# Polo wraps on during turnout?



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Just a question, but why do you wrap so much?


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## onetoomany (Dec 10, 2008)

Firstly, it is in no way necessary to wrap your horse's legs everytime your work unless there is some other type of issue going on. Polos can actually be detrimental if they are wrapped poorly and are usually much more of a hassle than they are worth as they don't offer a ton of support anyway.

Secondly, I for sure wouldn't put polos on my horse during turn out. They could get tangled up in them quite easily. I really, really wouldn't recommend wrapping the polos with duct tape at least with the velcro you have give and if your horse does get stuck, the velcro will come undone. With duct tape it would just stick- same reason why you don't want to duct tape a fly mask together. There is no give and your horse would end up injuring itself more as it wouldn't get any release from the pressue. I would not recommend putting polos on your horse during turn out.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I ride a lot on trails, with a bunch of nasty brush crossing the bottom of the path, and polo wraps protect them from some of the cuts they would otherwise get. My horse, Ricci, also has a tendency to kick up a lot of gravel that crash into her other legs. I put polo wraps on underneath my shipping boots for extra protection. And I know it sounds terrible but they look GREAT. And I don't put wraps on EVERY time I work my horses, I use them when I ride. I'm just putting them on Gracie all the time now so she learns to stand for them, and to get used to them in general so when I start riding her, she's not also coping with the new-ness of wraps as well as everything else.

I never thought about the "give" aspect. It makes sense.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I would actually recommend a sports boot of some type. 
The material of polos really isnt that great and can hide burrs and the like. They dont really offer any support, and like was said, they can easily cause more harm than good. 

I use them mostly on cool days. 

I would definitely not turn out with them though for the same reasons as stated. They can get unraveled and just cause a mess.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I'm not sure of what you mean by them causing more harm than good, I've never had any negative experience with them, nor have I heard of a bad one. I mean, as far as riding goes. Especially on the trail.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I meant by being wrapped wrong. They really don't offer too many benefits(Though they do look cute and can keep a leg circulating) they dont offer very much protection (burrs get stuck in there, you should wash them every few rides, etc) where a SMB or something would offer more protection, does not need to be wrapped, and at least in my experience, less gets stuck in them.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Oh ok. Well, I wash them all the time, and I've never had anything get stuck in them, so I think I'll still use them, lol. I was just curious, so thanks for the information. =]


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## ohmyitschelle (Aug 23, 2008)

I think its all down to individuals what they do with their horses, but since you asked for opinions, I'm sorry but I'm going to give you mine.
I understand you wish to protect her legs from dangerous situations... I'm all for prevention... however you seem a little too worried. Horses are horses, and if we wrap them up in cotton wool they're going to end up resenting us. There has been many case studies about how polos can be detrimental if put on poorly and I believe that you sound very experienced with them, but why is it so important to wrap so much? She sounds quite young and I wouldn't want to bandage a horse of that age whilst her bones are still growing. That's just me though, as I would start with boots first for when they travel but thats about it. My horses live outdoors all the time and don't have anything on their legs... and they hardly have any accidents. I've found that the more you protect, the less they understand how dangerous the situation is and end up foolishly putting a leg through a fence etc. I would not wrap her legs on turnout, and I would not leave the wraps on for hours at end overnight either. 
Just my two cents.
x


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## onetoomany (Dec 10, 2008)

Also if you aren't wrapping with even pressure or wrapping in the wrong direction you can easily bow a tendon. 

It is your choice to ride with them but I would recommend an SMB type protection over a polo any day. SMBs should NEVER be left on during turn out though.


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

Yeah... there is absolutely no type of boot or leg covering that actually gives any support to the leg unless you tighten it so much that all circulation is cut off. This has been proven in a lot of different places by a lot of different people.
I put boots (or polos if I'm in a clinic) on my horse every time I do anything with him. I mostly use boots for the convenience. I use them to protect the legs from other legs, random stuff like cats and mounting blocks and when I'm on the trail to prevent those little nicks and scratches that can easily get infected. 
As far as turning out in boots and especially polos, I wouldn't recommend it unless the horse was supervised, or at least checked on a few times an hour. I would especially not turn out in polos because the velcro can come loose and wrap around other legs and spook and trip your horse. As far as boots, I have these awesome ones that I bought for a horse who interfered with herself and they stay on no matter what. A lot of eventers use them apparently and they are really good for turning horses out in if they are prone to taking them off. I wouldn't put boots on a horse for unsupervised turnout though in case they get caught up in a fence/on another horse/etc...
Oh and I just read your duct tape thing. Horses are experts at removing duct tape, so don't depend on it for horse related keeping things on the horse things. It will get torn off.
As far as for tightness of polos, for normal fleece ones go it is really hard to bow a tendon with them unless you're trying to. My rule of thumb is that I can always wriggle one finger in the bottom and top of the polo and all the way through comfortably. If there's lots of room it's going to come off and if there's not enough, it's too tight.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Realistically, since she is so young, there is really no reason for the polos to be left on for any length of time at all. With something like that, she will not get anything more from them being on 2 hours a day than she would if they were on for 5 or 10 minutes a day. You should put them on when you work her and as soon as she is comfortable with them during that session, take them off then. When the weather starts to get hot, she may begin to resent them because they don't allow the heat to escape from her legs like it should. I would also not advise that you leave them on when you turn her out either. It wouldn't take much for one to start coming off and as she runs and plays, steps on the loose end and takes a nosedive. If they are used improperly or if used too often (this mainly applies to boots) it can actually weaken the supportive tendons in their legs and cause more problems. I am all for protecting your horse's legs but there has to come a point when you say enough is enough. Horses are going to get hurt. If you wrapped them in bubble wrap and kept them in a rubber room, they would figure a way to an injury somehow.

I don't mean to sound rude, but that is just how I look at it.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Okay, it seems like a lot of people are thinking I'm trying to "bubble wrap" my horses. I only use them when I ride. Seriously. I put them on Gracie all the time so she becomes comfortable with them. When I start riding her I plan to wrap her legs, and as I said before, I don't want her to have to deal with wraps as well as me being on her. I just want her to be used to them before hand. I wasn't thinking about putting wraps on her during turnout to protect her from the world, just so that they could be on while she isn't doing anything. I don't want her to resent them by thinking they are only put on when she's worked. That was really my only though. I understand your concerns, and I won't put them on while she's turned out, it was just a thought.


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