How many of you routinely ice your horses' legs?

[esdressage]

I always cold hose my horse's legs after a good workout on a warm day, usually while hosing her body off too. I do ice her after really, really tough workouts. But I don't routinely ice her.

Reading this article, Soft Tissue Inflammation is Like a Small Brush Fire (http://www.icehorse.net/second_tier/education/articles/soft_tissue.html) made me wonder, how many people use icing as part of their daily regimen? Do you think is is good prevention, or overkill?

Just curious :)

[madoy]

I do it everyday that it is warm enough, it only takes a few minutes and seems to keep his legs very tight and cool. After grooming for a few international riders, I have to say I think this is one of the most helpful things you can do if you work your horse really hard! Two thumbs up from me. :yes:

[Sparky]

We use a Game Ready machine after every jumping school, so just one or two times per week at home, and every day at a horse show. It might be overkill, but it isn't going to hurt, so why not.

[esdressage]

I think it's good prevention too. I was curious to hear other people's thoughts though. Also I'm curious, for the people who ice:

Do you think environment has any role in the matter. Certainly it does for cooling a horse off and preventing heat exhaustion, but specifically in the legs… I live in Arizona where it gets really, really hot in the summer. Do you think there's anything to think about with the heat in her legs after a workout compounding with the heat outside, or is that sort of irrelevant?

[yellowbritches]

I am all about cold therapy, though I don't use it on our lower level horses. I will use it on horses with old injuries or horses that are really jumping and galloping. But at the lower levels (training and below for most of them), they aren't jumping and galloping so big and hard that a good deal of turnout doesn't work just as well. I think that if I had a good machine, like a Game Ready or an Ice Horse, I would probably be more apt to do it more often on everyone, but since I have to actually ice with ice cubes and boots, I'm not as inclined (buying ice in bags gets expensive!).

[mvp]

My vet thinks icing and cold hosing are the best, most under-underutilized routine treatment used for maintaining performance horses. He also thinks any gainfully employed horse over 6 or 7 is a candidate. Wow. My eyes were certainly opened.

If I weren't Po Folks, I'd have a Game Ready to use on my middle-aged horse after jumping schools.

Since I am a redneck, I look for cheap, lazy ways to do cold therapy.

I used to stand him knee/hock deep in a creek by our barn for 20 minutes or so after jumping.

Now at a creekless barn, I'll use my nameless race-horse hosey piece of equipment to cold hose two legs at once while he hangs out on the washrack after work.

[esdressage]

My vet thinks icing and cold hosing are the best, most under-underutilized routine treatment used for maintaining performance horses. He also thinks any gainfully employed horse over 6 or 7 is a candidate. Wow. My eyes were certainly opened.

Wow, that's really interesting because hardly anybody ices seriously where I board! But reading that article, and with vets like yours saying that, why would you NOT want to ice regularly???

So I've used the continuous flow type machines and the boots, but i don't have any of my own right now. Going into another hot summer of work, with my horse doing awesome (still 100% sound and turning 15 this summer - well past that 6 or 7 mark!!!) I'm looking at boots and machines and thinking about what's best.

Why do so many people like the Game Ready Machines (http://www.gamereadyequine.com/products/SystemKits.htm) at $4000 - $5000 when the Ice Horse Machines (http://www.icehorse.net/second_tier/products/hydrotherapy.html) are $400 to $750?

Then of course there are the less expensive ice boots (http://www.icehorse.net/second_tier/products/tendon_wraps.html) which I think is where I'm going to start with my own purchasing this summer, and maybe move onto the machines if and when my horse moves up the levels and is in more serious work!

[mkevent]

I feel like a kook always posting this, but the Rubbermaid ice cell sheets are cheap and easy! You can buy them in the camping supply section at Walmart or Target, you can cut them to size, and they store in the little freezer section of the dorm sized refrigerators! For max cold effect you need to wet the horses legs first and I hold them in place for 20 min with polarfleece type polos. I always ice after a strenous jump school and alot of times I put the ice sheets on for the trailer ride back from my trainers(it's just a 15 min ride). Would also be easy to use while you're untacking and the horse is in crossties. They don't last forever but they're inexpensive to replace.

[cute_lil_fancy_pants_pony]

I ice my horses legs everyday, he does not jump, just dressage. I got ice boots on ebay for $20 and put them on all four legs for 20 minutes a day.

[mvp]

People don't ice or cold hose because its a PITA.

My vet, once a USET guy, explained to me that those top horses can take a couple of hours to put away after work. Some of them get 20 minutes "on" 20 minutes "off" of cold therapy for an hour-- plus other sundry therapies.

So if I really loved my back yard Olympian....

[esdressage]

People don't ice or cold hose because its a PITA.

My vet, once a USET guy, explained to me that those top horses can take a couple of hours to put away after work. Some of them get 20 minutes "on" 20 minutes "off" of cold therapy for an hour-- plus other sundry therapies.

So if I really loved my back yard Olympian....

HA! That's funny… yeah, I really don't hae two hours after a ride. I can barely find two hours TO ride most days! :lol:

Yeah, that's why I'm leaning towards the simple boots instead of the machines, which seems like it would be overkill for me (unless she got injured or something).

It doesn't seem like it would be a huge deal to throw some ice boots on her while I'm grooming after a ride. 20 minutes of grooming, giving her supplememts, etc. while she's icing in the boots, then pop 'em off and pop her in the stall.

[mvp]

Above all, make cold therapy easy and convenient enough that you will actually do it often. Fifteen or 20 minutes while you are untacking, cleaning tack or whatever is better than nothing.

My "race horse hosey thing" is good. Time to describe it: it consists of a plastic hose that splits like a wish bone to bring water to two legs at once. The "stem" of the wish bone screws onto the end of the hose. The leg ends of the wishbone are composed of loosely coiled tubes of plastic that have small holes pierced in them throughout. These wrap 360 degrees around each leg-- as high or as low as you'd like. Since they aren't closed rings, the truly panicked horse can escape.

Otherwise, you put the coils on the legs, put the rest of the contraption and hose over your horse's back, cross tie him in the wash stall and hang out with water rolling down all surfaces of his leg.

I got contraption at Jack's Turf Goods in Vernon, NY. That little racing store may have built these puppies themselves. They do have a web page with contact info.

[deltawave]

I'm a big believer in the benefits of cold.

Yes, it's a PITA, but if you're going to DO something to legs, at least make it something that makes physiological SENSE. :) I don't poultice, I don't do liniment, I very rarely wrap legs, but I do use cold.

I used to ice Gwen's ankles (tub trug full of ice and water, 40 degrees) after all hard jumping sessions (usually we only jumped at shows) and cold-hosed her legs after interval works. I will also cold-hose (15 minutes) after hard jump schools on my younger horse, although I've never actually stood her in ice.

[Sparky]

Above all, make cold therapy easy and convenient enough that you will actually do it often. Fifteen or 20 minutes while you are untacking, cleaning tack or whatever is better than nothing.

Exactly. It's not a PITA if everything is within reach. I was even able to find a portable ice maker (for less than $70) online that makes enough ice in 10 minutes for the Game Ready. The horses are in the machine while they are being untacked and groomed, and then on to the next one. You just have to make it part of your routine.

[NewbieEventer]

Any suggestions for ice boots? How do you keep the ice and/or cold packs cold? I can't imagin the ice not melting by the time i'm done riding. Also, how would this work at shows?

[Auventera Two]

People don't ice or cold hose because its a PITA.

My vet, once a USET guy, explained to me that those top horses can take a couple of hours to put away after work.

Hey I believe it. It takes me an hour to put my horse away after a conditioning ride. I ice her for 20 minutes, massage her back and large muscles, throw on a Back on Track sheet, and pull the corners up to do a a good grooming while she eats beet pulp and alfalfa. I check each foot and make sure the hoof boots didn't make any marks or rubs. Never do, but I just check anyway. She gets a little filling in the hind suspensories after a particularly hard ride on rocky trails, so I poultice her hinds with Sore No More when needed. I don't wrap after poulticing, I just let it air dry then hose it off the next day.

The one time I did not ice after a ride on rocky/hilly terrain, she swelled and got a little sore on the suspensories. I went back in 60 minutes for Best Conditioned judging and her scores suffered. We lost 10 points for the filling. Lesson learned.

NewbieEventer - I take a cooler with a couple bags of ice with me to rides. Dump a little water in it, and you get frigid water that lasts for 2 days. I use white quilted wraps and polos, or cheapie shipping boots. You just throw them in the cooler and push them down into the ice and water to soak. Take them out when ready to use and apply like normal. I have a scoop in the cooler that I use to pour fresh iced water down into the wrap every few minutes while I groom and do other things.

I have had 3 different types of ice wraps and boots with the freezeable gel pockets, and they wouldn't get cold enough. The cold iced water is the coldest and most effective. I think the legs have to be soaked in water to really transmit the cold through the hair. I like deltawave's Tub trug idea also, but that seems like a lot of ice and water to do all 4 legs???

Edited to add:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=1658

I like the look of those!

[esdressage]

Any suggestions for ice boots? How do you keep the ice and/or cold packs cold? I can't imagin the ice not melting by the time i'm done riding. Also, how would this work at shows?

I'm looking for suggestions too, but the ones I'm thinking about (posted a link above) are the Ice Horse ones.

Here's a link: tendon wraps (http://www.icehorse.net/second_tier/products/tendon_wraps.html) and I'm not sure if I should have taller ones behind? Evendura (http://www.icehorse.net/second_tier/products/evendura.html)

The thing I like about these is that they stay cold for two hours even out of the freezer, so I'm thinking I can bring them with me when I go to ride and if I keep them in a cooler, have plenty of cold left after the ride for 20 minutes of icing. Also, I like this better than cold hosing, which I do now (And I don't hose for a full 20 minutes. People would really look down on that in the desert, lol) because my mare's hooves won't be getting soaked with water every day for 20 minutes.

[esdressage]

Ooh, also a question for dressage people. Do you ice the hocks, too?

[deltawave]

One Tubtrug full of ice and water can do all four legs if you use plenty of ice. Just not all at once. ;) Also serves double-duty as a nifty beverage cooler. :yes:

[RedMare01]

Re: easy, cheap way to ice.

Use bags of frozen peas with standing wraps over them. Works like a charm. Reusable too. Just don't plan on eating them afterwards :winkgrin: :lol:.

Caitlin

[dab]

I like the price and utility of Rubbermaid ice sheets but found they melt faster than these http://www.adamshorsesupply.com/browse.cfm/4,7693.html -- I get about 15 minutes out of the Rubbermaid ones while the Pro Choice ones last about 30 minutes --

[faluut42]

My vet thinks icing and cold hosing are the best, most under-underutilized routine treatment used for maintaining performance horses. He also thinks any gainfully employed horse over 6 or 7 is a candidate. Wow. My eyes were certainly opened.

If I weren't Po Folks, I'd have a Game Ready to use on my middle-aged horse after jumping schools.

Since I am a redneck, I look for cheap, lazy ways to do cold therapy.

I used to stand him knee/hock deep in a creek by our barn for 20 minutes or so after jumping.

Now at a creekless barn, I'll use my nameless race-horse hosey piece of equipment to cold hose two legs at once while he hangs out on the washrack after work.

Ditto, I just moved to a barn that had a large creek by it, maybe a five min walk. I stand mymare in it when ever we come back from a trail ride (since its on the way back), when her legs dont look as tight as id like, or after a hard school. Only problem I have with this is we often come back looking like we went swimming in it. Puma (my mare) thinks its fun to splash, and when shes splashes i wouldnt want to be the little fishies swimming by! :winkgrin:

If I could afford it i would get a Game Ready bc her feet can get a little mushy if I do this a lot (more than a few times a week typical TB).

[potteryshop]

I always ice the hock after a ride - no matter what kind of ride. I learned the hard way that inflammation can wreck a hock if not treated properly!
I use the Ice Horse hock boot. Have bought 4 extra ice packs. They are still cold after my 20 min, but not totally frozen anymore.
Use a cooler with all 6 packed in, just in case. Use the coldest ones and have others left over if I need them.
The IH ice packs eventually wear out by getting lumpy inside. I just use the older ones where it is less critical for cold.

[yellowbritches]

Here is a super easy way to ice legs- http://88.208.202.216/1180/competition-turnout-and-travel/1718
The Rubbermaid ice sheets would be good for this. The tubee grip is basically just the lining used on casts and can be bought cheap in big rolls are medical supply stores (we have a roll to use under Porter boots...I think it is "arm" size). AND, tubee grip is reusable, at least for a while.

[toxicity]

NewbieEventer - I take a cooler with a couple bags of ice with me to rides. Dump a little water in it, and you get frigid water that lasts for 2 days. I use white quilted wraps and polos, or cheapie shipping boots. You just throw them in the cooler and push them down into the ice and water to soak. Take them out when ready to use and apply like normal. I have a scoop in the cooler that I use to pour fresh iced water down into the wrap every few minutes while I groom and do other things.

Do the wraps shrink when they're on? This seems like the easiest/cheapest way to use cold therapy, but I'm really afraid of trying it. I used to cold hose but our barn has a shallow well and I'm not allowed to do that anymore. :(

[Gayla]

Here is a super easy way to ice legs- http://88.208.202.216/1180/competition-turnout-and-travel/1718
The Rubbermaid ice sheets would be good for this. The tubee grip is basically just the lining used on casts and can be bought cheap in big rolls are medical supply stores (we have a roll to use under Porter boots...I think it is "arm" size). AND, tubee grip is reusable, at least for a while.
Fantastic idea. Thanks for the video.

[mkevent]

dab and yellow britches-thanks for the info! I have to laugh because I actually have a set of the pro choice and forgot about them-now I'm intrigued to try them out again! I do find the Rubbermaid don't last forever-the cells will break after enough usings(nontoxic, though!) so I am having to replace the sheets.
I never understood why you would use ice sheets under neoprene boots, though-seems to me the neoprene would make the ice melt faster-that's why I use polarfleece type bandages(polarfleece wicks) but the tubi grip is an excellent idea!
I only use the Rubbermaid sheets when I have access to a freezer-they can defrost rather quickly on hot days unless kept in a cold environment.
For shows I use the Coleman Extreme cooler-designed to keep ice cold for 3(?) days-really does work-great for overnight trips in hot humid weather! I fill the cooler to the top with ice before I leave and there is still enough ice the next day to ice water buckets and fill 4 full sized ice boots! Since I'm a princess and don't like to get my hands cold, I use neoprene gloves when filling the ice boots so my hands don't freeze. Geez-the things we do for our horses...

[deltawave]

Neoprene is an insulator, not a heat source in and of itself. It won't by itself make anything melt faster. If the leg is already cool/cold and you add ice + neoprene you'll get a nice, insulated, cold leg.

[joharavhf]

Here is a super easy way to ice legs- http://88.208.202.216/1180/competition-turnout-and-travel/1718

BRILLIANT!!!! Thanks for sharing :winkgrin:

[Mozart]

One Tubtrug full of ice and water can do all four legs if you use plenty of ice. Just not all at once. ;) Also serves double-duty as a nifty beverage cooler. :yes:

My kinda girl.

I am also an old fashioned friend of frequent cold hosing. I have an old TB who raced, evented, showjumped, etc and stayed WAY sounder than he had a right to for far longer than anyone thought he woudl given the conformation of his front legs...I credit my farrier and cold hosing.

[Cowgirl]

I do ice all four legs (first + tendon wraps) and I have the hock boots, but rarely use them. I just bought a box of 12 replacement ice packs. That way I can pack a cooler full of frozen ice packs for a show and still have some frozen ones (hopefully) when I need them.

[Fandango7]

I have also had good luck with the Professional Choice Ice cells. I just put them on under the SMB boots and they last for about 25 or 30 minutes before melting completely.

[mkevent]

Deltawave-thanks for setting the record straight about neoprene. I always assumed(I know-dangerous thing to do!)it caused heat buildup so I never used it with ice to keep the cold in!DUH!! Now that I know the facts, I'm gonna change my answer with the polarfleece wraps-I'm thinking if I use neoprene instead, the leg would stay cold even longer! Now the million dollar question-do the Sports Medicine ice cells work better than the Rubbermaid or do we think that because we used the Sports Medicine ones under neoprene? I'm thinking of using some old non breathable Woof boots(if the sizes I have are large enough) instead of polos to ice my horses legs-easy to clean, easy to use, and I can just picture myself struggling with the flexitubes and falling on the horse(or my butt!!) because I'm older and rather uncoordinated!! Hmmm...

[lstevenson]

Icing works great, but I only use it after cross country at the upper levels or after a hard gallop or jump school on really hard ground.

I use an ice and water mix (at least half ice) in tall buckets up to the horse's knees for 20 to 30 minutes.

[Trees4U]

When our now retired 15.2 hunter was showing ( first 3'childrens, then small jrs & A/Os) he always got legs cold hosed after any lesson and after classes were over at shows. Never had a lameness and I always suspected that it had alot to do with the cold hosing. ;)

[cyberbay]

IME, ice is a lot colder than a gel pack. If you can make a nylon sock, that you can velcro shut at the bottom by the coronet band and then at the top by the knee, and just pour in the ice for the 20-min. of icing (and re-use if there is any remaining at the end of the 20 min.), this works great.

I don't love cold hosing, mostly for environmental reasons. A lot of the country has a drought problem now, and cold hosing seems so wasteful.

[esdressage]

Thanks for all of the responses!

I think the important thing is to find a way to do it so that it's easy to routinely do and not a PITA, and then I'll actually keep up with it.

I think I'm going to get the Ice Horse (http://www.icehorse.net/) boots and just start icing her after our rides, 20 minutes while she relaxes, gets groomed, etc. No ice to buy (just freeze the packs) no mess, no water waste (cyberbay - I live in the desert so I'm with you on the environmental issues!) and we'll see how it goes. One thing's for sure, it won't hurt! It's actually just going to be nice even for me to handle the ice packs after our rides in the hot AZ summer!

Thanks again for the input from you all :)

[Equitate.]

Quick Question:
Do you use a protective layer or just put the ice pack directly on the leg? If you do use a layer, what do you use?

Sorry to hijack, just thinking of trying this today :)

[esdressage]

No worries about hijacking! :) I think it would be great if this got more people thinking about it.

The ones I'm planning to use (there's a link in my post above) have pockets for putting in the ice packs, but if you're just planning to use regular ice packs, I'll bet you wouldn't need a protective layer, just some way to keep them on the leg. I would think you would just need to check to make sure it's non-toxic (the ones made for icing horses generally are I think) and if not, keep a close eye on your horse to make sure he doesn't nibble at it. :yes:

[Addison]

Another good reason to use the Ice Horse boots system is that the inserts may be soaked in hot water and once they heat up they may be used to provide heat therapy as well. If you need moist heat just wrap them in a warm wet cloth, insert then in the boots and apply.

[HiddenStars826]

I don't ice them usually, but I do use "therapy" on my guy after work of any kind/duration. He's got old bows (and current ones...) so after untacking his legs get checked and either hosed or rubbed down with a cooling gel or both. If there is a big difference in the leg after a ride in whatever way, we hose/add ice gel/hose a bit more, and let it sit for a while. Legs get hosed clean to get the gel off (learned the hard way not to wrap over it...), then poulticed and wrapped. With this horse, I do anything I can to keep the legs sound because he has so many old injuries/such potential for new ones.