Think of it as insurance for your horse’s most valuable player—his legs—when it comes to his performance. More than 1,000 pounds of pressure strain the delicate structures that make up a horse’s legs, whether it’s from landing from a three-foot jump, driving through a sliding stop or navigating around a difficult trail course. Proper leg wrapping can help protect his legs, thus protecting your investment.
Using polo wraps to wrap your horse’s legs provides support for tendons and ligaments during exercise, as well as protection from concussion and impact. You can wrap your horse's legs after a strenuous training session to help prevent or reduce swelling. During transportation, it’s vital to provide extra cushioning and support by using shipping wraps or boots.
“You can wrap a horse's leg any number of ways,” says Dr. Adam Cayot, a veterinarian with Peterson & Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, Florida.
One of the most common performance wraps is the polo wrap, which was initially created to protect the legs of polo ponies not only from the concussion from running but to protect the legs from the mallet and ball impacts.
But today, polo wraps are popular with all disciplines to provide support to the tendons, as well as softening blows that might come from fast spins, missed jumps and metal barrels.
To properly wrap the leg for performance, Dr. Cayot echoes the guidelines set by the American Association for Equine Practitioners:
- Start in the middle of the cannon bone, holding one end of the wrap on the inside of the bone and wrapping from front to back, and from the outside of the leg to the inside. On the left leg, you wrap counterclockwise; on the right leg, you wrap clockwise.
2. Apply even tension as you go all the way down to the fetlock, then go up toward the knee. You want to tighten from the front of the cannon bone to the back, Dr. Cayo points out. You want the wrap to be snug—you don’t want it to be loose and have gaps, but you also don’t want to be gritting your teeth trying to pull the wrap really tight around the leg.
3. Overlap the previous wrap by 50%. Stop just shy of the fetlock joint and then move back up toward the knee, stopping just short there. You should be ending at the top of the wrap. You don't want to start or end a wrap on a joint, as that will become loose with movement.
While most polo wraps are made of a strong fleece, there are some made from thinner nylon. Dr. Cayot says either fabric is fine for use, but cautions users of the thinner material.
“The fabric is not as thick (as fleece), so you run a greater chance of over-tightening the wrap,” he says. “I can’t say that one’s more supportive than the other because I’ve had good luck with both fabrics. It just depends on who’s applying the wrap—if they’re experienced enough to know not to over-tighten.”
There are also sports boots, which can be used instead of polo wraps.
“I don’t have a preference over (the sports boots vs. polo wraps),” Dr. Cayot says. “A lot of people like them because they’re convenient and they add some protection and support to the horse’s legs.
So how tight is too tight? You must find a happy medium when it comes to the pressure of polo wraps. Too loose, and you lose the sought-after support and can even endanger your horse’s safety. Too tight, and you can create pressure points that can affect a horse’s tendons. The AAEP recommends that while you’re wrapping the polo wrap to keep it smooth, uniform pressure and watch for any lumps or ridges that might form underneath the top layer.
“(Uniform, snug wrapping) takes practice,” Dr. Cayot says. “Growing up, I showed hunter and jumpers and, as a groom at the barn, I wrapped a lot of legs. It just takes practice getting that fine medium between having the wrap too loose or having it too thick at the top.”
For protection at speeds of 45 miles per hour, racehorses use a flexible adhesive bandage for a tighter wrap.
“(Racehorses’) fetlocks and legs are stressed to the max with all the concussion, so they put a tight wrap on,” Dr. Cayot explains.
Grooms use a thin layer of gauze-type wrap first and then apply the elastic wrap around the ankle and up to the knee. “Obviously, those grooms wrap a lot of legs and can put on a tighter wrap without many complications,” he adds.
No matter why you wrap it, using polo wraps can provide support and protection if done properly. Polo wraps come in so many different colors and patterns, you can accessorize different looks for each ride.
