What are therapy boots for horses and which ones are available?

Injuries to the musculoskeletal system are not uncommon in horses. Tendon damage is the most common orthopaedic disease caused by excessive strain. Insufficient condition due to lack of training, training that does not correspond to the horse’s age and body, incorrect hoof position, overweight and poor ground conditions are the reasons for tendon damage. Overstraining in any form should be avoided at all costs to keep the horse healthy. Therapy boots can be a useful addition to preventive measures.

What are Therapy Boots for Horses?

Therapeutic boots are boots with special functions that go beyond protection against blunt trauma. They can either have a cooling, warming or even massaging effect on the horse’s leg. Depending on the horse’s clinical picture, different types of boots are available.

Despite their different functions, therapy boots aim to improve blood flow to the horse’s legs. The blood flow is rather low on the lower legs, as almost exclusively tendons, ligaments and bones run along here. These are hidden under an only thin layer of skin and are thus exposed to external influences almost without protection. If an injury occurs in the leg area, regeneration is delayed due to the low blood circulation. There are different types of therapeutic boots, which are also used for different clinical pictures. However, they have the general aim of promoting blood circulation in the legs and supporting the healing process.

What types of therapy boots are there?

There are up to five different types of therapeutic boots:

• Cooling boots
• Warming and infrared boots
• Magnetic boots
• Massage boots
• Compression bandages

Refresh the horse’s legs after training with cooling boots

Cooling boots are suitable for thermotherapy, whereby the horse’s leg is cooled down after an activity or an acute inflammation. The low temperature reduces the metabolism at cellular level and thus also the activity of the cells there. This also reduces the risk of damage to the structures – inflammation is stopped or slowed down and spreading is prevented, as the permeability of the blood vessels is reduced at this moment. Swelling due to the accumulation of tissue fluid caused by inflammation is prevented and pain is relieved due to the cold numbing. In the case of acute inflammation, the application of heat would only increase the spread of the inflammation. Therefore, tendon and ligament damage as well as infections should be cooled in an acute state.

In order to achieve the cooling effect, the leg should be exposed to the cold for at least 10 minutes. If the cold is removed after the treatment, the blood flow increases and causes the accelerated removal of unwanted inflammatory substances.

Cold packs are usually thickly padded to minimise the loss of cold to the environment. This makes them much more effective than a normal cold water jet, which often only reaches the upper structures but does not reach the depths.

Cooling boots can consist of different components, but they have the same effect. They can be made up of:

• Special granules
• Cooling gel
• Insertion pocket with cooling pad
• Several separate cooling sections with cooling pads
• Alternative: Cooling bandages

If the inside of a cooling bandage consists of special granulate, it swells in a cold water bath to form a gel mass that can even store the cold for several days. The advantage: The granules can also be used for heat therapy by activating the granules with warm water.

Boots with cooling gel are placed in the freezer for about half an hour before use. The cooling effect on the horse’s leg lasts up to 30 minutes. There are also boots with pockets into which commercially available cooling pads can be inserted. If cooling boots have several separate cooling sections, the cooling pads inside cannot be removed – they are sewn in.

The difference between a cooling bandage and a cooling boot is that a bandage cannot store the cold for as long as a boot. The special inner material of a cooling bandage is briefly placed in a bowl of (cold) water and then wrung out. Then the horse’s leg is wrapped as with a normal bandage.

Infrared and warming boots for horses

The counterpart to cold boots are infrared and other warming boots. They usually contain ceramic particles that absorb the horse’s body heat and reflect it at the infrared level. The heat positively contributes to the release of tension and the relief of pain in the tendons and bones. Blood circulation is promoted, which can support regeneration and thus prevent injuries.

The horse should be gradually accustomed to infrared boots with ceramic particles. Leave the boots on the leg for a maximum of 4 hours in the first three days and slowly increase the use to 8 hours. After the acclimatisation phase, the boots can even be worn permanently.

Boots with fused ceramic fibre are available in different designs:

• Stable boots
• Paddock boots
• Working boots
• Leg Wraps
• Hock Boots
• Knee Boots
• Fetlock Protection Boots (especially suitable for diseases of the navicular)
• Compression Bandages

Infrared boots are not only helpful after an acute tendon injury has subsided. They can have a pain-relieving effect on chronic complaints of the musculoskeletal system and are therefore particularly popular with horses suffering from osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis in horses often occurs in the area of the hock (also called bonve spavin), which is why hock boots with integrated ceramics are suitable for this. They support and provide warmth at the same time, which is very good for horses with arthritis.

Warming boots are valuable helpers not only for chronically ill horses. They are also suitable as preparation for training to make the tendons and ligaments supple and thus prevent injuries caused by a „cold start“. Warming boots can be supportive during the warm-up phase. Nevertheless, a proper warm-up phase is indispensable, as the joint fluid is only formed and distributed during movement. Infrared and thermal boots cannot take over this task.

Magnetic Boots for Horses

Magnetic boots usually use permanent magnets to promote regeneration, especially in the case of injuries and bruises to the horse’s leg. The integrated magnets generate a magnetic field that stimulates the body’s own metabolism at the cellular level, which in turn stimulates blood circulation.

The processes in the cells take place via electromagnetic charge and discharge. If this balanced system becomes unbalanced, for example due to stress, injuries or inflammation, the cells have to use more energy than usual for the healing process. The body’s own electrical impulses are then no longer sufficient. The permanent magnets of magnetic boots support the cells in the microcirculation, whereby the structures are better supplied with oxygen and nutrients and at the same time harmful substances and toxins are removed.

Magnetic boots are suitable for tendon and ligament injuries, bone injuries and fractures as well as bone spavin (arthritis in the hock joint) or problems with the lymph flow.

But healthy riding and sport horses also benefit from magnetic therapy. Especially after athletic exertion, when waste products such as lactate have accumulated, magnetic boots help to reduce these and prevent signs of fatigue and injuries caused by them.

Doing something good for your horse with Massage Boots

Massage boots contain vibrating elements that are powered by a rechargeable battery. They can be removed and recharged after use. The massage boots of most manufacturers can be set to three different programmes, which differ in duration and intensity.

The vibration promotes blood circulation by mimicking manual massage. The blood circulation together with the lymphatic system is stimulated and swellings caused by accumulations of tissue fluids are reduced.

Massage boots often combine vibration with cold or heat to achieve a higher and faster regeneration effect. Especially for arthritic horses, it is suitable to support the massage with heat. Added cold provides cooling and recovery after exertion.

Massage boots are suitable for the treatment of tendon damage and strains. They can also be used before and after training to minimise the risk of injury. The tissue structures become more elastic and thus more durable through the massage.

Massage boots should also be used with extreme caution in the case of bone fractures, infections and acute cellulitis. The increased blood circulation aggravates their degree of illness, which is why massage boots should not be used in these cases.

Our tip: The Ice-Vibe by HORSEWARE Therapy Boots not only contain vibration elements, but are also supplied with 2 cooling and heating inserts. With these boots, a massage of the tendons can be combined with cold therapy.

Compression bandages for damaged horse legs

Compression bandages work like compression stockings in the human area. Such bandages are particularly useful during periods of rest in the stall. Horses are not made for long periods of standing still, which is why a rest in the stall prescribed by the veterinarian may help the acute injury, but can lead to further illnesses. Filled legs due to accumulated fluid, oedema and tension pains are the result. The resulting lymphatic congestion can hinder the healing of the actual injury (e.g. tendon damage).

The compression bandage compresses the vessels and exerts a precisely defined pressure from the outside. If the horse also moves, i.e. tenses the muscles, the pressure in the vessels is further increased and thus the pressure in the vessels themselves.

The flow is increased, the removal of lymph fluid and toxins is improved. As a result, swellings, windgalls and oedema decrease and the horse’s leg regains its slender shape. In addition, compression bandages are a relief for chronic cellulitis, tendon diseases, laminitis, mud fever, wounds and scars.

Compression bandages are particularly effective as part of a holistic treatment. Compression bandages in combination with manual lymphatic drainage (gentle massage technique to dissolve lymphatic congestion) and exercise are unavoidable. The use should always be discussed with the veterinarian, as with all therapeutic boots and bandages used.