How to Put Polo Wraps on a Horse

When working your horse, it is a good idea to put some sort of protection on the animal's legs. This is especially important when doing anything strenuous like jumping or dressage, but any horse can accidentally nick a leg with a hoof and injure himself while working or playing. There are two different types of leg protection to choose from: boots and polo wraps. There are many debates about which is better, but proponents of polo wraps say they provide better support to the tendons than boots. Wraps also keep the lower legs warm on cold days. However, the polo wraps are harder to put on, take off and care for than boots.Special care must be taken when putting polo wraps on a horse in order to not cause lameness. Wrinkles in the wraps, a wrap that is applied too tightly or more pressure in one part of the leg than another can all cause bowed tendons or sores.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Polo wraps

1. Roll up the polo wrap. Do this by holding the end of the wrap with the Velcro and face the Velcro away from you so it will be on the inside of the wrap. This will put it on the outside when you put the wrap on the horse. Fold the end over and roll the wrap tightly until the whole thing is rolled up.

2. Kneel by the horse’s leg. Place the end of the polo wrap on the inside of the leg below the knee. Face the wrap so you will be pulling the wrap toward the horse’s tail when the wrap is on the outside of the leg. One way to check this is to hold the end of the wrap on the inside of the horse’s leg with one hand and hold the wrap with the other so that the roll is in front of the leg before you begin wrapping. On the horse’s right leg, you will be holding the roll in your right hand.

3. Wrap the polo wrap around the horse’s leg, unrolling the wrap as you go. Pull it firmly enough to stay in place and provide support, but not so tightly as to cut off circulation. Do not pull the wrap tight when placing it across the inside of the leg, only when you are pulling it across the front or outside. This will prevent putting too much pressure on the tendons. Make sure you put the same amount of pressure on each pass so the pressure is the same up and down the leg.

4. Work your way down the horse’s leg until you get to the fetlock. Run the wrap under the fetlock and then work your way back up the leg. This will create an upside-down “V” in the wrap on the front of the fetlock. A perfectly rolled wrap will end at the top, just under the knee.

5. Fasten the Velcro to keep the wrap in place.