Polo wrap/excercise bandages - can you use them for competitions?

[WelshRareBit]

I have seen a few people wearing polo/excersise bandages (with no pads or anything) for competitions.

Is this a good idea - or should there generally be a pad underneath them anyway?

 

[RachelB]

I always understood that thick fleecy polo bandages did not necessarily need padding as they were bulky enough on their own. But now people seem to have started putting on normal exercise bandages without padding, which I think is wrong but there you go. Not something I'd do unless the bandages were pretty thick. I think you can use them for competitions fine (except dressage of course), for example eventers used to use bandages once upon a time for XC.

 

[sunny123]

I dont with polo bandages because they are less easy to over tighten as they arnt as stretchy. If you are not confident with your bandaging skills then i would definatly put something underneath and i always would with elasticated bandages.

 

[WelshRareBit]

Thats what I thought, I have a pack of excercise bandages and havent used them because I havent bought pads yet, then the last competition I went to it appeared that lots of horses were wearing them and I thought - hmmm...

 

[Saf]

Maybe they are the half and half style that I have for schooling, fleece for 1/2 the bandage then exercise bandage for the second half. I use then for schooling on the flat but would not use them in comps.

 

[EmmaChal]

Being very old school, but I am a believer that non-fleece bandages require gamgee, or similar underneath to spread the pressure evenly across surface area.
Fleece bandages are OK alone as non-stretchy, but bulky so more a stable than a comp bandage.

 

[mitchellk]

They might have a pad underneath that you can't see- i use Devoucoux tendon pads when I bandage and they aren't noticable when the bandage is on.

 

[cazza]

we put just the polo bandage on for practice and if we are playing we put tendon boots over the top on the front legs, back legs just have the polo wraps.