Ive been looking into getting a pair of ice boots for my horses, Im interested in a basic set of tendon boots, as well as hock boots, and even on Ebay that would add up to about $140, so I was wondering if any of you have ever done DIY ice boots, and how did they work out? What did you use for the boots? What type of ice pack works best?
TIA
i find that a soft gel ice pack and a polo wrap works just dandy for a 20/30 minute icing session, supervised in the crossties. my horse had a mystery swelling on the back of his right hind pastern a few weeks ago (went away with a bit of rest, icing, and standing bandages at night for a few days, thank heavens) and that was what I used. 
i don’t even know what brand the ice was -we had it in the freezer at the barn. it was just squishy but cold. lol sorry not to be more help. but it definitely didn’t cost anyone $140 
I remember somebody years ago who cut the leg off a pair of jeans, slid it on the horse’s leg, secured the bottom, filled it with ice, then secured the top.
It worked, although I don’t recall now how it was secured. Tape or vetrap, maybe?
A bag of frozen peas and a polo wrap usually works pretty well!
I’ve got an el cheapo pair of support type boots (the kind western riders use when penning and such, the proper name is eluding me at the moment, but they wrap around under the fetlock) I just do up the bottom and put in baggies of frozen peas or beans or whatever is handy in the freezer. Velcro close around them, easy peasy.
IV bags filled with ice and duct taped on.
But I have the Ice Horse System to avoid wetting feet.
The CVS brand “back ice pad” (blue fuzzy side, white plastic side), works quite fantastically. Just wrap with a standing bandage, or an ace bandage. They are about $30, but they do a great job. I like to get the leg wet first to transfer the cold better. But to avoid getting feet wet you could just rub a wet towl, or spritz the leg.
I have these freezeable gel pad thingys for people…they have brushed cotton lining and velcro straps attached to them -so one may strap them to a knee, shoulder, etc.
They were like $20 or something at Wal-Mart like 10 years ago and they work like a charm on legs, I just strap em around and leave horsey in cross ties.
Cheap plastic hip waders, old jeans, and a rubber gasket (like a piggy bank) for each leg, and secure them around the shoulders. Even get metallic fabric/insulator material so that they remain cold longer. Good sewing machine project.
I “second” the frozen peas and polos.
Get one of these http://www.rei.com/product/723941 – It’s enough to wrap 2 legs if you cut it in half – Hold them in place with wraps or boots – They refreeze better than peas –
I purchased a set of those soft blue ice paks (in the first aid section) from Walgreens - the ones I found were about 5" x 10" with two velcro straps to secure them on. I think I spent $ 30 for the set
Big plastic freezer bag filled with 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 2/3 water – freeze it, use polo wrap to secure around leg.
[QUOTE=LH;4989258]
Big plastic freezer bag filled with 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 2/3 water – freeze it, use polo wrap to secure around leg.[/QUOTE]
LH - that is funny - that’s my exact recipe for my “red neck hock wraps”. I wanted to get him some ice wraps for his hocks, but didn’t want to spend $70 PER HOCK… This is my $2 solution…:lol::lol:
[QUOTE=MHM;4984568]
I remember somebody years ago who cut the leg off a pair of jeans, slid it on the horse’s leg, secured the bottom, filled it with ice, then secured the top.
It worked, although I don’t recall now how it was secured. Tape or vetrap, maybe?[/QUOTE]
This is what my vet suggested to us.
Wrap the leg first with a polo so you don’t give your horse freezer burn! A wet wrap will conduct the cold better/evenly.
We secured the bottom of the jean leg with duct tape, filled with ice and wrapped the top with duct tape to prevent it drooping.
When treatment time is up, simply remove the tape at the bottom, ice will drop out, slide off the jean and hang to dry.
I’m going to try the jean thing. The price is right!!!
Wow, this is an oldie. I had forgotten I posted on it. Lol.
The other method I’ve seen posted on Facebook is the kids’ frozen ice pops, wrapped around the leg and secured with a polo or what have you. Very inexpensive, and reusable.
:yes: I Third it.
Advantage in that you get a good 20min of icing before the peas defrost - so no chance of too much cold on the leg.
The softgel packs are good, but they do tend to stay cold longer - most of them have printed instructions on the pack itself or enclosed that advise icing for 20min, then remove, let area warm & repeat
I stand corrected - for human use 10min on & off suggested:
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-long-to-leave-ice-on-an-injury-3119251
I use gel ice packs and 2 sizes too big splint boots. It’s quicker than polos and the splint boots are easier to dry then polos.
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