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How warm is a Back on Track sheet relative to other blankets?

I bought a BOT mesh sheet for my 7 y.o. TB gelding last week, and now he’s ready to begin wearing overnight in his stall. I’m trying to figure out how to use this thing.

We are in Northern Virginia, so typically it gets down into the low 30s/high 20s overnight. He is stalled overnight but the barn is open for ventilation. Before getting the BOT, he’s been wearing a medium turnout at night (200g).

He is trace clipped and in ideal condition; he tends to run hot, so I am careful not to overblanket him or he sweats.

So how warm is the BOT mesh sheet on its own? I’m afraid that it will be too hot under his medium, but not warm enough on its own. Should I put a no-fill sheet on top? A fleece cooler? Please share your experiences!

Hey! Would love to see other responses as well but I view it as adding an extra light layer. Or like adding a neck cover.

Since most of it is mesh, I don’t tend to use it in replace of a regular sheet. If it’s cold enough they need just a sheet I don’t think the BoT will keep the wind out. I do love it for those fall nights though where it’s still too warm for regular blankets. And of course trailering.

Generally I add it as a very light layer underneath their regular blanket. It gets pulled (or a layer removed) in the morning when the sun is shining and they will warm up/move around. I have the hoodie and find I tend to get much warmer in it when I’m moving.

This year I’ve been using it on my guy that is trace clipped and naturally runs cold, so I add it as an extra layer and blanket as I would if he wasn’t clipped. So most of my nonclipped will be in mediums and he will be in medium and back on track at night. However my nonclipped guy that runs hot would get the back on track and a sheet instead of his medium.

I would use it as a layer. Imho it’s way too $$$ to be used as the main blanket – the mesh just won’t hold up. I have had the mesh sheets for over 10 years and I absolutely love the BOT products, but I would not even use mine as an underlayer because I just couldn’t afford having to replace it.

We use the mesh sheets alone in early fall and late spring - during the time when we’d debate whether the horse really needs a sheet at all. Once we’ve clipped, they get layered. I don’t find them any warmer than what they look like as ordinary fabric.

I tend to think of it as a 100g liner. But it also depends on the horse. I use it with a 200g blanket in the teens overnight for a horse that is clipped only on chest/neck. The fleece BOT blanket seems even heavier.

Thanks everyone. I think I was imagining that it would generate a lot of heat, so it’s good to know that I can treat it like any other sheet when deciding how to blanket.

Overall, I agree they are pretty much like a sheet or thin fill. However, I have found they do tend to be a little warmer when brand, brand new, possibly exacerbated on the furnace types. So keep a bit of an eye the first times you use it to see how it feels on your horse.

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The Back on Track products reflect back body heat - so they do create some extra warmth but the sheets are also breathable, so using the sheet all by itself won’t keep the horse warm enough. In cold winter months I always layer a turnout sheet, a Teknofleece turnout or a medium over it, depending of course on how cold it gets, and what the horse needs.
I own several Back on Track garments for people - I have found that I need to wear a sweat shirt or hoodie over the t-shirt to trap the warmth - same with the tights and the socks. They do help a lot - I pulled a groin muscle a few years ago and using Back on Track really shortened my recovery time; I was feeling significantly better in a couple of weeks. Speaking as a human who has worn these I find the effects subtle.

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So he’s been wearing the BoT sheet at night under his medium or turnout sheet, depending on temperature. He’s been going well, although there is no dramatic improvement since he didn’t really have any problems in the first place. More of a preventive measure. He’s also wearing it alone in the trailer when we go to my trainer’s for lessons twice per week (30-minute trailer ride).

My only complaint is how it fits around the neck. He’s wearing a 78", which is his normal blanket size, and it seems like it’s the right length. However, it seems to slip back over night so it is resting on his withers in the morning. I made some extra holes in the front straps to tighten it up, and that helped a little, but he is getting some hair rubbed away on the front of his shoulders. It has these little elastic tabs holding together the shoulder gussets, and I’m contemplating cutting them to see if that helps with the rubbing.

Yes - go ahead and cut the gussets loose - I think it was made so that you could do that if you want to.
I have a similar problem when I put it on my mare. My sheet is a 75 and interestingly - it fits my gelding who otherwise wears a 78, But on the mare, who does normally wear a 75 - it slips back - I’m going to
punch some holes in the chest straps too.

They have the wonkiest sizing on their blankets. My guy usually wears a 76 - got him a cooler in 76 and his lil booty cheeks hang out. Got a 78 in the mesh sheet and he’s swimming in it, it’s so, so large. In response to your actual thread, I use it in the spring/fall in his stall, when he’s clipped and it’s around those low 50’s high 40’s. It’s also usually our dress sheet and trailering sheet, too! When it gets cold enough to need to layer something under his turnout blanket, I do use the cooler for that since in my mind, the fleece is warmer than meshy fabric.

I wish the would fix the fit of that dang sheet!!!

My 81/84 horse is wearing the 78. The length is a bit short, but atleast it doesn’t slide back horribly. That said, it’s too tight for me to ever consider letting him wear it in turnout (under something else).

I bought a Rambo Ionic for my other horse because I just couldn’t deal with the fit of the BOT anymore. I may do the same for this horse too, or try one of the other ceramic sheets on the market now.