Putting on boots/wraps in the opposite direction?

[yaya]

I was always taught “tendons in” when wrapping. Meaning the direction wrapping would go towards the inside when passing over the tendons, so as said above, clockwise on the right, counterclockwise on the left.

As for using boots other than as intended, as a teen, I had a Saddlebred who was a knee-knocker. As he brought his leg up in trot, he would carry his lower leg so crookedly to the inside, that he would kick the opposite knee. There are knee protection boots, but he would knock them out of place. So I started using splint boots upside-down, where the wider ankle part would cover the underside of his knee, and the boot would stay in place. Worked like a charm!

But one day another boarder got very angry at me, saying “don’t you know you are using those boots wrong?” I told her yes, I was aware they were upside-down, and told her the reason why. Seems she had just come back from a hunter-jumper show (she had a TB), and had gotten teased for upside-down splint boots! Guess I was the only one she had seen use them, so she thought that was how they were supposed to go!

Moral of the story: if you see someone using something “wrong”, maybe ask them the reason why they are doing it that way before jumping all over them.

[mydogs]

@yaya

Moral of the story: if you see someone using something “wrong”, maybe ask them the reason why they are doing it that way before jumping all over them.

That is why I posted here. I didn’t feel comfortable posting it on Facebook, mainly because other people had started to judge the girl and I didn’t want to pile on and have it come off as rude or ruin her moment. But, it was driving me mentally nuts not knowing why.

[eqsiu]

Honestly direction of wrapping is tradition mostly. If you are a crappy wrapper I doubt the direction matters. I mean, I like the loose end of the fastener facing backwards just in case the horse brushed up against something that would pull it loose, but that is an incredibly unlikely scenario for all intents and purposes.

It’s kind of like always wrapping the opposite leg. We’re taught to do it to support that leg and prevent opposing limb lameness. But since laminitis is the most likely complication and a standing wrap is useless it really doesn’t make a lot of sense. I do however, like the symmetry of having both legs wrapped.

[Xanthoria]

Wraps for jumping would be a no-no because a) they don’t provide much protection b) they get full of water and heavy c) if they come undone the results would be disastrous - a lot worse than a boot coming off, and d) ain’t nobody got time for all that wrapping!

That said, when I was a kid we wrapped for cross country in exercise bandages over gamgee or fybagee pads for protecton. Exercise bandages were very elasticated, synthetic wraps that had to be done very carefully to prevent slipping and binding, and the ends were ribbon which you had to sew to the bandage after tying and then electrical tape on top as double insurance so they didn’t fall down. What a mularkey! This H’n’H article describes how - “made easy” my a$$!

I was so glad to get Hampas or other buckled boots. Then, when velcro came out, wow - life changer :lol: Add a pair of petal overreach boots for the clickety-clackety noise effect and voila! 80s heaven :lol:

[2DogsFarm]

@Xanthoria Bread & Butter! I was just reading & thinking those posting about wraps coming loose never had to use ties or pins.

I remember both, including being taught how to get the ties “just so” - not too tight, not too loose.
And taping over both ties & pins.

Velcro was a total Gift of the Gods :love-struck:

[Palm_Beach]

@mydogs

There is a video circulating on FB that interviews a girl who is shown putting on standing wraps & sports medicine type boots on her horse. Except, the wraps went in the opposite direction so the velcros were on the inside of the horse and was pulling from back to front.

Now, my pony club mind is screaming. I was going to give the girl the benefit of the doubt and assume she was nervous or rushed because I know I’ve put on boots wrong while not thinking, but always fixed it before I finished getting all 4 boots on.

Not here to bash the girl, just giving background for those that didn’t see the video. But, she must have been taught this way. Other than not knowing better, is there a reason for putting boots & wraps on in the opposite direction, that maybe I’m not aware of?

It’s best to have the fasteners on the outside, other than that, you can wrap in either direction. With standing bandages and polos that have Velcro fasteners, they end up where they end up. To me, it seems very awkward to try to fasten buckles or Velcro on the inside of sport boots, so I don’t know why anyone would do that. Most of them are shaped to conform to the horse’s leg to some degree, so you want to get that part right as well.

But it does not matter which direction you wrap, it only matters where you put pressure on the wrap while you wrap.

[Highflyer]

White polos was the big trend for lower level jumpers (along with spiffy white rubber reins!). As long as the footing is dry and they’re applied correctly they’re fine, but even cheap boots definitely give more protection.