[APatchOfHeaven]

My pony only keeps it on when I am sure he will be brought in the next day or the day after that. I don't like leaving it on without it being taken off for at least an hour or two a day/every other day b/c it rubs him sometimes. He is out in the field 24/7, and I only get to the farm on Sundays & Mondays, but someone leases him Sun, Mon, and Thursday, plus he gets used in a lesson every Saturday and some during the week as well. He has it on all week this week b/c he is in camp with the girl who leases.

I don't think it will hurt to let him go a day or two without it, like if the people who T/O forget to put it on. He shouldn't have to wear it when he's in the stall, but it probably wouldn't be too big of an issue

[4hooves4me2]

I take mine off at night-when they have to wear them. When they roll, the eyes can make some muddy messes under there.

But since I fight uveitis on the horses I put them on-they have more eye leakage then normal anyway-

[Redfishy]

I've done both ways without any issues. Marq can wear one forever and not get a rub or anything nor taking it off herself, Pache will take his off for me when he says its been on long enough (sometimes 5 mins sometimes 2 days, just never know!), the other two are between them as in sometimes they will wear it and sometimes they will take them off. If I am leaving them on I do take them off while they are eating every 2-3 days to make sure no rubs are present even though I've only had 1-2 I still feel the need to check.

[LifeIsGrand]

my horse wears his just when hes outside.

[PaintedRocket]

Gert's is put on in the AM and I take it and the fly sheet off in the PM.

I don't know if it's from her flymask or not ( I haven't been out much the past week or so) but there is a HUGE gash of hair missing. Not a from a cut or anything but like she rubbed her forehead raw ... she could've done it at night or who knows, LOL

[Jess!]

I leave them on 24/7 when the flies are bad. Flies are still alive at night.

[pinevalley]

My mare has her mask removed each night and put back on in the morning, as she is out on pasture with uneven terrain.
I know how hard it is to see where I am going with sunglasses when it is dusk or dark, and figure masks create a similar situation for a horse. Besides, I want to see her eyes and make sure no mud or debris has gotten in there.

My vet told me that he went to a call that dealt with owner negligence and a fly mask. The owner was leaving the masks on day and night, and not removing them but maybe every few weeks or so.
Somehow a bee had gotten under the one horses mask during the day, and the owner had no idea that it stung the horse in the eye. The horses eye had swollen shut and since the horse was rubbing on anything it could find as it itched, it became infected, it was days before the owner noticed it. The owner was darn lucky that the horse didn't lose its eye or become permanantly blind from this.

So, just be careful if you make the decision to leave it on day and night as freak things can happen, and it should only be done at night if you have your horse contained in a small area.

[haunani]

Mine wear theirs day and night with no issues. The worst I've dealt with is a little hair rubbing off on their noses and I had to replace the fleece on one of them. The only facial injury I've had so far this year is a nasty scrape on Meteor. It happened when we wasn't wearing his fly mask (I had it at home to replace the fleece).

[ShowJumper23]

I keep mine on Beowulf, but thats because I usually go in the morning, or at night because of the heat. He's out 24/7.

So If I go at night, even if he doesn't need it at night, he definitly needs it throughout the day (the flies are so bad), so I have to leave it on overnight.

If I go in the morning, I obviously put it on before I leave. But since I won't be coming back until the next day, he's got to keep it on overnight.

Not the ideal situation, but I can't afford gas to drive over multiple times a day. And he hasn't had any rubs or rips or anything, so I'm find with it.

[raceTHEwind13]

I leave mine on for the day when they're out and then take it off at night to clean it bc flies aren't that bad here at night. I'm not sure if I personally would leave it on 24/7, but only bc we're not there all day to keep an eye on it and make sure everything is "a-okay" I'd hate to come one night to see the mask hanging off one ear all torn and not knowing what happened.