I am looking at investing in some kind of therapeutic blanket/sheet for my horses. Back on Track is an option. I have also seen that Veredus now has a magnetic blanket that I am very interested in as well. Any thoughts, experiences etc. on what works and what doesn’t would be appreciated.
Thanks!
I don’t have the blanket, but I have a friend who swears by them. She uses them daily on her UL horses.
I do use the saddlepads, and some of the boots, and I really like them.
It depends a bit on the horse as well as the blanket. One horse LOVES the BOT product and wearing the sheet or using a saddle pad means she is ready to start work with a 10 minute hack, not a 20 minute one. My other mare? Meh. No difference.
Most horses, though seem to respond like the first one - looser, more relaxed, better able to go to work with the BOT.
I have the Back on Track sheet (plus saddle pads, wraps, boots, etc) and swear by them. My horse is much looser when I use them pre ride, and less stiff the next day if I use them post ride (it’s the same idea as using a heating pad, it’s just that the Back on Track fabric heats up with your own body heat instead of electricity). I also use the knee brace and ankle brace on myself and they feel sooooooo nice 
Huge fan off all the Back on Track products (people, horse and dog)!
Last week my horse ran like a banshee in his 5 acre field for 10 solid minutes. Ever since then he has been very reactive on the top of the left side of his butt. Have tried chiro,. accupuncture, Banamine (3 days. 10cc’s per day) and have just scratched the show for this week.
Would you all recommend a B O T mesh blanket as the next step? Everyone swears by them for a tight back, but will they also work on a pulled muscle?
One last question: there is an old thread April 2014) about a tab on the front which makes the mesh sheet too tight. But when it is removed the neck gets so big it slips back and binds at the withers. Is this still a problem in the 2015 models?
Also, my horse wears an 80" blanket. Should I order a 78 or an 81?
The mesh sheet runs small. The tab closes the shoulder gusset so that the sheet hugs their shoulders to try to touch as much area as possible, but makes it run small. I would guess you might need to size up, but I would buy it from smartpak so you could return it for the next size up if needed.
Anyone use their riding gloves?
I love my back on track fleece sheet, fit has not been an issue. Magnetic was also mentioned in your original post and there have been studies that prove magnetic therapy does little to help.
I use the BOT mesh sheet on my horse. I do not like the tab in the gusset; it is very easy to remove. My horse consisently wears an 81/82 in Rambo and Dover clothes. He very comfortably wears a 78 in the mesh BOT with the tab removed. I love those products.
I have a bunch of BoT products, from no bows to saddle pads to stuff for myself as well. I do notice a difference in how my boy goes after being in his mesh (or fleece) sheet overnight. When he pulled something very minor in his shoulder (we think, he was barely barely off), a mesh sheet overnight made sure he was 100% the next day and he wore it for a few more days and felt fantastic. I really really love the saddle pads, they are a good size and sturdy.
I have the BOT mesh sheet which I find most useful as you can throw it on under another blanket so can be used year round. I used it last night after my horses acupuncture/chiro appt and between both he felt fantastic today!
I also use the saddle pads and leg quilts. I will say that even if their product didn’t have the ceramic fibre I would buy just for the quality. I have saddle pads my friend gave me 4yrs ago that get used on a daily basis with multiple horses and they’re just starting to show wear at the girth. The no bows are awesome- my horse injured himself last year and requires daily wrapping. They still with a year of daily use wash up well and are still the same density as when I bought them. I tried the generic no bows on another horse and had to replace within 2 months as they’d flattened and the insides had torn.
[QUOTE=Toadie’s mom;8116101]
Anyone use their riding gloves?[/QUOTE]
I have not used the riding gloves but a friend has and she loves them.
However, prior to wrist surgery, I wore the BOT wrist band for hours at a time and I swear it did help.
I have two BOT mesh sheets and I think they work. I am never quite sure and wonder if I am just the victim of the good ole, time-honored, all powerful placebo effect. (I do believe that we horse people are very often victims to placebo in our belief in supplements, saddle pads, energy readings, and whatever… animal communicators?) Are there documented studies showing that the BOT works?
Someone above said that the tabs on the shoulder gussets are easy to remove. How are they easy? Mine are stitched on very tight and I have yet to figure out a way to remove them without potentially tearing holes in the fabric. Is there a trick to it? My sheets run small, partly because of the restriction of the tabs and partly because the sheets are not supposed to hang loosely - that would negate the effect, I would think.
They are kind of woo-woo, but for some reason it seems to work.
I didn’t really buy the kool-aid until I tried it on myself. A few years ago, I shattered several bones. I used to get this dull aching pain in my joints surrounding the injury sites, and occasionally some sharp pains that left me unable to do my job. On a whim, I purchased BOT items and when the pain was really bad, I would put them on and think to myself, “this is insane, this FABRIC is not going to cure me”. I didn’t feel it working. But every time, without fail, I’d catch myself a few minutes later and realize that the pain was gone.
I started trying it on horses and consistently saw the same reaction. Horses who were antsy or misbehaving due to pain would “magically” quiet down when the BOT product was applied. The horse who flinched and nearly sat down when palpating his back was suddenly non reactive. The horse who was falling down in crossties because he couldn’t hold his hinds up long enough for the farrier was suddenly standing like an angel with a sheet tossed over his back. The horse with the stove pipe legs was suddenly clean and tight legged after regular wraps had failed to do the job. The results were not repeatable with other therapeutic products like magnets, heating pads, or ice wraps (although each had good effects in some horses), nor was the “warm it up” theory effective when tossing on a regular blanket.
I recommended it to clients, their results were eerily similar. I would read reviews online and see accounts just like my own repeated back to me. So maybe we’re all delusional and operating under the same placebo effect… or maybe the product just plain works. Either way, I don’t really care. The horses behave better, perform better, and I am physically able to do my job again. That’s the bottom line for me.
[QUOTE=Winding Down;8116966]
Someone above said that the tabs on the shoulder gussets are easy to remove. How are they easy? Mine are stitched on very tight and I have yet to figure out a way to remove them without potentially tearing holes in the fabric. Is there a trick to it? My sheets run small, partly because of the restriction of the tabs and partly because the sheets are not supposed to hang loosely - that would negate the effect, I would think.[/QUOTE]
seam ripper, or just a sharp knife, on the back. If you look at the inside the stitching is quite obvious and you just cut it. I had no problem doing so with no damage to the fabric around it
Bought the gently used BOT mesh sheet yesterday. Put it on am and pm for 2 hours each. I have noticed a huge improvement. As in, he does not react at all when I run my fingers over his rump!
I will use it 2x today again and will walk him under tack tomorrow. I am thrilled; especially since I got the sheet at less than 1/2 price. 
[I took it to my local tack repair man and he pierced (with a hot rod which melts the holes, does not cut them) the front straps with holes as far back as was possible, so now the sheet almost fits him.]
PS: Do people use the sheet in hot weather? I would think it would not do much good when the temp is 90* and the humidity os 90%. Same with the saddle pad.
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8117281]
PS: Do people use the sheet in hot weather? I would think it would not do much good when the temp is 90* and the humidity os 90%. Same with the saddle pad.[/QUOTE]
It is not great in really hot weather but I have had no problems with sweating when it is around 80* or so.
[QUOTE=Toadie’s mom;8116101]
Anyone use their riding gloves?[/QUOTE]
I have the gloves (and socks!). My hands haven’t been bothering me as much as they can, so I don’t know how well they do with stiffness and soreness, but they DEFINITELY are warmer than my regular gloves. They are bulky for my taste (but I would ride without gloves if it weren’t for the fact that I learned that lesson the hard way when I was a kid), but definitely kept my fingers and hands warmer on some of the real cold mornings I rode this winter. Need to see how they do for the stiffness I get sometimes. A friend of mine has them, and she has serious hand issues. She could feel the difference. The socks are nice. Probably not warm enough for a cold day of hunting, but definitely warmer. I didn’t notice any difference in my bionic leg.
Otherwise, it seems to totally depend. I have had great luck with some horses, and no results with others. Toby seems indifferent to his sheet, and gets far more benefit out of his massage pad.
Stella (my dog) LOVES her BOT blanket and it makes a big difference for her, particularly in the winter. I will also lay a BOT back pad wherever she is sleeping, and it seems to help (and if it’s on my bed, it definitely warms you up!). So, it really depends. Probably not a bad investment.
Like all products - works for some horses, not so much for others. My horse has responded great to the saddle pad, fleece sheet, and mesh blanket. I don’t use the boots - he did not like how bulky they were around the fetlock, and occasionally use the polos, but I tend to go with less is more on the legs as I don’t like to heat up those tendons.
I would suggest seeing if you can borrow someone’s stuff before purchasing - it is expensive if you get no effect from it for your horse.
I have used a BOT wrist brace for myself when my wrist hurt so bad I thought I broke it. Doctor says arthritis. Wore the brace for about 2 weeks and my wrist is great even months later.
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