I have a new black gelding so need a fly sheet next year to keep his coat black and flies off. I live in Northern CA foothills where we can have 105 degree dry summer days that cool off well in the evening.
I would love opinions on fly sheets with neck covers that are breathable and won’t make a horse hotter than it already is.
The lightest/coolest one that I have found so far has been the Kool Coat Airstream, which I chose because I needed the UV protection on my gray. It is great at protecting the coat, cool—ish (I live in NC where the summers are swampy with heat and humidity). He still sweats, but not as much as the others that I have tried. The quality isn’t particularly good, the mesh seems to rip easily (he is a OTTB, and not easy on the blankets, and he is out with my chestnut monster mare, who keeps him well in line with her teeth, LOL).
Another one that I think is cooler for the horse is the Schneider’s mosquito mesh- it is a heavier mesh that sort of stands away from the horses body a bit, but I hate the fit for my horses, and it seems to bunch in weird places and get massive wrinkles that will not come out, even with washing.
I would love to hear about other options that are cooler- between the humidity, heat and insects here I end up just keeping them inside during the day, but even the nights can be pretty uncomfortable.
Schneider’s Mosquito Mesh will be the lightest weight, but that could still potentially be too much on the hottest/most humid days. I’m in Texas and once it’s over 90°ish my extremely-over-reactive-to-fly-bites gelding can’t tolerate any fly sheet, and I’ve tried 4 different brands. We basically only use them March-mid May, and then if the Oct-Nov rainy season brings the bugs back out.
I also think the Schneider’s mosquito mesh is the coolest I’ve found. I still can’t use it on super hot days though.
I LOVE the Amigo Bug Buster with belly band. I have 2 horses in these and even on the hottest days, they tolerate them. I don’t use neck covers so can’t speak for that but I am going on 2nd or 3rd year for 1 horse and it’s still holding up and he is very happy in it.
I recently bought the Amigo Bug Buster fly sheet on the recommendation from my vet. I live in North Carolina, with high humidity and although he is sweaty underneath, he is no more sweaty than others not wearing a fly sheet. It has done wonders for keeping the flies and the sunburn he was experiencing away. I was previously not a big fan of fly sheets but this one has changed my mind.
Another vote for the mosquito mesh, although I did have issues with flies getting trapped underneath.
The Schneider’s Dura-Tec sheet is the lightest I’ve seen (haven’t tried the mosquito mesh) https://www.sstack.com/test_inactive-site-testing_fly-sheet-product-test/dura-tech-ripstop-nylon-soft-micro-mesh-fly-sheet/
I like the dura-tec because it kind of “stands” away from the horse’s body so it’s not stuck up against them trapping heat or sticking to sweaty sides all over. It is lined in the shoulder though, so even on super super hot days I wouldn’t use it for that reason. It won’t breathe there.
I like the TurtleNeck brand fly sheet. Good quality and lightweight.
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