Dear Jeanine, Veta and everyone connected with Guardian Mask:

Allow me to tell you the following story about my mare, KTJ, and her Guardian mask. Two years ago last month she returned home from the vet clinic after surgery on her leg. She was recovering well but the vet said he was concerned because her eye (with recurrent equine uveitis - ERU) was bothering her a lot. So, 3 days in advance of her return I ordered her first Guardian mask. The testimonial still on your website describes how this VERY head shy mare figured out within minutes how wonderful this mask was. And every day since then, whenever the mask has been off and I go to put it back on, she will stop whatever she is doing - including eating or walking off with pasture mates - come to me, put her head down, and wait patiently while I put her mask back in place.

Since we live in Puerto Rico (where the current UV level is 11) and she was pastured, not in a stall, she wore the mask every day for the first year. Most evenings - because she was by our house - I would take it off and then put it back on in the morning. But she wore it 363 of 365 days the first year. Last August we had to move our horses to different pastures away from where we live and since I could only go feed and work with the horses once a day, KTJ's mask was on 24/7 for the next 365 days. It only came off an hour or so once a week for me to clean the eye pieces and brush off dirt. I even rode her with it on. On September 20 last year, Hurricane Maria hit. It lasted 30 hours where we live with sustained 150 mph winds and destroyed homes, buildings, lives and stripped the island of >60% of its flora. It took us 4 hours (usually takes 20 minutes) to get to our horses after the hurricane ended, but we found all 3 of them standing unscathed in a pasture with destroyed fences; it looked like a graveyard without markers. There were trees down, light posts, roofing and siding, solar panels, and debris everywhere. BUT, the Guardian Mask was still on KTJ's head, intact, and had obviously protected her eyes throughout the storm.

Since the hurricane we have been working to help support other horse owners (ran a month-long free feed and care center), rescue horses and provide much-needed care, medical supplies, shelter and food for people who have not had it. We have repaired fences and buildings, removed downed trees and debris, and brought supplies to others on the island. Where we live, we waited 2 months for water to return and 5 months for electricity to come back on. We have also been actively working providing therapeutic riding and equine-assisted therapy to people with disabilities through our 501c3 - West Coast Ecuestre, Inc. (Healing Horse Equinoterapia and Horse of Hope). All through this, there were plenty of horse health concerns but KTJ's eyes have never had a problem.

Finally this month, I decided that KTJ's mask - worn continuously outdoors for the past two years - should probably be replaced. The workmanship is amazing, though: after the 2 years and the hurricane, it only has a few small signs of wear (see photo attached) and my mare has never had any areas of rubbing or irritation from wearing it so much. Other fly masks that my friends or I have purchased have lasted less than a month. When I contacted you five days ago, I mentioned that the original order record had been destroyed in the hurricane, so I hoped you could find it in your records and duplicate it. Not only did you do that, but you also got the new one to me (and sent it as a gift) in less than a week's time. WOW! Tengo mucho agradecimiento!

Last night I put the new mask (minus eye coverings) and the entire old mask through a gentle cycle in the wash before taking it to the horses today. Today I put the new mask on KTJ and she actually nickered her thanks. It fits - as did the old one - perfectly, and is beautiful. I will be giving the old mask to a friend who has a horse who does not have ERU but does have weepy eyes that are constantly bothered by flies. She has been unable to find a fly mask that will stay on him and/or that he does not destroy so I am eager - as is she - to know if this works.

I hope you enjoy the photos of KTJ in her new mask. I will try to do a video and send it to you, showing how she comes to have it put on. But, of course, that will mean taking it off and so that may take awhile. LOL!

Best wishes and many thanks from Puerto Rico!
Elaine Cosby, Director
Horses of Hope, a division of West Coast Ecuestre, Inc.I