Best/Easiest wraps stocking up/arthritis rehab

[jen-s]

If you haven't seen my other thread, I'm dealing with an arthritic horse. I do my best to keep him turned out, but during super severe weather, he'll get to come in to his stall. Vet rightly recommended wrapping anytime he's stalled which isn't a problem if I'm there to wrap him. However, BO (horsey's owner) has limited time in the mornings to unwrap and if I'm not there in the evening, I'd prefer that no one but me put on pillows/standings. Yes, I'm neurotic and yes, I'm ok with that, but neither BO nor the lady who leases another horse from BO are as comfortable with wrapping as I am and I don't want a bandage bow. Horse is happy being wrapped and doesn't bother them.

Of the wraps on the market, do any of the quick wraps really help as much as regular standings and pillows or no-bows? Are the Back on Track wraps really that much better than regular ones? As always, any advice is appreciated.

[serendipityhunter]

See the BOT thread on the Hunter/Jumper discussion forum. It also provides links to previous threads on BOT products. If you are concerned with other people wrapping your horse, you may want to try the BOT quick wraps, which you can leave on for up to 12 hours. I am thinking about getting them so they are easy to put on and take off by other people. There were a lot of good responses about the BOT products, including the quick wraps!

[jen-s]

Thanks! That was actually a great thread that I somehow missed in my search for threads on wrapping.

Can anyone chime in though on the effectiveness of quick wraps (whether BOT or Cashel or others) versus traditional pillows or no-bows and standing bandages?

[Cowgirl]

I like my Back on Track quick wraps so well, I bought two extra sets for the trailer. They are easy to put on and take off and our barn crew has no problem with them--and there is enough give in the overwrap that they cannot make them too tight. I really like them and they fit well. They also are nice to use for short trailer rides (like to a lesson).

I was asking at the tack shop the difference between the BOT quick wraps and the Veredus Magnetik stable wraps (which several people out here use to increase circulation when horses are stable bound), in addition to the difference in price (the Veredus boots are about $130 more expensive per pair). The tack shop owner told me she thought you get better coverage with the BOT wraps because the ceramic is all through the fabric where as the Magnetik boots just have some sewn in magnets.

Anyway, I didn't think I would like them, but I really do. I keep them on my mare in her stable and the staff takes them off for turnout and puts her turnout boots on and then replaces them later. I am not using them for arthritic problems, though but for protection and to increase circulation while in the stall.

[buck22]

I had remarkable success with BOT quick wraps. My retiree, who lives out 24/7, suffered an abscess and it was quite debilitating for over a week. I put on the BOT wraps as happenstance, figured they might do something. The one day I decided not use them he stocked up badly. They're not much in the way of support, but they worked like a charm. Stayed on for 24 hour turnout too, didn't slouch or rotate around.

My BO had a random stocking up issue with her mare, used the BOT pillow wraps once, overnight in turnout, and the stocking up went down and never returned.

[Silver~Image~Farm]

I really don't like for ANYONE else to wrap my horses......not willing to take the risk!

FWIW, I think what you ARE doing is the best option....yes, it is a pain but I'm guessing if you have been doing it you are most likely fairly proficient?......

Some folks "delegate" this responsibility to others but imo, I've just seen/heard to many "accidental" disaster stories when that happens......bottom line for me.....your horse, your responsibility!.....I know this my sound excessively anal for some but frankly its' just one more reason I prefer to care for my own horses rather than write checks to someone else! jmho.

[marta]

my mare has a suspensory injury and the vet wanted her in standing bandages at night. there was no way i could be there every evening or impose that on the barn so i got the BOT quick wraps. this is the first BOT product i'm using. i love it. so easy to put. i really don't see how anyone could screw it up. and as a side benefit my mare has not had wind puffs since we started using them. they're easily washable (they actually come apart for that). i think they're worth the $80 and the peace of mind you get from them.

my only concern is what will happen in the summer. maybe some other BOT users could chime in. i realize people use them in warm climates so i guess it's okay.

[Laurierace]

I am not a fan of quick wraps in general because in my opinion they are so loose they don't provide any support/compression at all. They probably are slightly better than nothing I guess. I LOVE back on track wraps, I definitely think they are worth the money.

[mvp]

For the arthritic beast, you aren't getting much. At best you will temporarily curtail edema. You will, I suppose, trap some heat near the fetlocks and perhaps the lower row of joints in the knees or hocks. If that's your purpose, certainly spring for BOT wraps.

I do think you can teach anyone to wrap well-- so long as they want to try to get it right in the first place. If they *just don't*, you are safer not asking them to do the job at all.

[retrofit]

I personally prefer an old-fashioned liniment wrap, but in your situation, I'd go with the BoT Quick Wraps. If nothing else, they look like they are well-made.

[jen-s]

Thanks for all the great advice. Yes, I absolutely agree that every horseperson can (and SHOULD!) learn to wrap correctly, but I'd prefer they not practice on my already delicate little flower! ;)

I'll continue to do my best to make sure that I'm out at the barn before any weather that would result in him "needing" to be inside, but I'm getting the picture that if I can't make it out, that the BOT quicks do work for a number of people out there. I'll order a set and then report back on how they do. I'm not going to spring yet for BOT pillows or no-bows so it'll be a comparision to traditional wraps only.

Thanks y'all!

[Cowgirl]

Someone asked about use in the summer. When I bought mine, I called the company and asked them about use in the summer and if it would make my horse's legs too hot and they told me it absolutely WOULD NOT make them too hot. I use wraps on my horse's legs at horse shows for protection in case she gets cast since the stalls are smaller than we are used to....so I wanted to know if I could use them in the summer. They also told me that you should take them off for a few hours a day so the legs don't depend on them, FWIW.

I really REALLY like them. So much so, that I bought my elderly mother who suffers from arthritis the lap blanket and she said it really has helped her out.

One other thing--I had a couple of sets of the Jack's quick wraps--these are pillow wraps with the stable wrap attached as an outer cover and a long velcro strip down the length of them--an all in one wrap. They are idiot proof, in terms of putting them on, and I bought them because I board and needed an easy stable wrap that staff can take off and put on for my last situation. I also use them at shows. I found that they slip and the back on tracks don't--as well as the fact that you can actually make the BOTs more supportive. So I would highly recommend those over the Jack's (or whatever other brand is on them). And FWIW, my current barn staff are all ex-racetrack employees and can probably wrap better than most average horse owners and are willing to do regular standing wraps for me, but I'd still use the BOT quick wraps--I like them that much. Let us know what they do for your arthritic boy!