My dressage pony is now in her early 20’s and im looking at therapeutic support for her in the form of Ceramic or Magnetic products. She is 100% sound and ridden 4-5 times per week training 1st level. She has no injuries but im also very careful not to work her hard or for too long. Based on feedback ive located in this forum I will purchase her a ceramic rug mostly likely Back On Track, but my concern with BOT boots is they may be too heating for her tendons. Does anyone have any experiences with Magnetic Boots/Leg Wraps like the Premier Equine Bi-Polar Magni-Teque Boot Wraps. Has anyone tried either or both these kinds of therapeutic product and have feedback or experiences to share? If you prefer one over the other why? And if you use BOT boots do you use them in summer/hot weather? (i have also crossed posted this in the horse care forum)
I think it really depends on what you are looking to “treat” or maintain, therapeutically. BOT is often successful (from what I’ve seen) for arthritic type conditions, as warmth should theoretically help relieve stiffness - increases circulation… But if you are looking to reduce potential inflammation post-exercise, then ice therapy would be your best bet. Ice is most effective to help acute injuries <48 hours post-injury, so actually it may be a good thing to ice for 15-20min after a work out and ideally no more than 30min. Heat on the other hand, may be most beneficial before exercise to help loosen up muscles and help prepare the horse for exercise - that is where your BOT equipment may be best used. Ideally, a combination of both are recommended for therapeutic prevention.
From your post, I only use the BOT quick wraps on my DSLD horse occasionally, which was recommended by one of the vets I’ve been working with on it and he happens to also use the products on himself for arthritis. I’ll generally use them if I stall my horse over night or if he is on the cross ties. For injury purposes, I would not use BOT wraps in the initial stages (48-72 hrs) when swelling is at its worst as at this stage there is increased movement of fluid and white blood cells into the injured area. You do not want this to become uncontrolled by increasing vasodilation by applying heat, which will cause more edema than the injury would have otherwise incurred and could result in greater damage to the area. This is another more specific reason to why using heat after exercise (when your horse is vasodilated) would not be as benificial as using ice. After the initial stage, edema stabilizes and heat can help proceed in healing.
Personally, I don’t 100% believe in all the technology they claim; however, anecdotally my horse does seem to actually be relieved when I put them on, but the same could be said for when I had stable wrapped him. There was a period where he had been uncomfortable initially (trying to get weight off the ligaments by pushing and resting his butt up against the side walls) and this behavior stopped shortly after I put the wraps on. I think they act like a stable bandage and they do keep horses from stocking up overnight from what I’ve seen, plus the heat would help. They are also quite convenient if you want to save on time or need someone else to do them for you (if you board).
That being said, I think overall the best thing you could do to help maintain your horse is really enhancing her basic care to aid in prevention, which may seem obvious, but as I have learned, proper diet, saddle fit and hoof care may seem basic, but they really are not. There is so much to learn there and finding that ‘perfect fit’ can really do wonders for a horse. Really ensuring that your horse’s diet is well- balanced to hay and/or other environmental factors with emphasis on reducing eliminating unnecessary sugar in the diet (can trigger inflammation) and increasing anti-inflammatory targeting foods, such as omega-3s to name one. Additionally, finding the farrier (if you already haven’t) that can produce a well-balanced trim and shoeing job will reduce risk of injuries related to hoof imbalances.
I went on a bit of a ramble there, but I hope you find some of what I’ve said useful 
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I use the BOT exercise boots on two of the horses I ride regularly. Both horses are around 14 hands high, one QH, the other an Arab-Welsh mare.
I use them in the summer, fall, winter and spring.
If you are worried about overheating the tendons in the summer heat just take them off after the horse has warmed up.
I also use the BOT exercise sheet (for use while riding). In the heat of our Southern summers we put it on the horse for the walk to the ring and maybe for the first three minutes, then we take it off. In cooler temperatures it stays on my whole ride.
I always use a Contender II BOT/ThinLine saddle pad all year round, with the ThinLine shims if needed.
I also use a BOT poll cap. I started also using a Fenwick Face Mask with ears. If it is super hot we will leave the BOT poll cap off and leave the Fenwick Face Mask on, but I get the feeling from the horse (the horse’s expression plus the feel from my reins) that the horse WANTS the BOT poll cap on, and when it gets cooler and I put the BOT poll cap on the horses are a little bit more relaxed during the rides.
