Flysheets - cruel?

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Maia

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I'm seriously umming and ahhing over buying a flysheet for my youngster.

On one had he loves to sunbath and to be honest I think that in the nice warm weather I would rather be naked then rugged.

On the other hand he does tend to react quite badly to the flies in that for the first 24 hours after being bitten the bites are quite large and itchy (bleeding thin skinned tb!). What happens if a fly gets inside - surely in that case he'd be worse off? Though his coat bleaches really badly so I'd be hoping a UV rug would help with this too?

I also wondered if a fly rug would keep him cool on hot days or be more of a nuissence and make him warmer? And if it rained whether it would take longer for him to dry?

And then theres the fact that he does seem to have a knack for putting holes etc in his rugs and I don't know whether a mesh rug would stand up to this? And as his turnouts rub his shoulders badly whether this too would be a problem? And whether his skin would be scurfy like it does when he's rugged in the winter (its amazing what a few days without a rug on does for the skin - being able to roll naked always makes it soo much better, even if he does come in plastered in mud!)

I guess most of all I just feel really mean putting a rug on him in the middle of summer when I can just as easily put flyspray and a flyfringe on. I have never, ever used fly rugs before for this very reason but given the way he seems to get small welts where he's been bitten (horseflies, not midges - he's fine with those) and the bleaching of the coat I wondered if they really are that cruel after all and whether maybe I should bite the bullet and invest in one?

Oh and he has free access to his stable 24/7 in the summer so he can easily go in out the sun and away from the flies at his own descretion - oddly enough he'd much rather be out, flat on his side, snozing away in the sun!
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I've got a very sensitive TB and while it's nice to see him rugless he really does suffer with the flies. Found most mesh ones rubbed or slipped so invested in a Rambo one and can thoroughly recommend it. Also you can get liners for them for days when it showery but still midgey.
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Of course they're not cruel, you silly billy!
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If he is suffering without one, then I cannot see how trying him with one can do any harm!
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Miz Elz - he seems perfectly happy without a rug and doesn't ever appear bothered by the flies but you can see where he's been bitten (by a horsefly - usually only 2 or 3 a day if that!) and when you groom him over that patch he really enjoys a good itch over the area. He never seems in any discomfort with it though, it just looks obvious that he's been bitten (if that makes any sense?!)

I'm just wondering if - given the rug trashing; fact he LOVES being in the sun; the fact that just about every rug he has ever worn has really badly rubbed him; and while to me the fly bites look obvious and he likes to have them scratched he doesn't actually seem to bothered by them - he would be happier with or without a flyrug of some description, or whether I am selfishly over worrying about his coat bleaching and the fact that to me the few horsefly bites he has look uncomfortable?

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Given he rug wrecks, likes the sun, has shelter if he wants it, and doesnt seem bothered by the odd fly lump I would let him stay naked.
 
Thanks Spaniel.

That was my gut instinct but with so many people using fly rugs and so many people telling me that as he gets lumpy from the bites (and being a TB) he should have one I have started to get really confused about my own judgement.
 
You were not questioning your judgement, you asked whether wearing a flysheet was cruel - which it isn't!

If your horse is not bothered by the bites and welts you describe and they do not go in areas where the saddle/bridle/girth go, then that is fine. If you want to ride and there is a lump where the saddle goes, then you probably will have to give riding a miss for a few days.
 
we had a pony on a yard i used to work at who just rubbed the mesh fly rugs either until they came off or he tore holes in them!

my pony is really sensitive to flies, he swells up in the strangest places and it really worried me a few times last summer, in the end i started giving him a small feed everyday with garlic in it, that repelled the flies and solved the problem!
 
My horse reacts to fly bits, big nettle rash type patches but tbh I've had 4 different fly rugs and he sweats more under all of them and still gets bitten as much! - I'd save my money if I were you
 
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You were not questioning your judgement, you asked whether wearing a flysheet was cruel - which it isn't!


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Ahh, but there have been plenty of debates about the unnecessary and over rugging of horses throughout the winter, why can that debate not extend to rugging in the summer. And alongside that debate I have been having my own debate (with myself mainly) as to whether it is necessary for me to rug my horse in a fly rug, given that his skin does appear to react and yet he is quite happy out and undistressed by the flies...
 
My horse has to wear a fly rug all summer 24/7 as he is allergic to everything! He wears a UV rug - rambo protector and its brill, never slips or rubs and i thing completly worth the money, the other three are naked as they do not need one. There is no point in buying one for the sake of it but if you do get one I recommend this one.
 
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My horse reacts to fly bits, big nettle rash type patches but tbh I've had 4 different fly rugs and he sweats more under all of them and still gets bitten as much! - I'd save my money if I were you

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Thats really interesting about the sweating and the fact it appears to make no difference. I wonder how common that is.

What really interests me is that fly rugs are (relatively speaking) a new thing and yet domesticated horses managed to cope for a very long time without them... So why do so many people seem to use them and feel that they are necessary now?
 
Yes, cruel to deprive flies of the opportunity to eat your horse.
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I have had horses react in different ways to flies, some just swish them away and get on with the business in hand, others have been reduced to galloping around madly and absolutely frantic for relief.

If your horse is bothered by them and you have the means to prevent that to some extent, then a fly sheet is worth the expense I think.

Mine all have sunblock and fly fringes/masks on now, but when the really nasty bitey things crawl out of their holes in a few weeks time then I will probably have to bring them in during the day rather than watch them gallop themselves into a lather trying to avoid them.
 
personally if my horse suffered with bites etc and purchasing a rug could improve matters i would defo get one, even just to have as a back up. abby will be gettin fly fringe etc to wear in the field when they get bad, she's not very keen on fly apparently
 
i have a dales who is black hairy and physically cannot stand being bitten by flies...i flyspray, i feed garlic i do the lot...the only way i can keep him safe sane and happy is to rug him...he does trash them but to save my sanity i dont mind buying him a new one everyso often when they become too bad to repair.....

however the big boy gets bitten doesnt worry about it so goes naked except for a fly mask!
 
I was seriously considering a fly rug when i first got my lad and then saw a horse in his field have an absolute flid (seriously galloping around, bucking, rearing, essentially turning himself inside out) because a fly had got between the horse and the rug and was driving said horse nuts and bit poor thing to pieces. No one could get near to take the rug off and fly couldnt get out... not good. Went on for about 20mins.

Obviously I know this was probably pretty rare but still... I decided not to go for one after that
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The only thing im not keen on is in really hot weather, i have seen horses dripping with sweat, i just leave my stables open so they can go in as they please, and feed garlic!
 
have you tried beelzebug? great stuff for keeping all biting insects at bay and you only have to apply it once a week. pretty expensive - isnt all fly spray tho - but lasts for ages. then you can leave him naked!
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I've never bothered using one, as my horse isn't that fussed by flies. I put loads of (home-made) fly spray on and a fly mask, that's sufficient for him.

If he became really bothered by the flies I wouldn't hesitate to put one on him. Can't see how they're cruel!
 
The only thing I question is whether the more modern flysheets are too dense and don't let air through them. I've used one for a few years and when my old one- which was a mesh - expired, I couldn't find one last year that wasn't more like a sheet. I've seen horses sweat up in these on hot days. In the end I got a Rambo Protector which is a very soft mesh that allows a breeze through. It was expensive but worth it.
 
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The majority of fly rugs usually help keep dark/black horses cooler. This is becasue the black coat absorbs while the light coloured rugs reflect. I know my dark horses stay cooler with fly rugs.
 
I have mine in rambo sweetitch hoodys neither have sweetitch but the rug keeps my black horse call and both horses calmer when the flies are around. I have seen horses go mad because they have flies under the fly rug and are trapped being bitten this is why I paid more and got the hoodys as the belly wrap and close fitting design mean I have not had flies under the rugs yet and this will be the fourth year of using them. One of my horses also rubs his shoulders out and destroys rugs for fun but as of yet the rambo hoody has stood up to him and not rubbed his shoulders out. The older design had a seam where the neck meets the body and this rubbed his mane a bit so I sewed in a silky liner. My friends use bott rugs which are even closer fitting but they do have to patch them as the ponies run holes in them.
Most fly rugs have short necks so when they put their head down to graze the neck cover slips back I love the rambo design as it is very long in the neck and goes over the ears so really covers the horse from head to toe. Mined ar in at niht or by day when it is very hot as this is their no rug time to scratch and relax they are much happier in nthe summer out if their rambo hoodys are one
 
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