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Ice for boots

Horse Care
#1

I have a horse that I ice legs on regularly. I have & adore the hidez compression ice socks. They work beautifully & at shows i just run by a mcdonald’s or sonic & grab a bag of ice. Perfect.

My problem is at home. i can certainly use regular cube ice in them, but it is sort of a pain to get the larger cubes down to the lower part of the the sock below the fetlock. Does anyone have an tricks, equipment of anything to make a relatively large amount of crushed ice easily & quickly? Buying a nugget ice maker for home use seems a bit excessive, but that is what I’m looking at if I can’t figure out an easier way to do this…

#2

You can get ice cube trays that make small cubes.

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#3

I use the flexible gel sheets like this under polo wraps but they’d probably work for you as well.
https://a.co/d/fQvz30L

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#4

I have some with smaller cubes, still a pain. I got some of the trays for really small cubes, but they are a nightmare to release the ice from…by the time I got it out, it was almost melted…

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#5

I really am looking for crushed or nugget ice.

#6

You could get silicon ice cube trays. But if you want an ice machine you will need to get one I guess.

#7

Are you regularly in town? Some of the fast-food places sell ice. Especially if you have a Sonic, they have some kind of special ice that people like.

Otherwise, have you tried the silicone ice cube trays? And then just leave them upside down to thaw a bit to get the cubes out.

#8

I will try that. I got some mini cube silicone trays that I thought would be perfect, but they were so hard to get the ice out of I gave up.

#9

I am trying to avoid buying an ice machine unless I can’t come up with something more workable

#10

I’ve put ice in a baggie and whacked it w a hammer, but I am sure that would be very annoying on a routine basis.

2 Likes
#11

Put 1 part rubbing alcohol and 2 parts water in a freezer bag. Once it freezes it makes sort of a slushee and you can put the whole bag in the boot. It stays cold a long time.

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#12

Actually that’s what I’d did today, saw something called a “lewis bag” that is for crushing ice for drinks. It is just a canvas bag then they whack the ice with a mallet. Had some canvas in my fabric stash, so sewed up a horse sized version that will hold about 8 trays worth of ice. Took me 30 seconds to smash it. Looks like will be my go to. Enough crushed ice for both ice socks & enough left for me to enjoy a beverage while we standing around watching it melt!

It was taking me 15min to get even small cubes loaded & distributed in the socks.

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#13

When I was icing legs daily, I stopped at Sonic on the way to the barn.

Now we do have a nugget ice maker…but unless you buy a commercial unit, I don’t think you’ll be happy. It’s hopper is great for personal use–filling a few glasses–but small for icing legs. I guess you could empty it a few times and store the ice in your freezer, but what a workout. The bag I’d pick up from Sonic for a couple bucks is probably about 10x as much ice as the GE Profile Opal machine produces & stores.

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#14

thanks, I won’t even think about the ice machine then. The lewis bag deal worked great actually. Fast, cheap, & easy. Wish I had done it sooner. My horses are at home, so there is nowhere for me to stop on the way anywhere. I do run to sonic or mcdonalds if I am at a show.

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#15

They sell crushed/ tiny round cubes of ice at any grocery store or gas station?

Buy a bag and keep it in your freezer to use as you want?

#16

I do that at shows, too expensive to do with daily icings. Was looking for fast & cheap for at home. The Lewis bag is working well.

2 Likes
#17

I have an undercounter ice machine at home. I have been icing two hind legs with Jack’s ice boots for the last couple of days, twice a day. I use up every bit of ice and am still just a little short of what I’d like. The machine does refill fast enough for twice a day though. With the boots you’re using, seems like that would be more than enough. And it makes little cubes, like what you get at a fast food restaurant.

#18

Too bad your fridge doesn’t have an ice maker. Doesn’t get any easier or cheaper than that.

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