I have been icing my guys legs pretty regularly since it’s been really hot here and I can’t ride him without at least brush boots since he’s still learning and can interfere. So far, I’ve been using a mixture of water and 70% rubbing alcohol in a sandwich bag that I put under his boots after I hose him (so a wet leg). We do have a freezer at the barn, but it’s not in the same barn where I tack/untack/hose. I’ve been bringing them with me from home and keeping them in an insulated bag until I’m ready to use them. It’s been working OK, but does anyone have a recommendation for a reusable ice pack that stays soft and cold for 15+ minutes?
Walgreens has some fabric ones - about 4"WX12"L - that stay soft & moldable & can be reused A LOT.
They keep in the freezer, but are still soft enough to go around a leg.
Stay cold longer than 15min.
Maybe get a small - 6pack size - cooler to keep them frozen in place of the insulated bag?
You could even put a hard-sided freezer pack in that to keep the fabric one as cold as possible.
Giant freezies.
Like the ones you used to eat. When you were a kid… but probably shouldn’t have because they covered your brain in radioactive and iridescent dye. :lol:
Those buggers have enough dye in them in to stay frozen for 30+ min after they’ve been taken out of the freezer. Use a no-bow and standing wrap to keep them on the leg.
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I like the gel compresses from the drug store. I double them up because the ones I have are kind of small. I have the IceHorse ones also and like them a lot less but they Velcro into the ice boots so I do use them. Before I had a freezer at the barn I would bring them from my house I a cooler. I am very close to the barn so they were still plenty frozen after riding/whenever I needed them.
Ice blankets last about 15 minutes. I always heard not to ice longer than that.
CVS has an extra large back size gel pad (12.5 inches x 8 inches) that stays cold about that length of time or longer when properly frozen ahead of time. A good medical supply store will have the same size gel ice pack but with a tougher outside shell so it stays cold and wears longer than the CVS brand does. CVS brand = about $25. Medical supply store= about $50. I was wrapping a draft horse with DSLD. I wrapped the gel pad onto the leg with a wide ace bandage and clips to keep it firmly in place. A standing wrap would also do the job. I tried polo wraps for this but the gel pack got too warm too fast. I loved the CVS gel pack so much that I got a second one for myself. I wrap it in a dish towel before applying it to my own skin so I won’t get freezer burn. In a pinch a large bag of frozen corn niblets will also work well for icing an injury, as the flat sides of the corn rest better on the leg than frozen peas do, but you won’t get long term wear out of the plastic bag covering the corn niblets.
I have a gel pack from the first aid section of the drug store. It’s a fabric outer, might be Ace brand? Stays nice and flexible and holds the cold. I use it in my lunch box too.
Having to ice my mare’s leg more recently, I bought some LeMieux cold wraps that store in the fridge, not freezer. They work pretty well and get the whole leg from pastern to top of the cannon bone cold, so better coverage than the gel pack due to being designed for a horse’s leg. Also easier to apply. A pair was like $50.
I like the Ice Horse ice packs! They stay cold for a good half an hour.
