The Horseware Rambo Fly Buster Vamoose looks stylish, and works fabulously. Model is also sporting the Rambo Plus Flymask Vamoose. Photo by Kate Samuels.
Flies: a fact of life in the horse world, and there’s no getting around them. Even if you live far away from any cattle, in a pristine environment with no overpopulation and a muck heap miles away from your barn, you’ll have flies, and they will attack your horses. That’s why we have Horseware to come to our rescue, and save us from the madness.
With the Rambo Fly Buster Vamoose Fly Sheet, Horseware has really stepped up the fly sheet game. All of my previous complaints about the design, fit, and fabric of fly sheets in general have been addressed, suitably modified, and then they went further and gave it little details that really matter for overall functionality.
Let’s start with what I consider to be the coolest feature: the self healing blanket fabric. How many times have you brought a horse in from the field only to find that he has rolled on a stick and ripped his fancy new fly sheet in half? Once is too many times, but with this blanket, you don’t have to worry, because holes and indents are easily fixed, and the fabric remains as strong as ever.
Charlotte Dujardin uses the Rambo Fly Buster Vamoose Sheet for Blueberry and all her other horses, and loves them so much, she took some time to make this video for her Instagram account. This video perfectly shows how the blanket self heals, so you won’t be irritated with little holes in your blanket every time your horse goes to roll in the field.
Secondly, this blanket has Horseware’s patented Vamoose technology, which means that the fabric has been treated with Permethrin. This is odorless and invisible, but has been proven to repel mosquitos, ants, ticks, flies, midges and chiggers. This treatment is long-lasting on the fabric, so it will survive being washed 70 times, and it won’t bleed off onto your horse’s skin if they sweat.
Getting into the fit of the blanket is really exciting, because as usual, Horseware has gone above and beyond. The Rambo Fly Buster has extra deep sides, a belly flap to protect against gnats, an extra long tail flap, and it fit my horse’s curves in all the right ways without being restrictive in the least. I genuinely felt like he was the most protected he could possibly be without actually being wrapped in material like a Christmas gift.
The Horseware Rambo Fly Buster Vamoose keeps your horse fly-free from every angle. Photo by Kate Samuels.
The neck cover is removable, and tapered at the top for an expert fit which you can see smoothly goes right into fly mask coverage. He’s wearing the Rambo Plus Flymask with Vamoose (review coming soon!), which makes a very nice picture.
The material of the fly sheet is actually very soft, and incredibly lightweight. This means that you can turn your horse out during the day and know that he won’t have any issues with chafing, and the addition of a sheet won’t make him unduly sweaty. There are silky soft swaths of fabric around the neckline and lining the shoulder area that also prevent unsightly blanket rubs or hair loss.
The extra long tail flap combined with the leg arches keep your horse protected front to back. Photo by Kate Samuels.
This particular horse runs very hot, and actually hates all blankets, even in the winter. I turned him out during the day for a few hours while wearing this blanket, and was pleased to see when I brought him in, that he looked neither grumpy nor sweaty, which is a great improvement upon all of our previous endeavors into the realm of fly sheets.
Even if your horses go out overnight, like mine do, the flies are out and about as long as the sun is up, and as soon as it peeks out in the morning. I can bring my horses in at 6am and they’re already stomping and shaking their heads from flies, so a fly sheet is necessary for the ones that are a little more sensitive.
This fly sheet has three straight surcingles attached to a belly guard, so you don’t have to worry about the stomach getting eaten by gnats. Photo by Kate Samuels.
The Rambo Fly Buster Vamoose sheet is on sale right now though Horseware, and you can take it home for only $200. It comes in an oatmeal color with black accents, and is available in all sizes from 60-87.
And there’s more! Horseware just launched a fly sheet trade-in for U.S. and Canadian residents. If you trade in a clean, used flysheet from ANY blanket brand, you can get $30 off any Rambo fly sheet. The trade-in runs through July 21. Click here to find a participating retailer near you.