Quick answer needed please on stable bandages

Degan

Degan

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Sorry, this is also in stable yard.

Right my question is would you stable bandage my boy at night when it is this cold?
The reasons I am contemplating this (have not had to do this for any horse of mine before) is becase his hind legs are filling quite considerably over night and he is showing stifness in the mornings.
He is nearly 24 and is still in work and is on cortaflex.
Also his legs have showed some filling in previous years, but not to this exstent and not alongside any stiffnes.

Thankyou in advance :)
 
Yes, if your horse's legs are filling I would bandage :) If you're not confident bandaging you could always use chaps instead.
 
Yes, as long as you use fybagee or bandage pads, and are a good bandager, I think it's a good idea - increase circulation, decrease swelling.
Sorry about the "if you're a good bandager" remark but I've seen a horse's career ended by bad stable bandaging... :( :(
 
kerilli said:
Yes, as long as you use fybagee or bandage pads, and are a good bandager, I think it's a good idea - increase circulation, decrease swelling.
Sorry about the "if you're a good bandager" remark but I've seen a horse's career ended by bad stable bandaging... :( :(
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Ditto, get someone who can bandage well to show you if you aren't at all sure. Otherwise you could consider magnetic stable wraps.
 
Thankyou :)

kerilli said:
Yes, as long as you use fybagee or bandage pads, and are a good bandager, I think it's a good idea - increase circulation, decrease swelling.
Sorry about the "if you're a good bandager" remark but I've seen a horse's career ended by bad stable bandaging... :( :(
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And yes no worries about the remark :) I completely understand. I am good at bandaging but if these help I will still invest in wraps instead, just for piece of mind, as I confess I am a bit of a worrier!
 
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I'd go for Thermatex leg wraps or some magnetic wraps. Easier to put on than bandages and would help keep his legs nice and warm.
 
ISHmad said:
I'd go for Thermatex leg wraps or some magnetic wraps. Easier to put on than bandages and would help keep his legs nice and warm.
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Thanks, Ive not had much experience with magnets before, do these simply aid in further increasing the circulation?
 
nativetyponies said:
no as you have asked ..i've reinstated..

no, bandages do not help "keep legs warm" hence my answer...as OP asked would they benefit in the cold...

she went on the say that her horses legs filled whilst in...and as i dont keep horses in for long periods of time, i dont get "stabled horses" problems here..

so i deleted my reply as it wasn't relevent to the WHOLE OP
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Thanks for that :). Didn't realise you were referring to keeping them warm rather than preventing filling - makes sense now.

I'd reinstate my question so that the thread makes sense too, but I can't for the life of me remember how I phrased it! It's been a long week...
 
My old boys legs fill overnight in stable after a bout of lymphangitis a couple of years back - I have tried bandages and Thermatex wraps - the wraps do not stop the legs filling at all - bandages reduce it dramatically - he was in last week due to the weather and bandaged (obv redone regularly) with little filling and no stiffness when he went out.

Edited to add - tried magnetic wraps/boots and made little difference to the filling - no different to standard wraps
 
Thankyou for your replies :)
I have bandaged his back legs this evening, with gamgee and fleece bandages, so will see in the morning if it helps him at all.
 
Hi
Research into using stable bandages has been done in Germany, and has shown that these block the flow of lymph in horses' lower legs. With legs that fill up, they give the illusion that this no longer happens, but it also means that the metabolic wastes etc that the lymphatic system removes from the tissues are left there until it is able to function again. Over time this causes damage and is thought to be one of the causes of filled legs in vulnerable horses. Simply, horses have not evolved to be kept motionless in stables, this is something done usually for human convenience. Their lymphatic systems are very dependent on movement, and horses whose systems are not perfect cope well until this is prevented, and as a result, their legs fill up. This is often described as harmless, but it isn't, it's the first or latent stage of a condition called lymphangitis, and research also suggests that these horses become more vulnerable to conditions such as lymphangitis.
Your horse may show some stiffness because he's been restricted in a box, and if he fills up this oedema will also encourage stiffness. So if you want to keep his legs warm, please find a non restrictive means of doing so, or let him be mobile which will warm the legs by encouraging circulation. Hope this helps.
 
I use equilibrium stable wraps on my 21 year old. They are fabulous - no swelling and no stiffness - you don't need to put them on tight - just fasten them.....he now bounces out of his box in a morning to get to the field instead of dragging his back legs behind him.
 
hpowell said:
Hi
Research into using stable bandages has been done in Germany, and has shown that these block the flow of lymph in horses' lower legs. With legs that fill up, they give the illusion that this no longer happens, but it also means that the metabolic wastes etc that the lymphatic system removes from the tissues are left there until it is able to function again. Over time this causes damage and is thought to be one of the causes of filled legs in vulnerable horses. Simply, horses have not evolved to be kept motionless in stables, this is something done usually for human convenience. Their lymphatic systems are very dependent on movement, and horses whose systems are not perfect cope well until this is prevented, and as a result, their legs fill up. This is often described as harmless, but it isn't, it's the first or latent stage of a condition called lymphangitis, and research also suggests that these horses become more vulnerable to conditions such as lymphangitis.
Your horse may show some stiffness because he's been restricted in a box, and if he fills up this oedema will also encourage stiffness. So if you want to keep his legs warm, please find a non restrictive means of doing so, or let him be mobile which will warm the legs by encouraging circulation. Hope this helps.
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That's extremely interesting, can you provide your source?
 
Hi, equine lymphology is a 'young' subject but is being developed in Germany, and there are a number of research articles available on the internet, you could also look up equine manual lymph drainage (emld).
 
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