Summer sheets Blue Bucas

A summer sheet is essentially a very lightweight turnout rug. They are designed to be worn out in the field when the weather is warm. The primary purpose of a summer sheet is to protect a horse from the sun, but can also be used for travelling and keep the horse clean and dust free.

An unclipped horse has a thermoneutral zone of -5 to 15 degrees Celsius. Between these temperatures your unclipped horse won't get cold or start sweating. Clipped horses tend to get cold around 8 or 9 degrees Celcius. Between 10 and 15 degrees Celcius a 0 grams rug is sufficient. This is when you can use a summer rug. When the temperature rises above 15 degrees a rug should not be needed, however every horse is different. A rug that is too thick can cause your horse to sweat which indicate your horse gets too warm; this can be recognized by white spots on the inside of the rug. If the temperature drops below 10 degrees you can choose to add a liner or use a stable rug with a light filling.