subject: How to Properly Measure Your Horse for a Horse Fly Sheet [print this page] How to Properly Measure Your Horse for a Horse Fly Sheet
If you know anything about horses, you know that flies are a huge problem. Not only are they annoying pests but they can also carry serious diseases which can affect both you and the horse. Handling fly overabundance issues is no easy task either, short of haul the manure away immediately every day. I don't think that is happening for many stables. Instead, horse owners attempt more realistic approaches to fly control such as fly sprays, fly strips, and bug zappers.
My personal favorite way to protect my horses from fly bites and other pesky insects is with the use of fly sheets. They are a lightweight fine mesh rug which prevents flies and insects from biting the horse's body either out in pasture or in the stable. They are relatively inexpensive, simple to use and quite effective. Made from a breathable and lightweight fabric, these sheets provide superb protection from not only flies but also sunburn without the use of potentially dangerous chemicals.
However for the fly sheet to be of use, it must fit correctly. If it doesn't, the sheet won't achieve the most advantageous coverage and protection. Don't worry about not being sure what size sheet you'll need. Measuring your horse for one only takes a few easy steps.
First, you'll want to fold the sheet in half along the dorsal line. After that, try to lay the sheet out with the head opening facing one way and the hind opening facing the other. This is done best on a flat surface.
Once you have that done, get a tape measure and place the end at the front center of the sheet. From front center seam of the sheet, measure to the back opening all along the sheet's middle. Sometimes you'll see horse fly sheets with a separate tail covering. If yours includes one, do not include it in the total measurement of the sheet.
Horse fly sheets come with a neck cover, which is sometimes attached to sheet through the use of clips. This allows the neck cover to either be detachable or permanently fixed to the fly sheet. They usually have a belly flap that is fastened to both sides of the sheet. Now the horse's belly is protected from the fly bites too. Sometimes they come with matching fly masks to offer full defense of fly and insect.
