Tacked up: Boots and bandages

TACKED UP

Boots and bandages

Confused over the finer points of boots and bandaging? Here’s everything you need to know courtesy of supergroom KELLY BREULS.

I’ve worked as a groom for over five years now, mostly in show jumping. In early 2021, I joined Megan Jones’ Eventing Team as head groom. We use boots as well as bandages, and when applying them, there’re a few things to be aware of:

Dressage

At home, we use dressage tendon boots lined and padded with faux fur on the front and hind legs. After every ride we make sure the inside of the boots are dry before they’re used again, and they get thoroughly brushed to prevent rubbing and skin irritation. With any type of faux fur or wool-lined boot it’s really important to keep them clean, otherwise sweat and dirt can build up making the ‘fur’ stick together, possibly causing boot rubs. I prefer these type of boots as they are easier to keep clean compared to ones lined with neoprene.

In the warm up at dressage competitions I use perforated neoprene-lined boots, which allow for more breathability, with a one-wrap closure system. That means I only have to pull at one wrap to take them off before Megan goes into the ring. It’s important that they’re quick and easy to remove as you don’t want the horse standing still for too long after warming up for the test.

Cross country

Cross country is probably the phase where there’s most risk of injury to the horses’ legs. They are travelling fast and run the risk of hitting solid jumps. Consequently firm leg protection is extremely important. We use lightweight cross country boots that go right around the leg between the knee/hock and fetlock, and bell boots to minimise the risk off overreaching and pulling a shoe. The boots are well ventilated to reduce the risk of overheating, and after Megan finishes her round I take the boots off straight away to allow airflow to the legs.

Show Jumping

For the show jumping phase we use standard open-fronted tendon boots on the front legs, and brushing boots on the hind legs.

The risk of overheating

Using any type of boot or bandage during exercise creates the risk of overheating, especially of the superficial digital flexor tendon. Like all lower leg tendons it has limited blood vessels so little heat can be lost through the bloodstream. It mostly cools through convection, evaporation and conduction. Adding any type of boot or bandage to the leg gets in the way of these cooling systems. But not using boots at all is not really an option for us as there is also the risk of acute trauma to the tendons, which is especially high during the show jumping and cross country phases.

So it’s very important to properly cool the legs down after exercise. After Megan gets off a horse the first thing I do is take off the boots. When washing the horses after work I always hose the legs first, and after exercise all horses get ice on all four legs. Tendons retain heat for quite some time after exercise so I put a lot of effort into cooling down their legs properly.

Faux fur or wool-lined boots must be kept clean to prevent boot rubs. All images by Kelly Breuls.

Bandages

I don’t use bandages in training simply because boots are more time efficient. I do, however, bandage our horses in the stable overnight. We do this to protect their legs as we all know horses are prone to hurting themselves. They also help give support after a competition or strenuous workout and prevent swelling. When using bandages it’s extremely important to know how to correctly wrap a leg. If done incorrectly it’s very easy to damage tendons. Correct bandaging is something I’m passionate about, so here are some pointers:

ƒ The bandage pad should be clean and rolled tightly. Begin at the front of the leg, using a clockwise direction on the right leg and anti-clockwise on the left leg.

ƒ Use the same direction for the actual bandage. To make sure you can make it back up to the top, begin just below the knee on the front leg, and in the middle on the hind leg.

ƒ Apply an even pressure throughout, only giving the bandage a slight tug after passing the front of the leg. This ensures you don’t pull on the tendons.

ƒ The distance on each rotation should be the same, moving down the leg first and covering half the bandage from your previous rotation. Wrap all the way down to just below the fetlock and make your way back up to the knee/hock.

ƒ Don’t wrap too tightly, as it will constrict blood flow and cause a bandage bow, nor too loosely as it might slip down and get caught.

ƒ Once the bandage is on I double check that it’s not too tight or loose by putting two fingers in between the bandage and the leg at the top or bottom. It should be a snug fit.