The Art of Natural Dressage

Honestly , I did look years ago and for your questions for any research done on a healthy horse wearing wraps for support and found none.

Yes I found statements made by companys that make boots and wraps that there was research but I couldn't find the research.

I found comments by Veterinarians on some forums stating they don't recommend them for healthy horses without any pre existing condition... so, who knows?

Probably best left to the individual and the horse along with the advice of their Vet.

Carrie

_________________
Force no matter how well disguised begets resistance.
Lakota proverb

I have to admit that this is not really a topic that interests me very much, but maybe here is some of the research that you are looking for, Donald?

Evaluation of support bandaging during measurement of proximal sesamoidean ligament strain in horses by use of a mercury strain gauge.

Unfortunately this is only the abstract, because it´s from one of the journals where I don´t have access with our university subscription, but here is the website of Mr. Keegan (the first author) with his email address and he can surely send you the full article or direct you to related work on the topic.

You can also search further by clicking on "See all Related Articles" at the right side of the page in the link to the abstract that I posted.

Have fun!

Wow Romy, how did you find it??? I typed in all sorts of things to search, I am interested in reading this...Thanks

Carrie

_________________
Force no matter how well disguised begets resistance.

Lakota proverb

I just looked for it in PubMed, a search engine that I use frequently when I am looking for papers for my own research or teaching. It´s about medicine, but you can also find lots of articles about distantly related topics like horses, other animals and, what is relevant for my work, psychology and neuroscience. Most articles I can download from the website of our library then, but there are a few journals where I have no access, like the one where this article is from.

Thank you, Romy.

The first article abstract in the list to the right did in fact have an interesting finding.

The first one you linked to I was unable to locate a finding or conclusion(s).

It stated what the strain mean was (6%) but no baseline figure to compare to. That is, what strain would be estimated to register without the support wrappings.

It seems to say 'some,' but the wraps are not evaluated against the whole set of support systems for comparison.

Unless I'm missing something and or reading it incorrectly.

The second one, however, did have an excellent comparison figure:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1245 ... scovery_RA

" Smith RK, McGuigan MP, Hyde JT, Daly AS, Pardoe CH, Lock AN, Wilson AM.

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK.

Metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint extension is primarily resisted by the digital flexor tendons and suspensory ligament. A variety of external support techniques are used to protect these supporting structures from or after injury by resisting MCP joint extension, although not all are effective and/or practical for use in an exercising horse. In this study, 7 forelimbs were loaded in vitro to determine the effect of a simple gamgee bandage, a 3-layered bandage with and without a contoured palmar splint, a neoprene exercise boot, and an innovative carbon fibre composite exercise boot (Dalmar tendon support boot). There was no significant resistance to MCP joint extension by the gamgee or neoprene exercise boot. The 3-layered bandage had a significant (P<0.01) supporting effect at MCP angles of > or = 245 degrees, and when combined with the contoured splint at angles of > or = 230 degrees. The Dalmar tendon support boot resisted MCP extension at angles of > or = 245 degrees (settings 1 and 2) and > or = 225 degrees (setting 3). These data demonstrate that the contoured splint and the Dalmar tendon support boot (which is also easily fitted for use during exercise) are useful for the management of tendon/ligament injury and during rehabilitation.

PMID: 12455845 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Related Links

* Influence of support boots on fetlock joint angle of the forelimb of "

Of course this is a comparison of related appliances or fixtures, such as common wraps and special wraps and contrivances to ease the stress pressure.

In other words, the first abstract may be saying and the second more clearly is saying that it's accepted that wrapping (of some kind or variety) does in fact provide relief and we are simply comparing between those kinds.

It is a lead though, and may bring up other leads, as searching can do.

I was not able to find the the email address from the page you referenced.

The name listed, with it being a link, in fact go to a document summary, just like the one we read with the first link from you.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1827 ... d_RVDocSum

Keegan, et al obviously do some significant research on leg and soundness, though I'm uncomfortable with descriptions that include things like "... induces lameness examined on a treatmill ..."

It might in time serve other horses, but I suspect research of that kind is more supported by the racing and other sports industries.

The mercury pressure gauge measurements are standard for many fields, and I'm vaguely familiar with it.

I'll look for more with search terms of "strain gauge" and parts of the horses lower leg. Especially fetlock and pastern.

Keegan does say this though, and as recently as last year, which as you know is very significant as to timelines in research:

"Keegan KG.

Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. keegank@missouri.edu <keegank@missouri.edu>

Kinematic and kinetic gait analysis potentially offers veterinarians an objective method of determining equine limb lameness. Subjective analyses have been shown to be somewhat flawed, and there does not seem to be a high degree of intraobserver agreement when evaluating individual horses. In addition, recognition of the compensatory effects of primary lameness may be helpful for the practicing equine veterinarian."

This is then not an old outdated viewpoint.

This does not give me much hope for finding something definitive.

I am more inclined now to want to see more of posters here collected opinions, and their personal observations. Simon, emmerrie and others that have commented.

It's possible they do know of some research more hopeful than this we've just looked at.

I am not convinced protective wrapping, correctly, is either harmless or harmful at this point.

I'd like to be convinced.

If you followed it in Horsecare and Health, you know that I contributed a citation on vision in horses.

And I once had the very latest vet school information, and did eye exams myself with an opthalmoscope. The NEW information changed my understand profoundly.

So I'm not stuck with my own observations, so much as relying on them until I have better information. I never observed, in twenty years, protective wrapping causing harm to a horse.

But then, I'm no more willing to play Russian Roulette with wrapping as I am with non-wrapping. I want to KNOW. At least what current knowledge is.

And I think you know that I'm conservative in matters relating to horse and human safety. For others, if not sometimes for myself, and have the broken bones and scars to prove it.

I'll not protective wrap unless the situation really calls for it.

Thanks again. We forge ahead.

Donald Redux

_________________
Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.

I've only used hard boots on the ponies twice, the first two times when they were working as a team in front of the carriage. Because those first times they had to learn to pull up together and then walk straight forwards, instead of trampling the neighbour. But when I look back, I realise that with their tiny bare feet they wouldn't have scratched or hurt the other that much anyway.

As the ponies were more annoyed by the boots than by the neighbour or the carriage and within two rides were pulling up straight forwards like real professionals, we tossed them back into our tackbasket and now they have been lying there for about 8 years.


In the Netherlands there has been quite some research on boots and wraps by the way and it was published in our horse magazines (Bit especially). The conclusions were that bandages especially weaken the tendons because they give too much support. Another thing was they couldn't be fixed properly: if you want them to stay on the horses' leg, then they are always so tight that they cut off the bloodstream in the skin of the leg - and if you make them loose enough so that doesn't happen, it sags off the leg.

However, the biggest problem with both hard boots and bandages seemed to be the temperature rising: they did tests with heat-measuring deviced against the horses' legs when working with and without any leg-protection, and the result was that a bare leg stays cool, while a wrapped/booted up leg reaches such high temperatures that the proteines risk getting cooked in the tendons. That was something that really struck me: the pressure wasn't the biggest risk, but the heat getting trapped, heating up the horses legs.

I'm afraid I can't get to the research that quickly, as I should wrestle myself then through 100 Bit magazines of 140 pagina in order to find the article... But maybe another Dutch member knows which one I meant, or maybe someone can find the original research that the article was based on?

HI Miriam, I looked for research too. I just went with what my Veterinarian recc.

To not wrap for support on a healthy horse, that it will not support but actually weaken the tendons.

I followed his advice and still do, but didn't have research to back up his claim.

I did use sport medicine boots to protect Merlin when we were schooling halfpass, pirouettes etc. etc.

That was years ago now, I don't even know if I have the boots anymore????

Good to hear that there is research out there that goes with my Vet's claim. I sure would like to see it when you find it..

Thanks
Carrie

_________________
Force no matter how well disguised begets resistance.

Lakota proverb

I started to reread all of my BIT's (I stopped buying them, to much paper still have all my penny's too ) so when I get to it I'll post about it, I do remember the test and what you said was correct, I don't know if there were any links to other research.

No, Bit never gives titles of research if I recall correctly, but they do interview the writers of the research, so then maybe that's a lead to search to the research by their names again.

I gave away my Penny's (horse comics for 9-12 year old girls ) five years ago - it was a pile of about 1,5 meter high and it weighed a huge amount of kilo's.

Luckily my friend is the editor of the Penny, so I still get all the new ones, yay!

Well as for Reining, horses usually wear some kind of boot like Classic Equine's Classic Legacy System or Profissional's Choice SMB (Sports Medicine Boot)( Boots protect against crossfire and other scalping injuries)along with Bell Boots and Skid Boots (Skid Boots protect the Fetlock from injury while sliding to a stop) also now they wear a wrap around one of their knees to help protect the horse when he is doing a turn around but sometimes you do see people who put a Polo Wrap on. Also in the sport of Reining it is not mandatory to have to use shoes on the front feet. In Reining horses wear a special shoe in the back that helps them to slide farther. It is not shaped like a regular shoe. It is flater and wider than a regular shoe.
I personally use Boots for protection and I am glad I do as I have had many times when if I hadn't had boots on my horse/s probally wouldn't be with me. Case in point while trail riding I came upon some land that while looked ok wasn't as soon as I started over it Dakota sunk to the top of his knees he freaked and started jumping to get out from sinking when we finally made it over to hard ground the boots had Chunks of neoprene missing and were ruint. Just think if I hadn't had those boots on those chunks would of been chunks of his tendons!!!
I tried wraps but I was scared I would do damage his legs and always never wraped then tight enough they would always come off and plus have you ever gone to the doctor over a sprained foot well you know then that wearing a wrap hurts but I find Boots to be better at support and protection.Also boots are safer than wraps plus with boots you don't have to worry about getting them to tight.
There are alot of studies done by the major Vet Hospitals and also the Major Boot manufactors here in the States to back up using boots pro's and con's.
Professional Choice has devoted alot of time studing boots and wraps and are the makers of Sports Medicine Boots (SMB). If you look up there site you can probally read about Boots and Wraps.

What a horror story!

I think that when riding out over new, rough terrain, boots are very wise indeed. Just as on transport, I can see why you would pad his legs then, especially if it's his first ride on the trailer, just to be on the safe side. But when he's more experienced, I would leave them off as they also have negative side-effects, especially that overheating would worry me.

Also when your horse is wearing irons, then boots might protect his frontlegs from being hit with that. With those sliding-irons and the exaggerated fast sliding and turning action they ask in western riding I think it's very wise to use some protection for the legs too. But that's more a case of adjusting your horse to your goal, than adjusting your goal to your horse. Even though the boots protect your horse from what you ask for him, it doesn't mean that they are also really good for him.

Now THAT is serious stuff.

We use what is called 'Polo wrap' a sort of cottony cushioned stuff that tends to both cling to the leg and dissipate heat, but it may not be enough.

One reason for 'boots' is so that protection is provided, while there is some airflow and heat dissipation through the material. Of course not all material is going to do that.

This needs very careful attention.



Write or call BITS. They index their own articles. Doubtless an editor can quickly tell you the copy-volume number to look for.

You could probably E-mail them.

You'd be surprised how often this kind of service is done. It helps improve publication circulation and subscriptions rate. After all, you are using them as a reference in telling a few hundred people about this particular problem.

They want to be known as the go-to source for horse matters. Good policy and public relations to serve requests from that audience.

Donald Redux

_________________
Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.

Some concerns seem to be legs that get over heated. Well the Classic Legacy System by Classic Equine claim to be made of 100% virgin perforated neoprene that they claim allows the leg to breathe, heat to escape and the horses legs to stay cooler. This is what the manufactor claims now weither it is true or not I do'nt know I have not tried them yet.

I don't wish to be unduly cynical but claim to be made of 100% virgin perforated neoprene should win prizes as the most inane advertising blurb, unless of course I have misread it and it is neoprene perforated by virgins, an entirely different concept suitable for late night TV.
Our maths master, before he was arrested for an unhealthy interest in small boys, use to say "virginity is just like a bubble, one prick and it is all gone", so virgin neoprene, once perforated, isn't.
Which leads me to my new post on research in the tack section which is worth a look, and describes the other half of the research problem.

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Horsepower measures work, ponypower measures pleasure!