Bandaging

There are eight reasons why you apply bandages to a horse’s legs.

1. Protection

2. Encourage heat and circulation to legs

3. Cool legs to draw away heat

4. Sweat out inflammation

5. Supply support to ligaments and tendons

6. Cover cuts and abrasions or recently injected joints

7. Widen out a horses gait behind

8. Beneath protective boots to prevent chafing

Protection

Covering the legs with a thick fleece or quilted wraps and polo bandages supply the best protection. You would likely do this when you are trailering your horse. Sudden stops and starts in a trailer can throw your horse off balance and injury could occur to an unprotected leg.

Some trainers want a horses legs covered when they are turned out in a paddock, but often a tendon boot supplies greater protection for the leg in this case. Also if the weather is inclement you have a whole lot of cleaning to do each time you turn your horse out. The bandages become wet and dirty quickly and require washing every day.

 Some trainers even wear the fleece or quilted wraps and cotton bandages to exercise, however unless they are snuggly applied they can slip down the leg and cause more trouble by tripping a horse while it jogs.

 Polos and Cotton bandages over fleece or quilted wraps can be worn in the stall for protection all day. However they should be removed and reapplied each day, as they are not a snug bandage and can loosen within a short period of time.

Encouraging Heat and Circulation in the Legs

There is a new ceramic wrap that does not require the use of any liniments.

It is made of polyester with melted ceramics. The ceramics reflect the body’s heat as thermal heat that may accelerate the healing process and relax tense muscles and joints.

For thousands of years people have applied liniments to their horse’s legs to encourage heat and increase circulation in the legs. Liniments are applied directly onto the leg and then the leg is wrapped with a fleece or quilted wrap and a cotton bandage. We will discuss liniments in another chapter. These bandages should be removed and replaced daily.

Cool Legs to Draw Heat Out of the Leg

Poultices can be applied to a horse’s leg. There are many different kinds of poultices on the market. They are usually a clay based product that draws heat and infection out of the leg. First you take a handful of poultice and evenly distribute it along the leg. Most caretakers only poultice from the knee downward over the cannon bone and around the ankle, but occasionally you will see a whole leg poulticed. Once the poultice is applied you need to cover it all with wet paper towels or newspaper. The paper provides a non stick barrier between the poultice and the wrap. You can use dry paper, but wet paper helps the poultice remain moist longer. After the paper is applied you then use a quilted or fleece wrap to cover the area and a cotton bandage over the wrap. Poultices dry quickly, so these bandages need to be replaced daily. Once a poultice dries out it is no longer effective and it becomes itchy to the horse.

Cool casts are also a type of thin medicated bandage that offers support, and helps reduce inflammation, swelling and tenderness. It is also effective for the following equine ailments: bowed tendons, stocking up (edema), suspensory ligament damage, wind puffs and fractured sesamoid bone. Cool casts also help reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, tendonitis and periostitis. When applying a cool cast you need to have a pair of scissors. You may not need the whole bandage in one application. Gently wrap the bandage around the leg, being careful not to pull the bandage as you wrap it around the leg. Ensure you do not have any wrinkles or twists in the bandage as you apply it to the leg. When you have covered the required area cut the bandage and save the unused bandage in its plastic bag so it can be used again. The cool cast bandage that you have applied to the horse’s leg is then covered with a quilted or fleece wrap and then a cotton bandage. Cool casts need to be removed the following day. When you are removing them you will find they have dried out and if they have worked properly they should be a little looser on the leg as they have worked to reduce swelling and inflammation.

Some alcohol based liniments are meant to cool a horses leg, but by applying a wrap and bandage over the liniment, the cooling effect is then replaced by trapping the bodies heat inside the wrap and bandage.

Sweating Out Inflammation

Many trainers feel sweating a horses leg helps reduce inflammation. Firstly they apply a liniment to the horse’s legs. The leg is then wrapped with a quilted or fleece wrap. The caretaker then wraps either plastic wrap or a plastic bag over the wrap. Then the bandage is wrapped over the plastic. These bandages should also be removed and replaced each day.

Supplying Support to Ligaments and Tendons

There are many different types of brace bandages. Some are quite thin while others are substantially thicker. Some are smooth while others have a rubberized ribbing embedded lengthwise in the fabric. They are all made from a stretchy material. You can apply them by themselves or over a rubber, fleece or quilted wrap. As you are applying the brace bandage to the leg you gently pull the bandage as you roll it around the leg. Do not pull too tightly and cut off the legs circulation, but use enough pull to give support to the area you are wrapping. These types of bandages are meant to be worn for only short periods of time. Many trainers use them on their horse’s legs when they are being exercised, trained or raced. They are removed when returning to the barn or paddock. Trainers can use brace bandages alone or under a protective boot. Brace bandages are usually used to support a tendon or an ankle.

Cover Cuts and Abrasions or Recently Injected Joints

In these instances the bandage and wrap is used as a barrier against insects, germs and dirt. The affected area is cleaned and covered with a gauze pad. Then the wrap and bandage cover the pad. Your veterinarian will examine your horse’s injury and suggest the best way to treat the problem. Follow the veterinarian’s advice for this type of bandaging.

Widen Out a Horse’s Gait Behind

Trainers of trotters have sometimes found using brace bandages, or brace bandages and wraps on a horse’s back legs will widen out a horses gait and help in correcting interference issues. Sometimes changing the equipment from the heavy protective boots to the lighter bandaging behind will make the horse move its hind legs differently.

Trainers will experiment with many of the different leg covers until they find the best equipment for each horse.

Brace bandages are removed after every use.

Beneath Protective Boot to Prevent Chafing

Vet wraps are an elastic thin bandage that has the ability to stick to itself and nothing else. They can be wrapped around an ankle or knee before putting on a boot. They form a protective covering that reduces the friction between the boot and the body. Vet wraps are usually only used for racing or training. If a horse shows rub marks from previously wearing a knee boot or tendon boot, the groom just needs to put a few layers of vet wrap around the horse’s knee or ankle and hopefully that will eliminate the rubbing issues. These bandages should be removed immediately after racing or training.

Do No Harm

Regardless of the type of bandage you are using or why you are using it, the important thing is always to pay careful attention to your wrapping technique. Practice makes perfect. Sometimes no bandages at all are the best answer.

A young colt, unaccustomed to wearing a bandage will play with it until he has either removed the bandage or pulled the bandage too tightly on it’s leg and caused cording. Cording is a lump on the tendon area. If you catch this problem in time it can be reversed however many a talented racing career has been destroyed by this totally avoidable injury. Some older horses are also adept at removing their bandages. There are many sprays available that can be sprayed on the bandages to make them unpalatable to the horse. There are also guards that can cover the freshly applied bandage. I’ve even seen grooms take a mans old work sock, cut out the toe and pull the sock up over the bandage to place a protective layer over the bandage and prevent the horse from getting at the Velcro. If a horse really is intent upon removing their bandage there isn’t a whole lot that we can do to stop them from accomplishing the task.