# Fly rug & rain. What to do?



## EmmaCatherinex (Jul 9, 2017)

Ok so my horse was out in a fly rug today and when i left him in hes field this evening it was sunny. Its just started raining and has been pretty much torrential so i know my gelding is going to be drenched and i am in a predicament. Do i take the fly rug off and leave him to dry overnight in hes field or do i stable him wet and unrugged and allow him to dry that way? Or do i give him a little towell dry and stick a lightweight or medium waterproof rug on him and let him dry underneath? I hate the thought of leaving him out wet incase he gets cold but im also worried that putting a rug on him while hes wet will make him ill and then worrying that if i stable him unrugged he wont be able to move around to keep warm. No rude comments please just helpful advice needed. Thank you


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

I leave mine out in fly sheets all the time. I can't be switching blankets when it rains 
overnight or a evening storm blows through. I have better things to do . If he's not compromised in some way and you are like most of the world and experiencing positive temperatures, he'll be fine to dry off in the field.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Agree with the above. Fly sheets are lightweight, dry fast. You cannot forever be changing rugs.


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## EmmaCatherinex (Jul 9, 2017)

Thank you both xxx




ApuetsoT said:


> I leave mine out in fly sheets all the time. I can't be switching blankets when it rains
> overnight or a evening storm blows through. I have better things to do . If he's not compromised in some way and you are like most of the world and experiencing positive temperatures, he'll be fine to dry off in the field.





Foxhunter said:


> Agree with the above. Fly sheets are lightweight, dry fast. You cannot forever be changing rugs.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

What you call fly rugs are also called fly sheets.
I waited a few days to see if anymore comments would come....

Personally, the fly sheet is wet and now packs down the coat, period.
Wet to the skin is asking for a problem to appear.
Remove the sheet during the night so the horse has the chance to dry and so does the sheet.
Once dry, _both horse and sheet,_ put the sheet/rug back on...simple.

If you remove the horse from the pouring rain, and offer some sort of weather protection, the horse has the ability to dry their coat. They raise their coat from tiny hair follicle muscle/nerves and that allows air to circulate, air circulating allows drying to occur. 
I would _not _be putting another sheet or blanket on a wet horse...it serves no purpose.
Kept out of drafts, allow the horse to dry naturally or towel off and still leave them to finish completely drying on their own...
If winter time of cold and snow then my response would be very different in approach.

I live in Florida currently.
It is daily rains and that means daily soaking of the horses backs and if a fly sheet is left on, the coat, more importantly the skin _does not_ get a chance to dry, to get sunlight to the coat and skin and bacteria do grow....
Skin conditions, rain rot and such are easily given a great host area to breed when a dark, damp area is left in place with no sunlight, airflow or such.
Flies and pests _are_ at a minimum during the night time hours...remove the sheet, hang it to dry and give the horses skin a chance to "breathe" removing that thing.
Yup, my opinion and that of my vet who said...."take it off and let that coat get some air" to his clients whose horses had skin issues last year.. 
This year many horses get "naked" at night or are stripped if they get wet during the day to dry off and out. :wink:
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi Emma!

The fly sheets dry quickly, and don't block moisture, so the horses underneath dry quickly as well. If I see that it is going to rain, I will try to pull their fly sheets ahead of the storm to give the critters a chance to get an unencumbered shower and roll. If I can't, I don't worry about it; they shower and roll anyway


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

george the mule said:


> The fly sheets dry quickly, and don't block moisture, so the horses underneath dry quickly as well.


See, by me this _isn't_ always the way it works.
When the horse is wet the fly sheet stays wet which in turn limits the ability of the horse to loft their coat and dry...those sheets are big and get heavy.

Wet is wet and stays that way for quite sometime.
We have hot and humid conditions although the sun is strong and drying...
It also depends upon the thickness of the horses coat {sleek summer or not} and how thickly woven that fly sheet is.
I've seen fly sheets like the thinnest of toilet paper and fly sheets made with what I swear is near HD stable sheet thickness materials..
I don't think it is a one fits all scenario but must take into consideration a lot of factors.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo.._


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

What kinds of fly sheets are you using? I have hard mesh, they have zero absorbing qualities.


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## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

ApuetsoT said:


> What kinds of fly sheets are you using? I have hard mesh, they have zero absorbing qualities.


We use the Weatherbeeta "Detach-a-neck" sheets. They are a light synthetic mesh, and don't really get "wet". We live in a semi-arid climate, and things generally dry out fast once the rain stops.

Steve


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Some fly sheets soak up water like a sponge and can be incredibly heavy and will make a horse feel colder than it actually is
The OP is in the UK , from my father in laws daily weather report, where he is its around 70F there and dropping down into the 50's/low 60's at night so compared to where I am its not particularly hot so if its raining all night I'd be inclined to remove the fly sheet and either stable the horse or towel dry and put a light waterproof sheet on it and leave it out
With British summertime weather the way it is I'd consider investing in something like this that will cope with the rain and keep the evening and morning biting midges at bay
Stay-Dry Super Lite Fly Rug with Belly Flap


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