to wrap or not to wrap

[wehrlegirl]

Id love opinions on this one... we have always wrapped our horses legs before riding..have heard many a trainer say the same "I always wrap" etc.. recently we moved our gelding to a trainers barn (he is from germany) for some work and as my daughter began wrapping his legs he kind of scoffed and questioned why she was doing that.. of course, she said to keep him safe...he said wrapping was a waste of time at the lower levels and that if a horse was going to get injured being ridden for 45 mins and not doing any upper level collection then there was something wrong with it.. he said the only time he wrapped (jokingly) was when he was showing a horse to someone to make it look good... Now, I love this trainer.. really really respect him.. but I have had it pounded into my brain to always wrap a horses legs... what are the thoughts on this? To wrap or not to wrap?

[butlerfamilyzoo]

I always wrapped myself until a well known trainer said much the same to me. But also pointed out, if we constantly wrap and support those tendons/ligaments, how do we expect them to get strong and perform without wrapping? We cant show with wraps... They too only wrapped to present a horse to clients because it "looked good."

[stryder]

I would wrap if the horse has problems with interference. But otherwise, no.

I'd rather use the time spent wrapping and unwrapping to properly warm up the horse.

[TMPF]

We all have a lot of time and money wrapped up in our horses so I feel that I am minimizing some the risk that he could take a bad step and lay him self up for months. Better safe(er)than sorry.

JMHO

[mp]

Not.

And wraps really don't support the tendons/ligaments (except maybe for very young horses - i.e., <2.) The only protection they afford a mature horse's legs is from dings when interfering, etc.

[STF]

I wrap.
In my system here - when done correctly it does support tendons (I was taught by a race horse trainer a long time ago and there is an art to it). Most wraps I see are not done correctly.
When you spend a lot of money on a horse, you want to take every precaution to ensure the long soundness of a horse. It take years to get a horse into the levels we want to ride, right? Why risk that to a silly movement or spook that takes off the back of a heal because he nicked it with his shoe to the bone, or hit his ankle so hard he fractures it?
Its hard enough to keep them sound for the long term, so you bet your butt, I take every precaction. I dont have 20-100K to go throw around for another mid level, if one goes lame. Not worth it for me.

[lizathenag]

do you cover their heels when you wrap?

I put on white boots for lessons because it is part of the kit (like a clean saddle pad)

[Ambrey]

My trainer uses boots. I don't ride well enough to need boots on my big guy (at his "normal" gaits he's not even close to interference) so laze out most of the time, but for my little guy with the huge strides boots (both brushing and bell) are a must.

Also, something I heard was about the dangers of foxtails during trail riding- so if I'm going out on trails I try to remember boots.

[atr]

I use boots for ring work as a precaution against interference during lateral work. They offer no support, nor do I expect them to.

I don't use them on the trail--too much chance for sticks and seeds, etc, to work up between the boot and the leg and cause a problem--but our trails are fairly primitive.

[STF]

do you cover their heels when you wrap?

I put on white boots for lessons because it is part of the kit (like a clean saddle pad)

I use bell boots and wraps. Sometimes splint or brushing boots, just depends on the horse.

[rugbygirl]

I use bell boots for everything with my young Arabian. He catches himself badly from time to time, and is from a family of pretty slow-to-mature individuals (they still school his 5 year old sire in boots). I also usually put polos on him to prevent nicks or bruises from his occasional "airs above the ground" and other silliness.

My other two horses don't need wraps at all. Mature horses with no leg problems, and no upper level collection work. Sometimes for decoration, but that's all. I think white wraps look really nice on the all-bay TB!

Many lesson horses that I have ridden had notes that they needed specific types of boots, most commonly splint boots, but that was all for Jumping.

Everyone at my barn seems to use wraps though.

[Bogey2]

I don't wrap my 3 year-old or my older PSG schoolmaster except when I travel to a lesson. I think good footing and proper riding (not over doing it with the old guy) go a lot further than daily wrapping.

[Coppers mom]

I agree with Bogey. No amount of wrapping and hoping and praying are going to prevent an injury if the horse isn't properly conditioned. Tendons, ligaments, and especially bone need a much longer time to harden than muscles do. While a horse may be muscular, the tendons may not be up to the same fitness level. Proper warm-up and conditioning are the only ways to prevent injury. The horse needs lots of long, slow miles to strengthen all the supporting tissues so that the horse can be healthy and active for a long time.

I personally use boots unless in a lesson. I use them all around, along with bell boots. They're just easier and I use them in case my horse has a silly moment. I'll wrap at clinics, lessons, or schooling shows, where turn out is more important.

[wehrlegirl]

Interesting... we had used boots w/ heel guard for years on another horse but were told that continued use would interfere with the strengthening of the tendons..so we began using the polo wraps...again, as a support to prevent injury. But this trainer also joked that 'how was some cotton bandages going to help with supporting a 1200 lbs animal'... so is the correct idea that as a young horse begins training to not use any wraps to allow natural strengthening of the tendons and then as they enter mid-level work to start using wraps as a support?

[mp]

But this trainer also joked that 'how was some cotton bandages going to help with supporting a 1200 lbs animal'...

That's pretty much the POV of the guy (former race trainer) who showed me how to wrap.

so is the correct idea that as a young horse begins training to not use any wraps to allow natural strengthening of the tendons and then as they enter mid-level work to start using wraps as a support?

Mmmm ... not for me. Just do work that is appropriate for the condition, age and conformation of the horse. Wrap, if you want, for protection against interfering, etc., esp. at higher levels. But if you don't rush a young horse or push an older one, tendons should be fine.

I don't wrap because I'm only doing lower level stuff and I think it's a waste of time. But you can see there are a lot of varying opinions, so just do what you feel is best.

[quietann]

I see wraps/boots/etc. being used at my barn for horses with known issues and/or performing upper level work -- but for at least a few, it seems to be more a fashion thing. Most of the "smurf horses" (like mine) don't wear anything, though I do have my mare in front boots now, because she whacked the old splint on her right front leg really hard while playing in her paddock, and it swelled up to an unsightly level and she was a little ouchy on that leg for a day or two. She has been sound ever since and the lump has receded quite a bit since she's been in boots. She has them on except when she's in her stall. She does toe in a bit, so it's probably for the best that she wear her boots. Before this incident, she only wore them when jumping.

(And she looks darn cute in them too... http://annsrats.com/horses/feronia/terry_mcclare/paddock1.jpg

[Moogles]

I use polo wraps to help with any brushing that can occur when doing lateral work etc. If I'm just doing a shorter, light ride working on stretching or hacking I don't use wraps because the risk of brushing is lower (although it can still happen). Polo wraps cannot offer tendon support needed for such a heavy animal but do offer some protection from rubs. My instructor uses boot, and you should see the amount of scuff marks on those! So I do believe that there is some merit for protecting your horse's legs, esp if you do lots of lateral work.

[Twentymetercircle]

Does anyone here have a good picture of what wraps are supposed to look like when put on properly?

Thank you!

[sm]

white boots.

I used to use polo wraps but it doesn't sufficiently protect when a horse oversteps the hind and a shoe hits the front hoof area. I think when we started doing lateral work, and generally asking more out of his strides, is about when I went to boots and didn't look back.

I always use boots now even when lightly hacking. Just a little safety if something unexpected happens. Better presentation too in my opinion.

COTH did a great article on wrapping correctly with plenty of photos, it's somewhere in the archives.

[Kementari]

I wrap or boot (depending on my mood, what's clean, and the horse ;)), including bell boots (except Tari doesn't get bell boots because every variety known to humankind rubs her...) every ride, except shows, of course.

It's cheap insurance against knocks and dings, and I seriously doubt the 2 minutes it takes me would help much in my warmup. :lol: (Especially given that I am quite insistent on a long, slow warmup anyway. ;))

Since boots/wraps DON'T provide support, it would be pretty darn hard for a horse to become dependent on the support. ;) (Not to mention that even if they DID provide support, an hour of support a day out of 24 is hardly going to make a difference.)

[InsideLeg2OutsideRein]

Mine interferes behind, so it's wise to protect him, although I don't always wrap. I've noticed that in this cold winter weather, his arthritic fetlocks do better when wrapped, so I wrap all around right now, but certainly not always.

[JRG]

The only time I wrap is usually when starting a youngster, or a really green horse. Other then that I don't wrap. The my older guy, by now should know where is feet are. LOL

[Icecapade]

we have a horse that constantly was brushing his hinds and half on his fores... he was always in brush boots. but 100's of miles its safer and we have work them out... multiple times.

I personally don't wrap although I can if I need too... I don't work that hard really. And generally 'whats the point' is kind of my theory.

But... on that note... I remember having the beginnings of shin splints or some variation at the end of my HS varsity X country career and into my college soccer career, and suprise suprise some pre-wrap and about 5 ft of tape does wonders for a 160 lb girl. So I can't write it off entirely! But I think... protection should match intensity. hard intense work would warrent more protection than just basics or lower level I would imagine. =) My horse is fortunately ridiculously wide in the rear so he is more likely to clip his heels then interfer laterally, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it about 3 or 5 years down the road. We is a long way from serious intense extensions under saddle.

[TBDQ0328]

I wrap or put boots on everytime....for every horse. My horse interferes pretty heavily behind so he never goes anywhere without something on his legs. He can also get pretty confused about exactly which direction his legs should go when learning new lateral movements and especially when we work on his changes (just started). I prefer to always use them just in case they stumble and hit themselves or spook at something. I just would rather that there be something there.

[Touchstone Farm]

Wraps and boots do not provide support to an extent that it would prevent an injury to tendons or ligaments. They will provide protection from another hoof, but support? Nope. There was a study (why oh why I didn't keep it) that tested everything from wraps to the special boots that tout their support and none of them supported anything. Besides, if they really did support the ligaments and tendons, why would a rider dare to take them off for a show?! One step and the tendon or ligament would be pulverized! :-)

Polo wraps look pretty and a lot of trainers/riders like them for fashion reasons. For me, I just use boots because they are quicker and easier and I think provide more protection from interference. But I don't expect them to provide support on my 3-year-olds or my older horses. Just protection from dings!

[Tascoe]

I have trained with several olympic level trainers and have been taught by all the importance of wrapping a horses legs for work with polo wraps, polo wraps and Eskadron pads underneath or boots. This is for protection, especially during lateral work but in case of anything that could happen during work (spook etc.) Depending on the horse I also recommend using bell boots where necessary. Regardless of whether I have spent 4k or 75k on a horse I still take every precaution to protect them. It can't hurt (unless done incorrectly and in that case use boots) so why the strong feelings against?

[Gayla]

Doesn't really matter if they do any good. They look good. :cool:

[Bogie]

I remember seeing the same study.

The bottom line is that boots/polos can protect your horse from dings but the do not offer support. Personally, I think polos are a real problem because if they are not done up properly, they can slip or get caught.

My dressage trainer asked that we use them in clinics since white polos look nice but suggested we use boots for protection.

And yes, there is some research that indicates that boots and polos may cause heat build up that can cause tendon injury. In some cases vets recommend that you cold hose a horse's legs after working them in boots, especially sports medicine style boots.

I bought a pair of the SM boots for my OTTB because he had come off the track with a slight suspensory. I stopped using them because his legs were so hot and sweaty after using them that it concerned me.

Now I use a fleece lined boot that offers tendon protection and have stopped worrying about support.

Edited to add:

Here's a link to the study that I remember: http://www.asbweb.org/conferences/1990s/1998/59/index.html

There's also an article in www.thehorse.com (http://www.thehorse.com) that discusses this: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11087

Wraps and boots do not provide support to an extent that it would prevent an injury to tendons or ligaments. They will provide protection from another hoof, but support? Nope. There was a study (why oh why I didn't keep it) that tested everything from wraps to the special boots that tout their support and none of them supported anything. Besides, if they really did support the ligaments and tendons, why would a rider dare to take them off for a show?! One step and the tendon or ligament would be pulverized! :-)

Polo wraps look pretty and a lot of trainers/riders like them for fashion reasons. For me, I just use boots because they are quicker and easier and I think provide more protection from interference. But I don't expect them to provide support on my 3-year-olds or my older horses. Just protection from dings!

[slc2]

If you are concerned about heat on the tendon you might use a fleece lined boot. I have used the Askan style boot for a very long time and there is a difference in how warm the leg gets. If my horse interfered I would work with the trainer and farrier to resolve that.

[Gucci Cowgirl]

I use either wraps and bell boots or Dover's fleece lined dressage boots with well boots every day. I do a lot of lateral work and one of my horses is a little narrow behind and sometimes interferes.

Also when I teach them half steps at first, often they will step on themselves trying to figure out where to put their feet!

Obviously wraps don't support the horse, but I like to keep my horses' legs really tight and safe from interference.

[quietann]

I'd mentioned that my mare gets booted for turnout and work. But yesterday during her ride, she stopped dead a couple of times and nosed her boots really hard like she was trying to remove them. I, not too brightly, had not removed the boots and put them back on while grooming her before her ride, and there was snow packed under them, courtesy of yet another New England snowstorm, which had melted during the ride. The water under the boots was making her very uncomfortable.

We talked about it -- she does not interfere at all when worked under saddle, pretty amazing for such a pigeon-toed little creature. So she'll now get her boots only in turnout, where she's more likely to do something crazy and whack herself.

[merrygoround]

Will wrap for hacking out, as protection against branches and brush.

Polo wraps provide no support but will protect from interference, a problem I'd rather solve with my farrier.

In polo they use them for obvious reasons, they scrimmage.:)

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

Look at www.horsehero.com & see the daily schooling wraps that Laura Bechtolsheimer uses on her horses. Fybagee pads underneath on all legs all the time.

[KatherineC]

I don't wrap. My horse tends to get fungus on his lower legs. He sweats under the boots so it creates a nice warm, wet place for things to grow. He doesn't interfere so I don't see the benefits of the boots.

I do think it is nice to wrap if 4 white polos if you are doing a tape for a sales horse because it is easier to see the horse's movement. Especially if the lighting is bad or there is sun glare.

[technopony]

I use boots for a green horse when we will be working on lateral work and for any horse that interferes. My old PSG horse knows his stuff, but interferes. I always use boots on him - his old legs are priceless IMO :) I wrap only for looks, or at the beginning when bringing a horse back from a tendon/ligament injury.

[Raquel]

I use boots on my horse 99% of the time. The one time I didn't, he spooked by the mounting block and cut his leg!:cool:

[mypaintwattie]

I typically always wrap or put boots on my horse before riding or turnout, just in case she whacks herself. Plus, I can color-coordinate the polos to match my saddle pad!

[Donella]

I dunno, I wrap most of my horses, more because of habit. I do believe strongly in bell boots for horses that overreach. Research has proven wraps are pretty much useless:


Here's a portion of an article from thehorse.com (http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx... ) that discusses the research...

--

"Support" Boots

Another form of limb protection that has been addressed by research and applied technology is that of attenuating impact shock to the joints and bones. When a hoof strikes the ground, the impact sets off a series of high-frequency vibrations and shock waves through the limb, potentially leading to the development of degenerative joint disease or long bone fractures. Athletic support boots have been produced in an effort to minimize the damaging effects to musculoskeletal structures.

The soft tissue structures and blood circulation of the hooves themselves do a good deal to absorb concussion to the limb. Technology has produced horseshoe polymers that further add to impact absorption. The lower limb joints also contribute to concussion damping, but at a cost. One area of concern is that of hyperextension of the fetlock joints as the horse loads the limb. "Support" boots allegedly provide stiffness to the lower leg to reduce hyperextension on the fetlock joints. The degree to which this can help is dependent upon the materials used in construction of the boot: the thicker the material and the more elastic it is, the greater the restriction on hyperextension.

Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University comments, "The amount of fetlock extension determines the amount of strain on the superficial digital flexor tendon and suspensory ligament. Injuries to these structures most often occur as repetitive strain injuries due to loading of the limb during locomotion. By reducing fetlock extension, there is less likelihood of repetitive strain injury. During rehabilitation, it's particularly useful to control fetlock extension to prevent re-injury."

Clayton explains one of the pitfalls in relying too much on leg boots to "support" musculoskeletal structures: "It is much easier to limit fetlock flexion in the swing phase than to limit fetlock extension in the stance phase. This is because the ground reaction force is so large that the wraps or boots would have to be very tight--so tight you risk a bandage bow (bowed tendon)--as not to loosen during work."

Clayton comments, "Most of the studies have not shown an effect in preventing fetlock extension, and, in addition, any protection effect disappears after a small amount of work."

Dane Frazier, DVM urges, "I think other methods, such as conditioning, training, pacing, trimming, and shoeing, hold greater promise to avoid hyperextension injuries than do artificial devices. The single greatest protection against fetlock hyperextension is the minimization of fatigue through conditioning."

Clayton has pioneered research on locomotion and sports medicine, and she is especially devoted to the discipline of dressage. She notes, "Polo wraps do not support the leg. They give some protection against trauma, but less than some of the boots."

And:


A common procedure for many equestrian disciplines is the use of polo bandages or wraps placed on all four limbs during exercise. Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University, has pioneered research on locomotion and sports medicine, and she is especially devoted to the discipline of dressage. She notes, "Polo wraps do not support the leg. They give some protection against trauma, but less than some of the boots."

Frazier says polo wraps provide external padding that appears to "support" internal tissues. Bandages of various kinds have been used for a long time in veterinary medicine to "support" (reduce edema, or fluid swelling in) the tissues of the limb following soft tissue or orthopedic injury.

Frazier states, "The degree to which this makes a difference for normal horses doing submaximal work has not achieved a consensus of opinion. Bandages placed too loosely are ineffective, and those that are placed too tightly are a disaster.

"One thing that is not in dispute is that bandages look good on the horse; perhaps this is also a motivating force in their use," notes Frazier.

Clayton concurs, "They look nice and make the legs more visible when horses move in a poorly lit indoor."

The direction in which to wrap the bandage has taken on an unusual degree of significance to horse owners over the years, but does it really matter?

Frazier says, "Performance horses are commonly bandaged so that the flexors (the tendons on the back of the forelimb) are pulled toward the inside. This may help keep the leg from being wrapped too tightly as the bandage is 'pulled' around the front of the canon bone and 'laid' over the flexor tendons. The major blood vessels to the distal limb are on the flexor surface of the leg. A bandage applied too tightly can result in limb edema, pressure points, or even circulatory disturbance with limb- and life-threatening avascular necrosis (a disease resulting from the temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone). However, I have seen horse's legs wrapped in both directions correctly and without negative consequence."

Clayton states, "The tendons slide around under the skin, so it doesn't seem likely that the direction of wrapping affects the end result."

But, Clayton brings up another important finding: "There's the concern about overheating of bandaged tendons. Temperatures around 45°C (a few degrees higher than normal tendon temperature) have been recorded in the core of the superficial digital flexor tendon, even after strenuous exercise of short duration (Goodship, et al., 1993). Heat is generated by the stretch-recoil cycle in the tendons, yet bandage wraps reduce normal cooling of the legs by convection." Heat that develops in the central core of a tendon should be allowed to dissipate as quickly as possible following work to avoid tendon degeneration.

Clayton says, "I recommend cold hosing the legs after removing wraps if the horse has worked hard, especially when using sports medicine boots."

[indyblue]

I dont.Three reasons I use correct or not.

1. Overheating of tendons and ligaments
2. Not strengthening tendons and ligaments
3. If a horse knocks himself (brushes etc...) how will he learn not to if he cant feel it.

[Happy Feet]

I usually use boots DSB to be exact, unless I am showing horse to clients, taking a lesson or schooling at a show, then I wrap. If you are not very good at wrapping (it does take practice and there definately is a RIGHT and WRONG way to do it.) I have ridden for trainers who wrap, then put DBS boots on top. I think it's a bit overkill but.....

[bort84]

Yeah, I pretty much never wrap except for "pretty-ing up" at a show or clinic (then polos do look ever so sharp). I really don't think a polo wrap offers much support, and from my saddleseat days have decided it might actually be a bit of a hinderance in a horse that moves like that. (I think a previous post mentioned research showing that type of restriction of movement.)

Anyway, I almost always use splint boots. It might just be another habit leftover from riding saddleseat where the horses often have a bit more shoeing (mine were always quite reasonable comparatively, but saddlebreds are definitely shod a bit differently), so a little more protection is necessary from a random spook.

I use splint boots and bell boots on my horse now because he's little and has a big stride. Plus he's really just learning how to use himself. The splint boots are probably not really necessary though. I just like to have them on in case. You never know when a random spook might cause a nick and a splint. I've seen crazy things happen way too often.

And as for not wearing boots to let the horse know when he's hit himself or because you can't show in them, that's never made all that much sense to me. I can understand it in some cases I suppose, but otherwise, I just like to use them as a precaution. Too many what-if's in the horse world. And, in my experience, a horse that interferes is likely to keep interfering unless there's some correction in his shoeing or in his training. And some of them are just built poorly and can't really help it much. That's where a crafty farrier really comes in handy.

[Sandy M]

First of all, you can't (or shouldn't!!) put polos on tight enough to truly support, so I don't buy that argument that you're creating a weakness in the horse by wrapping. As far as I am concerned, polos are merely "brushing boots" or the equivalent. I pair of non-suspensory supporting splint boots would also do. I'm riding a gawky 4 year old. He does not interfere conformationally, but he can be occasionally klutzy. Why not put on polos "just in case?" If I can avoid a ding or scrape by putting polos on, I will, but if I don't have clean polos, etc., I'm not going to have a hissy and think I can't ride without them. ROFLOL. And they DO look nice.

[ewells]

I always use boots or polos I think of them the same they do not provide support they just prevent an injury from interfearing. I use to only do the two fron legs but was compleatly convinced it was the way to go when a small ding in the rear became infected even after being cleaned. The infection caused swelling up the whole leg at least a week off of riding and an over $300 vet bill I now make sure I have boots or polos all the way around. I also agree that some horses are just built close behind and no amount of ferrier work can stop interfearing especially when a spook happens.

[Sabine]

always use boots- dressage boots or sometimes jumping boots..and bell boots as well- to prevent a shoe being ripped off...most injuries are minor but still annoying and can be completely avoided if booting up..just like we all wear shoes when hiking..normal stuff. no need to make a big deal about it...

[Beasmom]

Sometimes I wrap or use boots, sometimes I don't. I always wrap for clinics in new barns where the footing might be a different consistency than my horse is used to. If i plan to work on lateral stuff, for sure I wrap, ust in case of interference. I don't wrap for trail riding, as others have mentioned, stuff gets stuck in the wrap. And my trail riding is pretty sedate, anyway.

Bell boots if I'm hearing some "clicking" when he's about due for a shoeing. That's about it.

[FancyFree]

Always boots. I don't believe wraps provide any support. Also we invariably go out on trail after working, where we have to cross a stream, so wraps are out. But I would use nice new white wraps if I were going to take some pictures. But other than that, boots.

[LeopardBay]

My physio said that I should not always bandage and boot my horses, or else the legs would not be able to support themselves.
We are currently working without an arena, working on the normal ground and I am not booting my horses and they are just fine.
I would put boots on to jump though, just as a precaution. But then again, if I just pop over a jump or two I dont worry too much.... but would put on protection for intense jump sessions.

I also doubt the degree of support that boots and bandages actually give. And generally my horses dont knock themselves so we are find on that count... they tend to do more harm wandering around their paddock than when I am riding.

My mare is not a boot fan, and will try and take them off as soon as I have put them on!

[Eventer13]

Not.

And wraps really don't support the tendons/ligaments (except maybe for very young horses - i.e., <2.) The only protection they afford a mature horse's legs is from dings when interfering, etc.

I agree. And if you want to protect the legs, put on boots. They offer much more protection from interference.