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June 20, 2022 5 min read
As equestrians, we ask a lot of ourselves and our horses. No matter what discipline you compete in, you work hard to keep yourself and your horse in top notch shape. As an athlete, your horse deserves a little extra care to ensure that they stay healthy and have a long, successful career. Therapy products for performance horses include things like ice boots, liniments, and specialized apparel.
And, we can’t forget about our hard-working riders as well! Did you know that with the right products, you can improve your riding and shorten your recovery time after a particularly hard workout?
Keep reading to find out which performance equine products you need for your horse, and to discover our favorite therapeutic tools for equestrians of all disciplines.
You pride yourself on how well you take care of your performance horse. You ensure that they get regular dental care, yearly vet visits, massages, and more. But you can still elevate your horse care plan with the right post-workout routine. The following are some products and equipment that may help your horse recover faster after a tough ride.
According to Dressage Today, cold therapy has a variety of benefits, including:
After an intense workout, you can keep your performance equine athlete sound by applying cold therapy to their legs and hooves. While there are many different approaches to cold therapy, we’re going to look at three common and convenient ways to cool down your horse’s legs after a workout.
Ice boots are long pants-like boots that buckle around your horse’s fetlock and extend all the way up to their armpits. A suspender-like strap then goes over your horse’s withers and attaches to the boot on the other side to ensure they stay upright. The cold therapy starts after you fill the boots with ice up to your preferred level. Any water drips out through a layer of foam, keeping the ice nice and cold and undiluted. These boots are a great way to provide cold therapy to a large part of your horse’s legs.
If you want a more targeted approach, the EquiFit Cold Therapy Tendon Boots may be the right option for you. Simply place these boots in the freezer until cold, then secure them to your horse’s legs just as you would any other pair of horse boots. The inner gel stays securely in place within the boot for an even cold therapy application from the fetlock to the knee.
What about if you want to ice your horse’s hooves? That’s where the EquiFit Hoof Ice comes in. These durable bags slide on over your horse’s hooves and secure with a non-slip strap around the fetlock. Fill the bag with ice and water before securing to ensure that the hooves stay submerged in cold liquid.
There are a variety of leg wraps out there that claim to increase circulation, reduce inflammation, and help to repair damage to muscles. The two main types of leg wraps that we’ll cover are the ceramic-infused wraps vs the Welltex fabric wraps.
According to Back on Track, “Welltex fabric utilizes the body’s own energy and reflects the energy back as a far-infrared wavelength… It is proven to increase blood circulation which, in turn, will increase the oxygen transport and waste product removal to and from the tissues, muscles, joints, tendon/ligaments, etc. It is a known fact that an increased blood circulation will aid in the overall well-being and health of the tissues and also in healing from some trauma and injury.”
If this sounds like something that would benefit your horse, check out the Back on Track hock boots here.
Tough-1 is the manufacturer of the Refresh Ceramic-Infused Quick Wraps. According to Tough-1, these wraps are made of ceramic-infused fibers which “absorb the horse’s body heat and return it to the horse as far-infrared rays. These rays go deep within the body tissue expanding blood vessels and increasing circulation. Increased circulation helps to repair damaged muscles, reduce inflammation, and loosen up tight muscles.”
Liniments and poultices both work to pull heat out of the area where they’re applied, draw out toxins, and relieve pain. However, most liniments can be applied before or after a workout and usually have a thinner, more gel-like or liquid consistency. A poultice is a much thicker clay-based product that can be applied to either the legs or hooves.
The Sore No More Performance Gelotion Liniment can be applied prior to an intense workout in order to prepare the muscles and soft tissue for exercise, which reduces the risk of injury. This Gelotion relaxes and relieves sore muscles and fatigue to improve flexibility and range of motion, as well as draws out heat, fluid and toxins, while promoting circulation and cooling the affected area.
If you prefer to use a poultice to sweat your horse’s legs or as a hoof pack, the Sore No More Performance Ultra Poultice has naturally soothing ingredients that effectively draw out heat, fluid and toxins while promoting circulation and cooling the area.
When we ride poorly, our horses suffer as a result. We must treat ourselves as athletes and give our bodies all the support they require, if not for our own benefit, then for the benefit of our performance horses.
Have you ever met an equestrian who didn’t have at least one aching or bothersome joint? For some riders, their knees bother them, while others have ankles that crack, and still other equestrians have stiff wrists or elbows. Why not put the same proven Back on Track technology that we use on our horses to work for us?
Back on Track offers four different joint braces made of the same Welltex fabric as their hock boots. These braces include an ankle brace, knee brace, wrist brace, and elbow brace. Each brace provides the wearer with four benefits:
Don’t stop at just alleviating your symptoms. Some Back on Track products can even improve your riding performance so your joints suffer less wear and tear to start with. For example, take a look at the Back on Track Posture Reminder.
The Posture Reminder provides a natural reminder to sit/stand up straight, activate your core muscles, and keep your shoulders back. Infused with Welltex technology, this posture support also re-energizes tired muscles, alleviates back pain, and improves your flexibility.
Sore and tired muscles aren’t just uncomfortable– they can also become injured more easily, if you continue to push them. Recover from a tough ride faster with some help from the same Welltex technology that you use on your horse.
Back on Track has released both a back brace and neck cover to offer equestrians of all ages and sizes relief from sore, stiff muscles. The increased circulation caused by Welltex fabric can reduce swelling and carry waste away from the muscles, thereby decreasing recovery time and getting you back in the saddle sooner.
Whether you’re shopping for your performance horse or for yourself, Breeches.com has an entire Horse Care section dedicated to the fitness and well-being of athletes. Whether you’re looking for liniments, leg wraps, joint braces, or even supplements, we have everything you need for a successful competition season.
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