Blankets for Horses - Sheets 

Sheets are the lightest type of horse blanket. Sheets are usually made from a light nylon or other synthetic material like the materials used to make workout apparel for humans. Sheets are breathable and allow a lot of air circulation so that the horse doesn’t sweat. Sheets usually have buckled straps at the chest and two straps that crisscross under the horse’s belly to keep the sheet secure.

Sheets are very useful to have in the summer to protect your horse from insects that might carry diseases. Sheets are also commonly used in the autumn when the weather begins to get chilly and a horse that still has a summer coat or a horse that is being kept clipped for showing might need a little extra warmth but not too much.

In the winter, a stabled horse might wear just a light sheet when it’s being kept in a heated barn but might need a heavier blanket at night when the heat is off or when it is turned out in the pasture.

Your Horse Might Need a Sheet If:

• You live in an area where there is a high concentration of disease carrying pests like mosquitoes and flies

• If you live in an area where the days are warm but the nights are chilly and your horse needs a little something more at night to stay warm.

• If your horse has a clipped coat and stays in a stable during the winter but needs light protection to stay warm.

• If you show your horse regularly and you want to keep your horse from growing a heavy winter coat. Putting a sheet on the horse starting in mid to late autumn will keep the horse from growing a thick winter coat but won’t make the horse too warm.

• If you show your horse a lot and want to keep the horse from rolling or getting dirty in its stall before a show.

• You travel with your horse a lot. Keeping a sheet on the horse can protect it from drafts in the trailer or at your destination.

• You bathe your horse frequently in the autumn and winter. Putting a sheet on the horse can help protect the horse from getting a chill while allowing enough air circulation to let the horse’s coat dry.

Sheets are usually not that expensive and can be handy to have around the barn. If there is one blanket you’re going to buy and keep on hand just in case, it should be a sheet or a cooler because chances are that of all the different kinds of horse blankets that you could buy you will get the most use out of this one.

If you plan to show your horse and are going to use the sheet primarily when traveling and showing your horse, check with the stable that you board or train at because sometimes all the members of that barn will order sheets and blankets together in barn colors to get a discount.