Wrapping legs

Learn how to wrap a horse’s leg correctly.

Wrapping a horse’s legs is an all-but-forgotten art to many modern-day, casual horse owners. However, before splint boots, skid boots and shipping boots, carefully applied polo wraps went a long way in protecting and supporting horses’ legs. Although leg wraps seem like a thing of the past, there are several reasons to learn how to correctly apply them:

• Using standing wraps and liniment on a horse prone to post-exercise leg swelling can alleviate stress on the legs and improve circulation in the limbs.

• Some riders who suffer from arthritis in their hands find applying leg wraps easier than buckling or tightening splint boots.

• In case of injury to your horse, you may need to correctly apply bandages to protect and treat a leg wound. Many horses that have never had their legs wrapped may fuss or refuse to stand still for bandaging, especially during emergency situations. So, it’s a good idea to train your horse for leg wrapping ahead of time. Leg wrapping is a learned skill, so practice before you have to wrap a wound.

• Quilts and wraps work in a pinch for protecting a horse’s legs during shipping.

• If you’re showing a horse with hard-to-clean white socks or stockings, leg wraps can keep legs clean while you’re waiting to enter the show pen.

The following are the basic steps for wrapping a leg for support with standard polo wraps. Standing and shipping wraps usually involve using quilts or gauze under the polos. Of course, before wrapping an injury, consult your veterinarian for any added instructions about methods and materials used for dressing a wound.

Applying a support wrap

Step 1. Most new polo wraps are packaged with their Velcro closure out. To prepare the bandage for wrapping, you’ll have to rewrap it in reverse. Start by undoing the Velcro and rolling the bandage backward so the closure is in the core of the wrap.

Step 2. Make sure the leg and the wrap are clean and free of dirt and debris before you get started.

Step 3. Start wrapping the cannon bone just below the knee. You’ll start lower on the hind legs than the front legs. It’s important to wrap the legs so the bandage pressure pushes the tendons in toward each other. For the right legs, you’ll work clockwise. For the left legs, you’ll work counterclockwise. Keep in mind that wrapping the legs in the wrong direction can exert undue pressure on the tendons and result in injury.

Step 4. Hold the wrap at about a 20-degree angle as you spiral the wrap down toward the fetlock. Try to get each wrap around the leg equidistant from the last. Use even pressure to keep the bandage taut, and make sure there are no wrinkles in the wrap. You want the bandage tight enough that it won’t slip, but not so tight that it constricts blood flow in the leg.

Step 5. Use the wrap just under the coronet band to reposition the wrap and start working back up the leg. When you run out of bandage mid-cannon bone, securely fasten the Velcro.

BY MICHELLE ANDERSON

Printed in the June 2006 issue of Appaloosa Journal.

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