All About Horse Coolers, Fleeces, and Sheets
Updated July 7, 2023
Look around most indoor rings, and you’ll see riders using a variety of fleeces, scrims, and other garments as coolers. A cooler is a blanket designed to absorb and wick away moisture while keeping your horse warm and comfortable.
While they may all look fairly similar, different materials and styles can greatly affect your horse’s comfort. Let’s look closer at the different options for coolers and how to select the right one for your horse.
Think Fleece Coolers First
Fleece is the perfect material for keeping your horse comfortable, cozy, and dry. Horse coolers come in three common styles, each with a different purpose.
Quarter Sheet
Best for: Riding
While it offers the least coverage, this cut can be used for your entire ride. Though it’s small, it still covers the major muscles in the back and hindquarters, keeping them warm in cold temperatures. A quarter sheet is ideal for fully-body clipped horses during the winter months.
Standard Cooler
Best for: Security
This style usually features a front buckle and surcingle, offering the most security if you want to leave it on your horse after untacking while he’s cooling out and drying during the colder months.
Square Cooler
Best for: Unclipped horses
Offering the most coverage, this cut is ideal for horses with unclipped necks, which get sweaty during rides and need to cool out completely.
Alternative Sheets
These two types of sheets are often used like coolers but have slightly different purposes.
Dress Sheet
Best for: Show days
Essentially a dressier version of a cooler, dress sheets are usually made from a more luxurious material, like wool. You’ll generally see these at competitions and events, but are rarely used in day-to-day riding.
Anti-Sweat Sheet
Best for: Warmer weather
Made with an open-weave cotton or polyester blend, the large holes facilitate increased airflow over the skin. Anti-sweat sheets are great after baths or for cooling out during the summer months.
What is the Best Material for Coolers?
Not all materials are created equal. Most climates and changing seasons will require you to use different horse blankets. The materials make a big difference in your horse’s comfort, so make sure to consider the use and climate before making a purchase.
Fleece
Lightweight and highly breathable, fleece has the unique ability to retain its insulating properties even when wet. It also doesn’t absorb moisture but instead wicks it away. This combination makes it the best horse cooler for winter riding.
Wool
Wool is extremely absorbent but not as fast-drying as synthetics, so you don’t want to leave it on a sweaty horse too long in chilly weather. It does lock in body heat, so wool horse coolers are great as dress sheets.
Cotton
Soft and highly absorbent, cotton is great for facilitating drying in warmer weather. Since it soaks up much of the moisture, cotton coolers are not the best choice for winter rides.
