Standing wrap options for the super scratches-prone prince(ss)

[BroncoMo]

I have a white legged sorrel (red chestnut for you non-stock horse types) who has the most sensitive skin. Very prone to scratches, cuts, nicks, dings, irritation, dandruff, galls, etc. I cannot wrap his legs without him blowing up with a massive case of scratches. I have a pair of neoprene lined open front boots for riding that do not have this effect on him. I used to bleach them after every ride, but got lazy and stopped doing so and he has had zero issues.

Anyways, last month we had a pretty physically taxing show; started at 6:30 in the morning with schooling, multiple over fences runs, ending with a marathon under saddle class at 8:30 that night. He was spent, obviously leg and body sore. So I wrapped his legs. I didn’t feel I had much option. He stocked up pretty badly over the next few days (done showing so he only hand walked a few times a day until the end of the show). So I was wrapping at night and removing during the day; I tried to take them off before he started to sweat but didn’t always make it in time. He now has some nasty scratches. I’m racking my brain to come up with some type of leg support that isn’t going to cause him to break out, because I swear it’s harder to treat every time.

Nutrition wise, he has not been on supplemented vitamin e for some time so his 10 pounds a day of concentrate provided 2500 IU of vitamin e. Copper and zinc levels are also adequate, per NRC guidelines. I had a feeling that he would blow up with scratches so went ahead and ordered SCA synthetic vitamin e and feeding 8000 IU per day, but the damage at that point was already done.

Not particularly looking for treatment options per say, but if you have some brilliant concoction, feel free to share. I’m looking for some type of alternative to standing wraps that I can use when he has a physically exhausting day and I know he could use a little leg support. He tolerates plain poultice just fine, so that is an option (paint on and leave unwrapped). I’m debating getting him a few pairs of silver infused socks for every day use, but wonder if they could be used under a set of standing wraps to protect from whatever pathogens he’s picking up from he wraps (this isn’t the first time). I could incorporate ice boots/wraps in some way. He just can’t tolerate heat + sweat + dirt + germs it seems.

Other out-of-the-box ideas are super welcome. I don’t particularly believe in ALWAYS wrapping at night at shows. But that particular show, he needed it.

[walkinthewalk]

I recently had a lady tell me she swore by sauerkraut juice when she had horses, which was much of her adult life before she retired.

Her worst victim was her red chestnut. My red chestnut is fine but my sorrel with the white leg is not:)

I haven’t bought sauerkraut juice to try it (you do NOT have to buy a can of sauerkraut unless you want to:), because I got my guy learned up with 40% zinc oxide diaper rash paste and cortisone 10.

I also wash the legs with Dawn Dish soap. Dawn dish soap won’t dry the skin out but the legs and maybe belly line are all I wash with it:) I have a gallon of MalAcetic shampoo for the rest of his sensitive self:). It’s expensive but a little goes a long way. I’m only on my second gallon in 17 years, using it on horses and dogs, when needed:)

I also cut his fetlock hair way back but you show, so that’s out u less show season has ended:)

Also FWIW, I feed Natural Vitamin-E (without selenium) from Horse Tech, as opposed to synthetic. I feed both horses (the other one is IR) an extra 3,000 IU daily. It controls the sorrel’s skin issues to about 95% most of the time. This year, however, it’s down to about 90%. If he would stop eating grass where the pig weed is, he probably wouldn’t have breakouts on his face either:(

If you try the sauerkraut juice, PLEASE let us know if it works:)

Hope this helps:)

[Simkie]

You can get silver stockinette, and try that under your standing wraps. Its the sort of stuff that goes under casting material.

But, I also have a horse that’s prone to scratches. And she is 98% better if I give her quite a lot of copper and zinc, more than she “should” need. I don’t know why she needs more, but there’s certainly a whole lot we don’t know about equine nutrition, so… 🤷”â™€ï¸

[Kimstar]

I would leave her bare-legged. Standing wraps don’t support any of the stay apparatus of the lower legs - period. They DO stop stocking up, but this is cosmetic. It goes away with exercise. Wrapping is more for you, not the horse. Spend the time you’d be wrapping her by hand-walking her and doing other gentle exercise (walking under tack?) if possible while you’re still at the show.

[JB]

@BroncoMo

Copper and zinc levels are also adequate, per NRC guidelines.

What are the total numbers of the whole diet for each of those? What’s his total dietary intake of iron?

While cu and zn may be finde as an absolute number (100mg and 400mg respectively for a 500kg horse) they may be woefully low in relation to iron.

I had a feeling that he would blow up with scratches so went ahead and ordered SCA synthetic vitamin e and feeding 8000 IU per day, but the damage at that point was already done.

If he’s getting scratches on 2500IU Vit E a day, assuming natural E, then E isn’t likely the issue, unless he’s a lot bigger than 1200lb.

[seabreeze]

I use medicated powder (Gold Bond or generic) under any wraps or boots on my 3-stocking mare. I liberally sprinkle it on the boots or wraps right before I put them on. It definitely helps her.

[BroncoMo]

@Simkie

You can get silver stockinette, and try that under your standing wraps. Its the sort of stuff that goes under casting material.

But, I also have a horse that’s prone to scratches. And she is 98% better if I give her quite a lot of copper and zinc, more than she “should” need. I don’t know why she needs more, but there’s certainly a whole lot we don’t know about equine nutrition, so… 🤷”â™€ï¸

I may need to revisit this. As JB said, my iron may still be too high. I forgot to take the ratio in to account. I may just go back to supplementing. I can’t remember if I’ve ever tried wrapping his legs while he’s on copper and zinc…

[BroncoMo]

@JB

What are the total numbers of the whole diet for each of those? What’s his total dietary intake of iron?

While cu and zn may be finde as an absolute number (100mg and 400mg respectively for a 500kg horse) they may be woefully low in relation to iron.

If he’s getting scratches on 2500IU Vit E a day, assuming natural E, then E isn’t likely the issue, unless he’s a lot bigger than 1200lb.

I totally forgot to take the ratio in to account. I feed alfalfa and I do know it tests quite high in iron, in regards to the ratio, without crunching numbers at the moment (dealing with a winter storm and overdue homework).

I know I’ve noticed before that his skin quality and subsequent scratches prone-ness are quite improved while on supplemented vitamin e. So that’s why that was my response this time. He’s somewhere between 1400 and 1500 pounds, so not super far off of the usual 1200 pound calculations.

[BroncoMo]

@Kimstar

I would leave her bare-legged. Standing wraps don’t support any of the stay apparatus of the lower legs - period. They DO stop stocking up, but this is cosmetic. It goes away with exercise. Wrapping is more for you, not the horse. Spend the time you’d be wrapping her by hand-walking her and doing other gentle exercise (walking under tack?) if possible while you’re still at the show.

I absolutely agree on the comment regarding support. Perhaps I shouldn’t have used the phrase “support”. There’s plenty of research out there regarding boots and wraps doing nothing to aid in actual soft tissue support. So I’m totally with you on that one.

But I really didn’t like how stocked up he got. At home he lives outside in a run and is quite active, so has a tendency to stock up at shows as is when spending so much time in a stall. Let alone after such a physically demanding day of classes. I had another horse in another location (late entry, so didn’t get stalled in the same barn) that took up nearly all of the rest of the show. I was able to get him hand walked but it didn’t seem like enough. I didn’t have the time to ride him. I could get the swelling down some by walking, but I simply didn’t have the time to walk him as much and as many times as I would have liked. I just figure there has to be some type of out of the box idea that I’m not thinking of, that would allow me to put wraps on and keep down the build up. Kind of a barrier of sorts between his leg and whatever pathogens are pissing off his skin. shrug Maybe the answer is just poultice without wraps. I had one that would rip his wraps off over night, even with wrap last applied. So I used to just poultice him and leave wraps off. It still worked great to keep his legs tight, even without wraps. So maybe that might work for Mr. Pearly-white-legs.

[IPEsq]

What wraps are you currently using? Material, brand, type —cotton, flannel, any foam in there like a no bow, what kind of binding, are you using nylon or flannel bandages? Have you tried one of the boots like the BOT quick wraps? Do you prep the leg with anything—alcohol, liniment, gels, powder, poultice?

[hunterjumper98]

I haven’t tried this so I can’t say without a doubt that it would work, but it may be helpful to apply a liberal application of Coat Defense powder underneath the wraps and all the way down to the coronet band to try and prevent the skin irritation. I use the powder on my sensitive princess’s white legs every day in the summer to keep the crud away, and it does a fabulous job. It might be useful in your situation too since it helps dry the leg and prevent fungal and bacterial growth.

[BroncoMo]

@IPEsq

What wraps are you currently using? Material, brand, type —cotton, flannel, any foam in there like a no bow, what kind of binding, are you using nylon or flannel bandages? Have you tried one of the boots like the BOT quick wraps? Do you prep the leg with anything—alcohol, liniment, gels, powder, poultice?

Cotton quilts or no bows (both were used at this particular show) with standard nylon standing wrap binding. No prep. He has tolerated plain poultice before with no wraps. I did not poultice at this particular show as the only one we had on hand was medicated and I did not want to risk irritating his skill with it. I simply did not have the time to run to the vendors to grab a non-medicated one. I have not done a BOT quick wrap.

[IPEsq]

I might try using something like Coat Defense powder and changing the over bandage to flannel.

My horse who was prone to crud under wraps actually did better with BoT no bows on very dry legs and clean wraps (if I could trust him not to eat them $$$). But he got the worst from bottom edge irritation so sometimes just changing up the type of quilt and the length would keep him from getting repeat irritation that would turn into something.

Once he got crud, the only thing that would heal it is Animax.

[joiedevie99]

I’ve heard good things about the Equifit AgSilver no bows, but I’ve never had reason to try them.

[Gamma]

The ShooFly Leggins won’t help with stocking up, but they can help a lot with skin problems on the legs… Good air flow, keeps the gnats off (a lot of horses are allergic to gnat bites!), and also prevents the self-inflicted damage from scratching one leg with the other and ripping everything open.