[Miss Neigh]

What are your opinions on using bandages or tendon boots etc, on a horse with an old bowed tendon injury? I thaught there would be one benefit which would be the support and shock absorbtion. Something that concerns me is, the heat that the bandages cause to the leg, would this be beneficial eg. Circulation or cause problems eg swelling. Also if there is heat in the leg after removeing the bandages, would it be safe to hose with cold water afterwards? If you think the horse would benefit from some support during work, could you suggest what bandages, boots etc would be best to support the area? Thankyou

[Xiphias]

I had a friend that got a tb mare with an old bow, she used sports medicine boots on her, and had no problems with her....you can cold hose a leg after working, and while the leg is hot, it is actually good to cold hose them....they do it on the race track all the time...Cathy

[Miss Neigh]

Thankyou for that cathy

[Miss Neigh]

These are the Sports Medicine Boots i had in mind, i don't think bandages would provide enough support.

[Xiphias]

I am sure that they will help to support the tendon....plus bandages are harder to put on, and take care of, and sometimes can actually cause a bow....Cathy

[kellidahorsegirl]

I have a TB who left the track in May of this year. His bow was minor so he is starting with MINIMAL work slowly moving up. I ride him with polos. I am skilled with wrapping legs though (I know that sounds big-headed, but polos do more harm if you don't know how to properly use them).
I find that by wrapping him, a tiny bit of the size of his leg will go down from wearing the wraps....similar to when you wrap them right after the injury.

Now, what I find interesting is that you ask if you can hose if his leg is hot after work. It should be a normal temperature (the same as his other legs) after work. If it is hotter than the other legs are, I would suggest that he's not ready to work. You don't want heat in an old injury...that can mean that its not quite healed.

BUt anyway, I believe some sort of support boot would be good while you get him back into shape and have the leg healed. Once its back to normal (it'll always show the bow a bit)...then you don't necessarily need the boots anymore.

[Miss Neigh]

I haven't brought him home yet, i felt his leg yesterday after i rode him and it was fine, no heat. I was assumeing that if he were to wear boots, his legs would become hot underneath, and hoseing down may be beneficial. The injury happend 7 years ago, so it is healed, i just thaught that there would be benefits from having boots on, to avoid shock and extra strain to the tendons.

[kellidahorsegirl]

Yep, cold hosing is not bad for it at all. Just make sure to check the other leg that was wrapped/booted too....make sure they're the same temp.
Good luck with him

[Appylvr]

My QH mare has bowed her tendon twice (same leg both times). The second time was because I didn't put on her SMBII (Sports Medicine Boots).

When I ride her I always put on the SMBII and I usually hose off her legs afterwards. She's been fine ever since, like I said she only bowed it again because I didn't put on her boots.

What kind of horse is it? Cause boots might not be good for most gaited breeds...
If it isn't gaited I'd look into getting some boots. They run about $60 a pair (at least in my area they do)

[probarrelracer]

In my experience, an old "healed" bow will be fine if you take care of it. I would NEVER put a boot on it that isn't made of a breathable material. SMBs are made of neoprene and will cause too much heat if worn for too long. I have ALWAYS used fleece polo wraps on my horses when exercizing. It is important to do it correctly. A wrap will be a better custom fit than boots also.