Check the mesh sits clear of the lashes on both sides before you turn out.
• Take the mask off daily, shake the grit out of the mesh and look at both eyes.
• Rinse in cool water and air dry. KM Elite publish no washing instructions for this mask, so treat it gently.

Specification

• Long style with ears: mesh over the eyes and down the nose, with a three-hole ear and forelock cap.
• Grey plastic-coated mesh with black trim.
• Blocks around 70% of damaging UV rays.
• SKU 1001980. Barcode 5060171232193.
• Cashel size this mask by halter size and KM Elite list the fittings as Foal, Weanling, Yearling, Arab, Horse, Warmblood and Draft. They do not publish an Extra Large fitting for the Crusader Long, so match it to the horse's halter size before ordering.
• KM Elite publish no washing instructions and no mesh weight for this mask, so none are stated here.

Care & Caution

• Grit, chaff and grass seed trapped inside the mesh sit directly against the cornea. Take the mask off and shake it out every day rather than leaving it on for a week.
• A fly mask hides the eye it is protecting. Check both eyes daily for discharge, swelling or squinting.
• This is not a breakaway mask. Do not leave it on a horse turned out with others that pull at rugs and masks.
• Stop using the mask once the mesh is torn or a dart is broken — a loose panel can fold back against the eye.