Horse Exercise Sheets

What is an Exercise Sheet?

An exercise rug or sheet is designed to be worn while your horse is exercising and provides protection from the elements. If your horse is fully clipped, thin skinned or suffers in the cold, an exercise sheet would be a great investment and will also prove useful if you simply want to keep your horse dry when it rains. Standard rugs can’t be used during exercise as they will hang to low and slip.

The Benefits of exercise rugs

The most significant benefit of an exercise rug is warmth. Insulating your horse across the back, loins and croup, a sheet delivers the warmth your horse needs for supple muscles. Ideal for warming up before a schooling session or competition, the sheets can be easily removed when your horse is warm enough and can be replaced to prevent chills and cramping when your horse is cooling down.

Exercise sheets can also be utilised while hacking out, to keep your horse’s muscles warm during slower trips in the autumn and winter. Waterproof styles will prevent your horse from getting wet and many exercise sheets feature reflective fabric or strips to make your horse more visible on the road.

Choosing the right exercise sheet

You need to think about how you will be primarily using your sheet. Is insultation from the cold your main concern or are you looking for greater visibility when riding on the road? If you ride mostly in an indoor school or in an outdoor school on dry days, a fleece exercise sheet will keep your horse warm and will wick away any moisture when he sweats. If you ride out, a high-viz style would be a great choice.

Whichever sheet you choose, it is important to select the correct size. Our measuring guide and the size charts which feature in each product listing will help you to make the right choice.