Re: RC: Stocking up

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

At 08:08 PM 5/27/99 -0400, you wrote:
>People wrap legs to prevent swelling.

But if they wrap, how do they know if there is swelling or not?

>Swelling inhibits circulation and
>therefore healing.

If they are not swelling, they don't need to heal.  And if they do swell, 
wouldn't you want to know?

>Every strenuous task creates a certain amount of
>damage...the body will heal itself, but if inhibited by swelling (because WE
>restrict movement after exercise), the decrease in circulation with slow down
>the healing process.

Most horses legs don't swell and stock up after completing an endurance 
ride though.  You make it sound like we are 'damaging' them and they need 
to heal so we must wrap their legs.  What about icing, watering, and hand 
walking instead?

I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but I do watch what other 
high-mileage riders do out there and not many of them wrap their horses 
legs.  The reason I mention "high-mileage" is because these are the horses 
who are working the most and obviously if they are being damaged on a 
regular basis they wouldn't stand up to completing a 1,000 or 2,000 mile 
season.

Plus, seems to me (from what my trainer taught me) if you are going to wrap 
a horses legs so tightly as to actually inhibit swelling, you could cause a 
lot of damage.


Happy Trails,

Karen
in NV
& Weaver, 2,680 miles
& Rocky, 1,445  :+)
www.greatbasin.net/~sportssaddle


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