Has anyone used like BOT or other things like that for preventative measures. Like sheets and wraps? What has worked the best? Any personal experiences?
I would save your money. I don’t think there is any science behind it.
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Subbing because I’m interested in what the science inclined minds here at COTH will say.
I’ve used BOT but the saddle pad singed my horses hair. Right now I am using Draper Therapy. I have an anti sweat sheet and the perfect polos which are half Draper material and half Saratoga bandage. I’m a skeptic with this stuff myself, but I slept with the anti sweat sheet wrapped around me when I bought it clean and I woke up feeling amazing. Hard to describe the way it makes you feel. Almost like the blood in your body is magnetized lol.
I had a Draper stable sheet for my last horse, it truly made a difference in his back… sadly it does not fit my new horse and I can’t quite justify the $$ for a new one until I sell the old one. I really want to buy one of their saddle pads also. I know it sounds like hocus pocus, but I really do see a difference.
[QUOTE=xRecklessRenditionx;8634581]
Has anyone used like BOT or other things like that for preventative measures. Like sheets and wraps? What has worked the best? Any personal experiences?[/QUOTE]
While I don’t think there is much in the way of science behind it, I did hear enough anecdotes to get curious. My horse wore one of the BOT mesh sheets under his turnout blanket this winter, and he was MUCH happier all winter long. This was my third winter riding him, and he has always had a tendency to get a tight in his lower back in the cold temperatures, but the BOT had a noticeable impact. A couple of other people ride my horse when I’m busy, and they felt their was an improvement as well.
For what its worth, I’ll certainly keep using it in the winter with my guy.
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I use BOT products on my horse, my dog, and myself. We all seem to feel a benefit. I also use a Equilibrium massage pad on my horse, which was probably the best investment ever made for that horse. 15-30 minutes in that, and he feels like a million bucks from the first step of the ride.
I have tried the boxer shorts for women - I have an old hip injury that flares up - sure I am getting arthritis in it now that I am older. I wear the BOT boxers at night and I have noticed a big difference! I am more flexible on that side and no more dull aching pain. I didn’t wear them for a couple of days I could tell a difference. So to me while I can not really know if the horse truly feels better I know I do when I wear the BOT stuff!
A good friend just had ACL surgery (donor tissue used) and she got the BOT knee braces and they have helped her in her recovery. I noticed a big difference the first day she put them on!
Just saying…
Well, the placebo effect is a real thing.
FWIW, my mother is into those sorts of things and gave me one. I am not into them at all so I am not particular susceptible to the placebo effect of them. I felt zero difference. Same with “magnet therapy” and “essential oil therapy.” the essential oil was my favorite because at least it smelled decent. None of it DID anything for my health.
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[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8634987]
Well, the placebo effect is a real thing.
FWIW, my mother is into those sorts of things and gave me one. I am not into them at all so I am not particular susceptible to the placebo effect of them. I felt zero difference. Same with “magnet therapy” and “essential oil therapy.” the essential oil was my favorite because at least it smelled decent. None of it DID anything for my health.[/QUOTE]
Yes, there is certainly a lot of information available on the placebo effect. It just doesn’t completely invalidate experiences/anecdotes to me. There was a clear distinct difference in my horse when he was wearing the sheet versus when he wasn’t in cold temperatures. I’ll just keep doing what appears to be working.
I’ve observed no difference with the wraps, though.
BOT mesh sheet clearly helps one of my horses.
The placebo effect is not such a simple concept from a psychological standpoint. In most cases, it comes into play when a patient thinks s/he is receiving one thing when in fact s/he is getting something else.
I am a bit of a skeptic. I have never been one to jump on bandwagons. And then I pulled a groin - major nuisance and those things can be slow to heal.
Figuring I had nothing to lose, but not really expecting much, I grabbed one:) my my Back on Track polos and wrapped it around my own ouchy parts and went to bed. The next day, about 70% of the pain was gone. It’s not a miracle worker. . I found that it worked best if I used it two nights, skipped a couple of nights, and then used it again but it seems to have sped up the healing process.
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The fact that placebo effect exists doesn’t invalidate the experiences of hundreds. There have been studies (albeit small ones) with the Back on Track products as well.
I bought the hock boots for my stiff-but-not-lame gelding. If I put them on an hour before, it cuts our warmup time in half. I was rushed and didn’t get them on for my lesson last week; my trainer sees him once a week, and noticed the difference.
I grabbed the back wrap for myself when I saw it on Amazon for a steal ($14!). I have severe lower back/hip pain from old injuries. I wake up much more comfortable when I sleep with it on, and need less in the way of painkillers when wearing it at my desk job all day. Does it get rid of the pain completely? Nope, but the difference is there. And this is pain that I have been prescribed prescription medication for, so not me being like “Oh, I think I was a little less stiff today!”
Both of these smaller test runs led me to spend the $$$ on the mesh sheet for said stiffer gelding, and I’m going to grab one for my smaller/younger gelding when I see one on sale.
I haven’t tried the magnetic products, so cannot compare, can only vouch for the BOT.
[QUOTE=Uncorked;8634724]
I have tried the boxer shorts for women - I have an old hip injury that flares up - sure I am getting arthritis in it now that I am older. I wear the BOT boxers at night and I have noticed a big difference! I am more flexible on that side and no more dull aching pain. I didn’t wear them for a couple of days I could tell a difference. So to me while I can not really know if the horse truly feels better I know I do when I wear the BOT stuff!
A good friend just had ACL surgery (donor tissue used) and she got the BOT knee braces and they have helped her in her recovery. I noticed a big difference the first day she put them on!
Just saying…[/QUOTE]
My dressage trainer says the same thing. She has the boxer shorts. She is a very sensible Danish woman by the way! 
Well, I am typically a skeptic with majikal products and supplements… but I use several BOT products on myself and my horses.
Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t placebo effect when I can visibly see and feel less swelling in my leg (prior injury/surgerical site that swells a bit after longer runs and days with lots of walking on hard surfaces) when I sleep with my BOT calf brace on. And it isn’t due to compression - I accidentally bought the brace a size too big so it isn’t tight at all (I actually wear sweatpants/yoga pants with ankle cuffs to keep it from sliding off at night). I also sleep in a BOT t-shirt when my back muscle spasms are bad and/or in the winter to keep me warm and loose. For my horses, I notice a difference in how quickly their backs loosen in the winter when using the mesh sheet and/or saddle pads.
I bought the knee braces for my father, who has chronic issues with arthritis, and he loves them. On the other hand, my fiancé did not like the back brace I bought him… but he only wore it once and his complaint was the fit.
Please remember that Back-On-Track products and magnetic therapy (such as PHT) are NOT the same and you can’t really compare them. They are different therapies.
With that said, I personally did not notice much results with PHT products with my horses. But I know plenty of folks who swear by them.
Now BOT? LOVE their products. They have certainly proven themselves to me. Currently, I have a full set of the quick wraps. I am always amazed how they help relieve lower leg swelling in as little as 20 minutes. I’d love to have a BOT sheet someday, but I haven’t bit the bullet and spent the money to buy one yet.
I primarily use my BOT quick wraps before I barrel race my horses to “warm up” the legs, so to speak. I will also use them if they are going to be stalled overnight or doing a lot of standing around. It keeps their legs from stocking up.
However, my only “complaint” of the BOT products is that I use them very sparingly when it is hot outside.
BOT is basically like wearing a little heating pad set on a low heat temperature–that’s why it works. Nothing crazy there, just keeping your muscles warm (I use their products for my horses and myself and see a significant difference vs. Not using them).
Magnets are voodoo.
There is no such thing as the placebo effect with an animal. I have a mare that will darn near kick a trailer apart while hauling. I tried all sorts of stuff with her. One day I put the BOT sheet on her for the ride home and the trailer was strangely quiet. I started using it hauling all the time and no more kicking… until the day I got in a hurry and did not put it on. The sheet definitely makes a difference in how she hauls and warms up.
I have a gelding that is a pretty top caliber barrel horse. If you use the BOT blanket on him he will not fire. Goes in and lopes the pattern. It seems to relax him too much. Now, I was very skeptical about magnets but a friend suggested I try the new PHT magna cu which is magnets with copper. This son of a gun is unstoppable if he gets to wear that sheet pre race. Maybe it is all hocus pocus but you can’t tell me that the horses hop on these crazy forums and read all of our human silliness. The proof is in the pudding with some of the products.
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I notice the little difference with BOT with my horse. But, of the three of us, he probably has the fewest complaints. My dog is 12 and while very happy and in great shape, she definitely feels stiff and sore after a big day, a very cold day, or if she’s in the car for a long time. She wears her little sheet to bed on cold nights, and wakes up with a spring in her step. She also travels better in it, getting out of the car after a long drive bouncy and happy, not stiff (hot weather does definitely put a cramp in wearing it). She also likes to lay on that back pad they have for the horses (so do my cats!). I’ve had my leg under that thing, while in bed (I’ll lay it in her spot), and it heats my leg RIGHT up.
For me, I have the socks for my gnarly ankle (also helps my abused feet) and the riding gloves. The socks make a HUGE difference, just on keeping my feet warmer, but definitely has helped relieved any aches and pains I’ve had in my feet and ankles. The gloves keep hands very warm, don’t love them to ride in, but on a cold morning, I will suck it up.
Toby appreciates his BOT sheet, and it does help, but he hates the stretchiness of it and pulls on his shoulders, so he really doesn’t like to wear it very long.
Like Yellowbritches, I have a surgically repaired leg (tibial plateau). The BOT keeps the knee warm, so that I can move easily. Neoprene might do the same, but the BOT breathes. I also have Tommy Copper sleeves that I wear during the day, but the BOT really does help.
Forgot to add, Magnets are quackery. BOT has ceramic that reflects your body heat. It makes sense that it would work.
