Taking care of your horse’s legs is important every day, but it’s particularly important to have a good equine leg support routine to follow after jumping.  Your horse works hard to get you over those fences and nail those distances, and the best way to ensure he remains sound to continue that hard work is to pay attention to his whole body, and in particular, his legs.

A typical jump school for Equiflexsleeve rider Elisa Wallace

Make it a part of your every day grooming routine to run your hands down your horse’s legs and notice any changes – heat, swelling, and puffiness can be a sign that something isn’t right.  Otherwise, if all is normal, continue on your grooming and tacking routine, and have a great ride.

It’s good to begin your post-ride care before you’re out of the saddle.  Just like a good warmup is important to loosen up the horse’s muscles, a good cool down is essential to feeling how your horse is going to recover.  While walking the last ten minutes of your ride, try to notice how your horse feels.  Is he tighter than when he started?  Are his footfalls even?  Is he tired and struggling, or does he have a good amount of energy left?  You want to make sure your horse isn’t working too hard in his schooling sessions, because overworking a horse can leave him more susceptible to fatigue injuries.

If all feels right to you, untack and groom your horse as you would normally.  Be sure to pick your horse’s feet, and again, feel his legs for any abnormalities.

Cold hosing, or icing legs after a jump workout can help tighten up the legs and cool down any heat left over from working hard.  After icing or hosing, apply an alcohol based linimint to help alleviate soreness and promote circulation to your horse’s lower legs.

Way better than standing wraps!

Finally, spend the next two hours wrestling with pillow wraps and standing bandages, only to find that your wrap is uneven and you really should start again – just kidding!  Make your post-ride routine more efficient, quicker, and safer with a set of Equiflexsleeves – the revolutionary new replacement for cumbersome and frustrating standing wraps! Just slide them on over the hoof and set them on the leg.   You don’t have to worry about leaving them on too long – unlike traditional standing wraps which immobilize the fetlock joint, and trap heat, Equiflexsleeves allow for normal movement, they dissipate heat, and they allow the leg to breathe.  Way more comfortable for your horse, and way more peace of mind for you!