[barnprincess]

Every one talks about protecting and maintaining legs a lot so i thought of a topic . LOL.

So im wondering, can you use it after each workout ?

Like lets say you ride daily.. (im not asking for you to TELL ME what to do,im just aking in GENERAL) Will it do any harm , will it really help soothe the legs, or is it pointless unless theres heat in the leg(s) ? I know its used for soreness and to pull heat out mainley. I've seen on some jars,that it says use after each workout, not that you have to.. But thats what made me curious.

SO im just curious what some of you do =]

 

[justsambam08]

I would say using it after a particularly hard work out would be fine, but I think using it after just hacking around would be a little bit overkill.

 

[Angels Fallx]

I ride daily and I don't wrap/poultice.
I only wrap after a particularly strenous work out/show.
I save poultice for heavy work loads. riding daily and showing more than the usual.

you can actually do more harm than good by wrapping/poulticing after every ride unless the horse actually needs it. you can end up weakening the tendons.

if you want something to "soothe" the legs after riding, try some liniment.

 

[gypsygirl]

i never wrap or poultice over night after a hard ride. ive never actually poulticed ever... my horses dont stock up though, so i really see no need for it. after a hard ride i just walk & cold hose.

 

[MIEventer]

Poulticing is very common practice in the Eventing World. Many Poultice after CC on a 2 - 3 day Event, and many will Poultice after a full day of 3 phases in a 1 day Event.

I wouldn't leave it on longer than a 1/2 hour to an hour.


After a CC lesson, clinic or after a Jumping Lesson or Clinic - I will liniment rub my horses legs and do standing wraps for about an hour after a good rub down. I will leave my fellow in his stall for an hour eating his grain and hay.

I obtained this from Pony Club - wrapping is important after a hard ride - proper leg care, conditioning and supplimenting is very important to take care of our horses legs - especially if we are jumpers.

 

[shesinthebarn]

I think every day would be major overkill. I think the pain-in- the- buttness of application and especially removal the next day(what a mess!) would make daily use kind of prohibitive. I think poultice is a great tool for use on horses after stressful work outs. we use it post-race and post heavy training for the race horses, and after shows, clinics and as needed on the riding horses. Wrapping with poultice is a whole other topic - most people have very specific methods of doing this - myself included!

 

[breezybay]

it would just depend on the workout. i wouldnt put anything on unless the legs are still warm and still even then i just run cold water down my horses legs(i live in az so its warm all year around) but i dont know how the weather is where you guys are at but that is just what i do.

 

[sillybunny11486]

It could do some harm if you wrap daily and dont get the legs really clean.

I prefer a liniment rub over pulticing. It should never be left on for more then 12 hours. If you leave it on too long and the horse can't breath under there it can turn into a leg sweat.

 

[ridergirl23]

this is funny! i just finished reading an article on what you should to to preserve the horses legs after a workout, the vet said that liniment can really irritate some horses legs and skin. He said the worst thing you can ever do is work them then put them in their stalls, the best thing for their legs is to put them back out to the pasture after a hard workout!

i found that interesting!

 

[MIEventer]

It depends on what vet you speak with

 

[MyBoyPuck]

this is funny! i just finished reading an article on what you should to to preserve the horses legs after a workout, the vet said that liniment can really irritate some horses legs and skin. He said the worst thing you can ever do is work them then put them in their stalls, the best thing for their legs is to put them back out to the pasture after a hard workout!

i found that interesting!

I saw that too. I think it was in Practical Horseman. It made sense that why would you want to encourage more circulation when that's what the legs have been doing during the entire workout. Regardless, after a hard workout or long trail ride, I just cold hose his legs.

 

[luvs2ride1979]

Poulticing can cause blisters or skin irritation if done too often. I only poultice if I have stubborn swelling going on. In fact, I don't think I have used any poultice in 3 or 4 years now. When I was showing jumpers, I used it occassionally when a horse would swell up the day after a particularly hard ride or 2-day show.

• The best way to keep your horse's legs healthy is to condition the horse to the work you are doing, and never push him/her beyond their capability.
• Pay attention to the footing you're riding in. Don't ride in moderate or deep mud. Don't ride in moderate or deep wet sand (like rained on sand).
• Don't ride in deep sand at all (more than 3" deep from top to hard pan).
• Keep the horse turned out as much as possible, with friends, so he/she can keep the muscles and ligaments in good working condition. Stall confinement increases the the length of warm-up time required and increases the need for conditioning rides.
• Keep your horse's feet trimmed/shod regularly; never go more than 6 weeks between appointments. Keep your horse's feet at a natural angle (for their conformation) and as short as possible; don't let your farrier/trimmer leave too much toe or heel. An "off" hoof angle can put a lot more stress on the tendons in the lower legs.
• If you jump, do NOT over-jump your horse. Your horse only has so many jumps in it. Jumping causes stress and micro-damage to the feet, legs, knees, hocks, shoulders, back, etc. Done right, a horse can have a jumping career well in to their latter teens and even early 20s. Done wrong and a horse will need hock injections and joint supplements as early as 10 years old, or earlier... Only jump 1-3 days a week and keep your jumps low. Only school over "big fences" until your horse gets it and does well, then go back to smaller stuff. School the big fences again just a few rides starting a couple weeks before your shows.
• If you have a young horse, do NOT over-work it! ALL of the horse's growth plates are not closed until 5-6 years old. Knees are one of the first at 2-3 years old, with hocks closing around 4-5 yrs old. Do NOT jump a young horse under saddle, period. Build a chute to free jump, or lunge over some small x-rails, but save under saddle jumping until after 5yrs old. Do not run a young horse around barrels, poles, or any other speed event. Doing too much too young can have serious long-term consequences on the horse's soundness.

A horse should NOT need joint injections or joint supplements before 15 yrs old. A horse SHOULD be sound for heavy work/competition until his/her latter teens, and even early 20s. A horse SHOULD be sound for light riding and some trail riding well in to his mid to latter 20s.

Anyway, I'm ranting, sorry about that :wink:.

 

[barnprincess]

The poultice i have , and ones ive used in the past all said 24 hrs on the tubs. So i dont know what kind those of you said not to leave it on long, use. I used to do liniment after every ride but i dont want to irritate her skin. I was asking bc gingers got issues with her front left leg and i thought maybe it would help , thats all. She has an old bow and she cant pick that lead up. I also thought it would help soothe the other front leg maybe being thats the only lead she uses.

 

[MIEventer]

I wouldn't poultice her, unless you do something hardcore like Eventing or riding at an all day Hunter/Jumper show.

Do you have her on a good tendon suppliment? Look at Smartpak - they have awesome stuff.

SmartFlex Repair from SmartPak Equine

SmartTendon Pellets from SmartPak Equine

I would look into using boots like SMB's - I cannot say enough good about SMB's. Or Pegasus Boots.

There is nothing wrong with liniment rubbing after a good ride. Again, after a lesson with Nelson, or a Clinic or hacking hard, I will hose his legs off and his hocks, and rub liniment into them and then I will do standing wraps on his fronts and let him rest for an hour in his stall.

Then I will take them off and turn him out in the pasture with the rest of his buds.

You can also look into magnetic therapy -

Magnetic Shin & Tendon Boots from SmartPak Equine

I'm getting the hock one's for Nelson:

Magnetic Hock Boots from SmartPak Equine

 

[Mercedes]

Don't do it. And I wouldn't even do it after a hard work out because it can 'hide' injuries. There's no reason to have a 'sudden' hard workout put to a horse. Part of proper management is preparing a horse for a hard workout, not trying to 'repair' AFTER the fact.

Inflammation has a purpose, and it's fine for the body to be inflamed as long as it doesn't get out of control. Inflammation is the only way 'we' can tell if the horse has in fact been pushed too far.

By taking away the superficial inflammation that is visible to the eye, via a poultice after a hard work out, there's absolutely no way to know if there is inflammation at the cellular level, which is where all the damage is done.

It is far better to know that something has happened, then to hide it behind a poultice/lineament/medication. Once the extent of the injury is known, THEN it may be prudent to use a poultice...or not.

I agree with the vet who said the best thing is to turnout. Because of poor circulation to the extremities, the horse is designed to heal in movement. The movement causes the muscles in the lower legs to contract, thus opening and closing valves in the vessels and pushing lymphatic fluid through. Lymphatic fluid takes away toxins and such. Movement also obviously increases blood circulation to the legs which takes away toxins and brings in nutrients to expedite healing.

Wrapping actually reduces circulation. It forces fluid out of the leg, but doesn't allow fresh fluid in to promote healing.

So yeah, don't wrap, period. There are few instances where wrapping is actually a benefit.

Use a poultice right away for such things as a; fresh bowed tendon that is still 'live'. That's the kind of inflammation that has to be stopped asap, so that permanent damage isn't done.

 

[barnprincess]

Ive been using smbs since shes been favoring the left front latley. not lame. but couter clockwise if i ask her to bend or turn she hops and her head goes up in the air. her feet were done 2 weeks ago so i think maybe he could have made them too short b.c this hasent ever happened to this extent before. I'm going to retire her next year or maybe the year after. shes 18 this year. she loooves working and jumping though.

i think her one sided issue has A LOT do do with the fact she cant balance comfy on that side. even when we jump counter clockwise she tanks off and rushes the jumps. other direction she goes over them beautifully. wich is why i unfortunatley wont be showing her =[

ok enough of my vent lol

 

[eventerdrew]

Never poulticed myself (hoping to learn soon) but my former trainer (a CCI**** eventer) would only poultice her horse after XC at events. She was running Training/Prelim at the time and encouraged her students that were above Novice to poultice after a XC run.

 

[Kashmere]

this is funny! i just finished reading an article on what you should to to preserve the horses legs after a workout, the vet said that liniment can really irritate some horses legs and skin. He said the worst thing you can ever do is work them then put them in their stalls, the best thing for their legs is to put them back out to the pasture after a hard workout!

i found that interesting!

Perhaps that is because it is better to keep on moving than standing still, since it helps the blood flow

But that is indeed one interesting article!

 

[~*~anebel~*~]

Don't wrap, poultice or use liniments.
If you are concerned about keeping your horse sound a few guidelines you can follow are:
-Keep the horse turned out as much as possible to keep them moving. If they are in a pen then the hay, water and shelter should all be as far apart from each other as possible.
-Condition the horse well and use a lot of walk. As a rough guideline, I would say that at least 50% of your ride should be spent walking (read: not diddling, a good marching walk).
-When you have had a hard ride, then cold hose the horse. If you are really concerned then administer an anti-inflammatory (asprin, bute, etc..) and make sure the horse is on its regular turnout, or hand walk it.
-The second you are concerned the horse is "off" get a knowledgeable horse person to watch it trot on both soft and hard surfaces and in 8-10m circles both directions. If the horse is deemed unsound, phone the vet.
-Use other preventative measures such as monthly IM/IV injections of Adequan/Legend respectively and having the horse flex tested a few times a year.

Good luck!

 

[justsambam08]

To anabel and Mercedes, both of you say don't poultice or use liniments of any kind, or do standing wraps. While I agree with this on some level, because it can be easily over done or done wrong and then it can harm your horse, what's to be done in the mean time, while you're conditioning your horse? And what about in moderation?

I have a 12 year old off the track TB, and he is in serious need of conditioning. LOOOOOOOTS of trot work to be done to get his muscle tone and put a little bit more weight on him. But, he also has arthritis in his hocks, in addition to not using his back correctly, so he carries himself probably 80-90 percent on the forehand. Especially in the first few weeks while he's really building his stamina back up, he is going to be sore. Whats wrong with liniment in this situation? It's essentially the same thing as Biofreeze, Bengay, Icy Hot, whatever you want to use on yourself. It doesn't mask the pain, it just soothes it. Used in moderation, I see no problem with occasionally linimenting a horse, either as a special treat, like you would go to the spa, or as a minor pain relief method.

Not advocating one over the other, I have an 11 oz bottle of liniment and a small tub of clay poultice, neither of which have been used. Just wondering whats the real harm in occasionally doing something like that for your horse.