I’m curious what everyone does for their horses after lower level (BN/N) cross country schoolings and at shows? I’ve heard a mix of what people do at this level from full icing and wrapping to just liniment or some combination. I didn’t start eventing in a super structured program so I’m interested in what people think is best to maintain comfort/soundness at lower heights and speeds and how much care afterwards is absolutely necessary vs good to help riders develop correct habits.
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At the lower level it’s nothing more than a good ride-out/schooling. There is a point where you don’t want to cover a soft tissue inflammation or strain. Most experienced people cold hose take them home and turn them out overnight, then take a good look and feel in the morning.
Do condition every horse. A fit horse is a happy healthy horse.
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For all levels, I always scrub legs with antibacterial soap and towel dry. If the horse will be in for the night or trailering a longer distance (more than an hour or two) I wrap all 4 legs. If they are going straight out to the field, I put some liniment on like Sore-No-More and turn them out.
The additional care if the horse is going Training/Modified or higher is icing their legs. I quite like the Horze ice wraps, they give a lot of coverage, stay very cold, and don’t slip easily. I sometimes use the big yellow ice boots which are sure to give you complete coverage including the whole foot, BUT if your horse has crappy TB feet like mine do then you might only use this when necessary to avoid getting he feet wet all the time.
Even for lower levels, the ice boots can be a nice thing to add to your routine! I actually do this after any hard jump school, gallop, or show.
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Modern research has shown that icing is not helpful and may actually hinder recovery.
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^^I can’t read the article because it’s behind a paywall, but FWIW, icing lower legs is about cooling tendons and ligaments, as there is no muscle below the carpus/hock.
I am a fan of checking legs and then turning out, personally. If a horse is aged or has a known issue, I may ice/cold hose/liniment as needed. If the horse must stay inside for an extended time afterward, I might wrap, depending on the circumstance- ie I wouldn’t wrap a 4yo that schooled some BN stuff, but might wrap an 18yo who did a novice level school.
After spending years icing and wrapping after every jump school, I now subscribe to the “less is more” school of thought when it comes to lower level stuff. I get more serious about icing after XC and gallops when the horse is at prelim+. Conditioning plays a big role in this- I think special care is warranted when a horse has been exerted beyond their normal fitness level. If the horse is regularly trotting and cantering across the country, jumping some 2-3ft XC shouldn’t be unusually strenuous for them.
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Well, that is a good point that it is tendons/ligaments, not muscle. But I also question whether there is any research showing icing horse’s legs actually helps. Everyone “knew” that icing human athletes helped recovery, but turns out that was not actually based on research, but just what people were doing at the time.
Here’s a different article: https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a29710918/icing-sore-muscles/
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I think it ultimately comes down to weighing the benefits of short-term relief (of discomfort) vs the possibility of delaying healing for an actual injury. We know that icing inhibits inflammation, which is necessary for healing. It isn’t well understood to what degree this occurs (ie does it ultimately delay healing by any meaningful time), in which case, icing to provide comfort and relief to the horse may be worth the potential (likely minor) delay in the physical recuperation process. For me, it would be entirely dependent on the individual horse, and the circumstances regarding my inclination to ice. I actually rarely ice anymore, so I don’t have much of a dog in this fight, but it’s interesting food for thought!
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Nothing. I just take them home and turn them out.
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For BN/N/T, I just rinse them with some vetrolin because of the soap on it to cut the sweat/grime and then toss them out for the night. I don’t usually ice until prelim.
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I think it depends on the horse; in particular, its age, history, current level of fitness, conformation, etc. Plenty of horses at the lower levels can get cleaned up and go out in a field, but some may need some extra TLC, and for some a field is not available. I like to start simple with minimal aftercare and carefully monitor the legs after xc schooling or competition and add in therapies as needed. Some need feet packed, legs iced, or wrapped, but I don’t assume every horse needs the full spa treatment. If a horse has gone prelim in a previous step in its career and is now going BN, this work is probably not pushing it’s strength and fitness and it might be ok with the basic clean up and turn out. If it’s a younger, less fit horse, doing it’s first Novice, maybe I’ll pay extra close attention and put some ice on it since its making a step up in work.
With regards to icing - I think the research should be evaluated all together, not just one study. My understanding is that there is a weight of scientific evidence supporting icing. I myself am a big fan of it.
Well it has worked this long for me, and my 18 year old, knock on wood is still going strong.
After a good in-ring jump school I alcohol and wrap all 4 legs, every time.
After a cross country school, BN/N Poultice wrap all 4 legs.
Above BN/N I ice and then poultice.
My horses tendons have received compliments from Olympians lol, so I guess I’m doing something right, or just lucky.
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One of the most important things I do (IMO), is pull the XC boots as soon as possible. As soon as we pull up and make sure we aren’t in anyone’s way, I dismount, loosen the girth, feed a mint, and pull boots. Even the most breathable ones trap heat and that has proven to be a big issue with injuries in tendons/ligaments. We usually then hose (if possible, at one day shows we settle for sponging and scraping), put rubbing alcohol on legs (again, to get them cool quickly), and then I use my Bemer on my horse. Most of the time my horse is out at night after a competition, so no wrapping unless it’s a situation where he has to stay in. Then I wrap with diluted liniment, Sore No More, or alcohol.
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For BN/N I normally don’t do anything special for a younger horse, though I like to turn them out after they’re all cool and done off so that they can walk around. If competing and the horse will be in a stall overnight, I might rub with alcohol and wrap. Above N I’d generally poultice and wrap when they have to go in the stall.
For an older horse, or one with sketchy legs, I’m a huge believer in icing / hosing / poulticing. I’ve never seen legs look so good as when they come in from a day standing in slushy snow or after standing in a springtime cold stream after galloping, so I’ll be hard pressed to abandon icing where the horse has really worked (I don’t count most BN/N XC schools as real work).
Very good point, with the caveat not to pull boots until after studs are removed, if applicable.
The evidence on icing is pretty mixed. Here’s a 2020 article: https://thehorse.com/189211/can-cold-therapy-safeguard-sport-horses-from-injury/
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Same. I’ll go a step worse… I don’t usually run XC in boots at BN or N, so I don’t worry about their tendons or ligaments getting too hot. A BN or N XC course is a tame affair compared to the idiotic broncing and galloping my herd does every day at 6 am before breakfast.
A lot of these aftercare routines are harmless and make the riders feel better, so I don’t begrudge people for doing them… but I don’t do them myself. I used to, having worked in a few BNT barns and been indoctrinated to the aftercare program, but I never noticed a difference in my horses mostly because they were always immediately turned out. There was never any post-show swelling or splints to worry about. I think if your horse is kept in a stall or a regular boarding barn, puffing up or stocking up after a show is probably more likely.
I run my hands down my horse’s leg probably three times a day - before a ride, after a ride, and during PM grain - so I have a good feel of what is normal for every horse.
If I ever go above Training level again, I’d probably incorporate some PEMF into the aftercare routine and a brace immediately post XC… but I wouldn’t bother with icing. After big efforts I’m more concerned about muscle recovery, considering the leg work should already be in place with all the limb loading and road sets done.
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I just hose off and turn out. I’ll use lineament if I have it but for the most part, I just get him cooled off and the kicked out. I don’t wrap as I don’t feel for my horses that it does anything and the only time I’ve iced was after a 3DE with my then 19 yo but I wasn’t convinced it was actually beneficial
I do always try to hack the day after XC-just enough to check that all is good and he’s sound so that if something is amiss I catch it sooner rather than later. Then he gets a day or two off.
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If stabling at an event, I will poultice and wrap after prelim+ XC. Mostly because my horses live out, and standing inside will reduce circulation compared to what they are used to. I will ice all 4 legs after XC at a CCI. After local events, they get turned out at home barelegged. Walking around is far better at reducing inflammation than anything I can do for them.
Training and below, I don’t do anything special. My horses are fit, sound, and I don’t believe ice or wrapping is necessary.
I may ice and wrap a preexisting injury (old tendon, suspensory, chip) but it depends on the horse and level of work for him specifically.
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The ground here is hard, and handwalking aside, horse stands in a stall until we go home. As a result, even at low level I hose the horse after xc, might throw ice boots on for 20 mins if I remembered them, then Magic Cushion on soles, clay poultice and standing wraps on legs, left on till next day.
It’s probably pointless. But I feel like I am doing something good. I only have one horse, so if there’s a chance it helps her, it’s worth it.
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Nothing, really. Other than scrubbing with MicroTek to prevent funk and turning out.
That makes me feel a lot better after reading other replies! They just get a cool down hose off for their body and then turned out at home. (My horses are 24/7 turnout anyway).
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