Choosing Leg Wraps or Bandages

Shipping Wraps

When traveling, wraps or bandages help support and protect your horse’s legs. As horses balance themselves in a truck or trailer, they can easily step on their own or each other’s feet or scrape up against the side or partition of the box. Wraps also help keep the legs clean if you’re traveling to a show. Shipping boots may be easier to put on and take off, but most horse owners agree that bandages actually provide more support than a boot.

Using Cottons

Stable or standing wraps should be applied over padding or ‘cottons’. Cottons are thick rectangles of quilted fabric. They help distribute the pressure of the wrap.

 For wound dressing, a material like Animal Lintex or gamgee that you keep in your first aid kit might be used under or instead of the cotton padding. Again, cottons come in different sizes, and you’ll need to match the cotton to your horse’s size.

Most cottons and wraps are made with synthetic materials or are a cotton blend. To clean them, you can simply throw them in the washing machine. An extra rinse ensures there is no detergent residue to irritate a horse’s legs. Hang wraps to dry and re-roll for the next use. Put them in the dryer only if you like detangling big knots!