MULE CROSSING: The Ins and Outs of Leg Supports

By Meredith Hodges

There are so many equine-related products on the market today that it is often difficult to decide which ones you really need and which ones you don’t. For instance, the subject of Splint Boots and Leg Wraps can be very confusing. How do you know when to use them? What types of Leg Wraps or Splint Boots are best? Do they really help? In what ways do they help? What kind of material should they be made from? And the list of questions goes on.

In the case of Leg Wraps, there are those that are stretchy and those that are more rigid. The stretchy wraps are called Polo Wraps (as in the Polo wraps that are used for Dressage schooling). Those that are stretchy and are commonly used over padded quilt squares are for traveling and when the equine is in the stable.

Those that are more rigid are most generally used during the training process and some are used for specific therapy.  Developing postural core strength takes time and support needs should be checked often for appropriate type and tension during the variable stages of training. This occurs before the postural core strength has been symmetrically addressed during training and the body conditioning that goes with postural core strength building and balancing.  Splint Boots and Leg Wraps vary as much as their uses do. The easiest and most obvious use of a Leg Wrap comes when traveling with your equine. If you are taking your animal any real distance, it is always advisable to use full-cover, padded Shipping Boots on all four legs. The Shipping Wraps help to prevent your animal from injuring himself due to his own movements, on objects inside the trailer, or injuries from other animals that are traveling with him.

If you have an animal that is fidgety and has difficulty standing still, applying leg wraps is the perfect opportunity to teach him to stand quietly while you handle his legs. You can begin training for Shipping Wraps by putting them on your equine while he is outside of the trailer at your grooming station, and then by removing them when he is inside the trailer before unloading him. Make sure he is standing quietly when you reward him with crimped oats while you introduce him to the Shipping Wrap, first to his front legs and later to his back legs. The crimped oats will keep him busy for a prolonged length of time during the introduction and later when you actually fasten the wraps to his legs. Get in the habit of always removing the Leg Wraps while he is standing still in the trailer and eating his crimped oats reward. This teaches him to wait quietly for you BEFORE he is given permission to depart the trailer. If he expects to have his Leg Wraps removed while he is still in the trailer, he is less likely to become excited or anxious, to back out too quickly and possibly bump, or step on you while waiting to exit the trailer.

The best Shipping Wraps are the ones that are full-leg (over the knees and hocks), quilted on the inside and attached with Velcro straps all the way down. Some materials such as fleece can collect bedding, or debris, and cause discomfort or pressure sores. The best Shipping Wraps are made from a quilted nylon material and most of them cover the entire leg past the knee and over the hooves. The Velcro straps should be numerous and wide so they do not lose their “sticking” ability. Always clean debris from the Velcro wraps after EVERY use!

You can also use quilted cotton pads and Polo Wraps, but their primary use is when they are stalled to prevent cuts and abrasions at shows and events. Never use Vet Wrap for anything but medical issues such as cuts, bruises, and other medical issues. As the “sticky” wrap does not hold up for very long, you can use Duct tape to secure it in place with a bit more pressure, but not enough to cut off circulation. Polo Wraps (a stretchy cotton strip around a soft pliable cotton pad with no quilted pads) are also used for support during training. These types of wraps are commonly used during Dressage training and typically only cover the Cannon Bones and not the fetlocks and pasterns. If you use Polo Wraps, or quilted cotton pads and wraps, learn to wrap them correctly to avoid pressure points that could cause circulation problems. Begin the wrap by placing the quilted pad or cotton pad in place around the Cannon Bone. Start the wrap at the center of the Cannon Bone, measure the tension on the wrap to make sure it does not interfere with circulation, that it is just snug and wrap down to the Fetlock joint. Then wrap upwards to just below the knee and Velcro the wrap in place. To keep the wrap from sliding down, use Duct tape just below the knee with one rotation of a tighter wrap to keep it in place. Consult with a professional to learn the proper wrapping technique. It is usually a hands-on lesson with a lot of practice! When they have lost their elasticity, it is time to throw them out.

There is a wide variety of Splint Boots available on the market and each type is designed for a particular use. When doing light work in the arena, or for Trail Riding, you might want to use a “front and back” set that are designed for minimal support, while still providing the legs with greater protection from injury. During beginning training, you might use Splint Boots only on the front legs for the initial introduction. When he has become accustomed to the Splint Boots in front, you can introduce them behind. At first, your equine will probably lift and shake his legs. This is a normal reaction and why you do first the front legs, and the back legs later. Your animal will not likely be using his hind quarters efficiently enough to begin to cause problems. However, once you have begun activities such as balanced stops and lateral work in Dressage, Jumping, Endurance or Reining, rear Splint Boots become very important.

When making a decision about which type of protection to use, it is important to first assess your equine’s development and the types of activities he will be doing. Boots that are deigned primarily for protection do not always lend much support to muscles and tendons.

They do, however, protect the equine from cuts, bumps and bruises, and are advisable for use during hard work, Gymkhana events, Trail rides in mountainous areas, and other stressful workouts. If you do use Splint Boots while Trail Riding and they get wet, do not leave them on your equine very long or they will lose their ability to be supportive, and can cause sores from rubbing. In order to prevent this from happening, the Splint Boots should be removed, cleaned and dried out immediately after use. Always use the ones that have a Velcro strip that feeds through a “metal sleeve” and then doubles back on itself for security. Just using Velcro to Velcro can come loose.

In the beginning, since the goal is to condition your animal’s muscles and tendons, “light support” Splint Boots are a good thing to have on hand. At this early stage, if a boot gives too much support, the equine’s body will not necessarily develop correctly, and the area beneath the boot (or wrap) can become weak. Muscles and tendons above and below the boot will gain too much strength and cause possible knotting of the muscles, compromising the function of the entire leg due to uneven, asymmetrical conditioning.

After his basic training, when your equine is participating in more stressful activities such as Jumping, Endurance, Reining and Racing (or in the case of an injury), it may become necessary to use a more supportive boot to lightly support already conditioned muscles and tendons. Support boots are designed to provide even support over the entire area that they cover. Be careful that they are neither too tight, nor too loose. You don’t want the boots so tight that they cut off the blood supply to the covered area, or not flexible enough to allow the joints to move freely. However, you don’t want them so loose that they ride down the legs.

Although the hooves look tough, they too can be adversely affected, particularly in Gymkhana events and jumping. This is why “Bell Boots” may be needed for hoof and coronet band protection. The coronet band is a very sensitive area and can cause severe lameness if damaged, even by a small, seemingly insignificant cut or bump. If a hoof is unusually dry, severe cracks can occur. It is advisable to routinely use a hoof dressing in addition to the “Bell Boots’ to prevent traumatic cracking during repeated concussion.

When trying to decide which Splint Boots, Polo Wraps or other devices to use, asses your plans for the day. Polo Wraps and Splint Boot uses can change from time to time, depending on the conditions of the day or which stage of training he is in. Most shows do not allow Splint Boots or Polo Wraps in certain classes. If the equine is in good physical condition, he should not need Splint Boots, or Polo Wraps for the short time during the performance unless it becomes extended as can be the case with Gymkhana. In this case, your equine should be conditioned well enough to forego the actual support-type Therapy Boots, and would only need protective Splint Boots. The Reining, Jumping and Endurance equine will need adequate leg coverage both for support and protection during initial training (Splint Boots front and rear, Bell Boots and even Hock Wraps on occasion). Once they are fully symmetrically conditioned in their Postural Core Strength, about two years into training, they should be able to maintain this habitual way of moving and should not need the leg supports any longer.

You might be asking yourself, “How can I tell a minimal support boot from a fully-functional medical support boot?” This can be quite confusing considering all the different kinds of leg wraps and splint boots that are out there. Some even look identical, but are not. Off-brand Splint Boots look a lot like Pro Choice Splint Boots, but they are made from inferior-quality materials that do not afford the degree of support and flexibility needed for successful therapy. Although these off-brands are designed for support and do cover the joints, they should be considered as more of a protective boot than a Therapeutic Boot. Splint Boots are strictly for the protection of the Cannon Bones because they do not cover the joints and offer very little support.

A short word about substituting boots for shoes on your equines’ hooves. I believe that using the boots for medical assistance is fine and can help healing. However, these boots never fit the hoof well enough to preserve the integrity of your equine’s good posture during riding and should not be a substitute for healthy hoof care, correct trimming, or shoeing. If you must use boots, it is best to have those Custom-fitted. Boots that do not fit the animal’s foot, the way that shoes can, will adversely affect his ability to balance his whole body causing compromises and soreness everywhere. When you have a good farrier, nail holes will not compromise the equines’ hooves and will be grown out by the time they are reshod. If there is no need for the shoes, with proper trimming, they can remain barefoot most of the time.

When researching which product will best suit your needs and the needs of your equine, check with equine professionals, check your local tack shop, or feed store, check at shows and expos, and on the internet. These places can all be valuable sources of information.

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE  and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com

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