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Re: [RC] Was saddles... Now Boots and Tendons - heidiI (happily) don't know what they recommend out here now, other than I know at least 4 local vets who would say NO to sports medicine boots. Maybe we should ask our vets online here. I sure hate to see the heat held in. A roll cotton wrap in the acute stages with vetrap or something similar may be necessary, but the sooner the horse can do away with it, the better. Maybe about as long as it takes the horse to get home from where he got hurt, so he doesn't get edema around the injury standing in a vibrating horse trailer.... And in the acute stages, the thing needs to come off frequently anyway for initial cold therapy and then heat therapy once the inflamation is under control. After that, rehab is a matter of putting just enough stress on the tendon to keep fibers healing in the right direction, but not enough to redamage it--that's where the stuff like TENS units, incrementally increased exercise regimens starting with hand-walking, etc. come into play. On the other question, my mare did all her competition miles with splint boots in front (around 1000 total). She was the type who when startled would clip one front foot with another. That resulted in a bruised sesamoid and a handful of times where she clipped her inside cannon right below the knee. How she avoided splints I have no idea. Now she doesn't do that any more and hasn't worn boots for 2 years. The boy hasn't interfered, so no boots for him. However, when doing rocky rides where the trails go between boulders, boots to avoid lacerations from slipping on rocks. Ditto here. Some of my horses have NEVER had to wear splint or interference boots. Two of the horses we started last year needed splint boots and one needed interference boots their first season but don't need them this year. Hubby just started a new horse on his first ride on Day 2 of Owyhee High Country--now there's a ROCKY sucker! He never did hit his front legs at all, but he did whack his hind fetlocks a bit starting about 20 miles into the ride. I followed him down the trail quite a bit, and he was still traveling wide enough behind--but the fatigue was making him nick himself from time to time in the rocks. So he will wear interference boots behind for a bit, from the first or second vet check onwards, but watching him move, it won't be for long, I'll wager. Every horse is an individual--only use what that particular horse tells you he needs. If he doesn't need them, they are just a place to collect sand and grit and alkali and stickers, to cause sore rub spots--and to hold heat in that you'd just as soon wasn't... Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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