ROUTINE POST EVENT

[racebuddy]

JUST CURIOUS ON EVERYONES EVEN ROUTINE , ETHIER ONE DAY OR THREE DAY , I ALWAYS CLAY LEGS POST CROSS COUNTRY AND HACK THE DAY OFF AND MASSAGER , THEN DAY OFF IN THE FIELD WITH LEGS RECLAYED .

I HEARD YOU SHOULD ICE LEGS IMIEDELTY AFTER CROSS COUNTRY BEFORE CLAY ECT , WHAT DOES EVERYONE ELSE DO ?

HE ALSO HAS HIGH FIBRE MASH TO KEEP HIM HYDRATED as doesnt always drink enough

thanks

 

[Auslander]

Clay has rather gone out of favour these days, as it keeps heat in the legs, rather than sucking it out, which is how people used to think ti worked. You're better off icing the legs repeatedly, taking each ice pack off as it melts, and putting a fresh one on. Once you're home, cold hosing for min 10 mins would be a more effective way to cool legs if needed. MOst of the potions you can buy just have a mild cooling effect on the skin, so the legs feel cold after application. They don't do anything to cool the internal structures

 

[milliepops]

best use for clay I had was getting white legs white
was white clay, obviously! very similar to chalk paste

 

[Branna]

I use ice packs (just the supermarket plastic fillable sheets, j-cloth & XC boots to hold them on) on for 10-20 mins post XC. Then wash legs with leg ice. Sometimes leave leg ice on, travel home just in overreach boots and hose again for 10 mins plus at home, then out in the field with nothing.

We haven't used clay since the 90s!

 

[EventingMum]

When competing we used to ice legs after xc, repeating if we felt the need. we also had an FMBS rug (pulsed magnetic therapy and massage) that had boots as well so used that too. At 3-day events later on after xc horses were gently hand walked and grazed. We gave electrolytes throughout the competition season. The day after an event, horses were trotted up and checked for heat, swellings, etc and if all ok turned out.

 

[racebuddy]

i use the stay sound clay and really see a difference plus he can have reactions to anything else we put onhis legs ie leg ice ect , can you apply the ice packs onto the legs then bandage for 20.30 min ? andremove ice pack then , thanks

 

[Auslander]

i use the stay sound clay and really see a difference plus he can have reactions to anything else we put onhis legs ie leg ice ect , can you apply the ice packs onto the legs then bandage for 20.30 min ? andremove ice pack then , thanks

What difference do you see?
As I said, most of the stuff you can buy to put on legs is pointless. Ice and cold water are all you need, and the only things that are proven to be effective. You don't need to put anything else on his legs, so no need to worry about reactions.
That's a bit too long to bandage ice on. You need to take the icepacks off as soon as they melt, so that the horses legs aren't wrapped in warm water!

 

[TPO]

Also don't apply ice directly to the legs.

Someone up thread mentioned j cloths. Have some sort of barrier between ice and skin before bandaging/fixing onto the leg

20mins max for ice iirc but as @Auslander has said ice will melt long before then on legs.

I'm not a fan but I'm.pretty sure David Marlin handwritten extensively about cooling legs/icing/hosing/why clay belongs in the bin. It might be worthwhile having a look on his site/fb page/blogs

 

[Red-1]

I would pull the boots as son as we finished, even before getting back to the box. For a 3 day, there would always be water right at the finish too for sloshing all over. I would slosh, slosh, slosh! Walk round then slosh some more.

For a one day, once back at the box, I would slosh with my own water and walk round (usually grazing and removing plaits).

Once the main heat has gone from the horse, I would use the wet boots. You soak them before you run, then put them on and as they dry they have a cooling effect.

If the journey home was short, I would keep the wet boots on for the journey.

Back home, I would check legs again and wash down again if they were at all warm or dirty, checking for thorns. I would use the ice cube type cold packs under/over a tubugrip whilst they had a rest. The tubigrip was long enough to make a pocket with.

I didn't use applications or bandages overnight.

I once tried clay overnight, way back in about 1998. The horse was scared of it the next morning . Danced around the yard snorting . I didn't like it TBH. I think a good cold hose is best, or sloshing with water, and back home the foil ice cube type cold packs under a bandage, but removed as soon as they warm up.

 

[teapot]

Ice packs, jay cloths, and tubigrip - if it's good enough for Team GB...

Also have a habit of trotting something up the moment it's home, and then again 24hrs/48hrs later.

 

[palo1]

Do folks use an electric ice box or something to keep ice icy when they are off eventing these days? It is something I have struggled with on long winter days out: keeping a thermos of hot water to add to a drink is one thing but finding a way to ice the legs after being away from the box for hours seems impossible. How do folks with just a trailer do the icing routine I wonder?

 

[LEC]

Do folks use an electric ice box or something to keep ice icy when they are off eventing these days? It is something I have struggled with on long winter days out: keeping a thermos of hot water to add to a drink is one thing but finding a way to ice the legs after being away from the box for hours seems impossible. How do folks with just a trailer do the icing routine I wonder?

I researched and researched and bought myself a Colman. It’s absolutely fantastic. If you don’t open it then it will last 24 hours. So I essentially layer it so drinks on top for very quick access and ice boots at the bottom with a layer of ice packs between.
The electric ones by their nature do not get cold enough. They are more like a fridge.

 

[brighteyes]

Do folks use an electric ice box or something to keep ice icy when they are off eventing these days? It is something I have struggled with on long winter days out: keeping a thermos of hot water to add to a drink is one thing but finding a way to ice the legs after being away from the box for hours seems impossible. How do folks with just a trailer do the icing routine I wonder?

Those 12v cooler boxes work moderately well.

 

[fredflop]

I only have one set of cool boots, as too mean to buy a second pair.

horse finishes xc, back to lorry/trailer. Ideally I’d get off, but then depends on the horse. Get saddle off, then ideally boots. Wash and scrape all the sweat off. Put cool boots on the front. Depending on temperature might put rug on. Tie horse up. Remove hat and body protector. Walk horse for a bit for a stretch/cool down. Can also have a bit of grass here and there.

Ice boots off, cool gel on all legs.

 

[palo1]

I researched and researched and bought myself a Colman. It’s absolutely fantastic. If you don’t open it then it will last 24 hours. So I essentially layer it so drinks on top for very quick access and ice boots at the bottom with a layer of ice packs between.
The electric ones by their nature do not get cold enough. They are more like a fridge.

Just looked at those; they sound perfect for a day out!

 

[Branna]

Do folks use an electric ice box or something to keep ice icy when they are off eventing these days? It is something I have struggled with on long winter days out: keeping a thermos of hot water to add to a drink is one thing but finding a way to ice the legs after being away from the box for hours seems impossible. How do folks with just a trailer do the icing routine I wonder?

I have manged with a regular cheap coolbox with plenty of ice blocks for a day out competing. Normally at most the ice packs will only melt enough to nicely mould to the leg shape anyway!

 

[Cragrat]

I gave up on clay years ago - it smells nice, but doesn't really do much good.

I remove the legs boots ASAP - before anything else is done. Cold water on the legs as I'm washing the horse, then ice boots. Take them off as soon as they are not icy , replace. I always have at least 90 minutes to drive home, so I make sure the horse, including its legs, are completely cool before I boot to go home ( I bought the PE Air Tech Protech travel boots - I love the inbuilt knee protectors, but I'm a bit dissapointed with how warm they still get). Always turn out as much as possible - preferably straight in the field off the trailer, and ice again when they come in.

I pack ice boots and cool blocks into a square insulated rucksack thing from LIdl, and then into a cool box, again from LIdl, with more cool blocks. It travels in the open back of the truck, and at the event I constantly move it to keep it in the shade. Works pretty well.