When do I switch from a fly sheet to a rain sheet?
Late August is the stretch where you need both in the aisle. Here's how to know which one your horse needs on any given day, and whether you need a rain sheet at all.
By The Schneiders Product Team · Updated September 29, 2026
Family owned in Chagrin Falls, Ohio since 1948. We design our own blankets, sheets, and fly gear, and we turn horses out in it. We design our own blankets, sheets, and fly gear, and we turn horses out in it.
Switch when rain becomes a bigger problem than bugs. A fly sheet isn't waterproof, so in a real soaking it holds cold water against your horse. Once overnight lows sit in the 40s and 50s and the forecast turns wet, a waterproof rain or turnout sheet is the right tool. Most owners run both for a few weeks and choose by the day's forecast, not the calendar.
There's no single temperature where a fly sheet stops working and a rain sheet starts, because they do two different jobs. A fly sheet is a bug and sun barrier built to breathe. A rain sheet is a waterproof shell with no fill, built to keep a horse dry without making him warm. For a few weeks every fall you need both, and you pick by the forecast.
| Gear | What it does | When it's the right call |
|---|---|---|
| Fly sheet | Blocks bugs and UV, breathes, not waterproof | Bugs still active, dry days, any temperature |
| Rain / turnout sheet | Waterproof shell, no fill, adds almost no warmth | Wet weather roughly 45°F to 60°F |
| Lightweight turnout | Waterproof with light fill, adds real warmth | Consistently below about 45°F, or wet and windy |
The situation to avoid is a soaked fly sheet. Mesh holds water, sits heavy, and pulls heat off a horse for hours after the rain stops.
The reason a wet coat matters as much as it does comes down to insulation. A dry coat works because the hair stands slightly away from the skin and traps a thin layer of still air, and that trapped air, not the hair itself, is what holds a horse's body heat in. Rain flattens the coat, pushes the air out, and replaces it with water, which pulls heat away far faster than air does. That's why a fly sheet soaked through can leave a horse colder than no sheet at all, because it holds that wet, flattened layer right against the skin instead of letting it dry.
Do I even need a rain sheet, or can I go straight to a turnout blanket?
The mistake we hear about most is reaching for a filled turnout too early, because it's the only waterproof thing in the trunk. A horse who sweats under a blanket on a 58-degree afternoon and then stands in it overnight is worse off than one who got a little wet. Sweat under a blanket is harder on a horse than rain on his back.
If you're buying one thing this fall and your horse lives out somewhere wet, the rain sheet is usually the better first purchase -- it covers a wider band of weather than a lightweight does. A StormShield Contour Collar Classic II is our most popular for exactly this stretch, and the bellyband version is worth a look if your horse is hard on straps.
Both sheets in the aisle, one decision each morning
For the next few weeks you want the fly sheet, the rain sheet, and a mask all within reach. Here's everything in one place.
Turnout & Rain Sheets Fly Sheets Fly Masks Blanket CareStill not sure what your horse needs? Our team turns horses out in this gear in Ohio weather. Tell us your setup and we'll help you sort it out -- ask our team.