Why do people in the Southwest put hoods over horses head? Is it to protect them from sunlight?

Question

I often see horses in the yards around here with hoods on. They aren't race horses. We live in the desert SW and the only reason I can think of is to protect their eyes from the intense sunlight.

Answer 1

I think you're talking about a fly mask.  Oh we have those everywhere.  Its to keep flies off of them.  Some people have them to cover the whole body.

Answer 2

It's actually to protect them from flies. Without the flymask, there would be flies on the horses' eyes and in their nose.

Answer 3

I put on on my horse because he has allergies and it seems to help him out. They are called flymasks and are used to keep the flies off of their faces.

Answer 4

They are wearing fly masks. The fly masks help protect mainly from flies, but it also helps to block out some sunlight. There are many styles of fly masks out there. Mine are the ones that protect the ears, face/eyes, and the nose.