Caring for horses is a full-time job, and the proper stable gear can make a big difference. Horse owners should have access to the highest-quality fly sheets and neck covers available. It’s important to ensure that horses can sleep comfortably in their stalls without worrying about insect bites during the night. Horse covers can be used in the field or in the stalls, and our top 10 horse fly sheets offer excellent protection from UV light, rain, dirt, bugs, and mildew. Choosing the right fly sheet for a horse requires a little research and knowledge, but this list can make the process of choosing the best fly sheets for your needs much easier.

Best Zebra Fly Sheet—Tough 1 Zebra Mesh Fly Sheet

Although trendy zebra stripes look great on any horse, there’s a reason for the popularity of this pattern on equestrian gear. According to Swedish and Hungarian researchers, horseflies find the stripes unappealing. The dark and light interwoven pattern confuses the pest’s eyes and they move on to another potential victim.

When it comes to style and comfort, the Zebra Mesh Fly Sheet by Tough 1 is one of the best Zebra-striped sheets on the market. It’s available in classic black and white as well as black and purple, and it features convenient belly straps to ensure the sheet stays firmly strapped to the body of your horse. 

Tough 1 makes some of the highest-quality stable gear available, and this fly sheet is no exception. Horses love feeling the comfortable mesh fabric on their bodies. The sheet is available in three sizes and is designed to keep horses warm, safe, and protected at all times.

Best Year-Round Fly Sheet—Kensington Platinum SureFit Protective Fly Sheet

Kensington created the Platinum SureFit Protective Fly Sheet to keep horses safe and comfortable all year long. This all-weather horse fly is designed to protect your animal from fire, UV rays, dirt, mildew, and other contaminants. It offers long-lasting cover for all types of horses and comes with a convenient belly strap and detachable leg straps to ensure a good fit. 

The Textilene grooming mesh material is durable and blocks up to 73 percent of harmful UV rays and is 78 percent air-permeable. Kensington offers the sheet in several gorgeous plaid designs, and we love that they use the same fabrics for their masks, fly boots, and blankets for easy matching. There are nine colors and 11 sizes to choose from.

Best Breathable Fly Sheet—TuffRider Sport Mesh Combo Neck Fly Sheet

The Sport Mesh Combo Neck Fly Sheet is a great product for horse owners looking for a breathable fabric to keep their animals calm and protected throughout the night. It’s made with 190-gram Polyester and features a full neck, buckle straps, a set of adjustable low-cross surcingles, and leg and tail straps for added stability.

The sheet is available in various sizes and three colors: Frosted Almond, White, and Sage. TuffRider products are known for their excellent quality and durability, but you won’t break the bank on this purchase, either. Reasonably priced, this is an excellent choice for those looking for an inexpensive breathable fly sheet. 

Best Full-Coverage Fly Sheet—Shires Sweet-Itch Combo Sheet

Shires created the Sweet-Itch Combo Sheet to provide the best coverage against biting insects. It’s one of the top two-piece fly sheet sets on the market, with the neck-piece designed to cover the head neck as well as the ears. This then overlaps the body piece to keep the horse completely covered from head to haunch.

Noteworthy features of this set include a fully lined anti-rub interior, adjustable belly flap, and elastic ear panels to permit unhindered grazing. Durable and created to last, it’s made with 600 denier ripstop that is lightweight and breathable. It’s available in nine different sizes and comes in a brilliant white.

Best Fly Sheet For Riding—Cashel Quiet Ride Bug Armor

If warm-weather pests are threatening to ruin your peaceful summer rides, Cashel’s Quiet Ride Bug Armor is the clever solution. The two pieces are made with soft, lightweight mesh and are designed to attach to your saddle and the poll area of the bridle, providing coverage to the entire neck, shoulders, and hindquarters of most horses.

Available in black and fitting up to a 16-hand horse, it’s an ideal cost-effective solution to keep insects away and still keep your horse nice and cool. The only real con is that you will need to purchase a separate belly guard if the pests are particularly irksome.

Best Fly Sheet for UV Protection—Kool Coat Airstream Detach-A-Neck UV Fly Sheet

Kool Coat is a great brand with a long history of designing excellent fly sheets for horses, and Airstream Detach-A-Neck UV Fly Sheet is an outstanding product that works well for any horse. It’s crafted from strong 270-gram polyester fabric and has cooling mesh side panels. The removable leg straps are designed to be comfortable and unobtrusive. 

Your horse will enjoy a full range of motion while wearing the Kool Coat fly sheet set, but best of all is the UV protection this product affords. It’s designed to filter out an impressive 90 percent of UV rays and will prevent bleaching.

Additionally, the sheet is water-resistant with a detachable neck cover and tail flap, and has a hidden, adjustable belly surcingle plus easy-open-and-close single chest straps. It’s available in four sizes and will keep your horse warm on chilly summer evenings and cool on a sweltering day. 

Best Fly Sheet for Hot Weather— AMIGO Mio Combo Fly Sheet

AMIGO offers this combination fly sheet and neck cover with comfortable straps that gently secure the fabric to the body of the horse. The cross surcingles are designed to stabilize the horse cover without constricting the motion of the animal. 

The attractive design looks great in reflective bronze with navy trim. However, the ultra-breathable knitted polyester will keep your horse cool and dry even on the hottest of days. As it hangs a bit lower on the sides and back, it provides excellent protection against bites and won’t pull on the shoulders.

Cheapest Horse Fly Sheet—Horze Durafit Fly Sheet White

The Durafit Fly Sheet is the cheapest sheet in our review, but don’t let the price fool you—this sheet is as durable and protective as they come. It’s designed to do exactly what it was made to do: Protect your horse against insects. But it will also keep your animal’s coat from fading and offer protection against excessive heat, as well.

Horze (now also called Equinavia) is a trusted brand creating high-quality products for horses and the people who love them, and this fly sheet is a solid purchase that is available in a range of sizes. Features include adjustable frontal, legs, belly, and tail buckle straps and a flexible shoulder gusset. The material is a cool and breezy mesh polyester that is long-lasting, yet offers plenty of circulation.

Most Durable Fly Sheet—Weatherbeeta ComFiTec Ripshield Plus DetachNeck

Weatherbeeta’s legendary equestrian products have gained a reputation for excellent craftsmanship, and this dependable fly sheet is no exception. It’s a bit more substantial than some of the others on our list, but the polyester mesh with 1200 denier cross hatch weave is made to keep smaller tears from ruining the sheet.

The traditional shoulder gusset provides great range of motion and the sheet is highly versatile with a removable neck cover and belly wrap. It has a full wrap tail flap, Elasticized adjustable twin chest buckles, and removable and adjustable leg straps. Available in five sizes, it comes in three colors and looks absolutely stunning.

Best Cotton Fly Sheet— Derby Originals Classic Woven Cotton Summer Sheet

If you’re looking for a classic cotton fly sheet for your horse, the Derby Originals is the perfect choice. It comes in four sizes and a traditional hunter plaid pattern that never goes out of style. Lightweight and ideal for all seasons, it guards against flies and keeps your horse clean before a show and warm and dry after a bath. It also makes a nice light cover for chilly nights.

Features include a shoulder gusset, front chest buckles, crossed belly surcingles, removable elastic leg straps, and a fleece wither protector. Suitable for in the stables or out in the pasture, the Derby cotton fly sheet is an excellent medium-weight sheet for everyday use. 

How To Choose the Best Fly Sheet for Your Horse

There are plenty of choices when you’re shopping for the best fly sheet for your horse, and similar to when you’re shopping for horse blankets, coolers, and other items, the options can be overwhelming. Before you make a final decision, consider a few standard features when choosing the right sheet.

Color

It might be tempting to purchase a gorgeous royal blue fly sheet that will look stunning on your horse, but light colors are generally cooler as they reflect heat away from your animal. They are also thought to camouflage your horse from insects that are attracted to darker colors.

Zebra stripes appear to confuse insects attracted to black, which is one reason for this popular pattern.

Fabric

You’ll want to consider the climate when you’re shopping for a horse fly sheet. Stifling hot summers call for the lightest of breathable fabrics that let the breeze flow through. However, the sheet must still offer protection against biting bugs. 

If you live in a milder climate where temperatures get cooler, you can often get away with a thicker sheet that will also double as an extra layer of warmth under your horse blanket.

Depending upon the size of the insects where you are, you might find some meshes work better than others for keeping out pests. 

Size

Before you even start shopping for a sheet, you need to measure your horse so you get the right size. If you get something too small, your animal will be exposed to insects, but the leg straps can dangle and cause a tripping hazard if it is too long. 

Using a soft measuring tape, measure your horse from the center of the chest, across the shoulder, barrel, and rump to the center of the tail. The number of inches will give you a starting point for your horse’s blanket or sheet size. 

Extras

When choosing extra features, you’ll want to think about the unique needs of your horse. Some horses need belly guards, while others need neck attachments. If you want to protect against sun damage, you’ll want to look for a sheet that offers the best UV protection. 

Tail covers can be helpful, especially if tail rubbing in response to biting bugs is a problem. If your horse is allergic to no-see-ums, elasticized leg openings can help prevent sweet itch.

Activities

The activities your horse will be engaging in should also dictate the type of sheet you purchase. Some sheets are more practical for riding, while others are good for just hanging out in the pasture, staying cool. Consider what features your horse will need most. Often, you will need more than one style of fly sheet.

Keeping horses calm and protected is an important responsibility for horse owners, and a well-fitting fly sheet is the ideal product for that purpose. Our list of the top 10 horse fly sheets will help you find one that will keep your horse safe, comfortable, warm, and clean throughout the year.

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