# No Bow and Standing Wraps



## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

So saturday we jumped pretty big and my boy was VERY good for me. My trainer told me "for days like this you need some No Bow and Standing Wraps". so i went to the tack store that day and bought those two items... however... here's my issue:
The young woman behind the counter said: "buy some liniment and dilute it down. rub that on his legs, then wrap them up. leave it on for about 15 mins, and then wash it all off."
Then, after speaking with my trainer, she advised me to just wrap his legs "dry" and leave the no bows and the standings on over night. 
so here i am, confused as usual!
What do you folks do with your horses regarding the no bows and the standing wraps?? wet or dry?? liniment gel or liquid??
what is liniment for anyway!?? (can it really ACTUALLY burn your horses legs if you leave it on??)
everyone seems to have very different opinions on how and why to use this type of stuff.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_My grandparents use witch hazel on their horses legs and normally use it before they put the wraps on. They also will put it on with out wrapping as well._


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## lolayla (Jul 25, 2008)

i would assume that your trainer is just taking preventative measures so your horse stays sound. absorbine, green cool or just plain old rubbing alcohol is usually best in these types of situations.


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

Sore No More liniment and then just leave the standing wraps on over night is what I do. If you don't have sore no more just rubbing alcohol or another type of liniment will be fine. Just make sure you know how to PROPERLY wrap them. If you don't, then don't bother wrapping or find someone who knows how to wrap and can do it for you.


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## OneFastHorse (Jan 13, 2011)

Strange said:


> Sore No More liniment and then just leave the standing wraps on over night is what I do. If you don't have sore no more just rubbing alcohol or another type of liniment will be fine. Just make sure you know how to PROPERLY wrap them. If you don't, then don't bother wrapping or find someone who knows how to wrap and can do it for you.


I use Sore-No-More products. IMO, nothing else compares.

SNM Linement is for pain/inflammation. It can be used with wraps and it is also one of the few that you can use with magnets.

SNM Poultice is for drawing swelling/heat out of legs or feet (or any other part of the body) and it can also be wrapped.


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## Beau Baby (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm sorry for this minor highjack but I spotted this thread and have been wondering about liniments for awhile. My vet told me I needed to take great care with my mares front legs as she stands more on the insides of her hooves and that with a lot of work can cause heat to flare up. I know people who use liniments occasionally. Should I be using them on my mare after every hard workout, jumping and flat? When do you know you should use them and what do you use?


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

OnFastHorse- Totally agree. SNM is definitely my favorite! We use it on all the horses after a hard jump school or XC schooling. 

Beau Baby - I wouldn't use it after a flat lesson, but definitely after a hard jumping school. Depending on what you get, liniments generally aren't super cheap, and while a little goes a long way, I prefer to try and make it last as much as I can. Jumping is also far harder on the legs.


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## Beau Baby (Oct 28, 2008)

Okay Strange so many after a super hard lesson or the xcountry phase in the 3-Day Events I attend? What type of liniment would you reccomend and how would you use it on a horse who lives outside 24/7? I've seen people rub it on the legs then put paper over it then a pad and then a wrap. Do you just leave it on for a couple hours or overnight?


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

I use poultice after jumping hard

Sore No More clay or Koolout Clay are my favorites


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

I like poultices as well, but I only use them after XC at a show. I'll put on the clay poultice, some paper towel (or brown paper bag works) then the cotton pillow, then the wrap over. I leave them on over night. Ice-Tight is a pretty good poultice, as is Sore No More. I would use liniment instead of poultice after just a hard jump lesson or something. 

And even if the horse lives out 24/7, I just use the regular standing wraps. If they're put on correctly for the most part the horse won't care and will leave them alone. Sometimes a liniment will make their legs feel tingly and I've seen some horses nip at their wraps when that happens.


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

I usually don't wrap over clay poultice.


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## Beau Baby (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks. so for liniments they're like poultices right? Or do you rub them in and then leave the legs uncovered? Sorry I have so many questions. I want to learn more and do the best for my horses.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

also... is this whole "they can burn your horses legs" thing true??? this scares me.


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## OneFastHorse (Jan 13, 2011)

Oxer said:


> also... is this whole "they can burn your horses legs" thing true??? this scares me.


yes, but sore no more is less likely to burn due to its all natural make up. It does a sensitive skinned horse good. But, test it on your horse first. Every horse is different. Also, read the lable...they tell you whether or not you can wrap over them


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## OneFastHorse (Jan 13, 2011)

I only use a clay poultice when I can see and/or feel heat and/or swelling. 

Otherwide I use the linement. I put it in a spay bottle and mist it over my horses whole body after a multi-run weekend or extremely hard work.


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

I don't like using liniment on anything but the back because of the possibility of blistering or burning.

Clay does not do this.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I don't use liniments under wraps because it is easier than people think to burn legs. Also if there is a small skin abrasion it is very easy to induce an allergic reaction, etc, etc, etc.. 
Bathing in a diluted liniment and rinsing well is OK, as well as using a gel liniment without wrapping.

The whole thought behind bandaging the horse after a hard work out is to prevent stocking up the morning after. I find that at shows, wrapping is the best way to mitigate this. I also bed the stalls nearly to the horse's eyeballs. At home, the stalls should also be well bedded (at least 4-6" of shavings).
As far as mitigating this at home, I find that turnout is the best best way to keep the horse from stocking up. Anything that encourages the horse to walk.
If it is at night and the horse needs to go to his stall, after a hard workout I will often walk the horse for half an hour. In the morning, he gets turned out and has at least 20 hours off before the next ride. If I am really concerned about stocking up I'll ice the legs for a half hour before I'll wrap.

Good luck!


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> I don't use liniments under wraps because it is easier than people think to burn legs. Also if there is a small skin abrasion it is very easy to induce an allergic reaction, etc, etc, etc..
> Bathing in a diluted liniment and rinsing well is OK, as well as using a gel liniment without wrapping.
> 
> The whole thought behind bandaging the horse after a hard work out is to prevent stocking up the morning after. I find that at shows, wrapping is the best way to mitigate this. I also bed the stalls nearly to the horse's eyeballs. At home, the stalls should also be well bedded (at least 4-6" of shavings).
> ...


Very informative! However, can someone explain to me "stocking up"??


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## OneFastHorse (Jan 13, 2011)

Do not wrap if the product contains capsaicin. it will burn. 

You can wrap over Witch Hazel, rubbing alcohol, Sore No More, etc. Tho, some horses are too sensitive to even wrap over those.


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## Ladytrails (Jul 28, 2010)

Stocking up is when fluid pools in the legs due to gravity - kind of like when your shoes feel tight after you've walked all day. The no bow or pillow wraps and standing bandages are to keep steady gentle pressure on the legs, which forces the fluid up and out of the legs. Too much fluid is uncomfortable for the horse and can lead to tissue damage if it's excessive.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

can "stocking up" also cause windpuffs?


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Oxer said:


> can "stocking up" also cause windpuffs?


Windpuffs are a whole different cup of tea - the only way to prevent them is to properly condition your horse and not to work him overly hard for his condition.
Basically what happens is you stress out a tendon and/or a joint too much and it causes the bursa surrounding that structure to fill with fluid which deforms it forever. Because the bursa will always be deformed, even if it isn't filled with fluid at the time (because of cold therapy usage or having a vet drain it) it will fill back up with fluid in time. If you're having a vet drain it then all you're doing is increasing the infection risk for your horse. If you are really keen about reducing the appearance then cold hose the bursa (windpuff) everyday for about half an hour.

Stocking up is just run of the mill fluid build up and the best way to keep that at bay is to keep the "heart in the hooves" pumping. A horse's heart can't keep the blood in the legs moving, so they need to move around and the contact of the hoof to the ground serves to pump blood back to the heart, carrying the fluid from stocking up away with it.


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

Anebel-

What kind of gel liniment do you recommend?

You also mentioned diluting liquid liniment and bathing the horse with this...I like this idea also. Any specific liquid liniment you would recommend?

I havent used liniment on my horse, but I have a feeling that she is going to be a very sensitive horse to things like this. When she got her vaccines, she had a knot on her neck for like 2 weeks...

Thanks!


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## OneFastHorse (Jan 13, 2011)

DubyaS6 said:


> Anebel-
> 
> What kind of gel liniment do you recommend?
> 
> ...


 
Im not anebel, but Sore No More linement would be my choice if you think she is sensitive skinned. They have liquid and gel form.


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

OneFastHorse said:


> Im not anebel, but Sore No More linement would be my choice if you think she is sensitive skinned. They have liquid and gel form.


Haha! No problem, thank you very much for the recommendation


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Oxer said:


> also... is this whole "they can burn your horses legs" thing true??? this scares me.


YES!

To the point of much swelling and peeling skin even.





eventerdrew said:


> I don't like using liniment on anything but the back because of the possibility of blistering or burning.
> 
> Clay does not do this.


I totally agree.
I learned the hard way that wrapping over liniment is a bad thing for some horses.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I use Vetrolin but it really doesn't matter too much, most of the ingredients are the same. 
If you are competing however, be sure whatever liniment you choose has NO capsacin in it because even if used on the skin it will test positive on a drug test. If you have a non-competing, arthritic horse, capsacin is what you want because it reduces inflammation, however it also causes sensitivity around applied areas.


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> I use Vetrolin but it really doesn't matter too much, most of the ingredients are the same.
> If you are competing however, be sure whatever liniment you choose has NO capsacin in it because even if used on the skin it will test positive on a drug test. If you have a non-competing, arthritic horse, capsacin is what you want because it reduces inflammation, however it also causes sensitivity around applied areas.


Great information, thanks!


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

so much great information here, thanks everyone!


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