Yet another fly sheet/boot thread.... sorry

[BroncoMo]

Help me figure this one out. I have mostly broodmares, one show horse I keep at home, and a couple young prospects from time to time.

Build: Quarter Horse hunters. More up hill than what people think of with stock breeds. Long sloping shoulder. Prominent wither, but not shark fins.

Possible problems:
Youngsters who are hard on their cloths. One old mare has an angry sniffle injury that causes her to walk crooked enough that her blankets usually slide to one side.
A younger mare with a broken pelvis (healed), also walks crooked and her blankets slide off. She is slight bodied and deep built, so a funny build for blanket fit.

All horses live outside in dry lots 24/7, and have free access to run in sheds. I use fly predators with fairly decent success. I feed Simplifly most years (not this year for logistical reasons). So my flies aren’t terrible, but those that do hang around are relentless. Biting little basterds who will bite through your socks or t-shirt.

Some of the mares seem to stomp their feet to pieces. All of them swat their tails to shreds; like, above their hocks. Not good for the show horse nor the prospects who occasionally get shown. I can try to keep their tails braided and up in socks, but they still swat their tails so hard that their tail socks come off and get destroyed.

I have used a Schnieders mosquito mesh sheet before and I hated how easily it slid back. Won’t use again. I have a Rambo Protector and I really like the structure. But the horse I used it on would sweat at his shoulders where the sheet is lined. Also the lining did not protect him from getting rubbed.

I refuse to use anything that will rub out their mane, or the top of their tail; Yes I realize most of these are broodmares, but as professional braider, I loath fly sheet rubs.

Do they make a fly sheet that does not rub shoulders, manes, or tails? That also has a nice structure that stays in place? Do ALL the fly neck covers rub manes?

Fly boots: Are Shoofly Leggins the gold standard? Are there any that are better at preventing rubs than others? I would love something that I can put on for a couple days at a time and not have to worry about them when I’m working long/late nights. I remember a story on here a while back about a horse that got a pretty severe rub wound around his pastern from his fly boots.

This fly season is just about over for me (high western plains) but help me decide for next year. Please and thank you. Easy, quick on/off, minimal rubbing, and low maintenance is right up my ally. I certainly don’t want to spend $200+ on each horse’s summer clothing, but I will if there’s some magical combination to make my life easier and theirs more comfortable.

[Maythehorsebewithme]

I had great luck with shoofly leggings. Stayed on and up, no rubs.

[Tucker5]

I have a young mare and she wears ShooFly leggings on the fronts and Schneider’s mosquito mesh non-fitted boots on the rear. She likely has something going on in her hocks so is constantly resting a hind. The ShooFlys did start to rub a small spot on the front of her hind fetlocks, hence the change to non-fitted. Unfortunately, she’s also very close behind and the fabric holding the plastic stays wear through rather quickly. Overall, the ShooFlys seem to be the most durable and require the least amount of fuss.

[lenapesadie]

I really like my Kensington fly sheet. It stays on good. I’ve not had any issues with rubs on it. Maybe a smidge where the wither fleece touches the mane.

I had a nasty rub from Shoo Fly leggings that evolved into a summer sore right on his coronet band. I would never use them if they aren’t coming off every day. The horse has a scar on his coronet band and thus a permanent defect in his hoof wall there.

[Displaced_Yankee]

May I half hijack your thread?

Has anyone tried the Majyk Equipe fly boots? (https://majykequipe.com/products/fly-bye-boots) They seem to be of similar make to the Shoo-Fly leggings and have a similar price point (49.99 for a set of 4).

To try and help the OP: my guy has been in the Cashel fly boots for 3 years. They have done well for me. The fronts do twist a little for me (I think from him laying down, then standing up), but the top 2 velcro straps don’t have elastic and I am diligent about ensuring those straps are NOT too tight. I was asking about the Majyk ones since the Cashels are due to be replaced next year.

Due to a busy work schedule, I did leave them on straight this past week, without readjusting them in hot and muggy NC. No rubs anywhere, despite them being a bit wonky on the front. I would call my horse moderately thin-skinned.

I can’t help on the fly sheet side. Too hot in NC for me to justify another layer, no matter how tented or light.

[GreyDes]

I’ve had good results with both Shoo Fly and Stomp Stopper boots. The Stomp Stompers (from Four Star tack on FB) seem a hair more sturdy and have more color options. They also have a taller hind boot rather than all four being the same height. I think you’ll be happy with either.

I like the Rambo fly sheets (Protector or Defender) and have only had very small shoulder rubs. I haven’t found anything that they won’t sweat under when it gets hot. My crew seems happier sweating a bit than dealing with bugs.

[illuminatedd]

A few of us at my barn tried the Majyk Equipe boots and they were terrible. They just crumpled and slid down the leg. They didn’t stay up at all and were effectively useless. We all went back to Shoo Flys.

My horse wears the Shoo Flys 24/7 and he is very hard on his clothes AND very sensitive. They last at least 2 years, and I probably could have gotten an extra half a season out of this pair but opted to get a new set. He has never gotten a rub. They’re the best!

[Knubbsy]

Have yet to find a sheet that lasts a full season with my mare but I’m wondering if she is just especially rough on things in the summer because her Shoo-Fly boots are all going to be thrown out at the end of the season. She interferes and I guess that’s what has done them in, the stay-seam at each ankle has ripped open and the stays are now bent and sagging. I was going to email the company at the end of the season to see what I could do differently.

[Showbizz]

Popping in to say I cut the tail guards off all my fly sheets. Otherwise they do so much damage to the tail hair!

I liked the mosquito mesh sheets, but they don’t last well with my young gelding. Rambos and SS tack texilene sheets have been my go-tos, but wish the Schneiders sheet was closed front still.

I just picked up some shoo fly boots for the young gelding. He gets an odd type of sweet itch on his pasterns (itches with his teeth until they are bloody, only July/Aug every year). So far they are still living.

[BroncoMo]

Humor me as I am fly-clothing illiterate. Do you take fly boots off every day? Surely there are parts of the country where flies are out at night and require clothing to be on 24/7. Im just curious how labor intensive I’m going to make things. I keep things as quick, easy, and streamlined as possible due to my work schedule.

[endlessclimb]

I don’t. Sometimes I don’t even take them off to ride on the Old Man if we’re just putzing around. He never has problems.

I have to be careful with the young mare, as she will on a rare occasion get a rub from the hind ones - and, she can literally poop in the boots if her leg is positioned just right. She has (had? knock on wood, it’s been over a year) a propensity towards cellulitis, so I am super cognizant of anything rubbing her hind legs, even a little bit.

[endlessclimb]

By rub, I mean a pencil eraser sized scuff. Nothing outrageous, else I wouldn’t use them at all. Her fronts never rub.

[Knubbsy]

The boots come off at least 6 days a week for 2-3 hours since my mare needs work that often to stay happy and the barn manager checks the remaining day(s) since she’s -as my barn mates call her - “a delicate flower”.

@endlessclimb

I have to be careful with the young mare, as she will on a rare occasion get a rub from the hind ones - and, she can literally poop in the boots if her leg is positioned just right.

My mare can too - I blame it on her stock horse hind end but if she rests her foot, poop ends up in it. Of course she has high whites so the green is really apparent. I guess that’s the benefit of the non-fitted ones that gather at the top.

[GreyDes]

I leave them on 24/7 during the bug season, unless I’m riding. The mesh is very breathable and I haven’t had any issues leaving them on.

[emeraldcity]

shoofly boots are hands down the best. 90% of the horses at my barn wear them 24/7, no issues that I know of. They tend to last me 2-3 seasons. I take them off when I ride, but otherwise they stay on. My horse does occasionally manage to poop in the hinds, not a big deal except on his white leg

for sheets, definitely rambo. they are as close to indestructible as you’re going to get, and I think they’re less hot because they’re stiffer so less clingy and the holes are a bit bigger than the softer mesh ones. I haven’t had any rubs from mine except when the shoulder lining wore through and I hadn’t fixed it yet. and in general, in my experience, horsewear blankets stay in the middle a whoooole lot better than anything else does.

[Pico_Banana]

I like the Turtleneck fly sheet for less rubbing of the mane.

[ltmac]

Up until last year, I only ever used a fly mask on my guy. I’ve had great success with the Turtleneck fly sheet (Fly Turtle) and the ShooFly leggings/boots. The chest is wide enough for my broad chest and shouldered guy. I love how fine the mesh is on the Turtleneck fly sheet so it protects against those noseeums and is lightweight enough to not cause him to sweat excessively here in the heat and humidity of swampy central Ohio. And the price is great, IMO. In the future, I would also to try the Bucas fly sheet.

I will say that the sheet and leggings/boots come off every day because I worry about creating rubs/boils/sores. I also clean the boots almost every day by brushing the hard or crusty mud off and/or washing with a pinch of dish soap and water. Even though I don’t need to replace them yet, I bought a replacement set on Amazon Prime because the price was comparable and they arrived the next day.

I’d be curious to see the durability of the Majyk Equipe fly boots since they are a similar design and price point. Did not know that they made them until reading this thread!

[quietann]

Same here. I’m very happy with my Fly Turtle sheet. It isn’t super warm and fits a lot of neck shapes well.

Also highly recommend Shoofly leggings. My mare has worn them almost 24/7 since mid July with no rubs. My BO uses them on all her horses. She does say they can get rubs if the boots are put on when the leg is wet.

[polkadotedpony]

I have the best luck with Kensington sheets in terms of staying put/durability but they are kind of heavy duty and hot. I recently got some smartpak fly boots (bubble style) on a whim and they are the best fly boots I have ever used. I like pairing them with bellboots to help them stay up/not sag around the pasterns.

[J-Lu]

Even though I recently posted a thread about the recent poor quality of Shoo Fly leggings in MY experience, I keep them on 24/7 and my horse is turned out in his own pasture 24/7 with a shared run-in with a fan over 80 degrees. I take them off only when I ride. I’ve used them for years - no rubbing or problems…except for this year’s poor quality IMO.