ok so what is best for legs after hard work/gallops/xc

pinktiger

pinktiger

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as above,have a young big horse about to start his eventing career and i really am going to have to look after his legs, (as we all do) what really is the best most effective?? is it, clay,liquid ice(equi-n-ice) boots, bandages, what do we all use and how do we rate the method????? ive use cool boots (water soaks up and put on legs) and equi n ice bandages with the recharge????? any help much apreciated!!


many thanx PT
 
I have to admit on most of mine I just use a hose (yellow one if that matters:D), the exception is Grace who gets hose off, and then either Absorbine Liniment(sp?) wash or Stay Sound Clay - but she is 16 and with a lot of miles on the clock.
 
If you can get it to the event ice.I freeze ice cube bags and put these around the leg (with a jay cloth or similiar thin layer in between) You can get boots to insert packs into or loosly bandage them in place. Leave on for a max of 20 minutes and then repeat again 20 minutes later.

If you have access to a hose then cold hosing is best but this is not practical at events.
 
thanx i think its very very important that the hose pipe is yellow as they are the best in terms of cooling leg, green ones not so good!! ehhehehe

Sarajane, do you use the tubigrip under boots too, does it support or just protect against rubbing and movement in the boots??? (ive just invested in a cool bag, and your idea sound the most effective in terms of cooling and my purse!!!!!
 
at events normally put on cool boots (the areborn ones) have figured out how to get best out of them and now have it that they stay cool for 3 hours+ without even starting to warm up! :)

If the ground is going to be rock hard, i would use ice tight, wet brown paper and bandage - just for extra support, as well as cool boots soon as xc finishes - obviously after walked horse around for 10 mins.

We are lucky to have 3 events by the sea, so usually after xc I would go in sea, right up to his stifles/middle of shoulder :) best thing for legs imo :)
 
only_me said:
at events normally put on cool boots (the areborn ones) have figured out how to get best out of them and now have it that they stay cool for 3 hours+ without even starting to warm up! :)

:)
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how do you keep them cool for 3 hours and where would i get some ice tight???
 
they are my second set - I had them in a bucket of water prior to event for 1 hour when I first get them, and then get them out and let them dry. Then before I get ready for xc, I put them in half bucket of water so ready when come back :)

Can get ice tight/stay sound etc. from any saddlers :)
 
This is what i do-
Travel in bandages, remove asap on arrival
Use prolites all round for jumping, removed asap after finishing to avoid overheating legs
Horses body and legs washed off with lavender wash
Horse walked for some time to help removal of lactic acid and to cool down properly to avoid stiffness
After riding i use Aerborn cool boots, which are pre-soaked before event in v cold water and then re-soaked in cold water in the shade before use
Travel home in bandages
Horses turned out asap when home and they stay out all night

I never run on rock hard ground nor rutted/uneven ground
If horse has had a harder run i spray legs with nettex competition cool recovery spray before turnout
 
i experimented with the equi-n-ice on my boyfriend(!) who found them ice cold for about half an hour and cold for about 2 hours.
so if i feel pony has worked hard, legs get hosed off (at home) or washed off(at show) with cold water, then wrapped in the equi-n-ice bandages to travel home.

day to day i use a cooling linament after hosing off.
 
I bought some of the gel inserts that you use with the woof wear cool boots. I put them in the freezer the night before and then take them in the cool box on the day and bandage on for 20 minutes after xc. Works really well and much cheaper option than some of the cooling boots. Also much easier than faffing with any clay etc as you can just wipe them off after youve done and put them away until next time. x
Oh the gel inserts cost about £2 each.
 
I wash legs thoroughly with cold water on finishing. I then use these http://www.barnitts.co.uk/products/details/362.html They are wine coolers but are fully adjustable and cheaper than the equivelent horse products. I freeze them the night before and take them in a cool box.
I then walk and graze in hand to help disperse lactic.
I then take off the coolers and spray with Mark Todd icy leg spray http://www.discount-equestrian.co.uk/mark-todd-icy-leg-spray-1ltr.html

I also turn out 24/7 which I find really helps any stiffness.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
i experimented with the equi-n-ice on my boyfriend(!) who found them ice cold for about half an hour and cold for about 2 hours.
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PMSL, well I suppose you need to make sure they're nice before putting them on pony!

I bought a set of FMB's from Ebay for about £15. Stick the inserts in the freezer the night before & they stay really cold all next day.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
i experimented with the equi-n-ice on my boyfriend(!) who found them ice cold for about half an hour and cold for about 2 hours.
so if i feel pony has worked hard, legs get hosed off (at home) or washed off(at show) with cold water, then wrapped in the equi-n-ice bandages to travel home.

day to day i use a cooling linament after hosing off.
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hehehe bless your boyf, can u test the linament on him too, n see which one is the best????
 
You have to be very careful with linaments as they will fail FEI testing.
 
soak some bandages, freeze them, just give them enough time soaking to defrost, wet some brown paper and put frozen bandages over wet brown paper... only thing I find keeps my horses legs cold (standard 2-2.5 hour journey home) when I get home, and much cheaper than most products on the market!
 
little_pink_piggies said:
soak some bandages, freeze them, just give them enough time soaking to defrost, wet some brown paper and put frozen bandages over wet brown paper... only thing I find keeps my horses legs cold (standard 2-2.5 hour journey home) when I get home, and much cheaper than most products on the market!
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awesome idea, do they keep well in cool box before use???
 
thanx loads for that sarah-jane!! very interesting reading and makes sense, am i right in saying that the best is obv cold hosing,failing that cold/crushed ice or cold boots? then much later (2hours) bandaging for any swelling ect??
 
Well it takes me 2 hours to get to an event on average, and they live in the freezer full time, and I find if I get them out before I leave, travel themin a carrier bag and them put them in a bucket of water about 1.5hours before I want to use them, they are just about right (frozen but bandageable!) :)
 
I use a game ready equine system before and after competition/exercise it has worked out so much easier than faffing about with the hose/ice packs :-).
 
pinktiger said:
thanx loads for that sarah-jane!! very interesting reading and makes sense, am i right in saying that the best is obv cold hosing,failing that cold/crushed ice or cold boots? then much later (2hours) bandaging for any swelling ect??
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That is about it although a lot of people will bandage a bit quicker than that.
 
game ready is awesome, I use it on Arth every time after he's run and out physio/chiro can't believe the difference it makes to his back, so must be doing some real good on his legs! Just very very pricey!
 
magic14339 said:
I use a game ready equine system before and after competition/exercise it has worked out so much easier than faffing about with the hose/ice packs :-).
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ooooooo how much are they and can you use them on a battery format (portable) rather plug in????????????????
 
generally, i use aerborn cool boots post XC, and keep them on until we get home if its a shortish (1-2hrs) journey, or if its a longer journey i'll bandage as late as possible before we set off, then get home, turn out, and if the ground has been particularly testing, i'll stick some cool gel on just before they turn out,

reading the article sarahjane posted, i think i'll travel home in cool boots all the time now,
 
they vary in price depending upon what combination of leg wraps you get but are in the region of £3-4K.

The system can run on batteries or mains. The batteries last for a good few hours.

PM me if you want any more info :-)
 
If your horse needs somthing after work or training gallops, you are working him too hard .No ifs or buts. However after a competition,I,m old fashioned ,Kaolin paste. No bandages , no wet paper.Just the kaolin.
 
totally disagree with the above-horses were not designed to gallop/run in circles/jump fences carrying riders. we are asking them to perform to the max of their athletic ability, it makes sense to look after their legs on a day to day basis, after normal work, harder work and competition.

horses can break down in light work, so any help we cnangive them when in harder work, is just common sense.
 
iuse aerborne coll wrap things after xc - i put them in cold water just before i gte on to warm up etc and put them on once i get back - i generally leave them on for an hour or so afterwards as i chat/get results etc - then take them off and boot up for travelling.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
totally disagree with the above-horses were not designed to gallop/run in circles/jump fences carrying riders. we are asking them to perform to the max of their athletic ability, it makes sense to look after their legs on a day to day basis, after normal work, harder work and competition.

horses can break down in light work, so any help we cnangive them when in harder work, is just common sense.
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I believe that most horses break down due to poor training methods,rather than an individual competition. If you mask any symptoms of over training you will not see there is a problem until too late. Of course if there is a problem it should be treated immediately. If you automaticly use any of the inflamation reducing techniques,how can you tell if it was needed and respond accordingly.
 
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