Equiband not staying in place

[Pippity]

On my vet and physio's recommendation, I've got an equiband to use during Blue's rehab. It's just the quick-click one that goes round the bum and attaches to the roller, rather than the full system with the saddlepad.

However, it simply will not stay in place. After a couple of steps, it springs up and wedges under her tail. Understandably, she gets extremely offended by this! I've tried making it tighter, making it looser, putting it higher or lower on her bum, etc., and I still get the same result. It's already as low as I can get it on the roller.

Do they simply not work on some shapes of horses? (She is extremely rotund at the moment, after seven months off work.) Is the full system more likely to stay in place, so should I bite the bullet and buy one? Help!

 

[Tiddlypom]

I’ve got the full Equiband with saddle pad, and that doesn’t shift. There wasn’t a less complete version available when I was buying.

Is this Equiband branded?

I have loaned out my full size Equiband before to another HHOer, I’m happy to loan it to you for a couple of months if you’d like to try it out?

I’ve now got an XL which suits my wonky IDx better.

ETA wonky mare in hers with bum band and belly band. Hers is worn with a roller and pad (not included) but you can use a saddle instead.

 

[meleeka]

Have you got it on the lower rings on the roller, as in the photo above?

 

[Tiddlypom]

The roller is there just to keep the saddle pad in place, the band clips onto the saddle pad not the roller with the full system that I have. The bands have wide chunky clips.

 

[Pippity]

I’ve got the full Equiband with saddle pad, and that doesn’t shift. There wasn’t a less complete version available when I was buying.

Is this Equiband branded?

I have loaned out my full size Equiband before to another HHOer, I’m happy to loan it to you for a couple of months if you’d like to try it out?

I’ve now got an XL which suits my wonky IDx better.

Ah, sod, I've just realised it isn't the proper Equiband one. It's Equine Balance Bands (which have a far more professional-looking website and branding than anything I've found for the legit Equibands).

That's a really generous offer, thank you. I'll PM you.

 

[Pippity]

The roller is there just to keep the saddle pad in place, the band clips onto the saddle pad not the roller with the full system that I have. The bands have wide chunky clips.

The one I bought (wrong) is just a single strap designed to clip onto a roller.

 

[GreyDot]

The band should be as horizontal as possibe (like in @Tiddlypom photo). Try attaching it to the strap of the surcingle instead of the ring, so it stays straighter. You will find it should stay put better that way.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would just clip it lower like on the girth somewhere, attach some string or something to the girth straps with a loop then just clip them on, or I have just clipped them on the girth buckles before just make sure they are even each side.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I have the Equiband one with the numnah and it stays in place really well, which reminds me I need to introduce it to ridden work! It may be because the band is mounted lower so don't pull up? I used to use a tailbandage years ago and that worked well but I mounted it low.

 

[sbloom]

I only like them for proprioception, and a tail bandage will do that, look up TTeam bodywrapping. You can simply attach it to a neck strap, or use another tail bandage for the neck strap.

"Loading" a rehabbing horse in this way doesn't sit right with me, until they're moving correctly on two tracks and ideally able to somewhat push up in front then you're loading incorrect movement, so common in so many vet and even some physio rehab plans, for instance using polework on a horse that's still crooked etc.

 

[Tiddlypom]

That’s just your personal opinion, sbloom

My highly experienced vet chiropractor (formerly a senior vet at Leahurst who has now additionally trained as a chiropractor) recommends the Equiband to many clients for their horses. There are simply very few people as skilled as her in the country at recognising patterns of movement and how that affects the horse, and how to rehab a horse.

The OP has been recommended to use an Equiband by both her vet and her physio. That’ll do for a start. There’s the belly band too, not just the bum band. The bands can offer much more resistance than a tail bandage can.

Most or all of the copies are not nearly as well thought out, though, as unfortunately the OP has discovered, and can actually be harmful with unintended consequences.

 

[sbloom]

That’s just your personal opinion, sbloom

My highly experienced vet chiropractor (formerly a senior vet at Leahurst who has now additionally trained as a chiropractor) recommends the Equiband to many clients for their horses. There are simply very few people as skilled as her in the country at recognising patterns of movement and how that affects the horse, and how to rehab a horse.

The OP has been recommended to use an Equiband by both her vet and her physio. That’ll do for a start. There’s the belly band too, not just the bum band. The bands can offer much more resistance than a tail bandage can.

Most or all of the copies are not nearly as well thought out, though, as unfortunately the OP has discovered, and can actually be harmful with unintended consequences.

It's my experience seeing many clients get recommended them and yes, the bands are for resistance, the tail bandage proprioception, very different and entirely my point. The OP may well have been recommended it from professionals who look at things as yours does, my experience is that most don't see things that way, sadly. Crooked horses with very poor, dysfunctional thoracic slings, tight hamstrings etc working with these tension bands.

I didn't say all vets/physios...just sharing thoughts and experience, triggered after a tail bandage was mentioned, probably against my better instincts...and I probably should have expanded on why I was saying it. It's just not talked about much at all.