What do you do with your horses legs after competing?

stevieg

stevieg

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Would appreciate some opinions on the best way to treat a horses legs following cross country, particularly given the current state of the ground.
In the past we have always used Ice Tight & then bandaged for support but I seem to remember reading somewhere that this method actually does more harm than by retaining heat.

Thoughts anyone?
 
I don't jump current horse but I have cryochaps for after work, if you put them straight into a small cool bag from the freezer with some freezer blocks they stay frozen for hours. Pop them on for 15-20 mins then remove. they do seem very effective at cooling the legs.
 
Ice Tight was all the rage in the 80s and god I used tons of the stuff. However, thinking and times move on and now it is ice and/or hosing depending on what facilities you have available to you.
 
Ice boots - have Horze ones and Ice Vibes. Then a tub of magic cushion if needed for feet.
 
Ice packs on all round as soon as we get back to the lorry. Take them off as soon as they get too warm to function. Depending on how warm it is they might get a second set of ice packs on.

Mine all get turned out over night when they get hone so that tends to take out any filling. If I had concerns I’d probably cold hose or ice again once we got home.
 
After XC, Ice Vibes on all four legs for 15-20 minutes then smother in NAF Ice Cool Gel. I never use travel boots, just over reach. Get home and hose legs for a few minutes and always turn out. If it's late, I'll turn out in school for 20 minutes.
 
I do currently use cooling clay, but more for the arnica in it than anything else. I’m desperate to get my hands on some ice boots, if I had them I’d prefer to do that instead.
 
racebuddy said:
What is magic cushion?
Click to expand...

Special sticky stuff which goes in their feet to draw out bruising and great if they ran on hard ground.

Clay does nothing to cool the tendons and it’s this that you need to do. You need to get deeper than skin to actually cool the tendons which get the damage.

I have to admit I no longer ride in protective boots on horses to give their tendons the best chance. I do put boots on for xc, fast work and jumping away from home. I ice after fast work and I should after jumping but don’t until jumping decent tracks. I spoke to a vet at great length on this which then altered my views and changed the way I did things, backed up by the research.
 
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Ice boots. Or cheap option, use the ice cube bags you get in a roll from supermarkets. Wet j-cloth on the leg, ice cube bag then xc boots back on top.
Leave on for 30 mins, wash and travel home bare legs.

Magic cushion sounds good, will have a look at that...
 
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