My rule of thumb (which is not supported by any real science, but just watching my particular horse): always check wind chill. If combined temp and wind chill will be below 20 F, medium turnout. Below 12 F, heavy turnout. Rain and near freezing, medium turnout. Snow I ignore, because she does.
She does not get cold easily, but when she does, it is almost always cold rain with wind that does it.
I am also not arguing for one type of blanket, or what fill level to use when. Every horse is an individual. However, I am just pushing back on the notion that sheets make horses colder because the hair is flattened ā itās often said, but it is said with no proof. Itās not the end of the world if a horse wears a sheet in 20 degree weather, thatās all.
Do you have any other layering option? Even a cotton sheet under the waterproof sheet would add some warmth. Or a cooler.
Even without another layer, Iām in the use the sheet while itās raining group.
Iāve done this often! A wool or BOT cooler under a turnout for an extra emergency layer. Works great.
Have you ever gotten your coat drenched when out? Not only is it uncomfortable but it makes you cold.
Your horse has a good winter coat.
Your horse has free choice 24/7 access to hay.
Your horse has a shelter.
He doesnāt need a waterproof sheet , which will not do much to keep him warm anyways. If you put it on and it gets soaked it will not dry like the hair will. If the windchill is below freezing the sheet will be stiff as well.
I believe the horse has a roof but no wind block.
This is hugely different from a horse that has a windbreak, since the weather we are predicted to get includes driving rain - rendering the roof type shelter useless depending on setup. We have a shelter like this, and it is little more than shade and a shelter from light rain.
Iām in camp rain sheet for the wettest weather for this storm. IIWM though Iād be buying a cheap medium turnout to have on hand. I expect this will not be the last wildly out of character weather we see.
The following weekend my forecast shows a low of 23 and rainy, thatās pretty yucky for us!
Iām not quite following your logic here, with all due respect. All the things you mention in your reply are true, but you lose me here. The sheet is a waterproof turnout sheet and I have never had a horse wearing it where the rain soaked through this particular sheet. So I bounce back to your first statement about what it feels like to be in the cold with wet hairāmiserable. Edit: Oops, I see now that you were referring to a human wearing a wet coat. Again, I dont see this turnout sheet being wet.
Yes, totally right.
Because I really have doubts that a sheet or blanket really shed all the water when it is really soaked. Making it heavy and damp feeling. The horse may in fact be dry but it is uncomfortable.
I blanketed my horses for years ( no longer do) so I do speak from experience.
Ok, point taken. Iāve never experienced water bleed-through with the turnout sheets and blankets I have used over the years. Iāll be mindful of this.
I am sure they make things better than I had years ago. With it being that cold and the sheet having no lining I was just thinking about it maybe doing the opposite of what you wanted.
EDIT: I see your response that posted while I was typing. Leaving this out there just for general info!
Waterproofing technology has come FAR in the last decade, and even the last 3-5 years. A waterproof sheet should not soak through, especially when we are talking a day or two of rain vs weeks of it. See the 100g thread bemoaning Horseware Ramboās and their sudden failures in this regard (they moved production out of Ireland).
Just like a good rain shell wonāt get heavy or damp feeling and will keep you comfortable for weeks on the trail, a good sheet will do the same for the horse. The question of insulation is separate.
Sorry for the tangent - I used to talk about waterproofing and gear ALL day 
Well then I stand corrected. I guess my own personal wardrobe is also lacking!!
My personal experience is when I pull the blankets off my dq mare her hair is flattened and I do mean flat on her back. The woolly beast has a 3" shag thick pile that cold will not penetrate for comparison.
If I understand how the hair insulates packed flat hair will not keep them as warm as fluffy long shag.
This is where some entities (human, university, etc) try to make this a black and white statement. Reality is, as with ALL things blanketing - it depends. It doesnāt matter if "theyā say a sheet wonāt do that, reality is that SOME do. And my horses have gotten cold when I used a sheet instead of a blanket in some situations.
I agree, it 100% depends on the horse. I have a pony who might shiver in 40 degree rainy weather with a sheet on, whereas the other 11 horses here are toasty. Some horses really do run hotter, or colder, than others.
But was your horse with the flat coat cold? The fluffing of the haircoat occurs when the horse is cold and needs to warm up. Warm horses donāt need to fluff their coats.
I run my horses through winter with a midweight blanket specifically because it allows them to have some control over their own temperature. During the day the coat is flat because theyāre warm enough in the blanket without fluffing the coat. But if I bring them in on a cold night the coat is fluffed up because they needed the extra insulation to stay warm.
Was it as fluffy as it would be without the blanket? No, of course not. But the blanket provides a wind break and reduces heat loss, which makes up for the partial fluffing reduction. Unless itās really cold, my partially clipped horses have been quite comfortable with this arrangement. I do add extra insulation for the very cold snaps.
Unclipped horses in 0g rainsheets have even less reduction in fluff ability.
I have seen horses in rainsheets get cold, but I donāt think colder than if they hadnāt been wearing a rainsheet because itās always been in heavy, cold rain which would have soaked them to the skin anyway. In this case it seems the heat conducting characteristic of water is the likely cause - large quantities of cold water passing over a warm horse will suck the heat away faster than the horse generates it. The rainsheet will at least keep the horse dry, allowing them to warm up faster after the rain without having a soaked haircoat continue to conduct heat away until it dries. Especially if the temperature drops.
Wet rainsheets may freeze, but they also block wind and trap air pockets which helps the horse stay warm.
In the OPās position I would put the rainsheet on.
I didnāt read all the posts but in those temps I usually have a waterproof 100-200g blanket on. Horses are not clipped. Iāve never had one too warm underneath. Iām not a huge fan of sheets when it turns colder and find some light insulation more useful.
I have the Schneiders blanket you linked in a 100g. I like the weight its held up fine but itās not my favorite Schneiders pick and is one of their lower end ones. The Velcro in the front isnāt very good, but overall itās decent. I like Amigo 100g but they have gone up in price significantly.
We will be blanketing the two oldest horses (who have coats like buffalo) because my DH thinks they look cold. They are fine. But why argue with a man who makes every dream I have possible? If it makes him feel good, weāll put on blankets --heās offered to help . . .
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