What do you use on legs after running xc?

[Mickeymoo]

After running at Eland in May, Micks legs were puffy for a few days after. I'm not running him now until Stafford, but already I'm worrying about what to use after running xc.

I have been looking at Aerborn Cool boots, which you only get 2, so do you buy 2 sets, and how do you use them effectively?

I have also read alot about clay, but that seems to be hard to remove and we haven't got facilities to hose at the yard.

Any ideas would be helpful, I do quite a bit of roadwork for fitness, and he is quite a tough cookie, but I just want to make sure I'm doing my best for him as he always gives me his all.

 

[BeckyX]

i just walk her off for a longgg time. and hose down then turn out for an hour to chill this worked well this year - she didn't go lame at all whereas last year she did :/

 

[eishi]

After wash off etc we walk until recovered then as they eat grass/haynet hose legs again.
If it's particularly hard or older horse (my 16yo JRN horse needed this doing everytime) we likeice legs brown paper and then bandage.
Hose off after 4/6 hours and see how they feel.

Otherwise they just get a hosing and walking. seems to work for all mine *touch wood*

 

[NR99]

Have Aerborn Coolsport boots and love them, yes you would need two packs (can often buy cheaper on Ebay). Think they are great, seem to be effective and are easy to use. We soak them in a bucket of water with picnic ice packs in 40 mins before we run XC. Don't leave them on too long or as they get warm themselves the effect is reversed!

There is an article on Eventing Worldwide which seems to conclude that clay is not all that effective, it is really messy and you can brush off but hosing off is easier.

 

[only_me]

I have both the cool boots and clay.

What I would normally do, would be to put the cool boots on after walking him off after xc, and then before I go home put the clay on - not wrapped.
I find it easy to hose off in the morning

the walking off after xc is THE most important part- helps disperse the lacic acid build up

 

[kerilli]

a cheap and easy way if you have a good coolbox is tubigrips on the legs (esp front) and put crushed ice or ice cubes in the tubigrip. or rub with ice cubes, holding a few in each hand and gently rubbing up and down the tendons. it'll melt, replace it. remove boots immediately after xc (before taking tack off!) slosh water on, then use ice.
some of the cooling gels are v good, as long as you are sure the skin is not broken.

 

[Mickeymoo]

I have been washing him down with cold water with a tee tree cooling gel in the water, then walking him off and then putting neat cooling gel onto the back of his tendons.

I am planning on running a few BE's this year on a ticket, then if all goes well ie.. I can get over the jumps, lol, I am going to take the plunge and join, so I really want to look after him. He is 13 and I have owned him for 6 years and his legs have never puffed up before, so you can imagine my panic.

thanks for all your replies. x

Kerilli, it was his back legs that were puffy, around his fetlocks.

 

[yeeharider]

We always use Ice Tight/Ice Blue gel, (providing no broken skin) boots off. wash legs off ,apply gel. walk horse off and wash off next day. Never had any problems-rushes off to find some wood to touch

 

[alwaysbroke]

Can provide a pair of cool boots for Stafford

Premier Equine have leg wraps, £25 per pair, but need to put bandages over them.

Another option if you have a cool bag is the orthopedic cooling gel pads, put a wet cloth on legs before applying the pads and bandage over.

Have also used the ice packs that you break a metal tab inside to activate, again apply over a wet cloth and bandage.

 

[Mickeymoo]

Brilliant!

I can't believe I've worried about this for 3 weeks, when I should have just 'asked the experts'.

thanks Alwaysbroke, I will take you up on that offer. You will have to come with me to make sure I am applying them correctly. (Top horsey mate as ever)

RE, premier equine, I have been looking at them but wasn't sure what I was buying - I was looking at the blue wrap thingys but wasn't sure as they are held on with a boot? So, is it the blue wraps for £25?

Excuse my ignorance, this is new territory as you can probably tell. x

 

[eventergirl87]

Aloe vera gel and bandage...... doesn't matter if skin broken as good for cuts too.... as long as legs checked and cuts are nice and clean.

Walk that evening ....... in the morning Zamar legs, turnout, work as routine as per next day Zamar in the evening and aloe vera up again if prone to swelling.

 

[alwaysbroke]

Brilliant!



thanks Alwaysbroke, I will take you up on that offer. You will have to come with me to make sure I am applying them correctly. (Top horsey mate as ever)

RE, premier equine, I have been looking at them but wasn't sure what I was buying - I was looking at the blue wrap thingys but wasn't sure as they are held on with a boot? So, is it the blue wraps for £25?

Date is in my diary!

Yes the blue ones, can use the boots but I feel a bandage would work just as well, just take a few seconds longer to put on!

 

[FigJam]

I have been a bit "Blue Peter" with my leg cooling technique, thanks to a clever idea by _April_!

I use the Premier Equine stable wrap boots for travelling, which have liners that velcro in. I swap out my travel liners (plain, padded cotton) for my "cool liners" which are the cotton padded liners with a quarter tea-towel stitched on to the inside- just the right size to slot one of those ice bags in that you fill up and freeze yourself.

Keep the (pre made!) ice bags in a cool box and then just slot them into the pockets and wrap on after XC. The ice bags are little squares, so bend pretty well and last for ages. I leave them on 20-30mins, then a break then maybe back on again.

If I've forgotten to make up the ice bags, then some ice cubes put into the pockets has done the job, just slightly more of a faff than the nicely bagged ones!

That probably makes no sense... I should really take some piccies to explain sometime...!

 

[BroadfordQueen]

Urm, walk them down, wash them off, take them home and turn them out in the field for 24hrs.
I never use anything on their legs- what if one day you forget the ice/wraps/clay? If they are used to having this treatment after xc every time, then the day you forget it is the day their legs heat up/swell etc.
I have never ever had a lame horse/a horse with warm legs after xc. I think turning them out when they get home is vital, so they can keep on stretching and don't seize up.

 

[posie_honey]

i have the aerborn cool boots - yup you need two packs - but i got mine cheap from ebay fab things i put them to soack before i get on - ie leave them in the water buckt at the trailer - then i put them on her as soon as she's back at the trailer and leave them on for about 20mins and i sponge her off etc

ETA _ ditto person abover re; tunring out - my mare lives out 24/7 and i'v had no leg problems (touching lots of wood!) with her - def thinking movment is the best thing - she even lives out over winter and her legs etc are far better the next day after hunting than any stable kept hunter i've had

 

[Optimist]

I have been a bit "Blue Peter" with my leg cooling technique, thanks to a clever idea by _April_!

I use the Premier Equine stable wrap boots for travelling, which have liners that velcro in. I swap out my travel liners (plain, padded cotton) for my "cool liners" which are the cotton padded liners with a quarter tea-towel stitched on to the inside- just the right size to slot one of those ice bags in that you fill up and freeze yourself.

Keep the (pre made!) ice bags in a cool box and then just slot them into the pockets and wrap on after XC. The ice bags are little squares, so bend pretty well and last for ages. I leave them on 20-30mins, then a break then maybe back on again.

If I've forgotten to make up the ice bags, then some ice cubes put into the pockets has done the job, just slightly more of a faff than the nicely bagged ones!

That probably makes no sense... I should really take some piccies to explain sometime...!

OMG - You are a genius! Ice bags - absolutely brilliant.

Toddles off to supermarket

 

[MysteryGirl]

Do you bandage overnight after XC? That'll prob have more effect on puffy fetlocks than the actual cooling straight after the run, that's not to say that it's not important though.

 

[TheMule]

I'm currently conducting experiments on post-mortem horse legs to determine the best methods- it's very hard to replicate a real life scenario but I'm investigating cooling effect below the skin.
So far I've shown that:

-Ice is very effective at reducing inner skin temperature but it's likely the effects are so great it's preferable to apply ice for only very short periods of time- eg 2 minutes on, 1 minute off and repeat a number of times. Inner temp reduces very rapidly.

-Running water cools less effectively but is still efficient at reducing temp by perhaps a couple of degrees whilst it's applied

- 3 different brands of cooling gel do absolutely nothing, the inner temp doesnt change and, interestingly, neither does the skin surface temp.

-Ice tight does nothing, it actually has slight insulating properties but this isnt a significent difference from what I've seen so far.

Post competition practices should be to reduce tendon temp asap, treat any skin injuries and then possibly to support the limb- it is important to remember though that equine lower limbs don't get fatigued like ours do as there is no muscle there.

 

[wench]

what I will say for cooling gel.... my sister went out running and when she came back after about five mins she had a swollen knee. She put cooling gel on it much later in the evening, and hey presto in a short time the swelling went down and she was much comfier on it.

 

[TheMule]

what I will say for cooling gel.... my sister went out running and when she came back after about five mins she had a swollen knee. She put cooling gel on it much later in the evening, and hey presto in a short time the swelling went down and she was much comfier on it.

Ah but what you have to remember is that horse's skin is much, much thicker than human skin- plus they have plenty of hair there insulating it. (I did do the same test on hairless skin and result was the same)

 

[KatB]

Interesting TheMule. So actually icing is the best thing to do. Would something like the Aerborne cool boots soaked in Iced water have a less extreme effect to using ice with tubi grip? Or do you think the results between aocking the cool boots in cold water and iced water would be indifferent?

 

[daisycrazy]

I've been impressed with Carr & Day & Martin Ice Blue. It has a withdrawal period (7 days I think) before you next compete, so obviously can't use it if you're competing again within that timeframe, but I've been pleased with the results. I also like their blue Eventing Grease, which has arnica and witchhazel in, plus antibacterial stuff for cuts and grazes.

Ditto re turning out - I always turn mine out for at least an hour after they get home from a competition, or until they want to come in.

 

[TheMule]

Interesting TheMule. So actually icing is the best thing to do. Would something like the Aerborne cool boots soaked in Iced water have a less extreme effect to using ice with tubi grip? Or do you think the results between aocking the cool boots in cold water and iced water would be indifferent?

I havent tried cool boots yet, theyre next on my list when I get a fresh batch of legs and then I shall compare iced to atmospheric temp. I strongly suspect iced will give a good effect whilst the temp remains down. I want to find out how long theyre effective for.

 

[eventergirl87]

TheMule.... that's some interesting stuff...... are you looking at looking into Zamar machines too?? ..... would be really interested in any of those results.... well for anything really (studing human and equine sports science atm )