Lightweight Sheet Before Shows?

[showmanship]

I’ve seen a couple posts about fly sheets, but I didn’t want to hijack any of them since this isn’t completely regarding that particular scenario. Sorry for the extra post about sheets.

My question is, does anyone put a very lightweight sheet on their horse the evening before a show, including over the summer? My gelding is a piggy, and regardless of how late he goes into his stall and how clean it is, he’ll take a big dump and then sleep in it. The plan has always been to just get out real early in the morning and re-wash if necessary, but I was just curious to other options. I was always concerned that with the heat/humidity of summer, it’d be too warm for him to wear anything, even over night. Anyone experience something similar? What do you do?

[rememberthenight]

I have a grey horse, before a show/event or anything like that she wears a neck slinky and a cotton sheet. She has sweat under a nylon sheet with 95F+ weather, but normally doesn’t. I have done this for all my horses. That way I only need to spot clean in the morning, not a full bath.

[cayuse]

I use a sheet if it’s not too hot. Once the heat and humidity kick in they go naked and I just pick the stall one extra time and use a little extra bedding.

[showmanship]

Thanks rememberthenight! My gelding is grey too, so spot cleaning would be so much nicer!

[showmanship]

cayuse, do you usually end up just bathing them again in the morning? Or do they stay pretty clean?

[PaintPony]

Sadly, as the owner of a grey horse you will get used to being the first one there on show mornings because you have to bathe. :lol: I gave up bothering to do anything the night before because greys have such a fondness for poop pillows and you end up having to do it again anyway.

[beowulf]

I have had good luck with using a hooded fly sheet.

[Appsolute]

Well we do not have humidity here - and it cools at night for the most part - but I have found Kool Coat sheets do a good job of warding off stains, and aren’t too heavy.

For my horse - one of the best ways to keep (her mostly white) coat clean is to bed HEAVILY - that way the urine drains deep down in the bedding, and manure usually ends up buried a bit - so she stays cleaner when she lays down.

[cayuse]

I use a sheet if it’s not too hot. Once the heat and humidity kick in they go naked and I just pick the stall one extra time and use a little extra bedding.

[cayuse]

Showmanship, no double baths, but I do do double posts

[Lusoluv]

I use a nylon, unlined show sheet for my gotta-lay-down-every-night gelding. I think it’s a Big D, but not positive.

[enjoytheride]

My mare is wearing a fly sheet and she doesn’t sweat even when the temps are in the 90s with high humidity, and the mud stays on the outside.

[yellowbritches]

A fly sheet can help a lot. You may still find you need to spot clean or give them a rinse, but it usually wards off the worst. I much rather my horse be comfortable and have to give another bath, though, then have them roast in a sheet (which could just make them gross and sweaty and still need a bath).

All that hat being said, I do love having a black/dark brown horse with badically no white. I don’t miss the days of beings groom for many grey horses!

[Lord_Helpus]

Golden Rule:

1. Do what is best for the horse. If it is too hot and the horse sweats (=uncomfortably hot) with a sheet on, then do not put a sheet on. Just because it is more convenient for you to not have to clean manure spots off, deliberately making a horse sweat is not a fair trade-off.

2. All other things being equal, you are allowed to take your convenience into consideration if it is all the same to the horse.

I agree with the poster(s) who said to pick out the stall last thing at night and bed it deeply so manure does not stay on top.

[showmanship]

[QUOTE=PaintPony;8198338]
Sadly, as the owner of a grey horse you will get used to being the first one there on show mornings because you have to bathe. :lol: I gave up bothering to do anything the night before because greys have such a fondness for poop pillows and you end up having to do it again anyway. ;)[/QUOTE]

Poop pillows are his favorite!! It’s nice to know someone shares my pain :winkgrin:

LordHelpus - that’s precisely what I want to avoid and haven’t even attempted anything but getting to the barn super early on show morning and cleaning him up again. I’m thinking I’ll keep an eye on the humidity, and perhaps put a lightweight fly sheet on him once it’s dark and cooler. It’s the overnight that he enjoys his poop-bed anyway.

Thanks everyone for the insight. His well-being is my first priority, so we may end up just waking up super early on show morning for one big bath and call it a day. But I like all the different options to try, so we’ll play around 'til we find what works!

[showmanship]

[QUOTE=yellowbritches;8200099]
A fly sheet can help a lot. You may still find you need to spot clean or give them a rinse, but it usually wards off the worst. I much rather my horse be comfortable and have to give another bath, though, then have them roast in a sheet (which could just make them gross and sweaty and still need a bath).

All that hat being said, I do love having a black/dark brown horse with badically no white. I don’t miss the days of beings groom for many grey horses![/QUOTE]

When he was younger, he was nice and dark and most of the time I could get away without giving a bath at all! Gone are those days…

Also - just as a funny side note. This horse rarely gets muddy or dirty. It’s just his own poop that he feels the need to cover himself with. He’s warding off predators, I guess. :lol:

[CatchMeIfUCan]

We use these at shows, and the light palomino has his tail in this from the moment he steps foot on the trailer to right before SJ. If it is mucky for dressage, I may even warm him up in it. We keep fans on them, and haven’t had any sweating issues, although we don’t show as much in the middle of the summer. Bed deeply and be religious about picking up poop.

[Appsolute]

^^ This is what I use as well, and it does a good job of warding off stains.