ICE CUPS - ESSENTIAL INSTANT COLD APPLICATION FOR INJURYS (ALSO IN NL)

[Birker2020]

Ice cups are much better than cold hosing providing you keep the cup moving over the leg to prevent freeze burn. Just get some polystyrene cups, fill with water and freeze. Just put the cup on the injury holding the bottom of it with your hand and run it up and down on the leg. When the ice starts to melt just peel the polystyrene cup downwards as you go. Dead easy, dead cheap - poundsaver and wilkinsons and similiar will charge you £1 for 50 or 100 cups. All you need is a freezer on your yard, or take them out of your freezer and drive to your yard. If it is a mild day they will be pretty frozen for about 20 mins. Its the heat radiating from the injury and the body temp of the horse that melts the ice. My mate who is studying equine physio and is now in her second year has a tutor who recommended this, as it is better than ice packs AND cold hosing.

Here is a link and a photo of an ice cup in action!!!

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=c0UMv...;q=&f=false

 

[only_me]

Thank you

I always wondered what ice cups where

another good method is to fill bucket with water, put horses leg in, add espom salts and then add a bag of ice. Works really well, and reduced time off injury for me to just 1 and half weeks!

 

[Birker2020]

I had to stick my horses leg in the bucket that caused his originally injury when we were away at a show and filled it with cold water to splash onto his tendons as I didn't have my first aid kit with me (swapped towing vehicles at last minute)!!

Stupid horse got back of shoe on said bucket handle which was attached to trailer and pulled tendon up when it didn't break quickly (even more stupid owner - i know)!! Learnt my lesson though!

There are a lot of people who don't know about ice cups. I wasn't trying to make out that they are thick by explaining in detail what they do, just that I was very interested in them myself when my mate told me about them and our freezer at the yard is now full of them, waiting to help out when/if necessary.

 

[only_me]

Oh I never knew what they were! people kept saying on here to use ice cups but I hadnt a clue

I use a tubtrug - the rubber ones so if horse does stand on them wont hurt himself

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

a bag of frozen peas bandage on well. blue ice packs bandage ok and last for up to 4 hurs. ice burn versus getting tendon down and cold? no brainer, keep cold 24hrs per day for first week then scan.

 

[Birker2020]

You don't get an ice burn from ice cups if you keep the cup moving over the surface of the horses skin. If the latest research says that an ice cup is more effective at reducing tendons then that is what I will use to my advantage, sometimes you have to move on and try different things. I was using the ice cups rather than the cold hosing, but I was still using the ice packs too. Every little helps.