Quality, compassionate care for horses.
Bandaging Basics
Limb bandages are most commonly applied for riding purposes or for wound care. Regardless of the reason, all limb bandages should have a thicker layer (quilt or cotton), followed by a more supportive wrap (polo wrap, vetwrap, etc). As a rule of thumb, anything directly on the skin should be stretchy and not too tight; never wrap brown gauze, white athletic tape, or duct tape (yes, we see this) directly on the skin. Placing a tourniquet is never recommended without veterinary consultation; heavy bandaging is often sufficient with less risk.
Distal Limbs
Whether for support during exercise or for wound care, distal limb bandages should be applied with care. Bandages that are too tight can result in bowed tendons, often called "bandage bows." Contrary to myth, the direction of wrapping does not matter as much as the tightness and consistency of pressure. Bandage bows can happen wrapping either direction. A good base layer of cotton or quilt goes a long way in reducing the risk of a bandage bow. We recommend starting at the bottom and wrapping toward the knee. Even, light to moderate tension on the wrap all the way around the limb will reduce the likelihood of bowing a tendon.
Exercise support wraps are often simply a quilt roll and polo wrap. Wound care bandages can vary from a simple non-stick pad with gauze and Elastikon to in-depth padding and layers.
Upper Limbs
Upper limb bandages on horses are almost exclusively used for wound care. The most difficult aspect of upper limb bandaging is keeping the bandage from slipping down. A full limb bandage is the best way to remedy this issue. Full limb bandages, often called "stack wraps," use a support wrap of quilt or cotton and vetwrap to prevent the upper bandage from sliding down. Ensuring that proper padding of and alleviation of pressure over the back of the knee is also very important for forelimb full limb bandages.
Hind limb full limb bandages are often used due to wounds on the hock or just above. Figure 8-ing around the point of the hock is an effective way to reduce the likelihood of bandage slipping. Pulling the outer layers of the bandage less tight over the point of the hock will also help by allowing slightly more bend at this high motion area.
Chest and Shoulder
Prior to the development of SolEquine wraps, shoulder, chest, and withers wounds were either left uncovered or left to the clients' creativity to develop a bandaging system. The SolEquine chest wound wrap combines SmartSilver for antibacterial and antifungal killing, compression to reduce swelling, and ease of machine washing. These have been a true gamechanger when it comes to healing wounds in these tricky areas.
photo courtesy of: SunMedica/ SolEquine
