I find it so ironic that the Dutch federation is banning bandages but not revising their top riders with the way they ride and how they train their horses. Nothing is more damaging than incorrect training.
I really don't see the problem with bandages in an of themselves. Those horses perform at a level above and beyond their natural movement, the limbs get more stress and loading. Human athletes wear bandages or tape in order to support their joints for the same reason.
@@diarmuidkuhle8181 the science says that leg bandages cause tendon damage. You can’t know better than the scientific evidence. The heat build up from bandages is while the horse is being ridden does not help. So called, cooling bandages are not better.
@@11buleriano, unfortunately science is not the all time never lying truth. As a scientist you have to earn money, find sponsors... all this doesn't come from old ideas!!!
About bloody time this issue was raised! I've NEVER wrapped legs. If your horse is banging itself, or overreaching, THIS IS A TRAINING ISSUE not an equipment fault. Survivor of the Australian 3-day eventing circuit back in the 60s and 70s here. I don't even use shipping wraps because I think they are too damn dangerous. Especially if shipping over long distances. I've seen too damn many good horses ruined when their shipping wraps came adrift mid journey. I would put a lot of extraneous gear like this into the same category as the 'bearing reins' made famous or infamous in the book Black Beauty. Along with a lot of fancy bits too. There is NO substitute for good riding technique and good horse management. I fully applaud the Dutch for bringing this issue into the foreground.
@@beabarber4300 👏🏻👏🏻Here! Here! My personal hate are all these complicated combination bits, combining sharp mouthpieces, with gags and curbs, all tied up with a tight noseband, and a too short running martingale. Total barbarity! And that’s insulting to Barbarians, most of whom rode with very basic bridles and saddlery.
@@cathynewyork7918 Those “giant bits” used by the Household Cavalry are very showy, but are underneath all that gilded brass, are really just classic English double bits. A short shank Weymouth and a Bridoon /Snaffle seen everywhere on dressage horses. The difference being unlike the average dressage horse they are not combined with a tight noseband. The ‘noseband ‘ on the Guards bridle is fitted like a head collar/stable halter. The bits are attached to two separate head stalls that are layered over the Watering Bridle or halter and are easily removed by undoing two small leather clips on the ends of the brow and. The functionality is that the horse may be fed or watered without any bits, but without removing its bridle. There is always a tethering chain or rope, (depending on the regiment) attached to the watering bridle and secured loosely around the neck. Also, unlike the majority of horses, these horse’s kit, is professionally sized and fitted to each individual horse. The troopers have to be trained to ride in this standardised saddlery rather than being able to go to a different bit in an attempt to rectify or disguise, their failings as riders. Lastly ( and then I shall dismount from my high horse😉) All the guard men are active soldiers first, during, in an emergency, and after their tour of duty on horseback. Most of them have never sat on a horse before entering the riding school. The Guards regiments are very definitely not, “chocolate soldiers“ They do a maximum of two years mounted, but can re apply after two years if they really want. Whilst “ mounted” they are encouraged to try and also compete in other equestrian sports. Usually in competition with their brother regiments. The competition is fearsome! The horses, are the real professionals, each might well carry (and teach) anything up to a dozen different troopers, before they retire to the countryside.
99% agreed. 1) a skill to wrap the bandage; not everyone would know the amount of tension 2) we have tested on our polo ponies, which only serve to protect from the ball or sticks. However, we only wrap the legs only minutes before the game , and immeaditely unwrap after the game. Results were tendon injury reduced to 99 % Simple logic , is the HEAT created....the trouble.
im excited to hear the entire program because i worked on a timber racing horse for several years (i love it and miss it btw) and we often leg wrapped most of the horses boarding there and the main reason i was told we are to wrap horses legs is to prevent cuts and other various of injuries while travelling in a horse trailer OR when they were gonna run cross country through rough terrain that has harsh thorns and thistles in various of areas through the wooded trails and i was also told it helps prevent and help heal stress fractures but we were always told to be careful when wrapping so not to bow the legs of the horses. OFten we would have to stop wrapping all together because the legs were showing early signs of bowing that fortunately were reversed. so now this topic in video has grabbed my interest.
Interesting. I used to work in stables a long time ago and wrapping was an art form and done all the time. Well, I'm an old trail rider now, all kinds of terrain, over logs, thru rivers, up mountains, haven't used a wrap in 20 years, can't say I've ever had a problem with my horses legs.
The reason a lot of people do it is because it looks nice.my daughter asked me to get brushing boots and over reach boots for her horse I refused as the horse had no relevant problems
I'm an American living in Europe. Since learning English riding I've always been baffled at the obsession with leg wraps and tendon boots just for every little riding training where the horse is doing no more than a trot in a paddock with no other horses around. Like what's supposed to happen to him there? On the other hand, Western trail riding on rugged, rocky slopes, and certainly rodeo riding, is far more risky than English riding competitions, but the horses do just find without wrapping or tendon boots. I get the impression that the English riding discipline is just unnecessarily overly obsessed with over-precaution.
It makes sense, actually. I wore a three inch leather wrist band in the 70's as a fashion statement. When I took it off, months later, my wrist was so weak from being supported all the time, that it took months to strengthen it again. The same thing could easily happen to horses legs.
That's the problem, the study compares using bandages for hours, days, weeks... with using them for 20/30 minutes. That's why these results are not really reliable.
This sounds unlikely. A 3" leather bracelet on humans has no way of supporting the wrist joint. The hand widens significantly at the joint and the bracelet would have to cover the hand to restrict movement. That's why medical wrist braces always have a section that loops past the wrist and between the thumb and fingers.
I grew up being told that the wraps support the legs, then was told that no research could prove any support from them, now research is showing a detrimental effect. Do the best with what you know, when you learn better, do better.
It makes sense. I don’t use wraps or boots. Only time was at horse trials where they wouldn’t let you ride without brushing boots. I’ve had a very bad sprain once and physio worked to get me out of the air cast asap. Continuous use of support boots and wraps actually weakens the tendons and joints. I highly suspect it is the same with horses. Thank you for this video.
I admit that I don’t know squat about this topic at all. But I do know about scientific studies. First, who paid for the study? Do they have a financial gain in the results? Studies usually run in favor of whoever is paying for them. Second, is what was written in the conclusion part of the study actually what was found in the study? Often times they don’t match. so before you believe anything, any study says look into it a little bit more.
If you do know about scientific studies, then why are you asking a youtuber to provide info on the funding sources rather than looking it up yourself? Besides, funding doesn't always point towards results. Tobacco use research and fossil fuel research has consistently pointed against what the companies promoting them want.
That’s amazing… so the horse in his natural state is already equipped to move himself?! What a revelation. Personally, I think that if we are asking horses to do movements that require artificial reinforcement, we are asking too much.
I hope you have already applied that logic to shoes on hirses' feet; they reduce 1/3 of shock absorption (of the front legs) and have a direct correlation with many, if not most, lamenesses.
Yes you are right. In natural state, the more the hoof wears, the more circulation. That leads to increased growth to keep up with ANY and all the wear. Also the expansion of the hoof at each beat stretches the capillaries, helping the heart (the taller the animal, the farther the heart from the foot) with recirculation of the blood. So growth naturally keeps up with the wear of the hoof. There are successful racing stables in Ireland racing barefoot on flat and steeplechase. In rare cases e.g. sliding stop shoes can be put on back feet only, then removed till next competition.
I never understood it. First you cannot support the tissue, bones, muscles, etc. You create heat where you do not want it. You undermine blood circulation. You take away the sensitivity. (How much sensoric abilities does a human have with wintergloves?) You can create harmfull situations when they get loose or catch a horseshoe. You can damage the skin, when not proper wrapped and they are to thight or a pleat creates friction.
I agree with Stephenking7923. It depends on who fits the bandages. If an inexperienced person wraps the bandages too tight they can damage tendons. For older horses with a lot of wear and tear they are almost necessary but must be fitted by an experienced individual
This makes total sense. When we ride our horses, we use BOOTS, not wraps. Wraps don’t do anything. It’s more aesthetically pleasing to look at than anything else.
I concur, barefoot, then well fitting and well ventilated boots for sole and wall issues that are waiting for a resolution. I've barefoot trimmed my boy since he was first rescued at 13 months old and those hooves are as solid as ever with a good solid heel.
I think most dressage riders use wraps or boots because they look good and suggest a level of eliteness and proficiency. They accentuate the horse’s movement and look professional. Amateurs want that look and you also see amateurs using boots or wraps that are color coordinated with the saddle pad and the ear bonnets and rider attire. This practice is a sure indication of an amateur who is more interested in fashion than function or training. The tack companies love them for the profit and design them in a variety of styles to temp riders to keep up with the latest versions. For this reason, amateurs and professionals have large collections of boots in their tack rooms. This seemed harmless enough except for the huge expense to buy them, keep them clean and dry and the time it takes to put them on and take them off. Some are so stiff that they would see to be uncomfortable but the horses tolerate them as they do so many human gadgets. I would like to see strong scientific proof that boots and wraps are harmful, not to ban them, but to convince riders not to use them. A few years ago an Olympic dressage rider had a career ending fall not wearing a helmet and you can’t find a top hat for sale anywhere anymore. I can confirm the heat in my horse’s legs from boots even on the coldest days.
I first saw this warning, also particularly applied to protective "sports boots" that wrap the most of, or the entire leg below knee and hock, often extending down to the fetlock to "support" it. in 2018. Everybody I knew used them; I had a collection, from having different sized horses. I live in a a basically hot climate, and for people like barrel racers and had noticed how many cases of tendon damage showed up in barrel horses racing in our conditions.
It used to be that a horse had to be well-schooled in dressage in order to start doing other things like jumping. And one of the principles of a well-schooled dressage horse is that its gaits are free within the bounds of its schooling, which means a horse moves as though it were in the field or large enclosure, and in principle a free horse will not just injure itself. In dressage all these so-called protections were always forbidden - horse injuries were a direct reflection of the rider or trainer’s inabilities. But I’m afraid that with the large amounts of money, publicity and other nefarious influences plus the commercialization of equestrian sports where people are also just encouraged to buy lots of excess things, these principles are largely forgotten, plus horses are pushed too quickly to perform. Just look at how long it takes to bring the Viennese Lipizzaners to maturity.
@@comtaar2245 Well put. However the good Iberian studs grade their stallions at 4 years old. They have to be in self carriage and comfortable on all lateral movements. Also showing the start of extension. They start at 3 years old! 😣
@@oldharpydisguised709interesting. I am Dutch and speaking from the Dutch perspective, of many years ago. In the Dutch-German tradition with warmblood horses and great examples of horsemanship such as Alois Podhasky and others.
@@oldharpydisguised709Iberian horses - at least traditionally - were not used a lot for jumping and certainly not eventing. They have quite a different gait than warmbloods, for example. I don’t know if they reach maturity quicker. Southern riding traditions tend to differ quite a bit from Northern. French even does from German as do their breeding programmes.
My experience as a Natural Horsemanship type of owner. Horse people were THE most opnionated I ever met. But sure felt free to criticize me! My horse loved me even tho he was practically wild when I ignorantly bought a green broke reactive 5 year old gelding! I only found out later that their brains are not fully developed until 10 years old! 😮
They need to outlaw bits. And spurs. They can be used safely but most of the time they’re just tortured devices. Look at the horses with their mouth wide open, with foaming from the mouth, with their eyes rolling and their tails twitching. Controlling horses with pain. Not cool
@@ratherbwithhorses that is absolutely not my goal and I don’t know where you made that jump in your so-called logic. it seems to be you that thinks that horses are OK with being tortured by humans. You can have a great relationship with your horse without spurs and whips and bits. Try it sometime if you have the guts.
I think not only should bandages be banned but ALL competition horses should be regularly medically reviewed by an outside medical team - including a blood draw - to ensure proper and equal treatment of the horses. Because this is not required- the problems of abuse are florid
@@cathynewyork7918 considering people already spend a lot of money to have their horse in competition- money is not an object now is it. If people care about horses as they say they do then figuring out the Symantec’s would not be a problem. This is exceptionally practical and obvious but people prefer to not have oversight- want to be able to do what ever it takes to WIN
Interesting. Eventually they find out all kinds of things, then it is up to everyone to pass the information around and see that it is heeded. So many things are done out of tradition or habit, and are never questioned.
Wow!! Thank you so much for sharing this-I've personally never used wraps outside of standing wraps and shipping boots for leg protection in transit or post hard jumping with a cooling liniment beneath the wraps, as splint boots just seemed an obvious and safer method for leg protection from getting knocked or potentially cut by shoes etc. I always thought that polo wraps just seemed a bit odd of a concept to really provide actual support given in order to wrap them tight enough to really limit mobility like a cast or a brace, it would need to be tight enough to actually risk bowing a tendon. But this new info about what heat can do to damage tendons and prevent or limit proper recovery of the tissues and usage while riding is so novel and must be shared! This reminds me of the concept of shoeing--we all do it for most working horses as it's the standard and for some in routine work, it is necessary. But scientific evidence has shown a horse's hoof has natural contraction and expansion with weather, temperature, body heat, swelling and so on and the nailed iron shoe has the ability to limit this natural process and isn't necessarily the best for their natural foot function. Of course I know nowadays many horse's feet can't withstand the level of impact we put them through daily and hold up well enough to stay strong and not become worn down faster than they grow, but this evidence supports that for horses whose feet are strong and hardy enough to do their activities barefoot, this is indeed an excellent choice. Some professionals are even now advocating for the implementation of seasonal rest from shoeing in top performance horses when out of showing, so their hooves can retain natural health and function and then use shoes only during the season of heavy showing when it is truly necessary to preserve their hooves. :) Cool stuff! Always trying to learn more, new subbie!
@@lexp6021 The leg wraps on polo ponies were originally to protect their legs from injury by the ball or accidental connection with polo mallets. Not as “ tendon support”.
Excellent discussion! Future discussio. Food for thought....RUGS. it seems as though so many people use rugs. It has become as habitual as brushing your teeth (though please bush your teeth). There was a youtuber from Florida who rugged her clysdale to keep him from the cold! It's gone a bit too far. Anthropomorphizing, horses are not naked apes. People are.
So show clipped horses should go out naked in freezing temperatures? It’s not anthropomorphism, it’s common sense and a knowledge of the horse: is it acclimated to the weather? Does it live inside or outside? If outside, does it have a warm place to shelter out of the elements? Has the horse grown its own sufficiently thick winter coat? How old is the horse? Older horses can’t withstand cold as well as younger horses. My senior horses who live in the pasture get “rugged” (or blanketed if you live in the US) How cold is it going to be? When we have sub-freezing nights, even the full time pasture horses get a little help with clothing. Especially if it’s windy
@@margauxnodvin7478 exactly! I’m up in Canada, our winters regularly have -40 nights. Most of our horses grow decent decently thick coats in winter. But when it’s that cold or doesn’t matter how much you feed them, or whether they’re in the shelter, they will not keep weight on when they’re too cold. I’m not saying it isn’t a hassle, making sure to always check the weather forecasts, we try to leave them out without blankets during the days if it gets warm enough. But blankets aren’t boots.
@margauxnodvin7478 Doh! Got that. That's intuitive and obvious. Lol. I'm speaking of the extreme use of rugs. Florida, rugging a clydesdale is ridiculous. I'm in Canada, so I too have a vague understanding of cold.
Thanks for bringing up this topic. I would like to point out that you are reading a broad interpretation of the study. Did you actually read the scientific article? The study was looking specifically at polyester type polo bandages. If you have ever had a horse fracture a splint bone on a turn or bow a tendon by over reaching with a hind limb, you might have a different opinion on leg protection. The wool lined splint boots and many other galloping boots do allow for airflow while adding impact protection. Of course they still do not prevent over extension of the fetlock joint. But impact protection? Absolutely.
I did actually. I put forth a broad interpretation since it was just abput getting awareness on the subject; looking at it from a high level. I havent had those kind of injuries since my training methods dont put a horse in the position where they will knock their limbs together like that, and if theres an overreaching issue I address that first before risking injury by pushong the horse through training. And yes, I have participated in competative equestrian sports.
Ok good I am happy to hear that you did read the scientific study and not just the interpretation. I am not trying to argue with you. I’m simply pointing out that there are - as the article you read pointed out- alternatives to protecting the lower limbs. And I am certain you know that a horse can injure themselves in so many silly ways. Even when left alone in a field with no human interference. So therefore, I choose to protect my horses limbs during exercise to the best of my ability, and appreciate the research you have presented.
Really interesting how every once and again there is a new study "proving" new discoveries. As a first: being in science you have to find sth new to succeed. Old things don't help your career. Second: it is easy to prove anything you like in studies as long as you are controling them. And third: as a patient with multiple muscular and tendon' s problems myself I know how good taping and bandages help to heal and improve. A horse us a mammal as we humans and muscles and tendons have the same function. Keeping bandages and tapes for a longer period is a problem but not using them in general! The internet sadly spreads hysterical news very quickly. And all too many hop onto new ideas (even associations and politicians)without any doubt.
Bandaging in a controlled therapeutic environment is different than a high intensity workout. Horses' legs also have a different return circulation system than we do and have different work loads with different kinesiology
@@upliftequine where and how has that been prooved.Is there a group not being bandaged, same health structure of tendons, same upbringing, same feeding, same rider, same traing ... if not, the results of that study are not reliable. I think as someone having worked in scientific studies it's just a new topic being promoted.
Wraps are helping g the horse especialwraps prevent accidental knocks on splint bo ne or tendo n in training they have never been allowed in competition
Its a benefits versus risks thing. The benefits of preventing possible knocks on the leg and the risk of definately damaging the connective tissue with heat buildup during work. In this case the risks outweigh the benefits. The only wraps used should be during rest and under veterinary advisement......my opinion
I hope in time a study will be done on hoof boots, I can't help but think that horse's feet with neoprine and plastic boots make the hooves hot nd not breathe.
I agree abt hooves needing to breathe, like our nails. Barefoot horses please. They live on soft surfaces and jump on soft surfaces. Why the need for metal shoeing?
@@arribaficationwineho32 Roads and rocky going. Also if your horses spend any real time in muddy conditions going barefoot can lead to flat spread feet. Nails and a good farrier have stood the test of time. However for those poor horses that are in a soft stall or in an arena, they shouldn’t need shoes.
There are a lot of hoof boots out there that are a bit too occlusive, those are good for small amounts of time to allow medicines to be applied and "simmer". But the best hoof boots for all around protection in my opinion are Scoot Boots. They drain, breath, and most importantly stay on. A great alternative to shoes and used in the Tevis Cup!
I've always thought about this and I recently bought new wraps that you hose down (They say they are supposed to be like an ice pack for the legs) I have yet to try them but I figure that it's better to have these than actual polo wraps.
Back in my day(sorry, always wanted to say that!), leg bandages were always used with cotton wool "sheets". But tradition and knowledge change. I still think some horses do need protection in eventing.
And boots have often been used for jumping. Also some horses clip their front heels when ridden and I used to use the boots for schooling them. It’s not like you’re leaving them on 24/7.
That would be a question for a vet, as far as I know the weakening of the tendon structures is permanent. If there hasn't been injury yet I'd just cease using the wraps and just be aware of stressors on the tendons and check for any heat in the legs after work and hose off as appropriate.
Dont blame yourself, they're not gone unless their irreveresibly lame. You're doing your best, we all do what we can with the information given to us at the time. Horses are incredibly resilient, we just gotta move forward doing better.
You're not alone, tpwonder. Most riders were like you, thinking they were preventing accidental injuries, especially when attempting to perfect an action.
I didn't hear any proof other than the Dutch say so. Leg wraps are the equivalent of a boxer wrapping their hands. I'm sure the boxing community won't stop wrapping their hands any time soon nor will the race tracks follow the Dutch's suite. All of the broken legs at the tracks are from running them at two instead of three. I've wrapped my western performance horses for the last 35 years with no ill effects. I did have a mare bow a left front tendon when I used Pro Choice II rubber leg wraps before I learned how to wrap. Not a bowed tendon since. I keep my horses for many years and I know they have longevity and one of them died of old age sound recently. Wrapping is a skill and an art that takes many hundreds of wraps to become proficient. You get better at it each time if you care the outcome. It's not for the occasional wanna be rider/ trainer. The key is to leave them on no longer than the training and/or event. If you allow them to stand more than 15 minutes without movement to create blood flow they will start to swell. Do horses need leg wraps all of the time? 90% of the time they do not. It's the 10% chance of rain that I am protecting for. If your horse isn't worth wrapping properly they aren't worth owning. Not too tight, not too loose. Tug at 10 and 2 . Wrap under the fetlock twice before going back up. Symmetry with no wrinkles. So the lazy rider says why learn to wrap when I can just Velcro these rubber bumpers on?
@@michelebourke4340 Tendons are tendons. Obviously hands are different than a horses legs. Both limbs are receiving impact that wouldn't normally happen in a natural habitat. In both cases the wraps are meant to inhibit over expansion of the tendons and joints. No one here has convinced me of not continuing to use wraps on my horses yet in this article. Sounds like a bunch of trail riding tree hugging hippies to me.
@@markmahnken6409 Boxers wrap their hands for extra cushioning against hard blows, and also, I should think, to absorb sweat. They also are able to say when they are too tight or too loose. A horse cannot. You cannot deny that being wrapped increases the heat to the area, which also produces swelling. This in itself causes issues, as it interferes with blood flow. Proper training and fitness programs negate any necessity for wraps. None of my horses ever wore wraps, and none had any issues. Only one wore bell boots, and even those were discarded after a change in shoes on the front. The work the horse does should be in line with its fitness level.
Completely disagree, bandages wrapped over wool fibre pad protect the leg from impact/strain injuries. Clearly these scientists do not ride horses as I have for the 45 years with ownership of 150 horses that have remained sound for the duration of their competitive lives. Do not mess with success!
They are talking about the heat build up. Do you find the legs often sweat under the bandages? Without the correct knowledge of bandaging some people do more harm than good.
@@lynnmarshall2184 i can surely get that, but as we don't know what they're really feeling, it's good to at least think about it and not just shove it away, right? I think mostly the way op said it rubbed me the wrong way. In the end, i don't know that much about it, but how ive seen some people do it, it just looks so uncomfortable for the horse yknow
I have often wondered that about leg wraps during training and competition and am glad common sense has come to the fore in finding it is of no value and more likely to do damage . I also wonder the same about tail plaiting which seems to have become the normal over recent years ? There is no clear reason why this has become the normal practice other than laziness on the owner /rider in not wanting to brush it out of mud or dirt. It looks terrible braided and would turn the tail into a whip when the horse swishes to get rid of flies . I hope this practice also gets banned in the near future.
Plaiting in the UK is only plaited to the end of the dock. I am not sure why this started but during pony club etc it’s about the turnout of your pony/horse to look smart. We used to cut the hair on the dock so that there is no need to plait or pull. It is intended to show off the horses hind quarters as good presentation. Only native ponies can have a full tail if you show them in showing classes. Same with manes. Our ponies and horses were left natural during the winter months and were turned out as often as possible every day, rainy days they stayed in because if we did turn out they would just stand at the gate, miserable. This what we did to work round the competing horse world.
@@ericahogan348 Platting a tail to keep it clean in very muddy conditions, is I agree rather odd. Does no one know how to tie a mud knot?? No platting necessary. Quick, simple to do, once mastered, and quick and easy to undo.. Tail docking is a whole step too far. There is No good reason to dock a horses ( or for that matter a dog’s) tail. Or to cut a dog’s ears. Interestingly they used to cut horses ears too, in a bazaar attempt to make them look “ better bred “. Oliver Cromwell’s New Army, cut the ears off all their cavalry horses, close to the head, to avoid problems with their inept troopers slashing them off accidentally, whilst in battle, or in training! The mind boggles. I suspect that it also to make it difficult, for government purchased remounts ‘ getting lost or mislaid’ and ending up at market.
Of course with the direction of a vet and while on stall rest is a very different situation than active work. I did mention in the video about the medical use of standing wraps. The benefits have to outweigh the risks.
It causes damage and changes internal structures within minutes of overheating. Best thing to do is to just not use them. It's hard to rethink how we look at whether they need leg support during certain activities. This is why the Dutch completely banned them no matter what. I've not used leg wraps on horses I've trained for many years since I had my own suspicions on overheating and I have not had a training based leg injury ever. The last injury I dealt with was caused by an over confident young gelding chasing mares around in the field.....and I can tell you that no amount of bandages would have prevented that injury.
@@upliftequine Sorry if this has already been addressed, but do wraps have any purpose in polo at all aside from mallet protection? As a former polo groom, l never saw the point in wrapping. Thanks for your advocacy on behalf of horses.
I've never used legwraps!!! Tried them once years ago, and my horse said "no thank you!!!" and that was that. I considered them again, but then found out that they damage the legs!!!
thank christ common sense is just beginning to surface, surprisingly from the danes given their dressage scandals. i've mostly ridden lots of racehorses, while they're racing..n used to hunt a bit. it used to be common knowledge that horses' legs need to be as cool as possible, always. this current fad of the last decade? is nothing more than a cosmetic fad by wannabe types who know too little of horse physiology.a bandage/wrap/lollipop wrapper...call it what you will, is ONLY for travel or injury.
So, as I´m still getting answers to my comment on this topic, I´m trying to explain the “system science” to explain why this “no bandages and boots because science proved it” is highly doubtful: So, how does science function? - First, you choose a topic; therefore, you need money, which in our days never comes in total from the university and mostly the topics themselves are brought into science by interests’ groups; so, the direction of the study is most times given. - Second, you have the problem of finding enough subjects (in our case horses) to have two groups big enough to generalize the result: one group you study with and one you study without the items you are testing: these horses have to be of the same age, same size, upbringing, training, feed, health … if only one part differs you can´t judge the outcome as a result of the tested item - Third, each study is financed by s.o. who naturally is not “result open” and/or your faculty at the university has always its own disposition, which you won´t oppose if you want to be successful. - Fourth, and that´s the most important point, if you want to succeed and stand out in science you have to “find” sth. new. You will never be promoted for confirming things of common knowledge. So, keeping all this in mind the result of this study is highly doubtful. And to make this clear: I´m not saying that using boots or bandages for hours does no harm, but if I have a hole in the gaiters and no hole in the horse leg, not even a scratch, I don´t need a scientist to tell me that the gaiter protected the bones or tendon from being harmed.
I JUST bought splint brush boots for brushy forest riding, glad i saw this before i used them, also glad i gottem used and cheap on face book so no big loss. thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Splint boots are protective, especially if you are planning on riding in brushy forest. They will not damage your horse’s legs. Now, riding a horse through brush without leg protection? I hope you are prepared for dealing with scrapes, cuts and scratches you are setting your horse up for when you ride through such terrain.
I have used arma air motion splints on one horse who’s rehabbing from a injury, they allow enough airflow that he hasn’t had any sweat under (and I live in Florida) I avoid boots/wraps in general but if you feel like the pro’s out weight the cons for a situation those are well worth looking at
I’m sick of the so called experts. Been wrapping my reining horses for years and never had any damage… it’s all about knowing how to wrap correctly and use tape around the Velcro so they don’t come loose.
Many of the points make sense thou. Also I know from my own body that issues that need attention can be hidden by taping/wrapping, but those issues just get much worse in the long run, until I address the root cause.
When saying the HORSE World…is doing something..you really need to narrow that down..English riders, dressage riders..YOU are talking about….MOST American thoroughbred s racing doesn’t, Western pleasure, barrels racers.., reiners, cutting..endurance horses.. don’t..
I was clearly talking about dressage, jumping, cross country and driving in the Netherlands. Their research is applicaple to the rest of the world as well, hence sharing it. Plenty of western sports like their medical boots, I've been there too.
Well, the first horse boots that went down beneath the fetlock I have ever seen in a catalogue for horse equipment, were in the western riding part of the catalogue. They were reining boots. (Ironically advertised as tendon boots). More than ten years later they slowly gained popularity in english riding disciplines as well. And yes, I am aware that the video was about leg wrapping, not about horse boots, but the heating of the tendons happens underneath both.
Why would that be important? This is applicable to all people caring for horses. Are you trying to pick a fight on which disciplines are worse or better?
I don't know where you see your barrel horses and cutting horses, but here in Texas, just about every one of them is going to be wearing some kind of protective splint boot.
I do my best w/ enounciation, however I am hard of hearing and have worked hard to not sound like it. A lot of hard work goes into speaking properly in the first place.
I'm curious about your opinion on equestrian sports at it absolute core: are horses better off extinct or not? I hear people condemn sports all the time. Racing in particular is terribly unethical, with deaths at the track every WEEK. On the other hands, the Suffolk Punch breed is about to go extinct because its numbers never really recovered from WW2. If we don't race and jump with horses, they WILL go extinct. The Spanish Jennet went extinct within 100 years because better roads were invented, and you didn't need a good riding horse anymore when you could just ride in a carriage. The tarpan horse was ridden by the Mongols when Genghis Khan conquered his empire, and they are also now extinct. PETS and a lot of animal rights activists want a complete and total end to any exploitation of equines. What do you think?
I don't think it should be that extreme. We need to do more things that promote the good things horses bring to the table that enrich our lives and theirs. There is more good out there than people see, the good people are often overlooked. Breeds will change and evolve over time as the needs of people change but horses should not go extinct.
@@flufflewarrior you keep any animal healthy by natural behaviours. Anything unnatural is neutral at best and the psychology of the animal needs to be considered as much as, if not more than, the physical care
Riding is unnatural and horse bodies are not built for it. Whether you are on the side of riding horses or not, dressage is a discipline developed from trying to help compensate for this unnaturalness and teach the horse a way to carry a rider with the least amount of damage to their body. High levels have lost this from trying to chase success at the cost of the horse.
@@letheanlove riding is not unnatural when it is done properly; i guess you could argue it is unnatural if you ignore interspecies cooperation. Dressage on the other hand is entirely unnatural and unhealthy for the horse in body and psyche. I think using a bit is abominable, as well as shaving the horse’s face. The point is to gain trust and cooperation and to make it valuable to both horse and rider
The concept of dressage is actually purely training of the horse; French word for "training". What that training looks like can differ greatly, such as the what we are seeing in the press in the sport of dressage. But pure dressage is training the horse to carry themselves and sometimes the rider more effectively and stave off posture issues later on in their lives; issues that can shorten and negatively effect their health. You shouldn't regard the entirety of dressage as negative because the people who don't get huge press and who are doing it right are usually looked over. I encourage you to look up para dressage, those horses and trainers who support those people are amazing and should get more positive attention because of how light those horses need to be to make up for the unique disability that rider has. There's one who is so light off the bit the rider holds the reins in her teeth because she has no arms. Stuff like that is not publicized enough. There are great benefits in dressage for both horse and human, the twisted methods of the sport has given dressage a bad name.
Thanks for this video - makes perfect sense. When are humans going to finally come to the conclusion we have a very intelligent Creator who designs things perfectly. No "help" from humans is needed on many occasions.
@@shepherds.pie.youtube The Intelligent Creator hypothesis is just like the use of leg wraps. Everybody has been doing it without question to the validity of the effectiveness. Actual data shows there is no reason for leg wraps or a belief in an intelligent creator, and that both can actually be harmful.
@@eiloen No no, not that one, I think it's the one who lets hundreds of thousands of kids die of starvation each year after demanding his followers be fruitful and multiply. Y'know, the totally-not-creepy one who knew all of us before we were born, had a plan for our life, and will torture us for eternity if we don't do as he says.
If your horse is so clumsy he gashes himself just moving around normally at different speeds, turn him into the pasture pet he is. I can see "run down" bandages on race horses to prevent irritation on the back pasterns. Anything else, you are either covering something up or you are a "horse girl" with too much time on your hands so you want to wrap up your horse with pretty pink leg wraps to go with the pink halter, pink saddle cloth and pink ribbons in the mane and tail. Worst thing that ever happened to horses was men going to auto racing and leaving a vacuum in the horse world that has been filled by horse girls who treat horses as if they are Yorkie=Poos
Wraps are a systemic issue no matter the gender of the rider. It's just a tradition when we as a society didn't know much about the details of the horse's anatomy and the forces put on their legs. Even the Spanish Riding School, which was completely male for hundreds of years, use wraps in the attempt to stabilize the joints with fabric. Winging, where the horse's front legs will interfere with the other leg and hit it, is a condition where the joints are too flexible and don't remain straight when in use. This is something that is usually fixed by strengthening the shoulder which will stabilize the leg and straighten it out. Splint boots would be needed for that horse until their legs are strengthened. There is a matchy matchy trend with these wraps where people put them on horses without thinking about the consequences but wraps in general are hardly a female only thing.
Honestly I love your creativity! 😂there wasn’t a single part in the video where gender even crossed my mind. So how you’ve somehow managed to write a novel about how horrible females are, takes some form of talent However If you’ve forgotten (or are simply ignoring) the last 100 years where men have significantly stopped riding, welfare has went up exponentially. You’ll whinge about polos, but not the knife bits males used to use? This isn’t a gendered issue but if you’re gonna make it one, men are historically significantly more cruel and that’s a fact
And I’d argue men leaving (all their cruel/ torturous equipment behind) is the BEST thing to have happened to horses - their quality of life & length of life has significantly improved with these “horses girls who treat their horses as if they’re yorkie=poos” aka pets, aka they treat their horses with actual compassion & love unlike men who treated them like objects and would abuse them into submission 🤪🤪
@@upliftequine Never saw cow ponies being used for ranch work automatically being wrapped, and those horses are far more apt to scratch up their legs than the broke-to-death 15 year old gelding being shuffled around an indoor arena with a 15 year old horsey girl on his back - but he's decked out with hot pink wraps on all four to color co-ordinate with the pink ribbons and saddle cloth - and sometimes even the ear bonnet as well. Women have largely elbowed boys and men out of equine sports and they have automatically started treated horses like puppy dogs - or s*x objects if you watch the numerous videos of young women slithering all over large male horses, fluttering bedroom eyes at the camera, stopping just short of licking the horse - thankfully. It also explains why the overwhelming majority of business done by male horse trainers I watch online happens to be clueless women who are getting pushed around by their horses. The guys make bank off these women - and the horse usually shows up to the trainer's decked out in pink leg wraps and halters - which explains which one of the pair is the problem. And it's NOT the horse.
In Germany Polo wraps are forbidden in Dressage since like ever? Same in eventing and showjumping. But in the dressage award ceremony it’s pretty common to wrap the horses in white polo wraps out of a fashion sense(?). In training it is pretty common to use polo wraps even if the horses do not scratch themselves with their hooves just because of the matchy matchy saddle pad and polo wraps.
