Back On Track, Ice Boots, Icevibe, Poultice, Hoof Packing - what's your strategy?

[Heinz_57]

There are SO many pre- and post-workout therapies out there now, and I’m a little overwhelmed by it all. As I bring my senior horse back into work after a year off, I want to come up with the best plan of action for the preservation of his feet and legs on both a daily and shows-only scale. And I have a LOT of questions, so I would love to hear what you and yours do and why.

Am I correct that BOT products are generally more of a pre-workout thing? I thought so, but then a friend only uses hers post-workout and swears it helps. I’m also curious if anyone out there has/uses the products with a horse that is turned out 24/7, do you turn out with the product on or are you only using them in the ~30 minutes of groom/tacking up time? Are there certain conditions that you would NOT use BOT for, or use something else instead?

Obviously things like poulticing and hoof packing are probably mostly going to be used at shows only, or after an unusually hard school at home.

Is there a marked difference in the IceVibe stuff versus just regular old ice boots?

[Jealoushe]

I have a 10 yr old that retired from racing at the end of his 8th year. He was practically crippled in body pain and his feet were a mess. I gave him a year off…and BOT him every night. Quick wraps and the mesh sheet. He is phenominally sound now. His feet are great thanks to my farrier and his diet and he is moving better than ever. I swear by BOT. Having broken my leg this spring, I wore the ankle brace as soon as my cast was off and I had hardly any swelling. I am %99 normal after only 6 months from my injury (I had major surgery and it broke in 4 places). I know the BOT helped.

I use BOT also to wrap in the trailer and then my horses wear them until I tack up at shows. After xc I always poultice and wrap.

[LadyB]

For any little swelling from being in the stall I use ‘The Best Bandages’ which are a magnetic bandage. Always great for when a horse is on stall rest or needs a little bit of help with circulation. If the horse is a little sore in the back or had a good workout, I’ll toss on the blanket made by them as well.

After a jump school, I will alcohol and wrap over night.
After a XC school, ice (Ice Horse boots) and then poultice all 4 up to the hocks and knees. Depending on footing I will also pack with rebound.

For showing, I trailer in regular wraps. After an event I will ice, and then poultice the same as after a XC school.

In the winter, before I ride I toss a heated blanket over my horses back and neck while tacking up… I find it really helps him loosen up before getting on in the cold.

[normandy_shores]

I’ve heard the ice vibe boots really aren’t that cold. I’d love to ice more but haven’t found an icing product that’s terribly effective besides the big rubber socks that you literally fill with ice (I haven’t used those).

Day to day, I liniment after each ride. My 3 year old has also been getting standing wraps for a few hours after many of our rides. As she’s never been conditioned, I figure every ride is physically more stressful no matter how easy a ride I make it. I’ve also got the BOT quick wraps I’ve been using and just ordered her the BOT mesh sheet. If I’ve done a trail ride that has one, I make an effort to stand in the creek for a few minutes. She’s 3 with no issues so I don’t see improvement or whatnot.

Last spring when we had a then unidentified lower limb soundness issue in my old guy, I actually hauled out to the creek to stand in it as then I could essentially “cold hose” all the limbs from the elbow down when the older guy was being ridden in winter/cold weather, I would throw a heating pad on his back while I groomed and tacked up. That definitely made a huge difference!

I think for a regular routine, you need to find something sustainable and not overly involved/difficult to do.

[Chouteau]

24/7 turn out is often the best thing for them.
I rarely have the opportunity to use BOT products at home. He travels in a mesh sheet, with the neck attachment, standing wraps and hock wraps. Will wear the sheet most of the weekend if the weather allows.
Post xc - T & below, I use Premier cold water boots all around and a hock version of the same (they are the easiest for travel because they need to be stored in ice water - easy just put them in a cooler of ice before I leave town and they are good all weekend) for 15-20 min while I remove studs, @ Prelim he will stand in muck buckets of ice (lucky that he will do front and back at the same time) for 20 minutes about 45-60 min later, then poultice and wrap for the night (again weather depending, if it’s 100* just poultice no wraps) & feet packed with MC. I also have an equalibriam message pad I try to use before and after all my rides at the event (I use it at home too but not as often)
I turpentine his soles at least once a week year round and pack with MC about once a week through the season.

[Couture_TB]

[QUOTE=normandy_shores;8958256]
I’ve heard the ice vibe boots really aren’t that cold. I’d love to ice more but haven’t found an icing product that’s terribly effective besides the big rubber socks that you literally fill with ice (I haven’t used those).

Day to day, I liniment after each ride. My 3 year old has also been getting standing wraps for a few hours after many of our rides. As she’s never been conditioned, I figure every ride is physically more stressful no matter how easy a ride I make it. I’ve also got the BOT quick wraps I’ve been using and just ordered her the BOT mesh sheet. If I’ve done a trail ride that has one, I make an effort to stand in the creek for a few minutes. She’s 3 with no issues so I don’t see improvement or whatnot.

Last spring when we had a then unidentified lower limb soundness issue in my old guy, I actually hauled out to the creek to stand in it as then I could essentially “cold hose” all the limbs from the elbow down when the older guy was being ridden in winter/cold weather, I would throw a heating pad on his back while I groomed and tacked up. That definitely made a huge difference!

I think for a regular routine, you need to find something sustainable and not overly involved/difficult to do.[/QUOTE]

My IceVibe boots are cold. I have used them on myself too. Now not as cold as using the Whirlpool boots you out ice and water in but they are nice and I love that I can use them to warm up the ligaments and tendons before riding too. Made a big difference with a couple horses

[Ready_To_Riot]

I have a BOT mesh sheet. No idea if it helps, but I got a hell of a deal on it, so I bought it. My mare is turned out the majority of the time. She is in when it’s crazy hot or if it’s cold with rain/sleet/snow. On nicer nights I turn her out in the mesh sheet. She does fine, but if you have a horse who is hard on their blankets, I wouldn’t do it. Or id get the fleece one. The mesh sheet is a jersey like material and snags relatively easy of course the material under the jersey is fine and unharmed, but no way in hell would I turn my other mare out in it. One run up against a tree or fence, and it’s likely to ruin the blanket.

[pologirl27]

My old eventer mare is also out 24/7 so I use BOT hock wraps while I’m grooming her before riding. I didn’t have shipping boots so I bought BOT quick wraps to use as shipping wraps, so she wears those with her hock boots any time we trailer out. The hock boots have a positive effect, the leg wraps don’t really seem to change anything, but that wasn’t really what I was after.

After XC I will put my one ice boot on 1 front leg and then the next (obvi it works better if you have 2 :lol:). She’s had front pads on so it has been about a year since I used hoof packing. When I’m home from a show she gets Sore No More on her legs, hocks and back and then back outside she goes!

[mychestnutvalentine]

My mare had severe back pain. After her recovery I bought her a back on track mesh sheet. No back pain since but I’ve also bought a better fitting saddle.

Same mare strained her check ligament in July. I poulticed as much as I could but cold hosing, limited turn out area and hand walking helped recovery . I still don’t let her out on pasture yet but she has returned to full work.

I use theraplate sometimes before I ride . She is getting used to the idea of it. She’s a generally anxious mare so this will take some time for her to relax on.

I use equivibe boots at shows or if I can’t use the theraplate. I like to use with both with the ice packets for after the ride and without before. I bought them used so I can’t talk about price too much . I only paid $50 for them (: