what an over-tight tail bandage can do (warning, gruesome pics)

ischa

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Unfortualy I've had first hand at after care on a racehorse that had it legs bandaged to tightly, this was done by a very experienced stable girl who worked at a very well known Kent racing stables ,where we sent our racehorses to be trained .
So don't think it's just novice or uneducated horse person it happens too .
The results of banaging are devastating . And did very much indeed end the young horses racing career before it even started .
 

Natch

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Owner of a previous horse had a similar scenario. When horse was box rested and the tail needed to be kept out of the leg wound, vet gave them the option of cutting the tail hair short or bandaging it all up. A combinaton of the pressure from the bulk of tail hair (plaited them put up, similar to a polo pony) the length of time spent bandaged and the pressure of the bandage meant that the skin on the lower half of his dock went bad, half of his tail fell out, and years later the skin is still in what I would call a healing crisis (it produces too many skin cells, which die too easily, are easily crumbled off complete with whatever hair has grown) and after trying numerous potions and on vets advice that is a good as it gets for this horse - although with careful trimming/pulling he does at least look like he's got a full tail.

I think the crucial thing is the time that the bandages spend on - I now know that I used to do my tail bandages too tight, and am fairly sure a majority of bog standard horse owners do too, but since mine were rarely on for more than an hour to get to a local show, I got away with it.
 

Kokopelli

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This makes me furious! Its just pure ignorance on the owners part, what ever happened to learning about horses before you go and buy one?!?!

I know of someone who forgot to take her horses tail bandage off, turned him out and it rained! It got so tight from the rain and the next day the poor horse was in a absolute state, poor guy.
 

alsxx

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My mare has pressure sore scars on 3 of her legs from overtight bandaging with vetwrap. It was the vet that bandaged her.

Vetwrap is dangerous, by its very nature you have to pull it taught to unravel it from the roll, and I have seen many people use the leg they are bandaging as that means of pulling it taught, rather than unravelling a section of it first. Including said vet.
 

skewbald_again

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My mare has pressure sore scars on 3 of her legs from overtight bandaging with vetwrap. It was the vet that bandaged her.

Vetwrap is dangerous, by its very nature you have to pull it taught to unravel it from the roll, and I have seen many people use the leg they are bandaging as that means of pulling it taught, rather than unravelling a section of it first. Including said vet.

The moral of this story is never let a vet bandage your horse, and if s/he insists on doing so, take it off the minute they've gone and re-do it. Never known a vet who can put on a decent bandage.
 

devilinajar

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People need to understand that for this to happen the bandage does not need to be overy tight to start off with for this to happen. By applying the bandage just a smidge too tight will set the horse off rubbing his tail,which will inturn make the tail swell. This is seen in may a show horse as alot of owners will leave a tail bandage on over night so the hair is nice and flat for the show the following day, and this is when the real problem occurs as the swelling just gets worse and worse.
 

stressedmum

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20 years ago i had a little welsh section a on loan from HAPPA, she came to them with a stump for a tail after the novice family that owned her left a bandage on for days. She was a gorgeous little palomino with a gorgeous mane and little bald stump. Bless her, such a lovely looking girl x
 

Ravenwood

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Why they ever produced elasticated bandages I will never know :(

I bought one recently, just a bog standard tail bandage for a couple of quid and it is very elasticated - its no wonder some people do them up too tight :( It is so easy to do.

Having worked with polo ponies I do have a fairly good knowledge of bandaging and I can say for sure that I would never, ever use an elasticated bandage. Trouble is, its so hard to find one that isn't!

Although I think vetwrap (as mentioned above) is completely different - surely you are only using this over a poultice, gamgee etc which would, hopefully, negate over tightening and it is not nearly as ferocious as an elasticated tail bandage - poor horse :(
 

WoopsiiD

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At the show yard I was on after 2 hours with a tail bandage started to have adverse affects due to someone bandaging too tight.
Luckily we hadn't left for night-unlike bandager and removed it. After that elasticated ones were banned.
We found that a crepe bandage like the bog standard one in a 1st aid kit was probably safer. The only draw back we found was you could only use them once before chucking away...but in the long run a couple of quid each time you bandage (once in a blue moon?) was a lot better pay off than an injured horse.
 

Cazzah

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I opened this thread hoping that I wouldn't see those pictures - they are sadly all too familiar :(

I used to keep my horse on a large livery yard and there was a girl there who had two of her own horses and was looking after/sharing another. She loved grooming and regularly would bandage their tails and then turn them out until she came back a few hours later. I went down one day to find the vet treating one of the horses with what appeared to be a lower grade version of the pics featured. Vet was hypothesising about different causes including fly strike and said horse was duly put on antibiotics. It continued to deteriorate and the vet had to keep coming back and cutting out more dead skin. It was horrendous.

About two weeks later her share horse showed the same symptoms and treatment commenced on him. The treatment itself was traumatic - cutting out bits of dead skin and antib injections twice a day etc until both horses were left with stumps abot 6 inches long. :(

I always suspected it may have been the bandaging - she is the only person I've ever known to do it on such a regular basis - and these pictures seem to confirm this. I know she would be absolutely devastated to think that she caused this suffering when she thought she was 'pampering' them. It goes to prove that damage can be caused when you think you are acting with the best of intentions.

Thanks for sharing this Kerilli - lets hope it goes some way to preventing this happening to another horse.
 

Bertthefrog

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This is why boots and tailguards etc are so brilliant - not trying to be snotty (OK, then, I am) but unless you have actually learned to bandage (and I would suggest that a wee course does not equate to learning to bandage. Ideally, about six months working for a European Dressage trainer with an incandescent temper and no clue about the human rights act) then please, for the sake of the horse, use the lovely velcro alternatives now available.

Bandaging done properly is indeed very big and very clever. This, clearly, is neither.

The bandaging can be done perfectly - but if nobody takes the bandages off again then that is when the problem occurs.

I've seen several come over from Ireland, on the overnight ferry, which someone moron had seen fit to put tail bandages on some and stable bandages on one. The leg was horrendous and has been permanently damaged. Several had sores on their tails and one has subsequently lost all of it's tail hair.

Better to leave unprotected than risk that!
 

HollyWoozle

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I'm even worried about putting brushing boots on too tight! I don't bandage and don't generally use boots (but would if necessary, doing xc or whatever). I wouldn't trust myself to bandage a horse (legs or tail) correctly and I have no need to do it anyway. Putting boots on takes me quite a while as I'm thinking "are they too tight?" and then "but are they too loose and will fall off?"

Having said that, I have used vet wrap when poulticing for abscesses but am very careful not to apply it too tight, plus there are layers underneath which prevent against restricted blood flow.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I have to say I have come close to this.

I put tail bandages on for travelling etc, i was taking Kias to a friends to stay before being travelled again the next day. I had to rush home due to family problems and I forgot about the tail bandage. it wasnt until I went down the next day I relalised that I had left it on.:(

Well I am glad that a bandage over gamgee, I was lucky in that i only lost a fair bit of hair and it grew in again but pure white, but it could have ben a whole lot worse.

So I would say be vigilant it can happen to any of us for any reason but I would say to put a wrap or gamgee under the bandage just in case.

Nikki xxx
 

nona1

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Those poor horses must have been in agony.

I had a plaster cast on my arm last year and that night my arm and hand swelled up. My other half wondered where I'd got to at 4am and found me sitting on the sofa crying my eyes out, almost unable to move or speak with the pain. It felt like someone had poured petrol over my hand and set fire to it. The hospital cut the cast and the relief was instant and tremendous.
 

babymare

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whilst skewbald i respect your answer on boots and tail gusrds i prefer bandages BUT like you I had damn good training and I prefer bandages (only my personal preference) but it comes down to training and knowledge( and please im not a know it all Im always learning new things thats the great thing about horses ) and with 41 yrs experience I still stand back look and asses my bandaging and will re do if not happy. But it comes down to training - vet wraps are great if you understand how they work. But also another pont is head collars - when working for HAPPA time and time again i saw youngsters with headcollars in bedded into their noses sometimes skin grown over actual head collar - that sickened me to stomach
 

supercowpony

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!!!
I never bandage tail when wet, and do have a non elasticated bandage now.
Wouldn't trust myself to bandage a horse's legs. Would have to have someone who knows what they're doing check them for me.
I only use velcro bandages for legs.

agree on the tight headcollars! someone turned a pony out with a too tight headcollar on, and then left it on, and the next morning, the pony had really sore rubs round its nose, especially from the metal parts.
 
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