Back on Track mesh sheet vs Hansbo sweat and travel sheet

[mds79]

Hi, i have been reluctant to get on this bandwagon a long time, but my new guy has recently tweaked his SI and i was hoping for something extra (other than vet/chiro etc) that i could do for him. I’m looking for a sheet to put under other blankets and noticed the Hansbo is about $50 cheaper. Is one better than the other…should i even bother at all?

Thanks in advance

[Jealoushe]

Spend the extra on the BOT. I have used it on quite a few injuries including my own leg broken in 4 places and had amazing results.

[mds79]

Thanks Jealoushe! How have you found the fit of the BOTs? I’ve read on here that they run small, but then other people have said they can stretch and go too far back and rub the withers? My guys is an 80 so I’m torn between a 78 and 81

[beowulf]

I must be the only person with a negative experience with the Mesh Sheet. I bought it for a horse that was on extended stall-rest. It made my horse’s shoulders incredibly sore, and rubbed white-hairs along his withers. He would pin his ears when he saw it come out, and that’s when I stopped using it because he was not a horse to be rude. After some googling I found out this was rather common for the mesh sheet – it just doesn’t fit a certain type of horse… If your horse has big shoulders I might pass and spend that money on different modalities like shockwave, which is a little more, but proven to work.

I ended up selling it two weeks ago for $80 lol. Too bad you didn’t post it sooner!

[x-halt-salute]

FWIW I stopped using my horse’s BoT mesh sheet because it was making her withers sore when used just for 45 min or so in the stall before riding, and rubbing to the point of creating nasty sores when left on overnight. I’ve seen the same in several other horses.

It’s a poor design and hasn’t been updated, to my knowledge, in years in spite of plenty of evidence of these problems. I suspect they wouldn’t cause such problems if they stabilized the spine with a line of webbing (as many fleece coolers have).

My horse’s is in her normal size and runs a bit small, but still pulls back and makes her sore, so I wouldn’t expect sizing down to be a solution for the rubbing.

Several folks I know have been happy with Schneider’s Lux as an alternative to BoT that doesn’t create sores, but I haven’t tried it (or the Hansbo option you mention) personally.

[firefoot]

My boarder has a BoT mesh sheet that does work really well for her one horse with back tightness. However, it does fit weird, and I don’t think I would try it on my own horse (big wither, big shoulder TB). It also runs small – hers is an 81 and fits the 78" horse pretty well. I have a ton of other BoT stuff, but wouldn’t get the sheet. I have a Rambo Ionic fleece cooler coming in soon that I plan to use the same way as a BoT sheet – it has glowing reviews on Smartpak and a woman at work has one that she loves. Similar idea I think. And I think it will fit better. Rambo seems to fit my horses well so I expect it to work.

[mds79]

OHHHH, i LOVE Schneiders blankets

Several folks I know have been happy with Schneider’s Lux as an alternative to BoT that doesn’t create sores, but I haven’t tried it (or the Hansbo option you mention) personally.[/QUOTE]

[theresak]

If it’s something you want him to wear for limited times - I’ve been really happy with the BOT Back Pad.

I put it on under my horse’s the blanket when I get to the barn and keep it on until I saddle him. The extra heat it generates keeps his back from getting tight while grooming and tacking up. My horse is 17.2h and it doesn’t quite cover his SI if it’s at the withers, but it should on a smaller horse. It’s got girth loops for a surcingle and a velcro strip so you can fasten it to the underside of a blanket.

I don’t believe in all the ceramic woo-woo, but do think it reflects more heat back to the body than just a regular blanket. That’s why I use it for “warming” rather than expecting it to actually relive pain.

[HJdaydream]

I’m going to be the outlier and say I think they run big- at least in the large sizes. My guy is 18 hands (although narrower in the chest and body then some beefy wbs), and he was swimming in the 84, especially once I opened up the shoulder darts. No idea why I did that since he doesn’t have wide shoulders. Anyway, he wears 84 in everything and it all fits perfect, but the 84 BoT was huge. I have since replaced it with the 81 and it fits GREAT. If you horse is an 80 I would recommend sizing down personally.

Pics to show fit of the 81. Horse is truly 18 hands.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pJ1Dr-hvoDS5OZ9V9sPDE345MmzgRR-J
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EgQElrn7EoqMa00qXBFAf4CpFyEM4Nv7

[EVneo]

@HJdaydream

I’m going to be the outlier and say I think they run big- at least in the large sizes. My guy is 18 hands (although narrower in the chest and body then some beefy wbs), and he was swimming in the 84, especially once I opened up the shoulder darts. No idea why I did that since he doesn’t have wide shoulders. Anyway, he wears 84 in everything and it all fits perfect, but the 84 BoT was huge. I have since replaced it with the 81 and it fits GREAT. If you horse is an 80 I would recommend sizing down personally.

Pics to show fit of the 81. Horse is truly 18 hands.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pJ1Dr-hvoDS5OZ9V9sPDE345MmzgRR-J
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EgQElrn7EoqMa00qXBFAf4CpFyEM4Nv7

I’m with you on the fit - I think right around 80" it does a weird giant leap in sizing. My guy who usually wears a 78 had a 79 and his booty cheeks were out, get an 81 and he looks like a boxer with his oversized robe hanging off him! I can’t say if it’s doing anything positive, but it’s not doing anything negative (like rubbing).

[Jealoushe]

LOL, I find they fit small. My 78 mare wears the 81 and my 75 wears the 78 BOT.

For what it is worth regarding rubs etc, I never use mine as a daily or nightly thing. I only wear it over night if I think they have sore muscles or are injured. Otherwise I use it for an hr or 2 before a ride. They are heavy and I don’t think they are great for an every night stable blanket.

[Jealoushe]

@mds79

So I called our local tack shop yesterday and they had a 78, but not an 81, so I went and grabbed it knowing I could return it easily. I put it on my horse for about a half an hour before the chiropractor came; he started licking and chewing within a minute or so and then proceeded to pretty much fall asleep (see pic). It seems like the 78 actually fits pretty well. It’s on the second tightest hole and comes up his neck enough that I don’t think I will have any wither rubs, though I do think I will need to release the shoulder tab.

On another good note the chiropractor watched him move and agreed that he is very tight in the back end; but it wasn’t SI, it’s caused by him being FOOT SORE (the footing in his pen has gone from mud to frozen mud and back for the last couple of weeks). I almost cried with relief!!!

So, I guess we don’t really NEED the sheet, but from my horse’s reaction, I think it’s a keeper :).

Oh, and I talked to my chiropractor (who is extremely reputable) about the back on track products and he says they seem to work well. He uses them on himself and lots of his big clients at Spruce Meadows use the rugs on their horses.
Anyways, I’ll keep you guys posted if I end up with fit issues, but in the meantime, thanks so much for all of your replies:)

Great news! One of my girls has a tight back right now too because of dual abscesses that she has been fighting. She’s wearing her BOT at night. I feel your pain on the foot soreness causing issues.