Wrapping Your Horse’s Legs: The Essentials

Horses are incredible athletes with strength, agility, and raw power. With this power also comes the possibility of stress and injury. It is important to prevent these injuries whenever possible as well as take care of the injuries when they occur. Wrapping legs is beneficial when exercising, traveling, and when taking care of an injured leg.

Polo wraps are used commonly when working horses. These are made of a fleece material. Nylon wraps are made of an elastic material and they are placed over the top of a cotton quilt. They are used for standing wraps when hauling, in the stall, or injuries. Here are a couple tips to remember when wrapping legs:

1. Keep the leg clean and dry before wrapping.

2. Always wrap counterclockwise on left legs and clockwise on right legs. Wrapping the wrong direction can create stress on the tendons.

3. Start in the middle of the cannon bone and make sure each wrap is snug with no wrinkles.

4. Stay between the knee and the fetlock. When finished there should be an upward arrow shape on the front of the leg.

Practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to try a few times to make sure your wrap is just right!

-Courtney Hall

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Moyer

July 19, 2017