Horse Exercise Sheets: Essential Rugs for Warmth and Safety

Horse exercise sheets, also known as exercise rugs, are invaluable during colder seasons to keep your horse’s back and quarters warm and dry. The are especially useful for horses that have been clipped or during slower work sessions where overheating isn’t a concern. Exercise sheets are specifically designed to cover the horse’s hindquarters while ensuring freedom of movement, making them ideal for warm-ups, cool-downs, and hacking in cooler weather.

When choosing the right exercise sheet consider the following:

1. Your exercise sheet will usually be around 20 inches shorter than your usual horse stable rug or turnout rug e.g. if you use a 6'9" rug you will need a 5'0" exercise sheet. For more information on selecting and measuring an exercise sheet for your horse, visit our exercise sheet selection blog.
2. What weather you will be riding out in? Waterproof exercise sheets are ideal if you ride in adverse weather such as heavy rain or wind. If you are just looking to keep the chill off your horse's hindquarters whilst warming up, a fleece exercise sheet may be suitable.
3. Some exercise sheets fasten in front of the saddle with Velcro which makes them easy to remove whilst mounted. Others sit beneath the saddle and can only be removed when you untack so check how your exercise sheet is fitted.
4. Quarter sheets sit further back than an exercise sheet and are designed to sit behind the saddle of the hindquarters. These measure even shorter than exercise sheets so ensure you check the sizing.

For enhanced safety and visibility, consider hi-vis/reflective exercise sheets. These are particularly practical for road hacking, ensuring you and your horse remain visible to traffic even in adverse weather conditions and from a distance. Reflective strips further increase visibility, providing additional safety when riding near roads. These exercise sheets are really useful on busy roads to ensure you are seen and safe.

Whether you opt for a waterproof exercise sheet for rainy days, a fleece sheet for added warmth, or a hi-vis sheet for road safety, these exercise sheets ensure your horse stays comfortable, protected, and visible in all horse riding situations.

During winter months, walker/lunge rugs and sheets are excellent choices, especially for clipped or thin-skinned horses. Walker rugs secure around the neck base and are cut away at the shoulder, allowing unrestricted movement while keeping the back and hindquarters warm and protected from harsh weather conditions. Walker and lunge rugs are not designed to be used during ridden work.