Matchy match in horses best interest?

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ponios

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Saw HH article (http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news...campbell-thompson-nantwich-equine-vets-652461)

Matchy match is not for me, I cant co-ordinate my own clothes let alone the horses but to date I have just thought people can spend their time/money how they like.

I have always avoided booting if horse doesn't need it as worried about over heating the leg, but I have never really thought about the implications of the colourful fleecy bandage trend that so many horses are fashioning at the moment. So was interested to see a vet writing about it. Years ago I read veterinary papers (horse mad and studying biology- managed to get it into an independent study module!) about this and while I am by no means a vet (in my dreams!) it made sense, hence why I try to avoid where possible or at least weigh up the risks if for example going XC.

Do people that use bandages/boots when (not really) required, not believe the theory (over heating the leg can lead to tendon damage)? or is it just not widely known/thought about? Its not just amateurs, professionals seem to do it too.

I suspect this may be a controversial subject given the popularity of matchy match but interested in peoples thoughts. More than willing to be told the theory is based on a load of tosh, it was a long time ago that I read into it all, there may be new thinking out there.

ETA: obviously there are boots out there e.g. husk that are designed to keep leg cool so not really talking about these- though I have no idea how effective they are?
 
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it's a bit of a silly premise for an article IMO

People have been using boots and bandages for years and years and it makes zero difference if they are black/white/multicoloured :D
White bandages used to be the "in thing", I don't remember snooty articles about that!

I agree with the sentiment about considering what and why you put onto your horses legs, I think it's pretty much common knowledge that care needs to be taken. But saying it's all about matchy matchy is silly and will just turn people off.
 
I think the article is quite clear why it is about the matchy matchy - it is influencing peoples choice for fleece bandages over boots (or sometimes over nothing at all).

I like my horses to wear boots or bandages when doing lateral work on the flat after reading Peter De Cosemo's blog post about boots which I agree with.
 
I'm not sure it is though. He says he can't see the point of bandages full stop so presumably non matching ones are still a problem for him.

Plenty of brands sell matching boots for people who want them... I dunno, everywhere I've seen this posted, no one has said that they only dress up their horse because it looks pretty when it matches :D

(I'm a boot user, couldn't be faffed with bandaging, though i do occasionally use matching ears. If I'm cooking their ears then perhaps they will spook less. :D)
 
I personally don't boot or bandage for anything other than XC.

My horse gets a bit clumsy over sj, and so if he wacks his legs on a pole he tends to not feel it if I boot. But I will use open fronted tendon boots (when I remember!). Even then he will still come back with knocks and scrapes XC. I had a teenager rising him for me tail end of last year who insisted she wore boots with him, even when I told her not to! She was then wondering why he was knocking so many poles. It took my jump instructor to tell her that it was because he wasn't feeling the poles!


I know there are plenty of young riders on my yard who will wear the matching pads, boots/bandages fly veils etc. But what irks me more is seeing poorly wrapped bandages just as much as I see people booting and using bandages for no other reason than to match.

I don't know what it is, but the knowledge for a lot of young riders seems to be diminishing. Yes they can ride, but they have no idea WHY they should or should not use boots/wraps/bandages. Maybe it is riding schools not having the time or resources to be able to teach these basics, or the fact that going and buying and keeping a horse can be cheaper that to go and learn at a good riding school.
They don't seem to realise that using fleece bandages can cause more harm than good in that can cause the tendons and ligaments to overheat, as well as offering constant support, so potentially at more risk to injury when not wearing that support - i.e the field.
 
milliepops said:
it's a bit of a silly premise for an article IMO

People have been using boots and bandages for years and years and it makes zero difference if they are black/white/multicoloured :D
White bandages used to be the "in thing", I don't remember snooty articles about that!

I agree with the sentiment about considering what and why you put onto your horses legs, I think it's pretty much common knowledge that care needs to be taken. But saying it's all about matchy matchy is silly and will just turn people off.
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I agree with this. Bandages have been used in dressage, polo, schooling and many other disciplines for decades. Knowing how to do them correctly and why is of course as important as any other part of horse husbandry. I do agree though If people are unaware that ill fitting bandages or them being on too long can be an issue, then they shouldn’t use them. Just like an ill fitting saddle!

I alternate between bandages, boots and nothing, depending on what we are doing, if we are going to get wet and the temperature.
 
Overheating the tendons isn’t as much of an issue imo - a lot of people who bandage can’t bandage properly. They might be able to do an ok occasional stable bandage but not an exercise one correctly.
The bad bandage does far more damage, no matter what the colour.

People used to also do exercise bandage with padding underneath, for polo etc. , so pressure was more even, but now everyone has fleece bandages which is put straight onto the leg so the pressure is uneven and causes ridges - which is also another factor for damage.

I’ve seen some people bandage and I wouldn’t let them near my horse. But I teach SM at pc often and usually it’s bandaging, but afaik you don’t even do an exercise bandage till AH? Think B test just has stable and tail.
 
I agree that people need to be honest in their own abilities regarding bandaging, a badly done bandage can do a lot of damage, but I think the majority of people overlook the heating aspect with boots as being overridden by the protection aspect. Swings and roundabouts IMO and I think needs to be decided on an individual basis, knowing your horse and how it moves, rather than a blanket statement that if they match your saddle pad then you're doing it for the wrong reasons.
 
I wonder how many of the matchy matchy brigade will own up to only wearing all the gear because they have no idea and cant think for themselves and are sucked into the marketing hype that the horsey world is currently in! Ear bonnets and bandages for a bit of shoulder in and leg yielding .... beggars belief really!
 
only_me said:
Overheating the tendons isn’t as much of an issue imo - a lot of people who bandage can’t bandage properly. They might be able to do an ok occasional stable bandage but not an exercise one correctly.
The bad bandage does far more damage, no matter what the colour.

People used to also do exercise bandage with padding underneath, for polo etc. , so pressure was more even, but now everyone has fleece bandages which is put straight onto the leg so the pressure is uneven and causes ridges - which is also another factor for damage.

I’ve seen some people bandage and I wouldn’t let them near my horse. But I teach SM at pc often and usually it’s bandaging, but afaik you don’t even do an exercise bandage till AH? Think B test just has stable and tail.
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How does something that basic not get into tests until B level? It boggles the mind! I remember being taught stable and tail bandages at about 7, and the kids at the local school are still taught at a young age.
 
I think the article is a bit of an overreaction. I'd imagine people who do matchy matchy are likely to bandage correctly because they get lots of practice.
 
I don't tend to use bandages much these days, but have done previously for all sorts of activities without any ill effects. I do use boots for some things but am quite picky about type of boots because some can give real pressure points, particularly some hard shell type open fronted tendon boots IME.

Most of my matchy behaviour is expressed through the medium of hi vis though :D. I use ears most of the time in the summer and they will generally always match my saddlecloth.

I agree with MP though, it's a daft premise for an article, particularly - just a stroppy opinion poorly dressed up as science without managing to give the readers a single scientific explanation/fact/piece of research to go along with it.
 
Snowfilly said:
How does something that basic not get into tests until B level? It boggles the mind! I remember being taught stable and tail bandages at about 7, and the kids at the local school are still taught at a young age.
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Tail bandages are d+/c and stable bandages are c+/B.
There’s not much point teaching a 7 year old how to stable bandage when they can’t really tack up by themselves lol.

D/c is usally 8-12 and c from 12 on I think
 
So if fleece bandages can cause tendons to overheat in warm weather does that mean that in cold weather they can be a help? I have a damaged achilles as a result of a complete rupture many years ago and I always make sure it is warm in the winter with nice comfortable socks. When part of it tore again, mounting my horse on a freezing day, I was advised by the physio to strap it up with tape before I rode and to keep it warm. I use fleece bandages on Mr B and I think I do a pretty good job of putting them on. In the winter when it's very cold I will put them on early and in the summer they go on just before I ride and come off straightaway. Not because I think I am damaging his tendons, but because I want to hose him down because he's hot. Oh and I do do matchy matchy because I think he looks nice, same as why I make sure he's clean and has nice white stockings. it doesn't make him "go" any better but it makes me feel better.
 
The thinking behind all those fancy dressage horses wearing those huge bandages if that it restricts the horses perception of how much they can flex their joints you take them off and wham they become more expressive .
As for matchy matchy there’s no way it can affect horse welfare unless the rider spends so much on matching kit they can’t feed the horse .
 
Antw23uk said:
I wonder how many of the matchy matchy brigade will own up to only wearing all the gear because they have no idea and cant think for themselves and are sucked into the marketing hype that the horsey world is currently in! Ear bonnets and bandages for a bit of shoulder in and leg yielding .... beggars belief really!
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this just smacks of reverse snobbery I think!
I don't bandage mine as I find boots quicker, but I have one horse close in front and one close behind, so rather than have either of them knock or scuff themselves I'll pop something on even for just a bit of shoulder in or leg yield :rolleyes3:

Not sure why ear bonnets are a problem, if there are flies it's just nicer not to have one down your lughole when you're concentrating, if it's raining they they don't flick their heads around ... I really don't understand why the sneering? :)
 
The problem with the bandages is people not putting them on correctly more so than anything. You do more damage through lack of knowledge than anything else.

None of mine are booted. Never have been bar their first days out after any box rest. The racehorses wear basic brushing boots for racing and get them on as late as possible before leaving the stable and get them taken off as soon as they come off the track. All wear front boots, some hinds depending on how much they drag their back legs through fences.
 
The colour / matchy issue is irrelevant. Yes, people should make sensible decisions - overheating is a potential issue if the horse will not benefit from protection for any reason. If there's a decent rationale for protecting the legs, the overheating issue becomes very much a secondary concern.

I bandage if I'm playing polocrosse or at training, Because there's no way I'm having horses' hooves and people's racquets swinging around her legs and her sensitive soft tissues without protection, even if it does involve a bit of excessive heat. If I'm stick and balling at home, I use lightweight boots as it's just my racquet down there - again, some heating is better than a direct hit on a tendon with a swinging racquet.

I bandage for dressage, if we're doing a lot of lateral work and the horse isn't established enough to know what it's doing, or is being pushed to the extremes of his movement. I don't bandage for routine schooling, hacking or jumping - though I do for XC and jumping on a youngster who's learning the ropes. Whatever I'm doing, if it's warm, or they've been booted/bandages, their legs are undressed and hosed off as soon as is possible.

As with anything, it's about assessing and managing risk - and that's a hugely individual issue.
 
I don’t boot or bandage for flat work if they are careless with their legs they bang them I put keeping the legs cool over almost everything I do t boot or bandage for travel and I don’t boot for jumping until the fences are getting big .
Three of my horses went xc schooling yesterday including the expensive new one non of them wore anything .
If they hit a solid fence I want them to think it’s a bad idea .
I expect when I start BE again ( I will start at eighty ) I won’t put anything on unless the going calls for it but then again I might follow the crowd and put some on .
G is not going to strike himself going at the dead slow speed I will be going round a eighty I might put overreach boots on but I am not even keen on those as well.
 
milliepops said:
this just smacks of reverse snobbery I think!
I don't bandage mine as I find boots quicker, but I have one horse close in front and one close behind, so rather than have either of them knock or scuff themselves I'll pop something on even for just a bit of shoulder in or leg yield :rolleyes3:

Not sure why ear bonnets are a problem, if there are flies it's just nicer not to have one down your lughole when you're concentrating, if it's raining they they don't flick their heads around ... I really don't understand why the sneering? :)
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I think that was a very polite way of putting it....
 
Just for the record....I am a bit jealous of people who have horses requiring stuff that can be matchy matched.

My saddle isn't even the same colour as my bridle. He wears a saddle pad that doesn't match his prolite pad, not that you can see it. I have a tail bandage for travelling which is a completely different colour to everything else (and we only travelled once so it's not over used)
 
OrangeAndLemon said:
Just for the record....I am a bit jealous of people who have horses requiring stuff that can be matchy matched.

My saddle isn't even the same colour as my bridle. He wears a saddle pad that doesn't match his prolite pad, not that you can see it. I have a tail bandage for travelling which is a completely different colour to everything else (and we only travelled once so it's not over used)
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You put a saddle as well as a bridle on your horse!!?!?!?!? I get as far as a headslip, bit, reins and a piece of bailer twine as a neckstrap half the time! None of my tail bandages match my travel rugs either!
 
I have to say that I like the look of matchy-matchy however, I don't do it as I can't be bothered to bandage and use brushing boots instead.What is the difference between bandaging and using neoprene boots on the heating front? surely its very similar?

On a slightly different note on the one occasion I have used stable bandages, or exercise. How would you tell that the bandage has the correct pressure? - I always ensure that the bandage lies flat and runs in evenly spaced overlaps as well as checking the pressure at the top andbottom of the bandage but how would you know about the middle?
 
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