Arming your horse with one of the best fly rugs for horses is a great first step to protecting him against irritating flies and insect bites during the summer months. Combine it with the best fly mask, fly fringe, fly spray or fly gel and you will be providing your horse with the ultimate protection.
If you’re worried about your horse getting caught in summer showers, you could always consider the best waterproof fly rugs, too. Or if your horse is prone to suffering from sweet itch, check out the best “sweet itch rugs” that are specifically designed to prevent midges getting to your horse.
Best fly rugs: H&H’s quick guide
Best fly rug for deterring flies: Equilibrium Field Relief
Best for rug rippers: Weatherbeeta ComFiTec Ripshield Plus
Best fly rug for UV protection: Saxon Mesh Combo
Best budget fly rug: Gallop Essential Combo
Best fly with no/detachable neck: Rhinegold Detachable
Best fly rug for extreme sizes: Ruggles Combo
How to choose the best fly rug
When choosing between the best fly rugs for horses, in many ways you should be looking for similar qualities of any good turnout rug – including a good fit, quality material and secure fastenings. The more of your horse’s body that is covered by the rug, the more protection he will have, but to avoid overheating the fabric should be very lightweight, breathable and have some reflective and/or cooling properties.
Other useful features of the best fly rugs for horses include detachable leg straps, large tail flaps and anti-rub linings or seamless necks. You’ll notice that the fastenings under the belly of a fly rug are less likely to be designed to cross – like a traditional turnout rug – as passing straight across provides a greater coverage and protection. If you’re shopping on a budget, we’ve also rounded up a selection of the best cheap fly rugs (all under £50!)
Do zebra fly rugs work?
Over the last 10 years there has been a bit of research into this question. The findings suggest that the stripes confuse the flies, which prevents them from landing. Recently rug companies have been researching the effect of other colour combinations for the best fly rugs for horses, too.
Can I leave a fly rug on overnight?
Providing your horse’s fly rug is well fitting, leaving it on overnight shouldn’t be a problem.
If you’re looking for a fly rug to use while you’re out hacking, check out our selection of the best ride-on fly rugs.
Best fly rugs for horses this summer
Equilibrium Field Relief Fly Rug
Sizes: 5ft6in – 7ft
UV protection: 77% UVA and 90% UVB
H&H Rating: 9/10, H&H Approved
This rug has been redesigned with a new pattern with the aim to be even more effective at repelling flies. The new design also allows more freedom of movement, a wither relief panel and a generous shoulder fit. It offers full coverage with stretch hood over the ears and has a breathable anti-rub lining on the neck and shoulder. The rug also features adjustable neck straps, buckle fastenings at the chest and elasticated belly straps, plus a long tail flap with plastic-covered fillet string for easy cleaning.
Equilibrium ran their own in-house test and found that flies were 51% less likely to land on this monochrome hexagonal print compared to other the other prints and colours tested.
We tested the previous yellow version of this fly rug and it might not be the cheapest on the market, but we thought it was definitely worth the money as it’s strong, hard-wearing and appears to be comfortable. Read our full Equilibrium Fly Rug review.
WeatherBeeta ComFiTec Ripshield Plus
Sizes: 4ft – 7ft3in
Saxon Mesh Combo Neck
Sizes: 4ft – 7ft3in
UV protection: 96%
This fly rug blocks an impressive amount of UV, especially considering its price. It doesn’t have lots of fancy features, but if UV is a priority for you and you’re not keen on one of the best summer sheets instead, this is a great option. It is made of a fine weave mesh outer that keeps the insects out while keeping your horse cool. It fastens with a double T-bar closure at the chest, two cross surcingles and double touch-tape closures on the neck.
Gallop Classic Combo Fly Rug
Sizes: 4ft6in – 7ft
UV protection: Yes
This fly rug features highly in our guide to the best cheap fly rugs as it has quite a few handy features for a low price. It has a fixed neck with a headcollar loop that you can use to help secure the coverage, as well as a stretchy Lycra insert at the wither to help relieve pressure and keep your horse comfortable. It has elasticated detachable leg straps and buckle adjustments at the chest for adjustability. The nylon lining at the chest also helps to prevent rubs.
Shires Tempest Original Combo Fly Rug
Sizes: 4ft – 7ft3in
UV protection: 80%
This breathable, lightweight and airy rug provides a barrier to biting insects without preventing airflow. The rug features buckle chest fastenings, cross surcingles and an adjustable fillet strap.
WeatherBeeta ComFiTec Essential Mesh II Combo Neck
Sizes: 4ft – 7ft3in
UV protection: 65%+
H&H Rating: 8/10
This rug is made from a soft but durable mesh with nylon lining at the shoulders, mane and tail. It features twin adjustable buckle front closure with touch tape, traditional side gusset for natural movement, low cross surcingles, large tail flap and adjustable removable leg straps.
We tested this fly rug and found it to be good quality at a reasonable price especially given the super extra features. The only thing that let it down for us was it has a particularly large neck, which was too big for our tester horse. Read H&H’s review of this WeatherBeeta fly rug.
Rhinegold Fly Rug With Detachable Neck
Sizes: 4ft6in – 7ft
UV protection: Yes
Made of super-fine non-rubbing lightweight mesh, this fly rug is breathable and offers UV protection. It features a satin chest lining and and cotton towelling spine section to help wick away sweat. It also has a detachable neck, generous tail guard, adjustable legstraps, and is fastened with buckles at the chest.
Ruggles Combo Fly Rug
Sizes: 2ft9in – 7ft6in
UV protection: 70%
This rug’s USP really is the range of sizes it’s available in – if you’ve got a really dinky pony, larger heavy horse or even a donkey, chances are you’ll be able to find a fit for them. Made from a strong but soft mesh and partly lined, this rug is great for sensitive horses. It offers great coverage with a belly band, long neck and generous tail flap. It features detachable webbing leg straps and is fastened at the chest with a double adjustable buckle and clip closure for ease and good fit. The ear holes are also fleece lined for added comfort.
Swish Nylon Fly Cool Rug
Sizes: 4ft3in – 7ft6in
UV protection: Yes
H&H Rating: 9/10, H&H Approved
This fly rug is made from lightweight and breathable nylon, and is designed to offer sun and fly protection without overheating your horse. The large shoulder gusset allows for freedom of movement, while the large tail flap offers extra protection. It has a longer cut, detachable neck cover with nylon strip to protect the mane and double-locking Velcro straps.
We put this fly rug to the test and found it to be good quality and really lightweight. It’s particularly suited to horses with a deep girth and a good length of neck. Read our full review of this Swish fly rug.
Bucas Buzz-Off Full Neck Zebra
Sizes: 5ft6in – 7ft2in
The zebra print is designed to help disorientate the flies and prevent them from landing on your horse. The full neck rug provides protection for the horses body and neck. The neck has an elasticated brow band that helps keep it in place while grazing, and it has an elasticated, detachable belly pad and large tail flap for extra coverage. The chest is fastened with a surcingle closure and the shoulders benefit from a silk-feel lining.
Mark Todd Fly Ultra Combo Rug
Sizes: 5ft6in – 7ft
This rug is made of a tight weave mesh fabric and has three touch tape fastenings on the belly flap for additional protection. It has reinforced anti-rub shoulders, a shoulder gusset for freedom of movement and a stretch panel at the withers for extra comfort while grazing. Additional features include triple quick-release clip fastenings on the neck, adjustable and removable leg straps and gusseted tail flap.
Masta Vento Fly Rug
Sizes: 4ft6in – 7ft6in
Made from a soft mesh fabric to enable airflow, this fly rug has touch-tape fastenings to the neck, twin surcingle chest fastenings and cross surcingles at the belly. The design now has an added neck insert, which allows for freedom of movement while grazing, by moving with your horse and helping to relieve wither pressure. It also has an anti-rub lining along the neck and shoulders.
Fouganza Fly Sheet
Colours: Beige or grey
Sizes: 115–155cm
RRP: £49.99
This airy mesh rug has three chest straps as well as three or four neck fastenings, depending on the size of the rug. It features belly and tail flaps in addition to a long neck cover for maximum coverage.
Mackey Equi-Sential Fly Rug
Colours: Silver/navy
Sizes: 5–7ft
RRP: £69.95
This rug is designed with a double-buckled chest, generous shoulder gussets, detachable leg straps and double cross surcingles. It also has a large tail flap and a generous removable neck.
You might also like:
7 rugs to help protect horses who are prone to sweet itch
Fly protection on a budget: 6 fly rugs under £50
7 ride-on fly rugs that will make hacking more pleasant for your horse
10 waterproof fly rugs – perfect for summer showers and sunshine
Had enough of annoying flies? We’ve tested some fly sprays to find which really work
6 handy fly gels and creams we’ve put to the test
Fly masks to protect your horse
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
