best way to cool legs after XC on hard ground

star

star

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 August 2001
Messages
6,781
Location
Woking, Surrey
Visit site
I haven't got any specific cool boots but if we decide to run XC on sunday i'd like to do something to try and cool his legs afterwards and reduce any inflammation. was watching them after XC at Badminton and there was a lot of icy water and all sorts of boots and bandages going on. any tips on a nice easy way to cool his legs?

thanks :)
 
Best way if you can do it is a layer of tubie grip then use ice cube bag and bandage loosly on for 20 minutes, off for 20 and on again. You can keep these icy in cool box for 24hrs with enough packing.
 
I have just brought some wine bottle coolers as found that ice cube bags leak. ALOT!
 
I would wash my horses legs down with cold water and then bandage with icetight or cold ice - its what I always do after a XC run regardless of ground. Though now I bring rubber gloves to put it on as seem to get a lot on me otherwise! Brown paper (from feed sacks) with stable bandages over.
 
1 round of ice cooling should be sufficient if you dont suspect any injuries- take a cool box with some ice to use. If no access to ice, get as much water on as you can and leave the legs bare for it to evaporate and take the heat away.

I wouldnt ice tight or use anything else to put on the leg as the affects, at best, are negligible
 
Clay/ice tite etc is really out of favour with the pros as it was shown to heat the legs up, especially with bandaging.

I have cool sport type boots, in a bucket with ice in the water whilst I go XC, but actually would also just use lots of iced water/ice cube bags. I won some neo-ice bandages recently - seem ok but I prefer the cool sport boots. As SJ says, it's bad to ice for more than 20 minutes, and ice shouldn't go directly on the skin. I know a few people who use a J-Cloth next to the skin, then tubigrip over the icecube bags. But for me, the hassle of getting them on the legs means I tend to stick with the cool boots! I also have a set which have an insert that you can freeze, I like those too.
 
I buy the ice cube bags from supermarket and make up a few in advance, then take with me in a cool box with some extra cool packs (and a few drinks! ;) ). They stay frozen well enough through the day, even when leaving early and not finishing until late.

The bags that you make up and freeze yourself are just the right size for wrapping around legs. :) I have wraps with pockets stitched into them, so just slot an ice bag into each and wrap around legs, really quick and easy and they stay cold for AGES. (I tried using frozen gel packs, but found they warmed up much quicker, proper ice is the best thing for staying cold longest)

In absence of wraps with pockets, then I'd put a layer around leg (some cheapy tea towels or something or tubigrip as SJ suggests) so the ice is not in direct contact with leg, then bandage on the ice packs.
 
Have to say I agree. Tubigrip and ice plus loose bandages are best. I only do 20min though and then when horse is home decide if more required etc.

Ice tight/Ice cool/ Like ice are all crap. Sorry but they are. try putting ice tight on your arm with and then again without a bandage. it doesnt keep it cool and in fact it warms up. The best thing about ice tight is the half hour of cold hosing each leg requires to remove the damn stuff!!
 
I tend to wet a tea towel and put in in the freezer the night before in a bag.

Take it with you and by the time you need it, it has melted but still cold wraps nicely around the legs and then bandage.

Make sure you walk horse off well too.
 
take some old towels and cut into 6inch bandages , soak in water ,wring out and freeze , take them in a cool box to the event and when done hosing off bandage the legs with them
chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top