# Who else wraps their horses (to trailer)?



## ducks4you (Jun 14, 2010)

When I first got horses (1985) I took a class at a community college, taught by my Vet (only equine.)  Among things like the laundry list of EVERYTHING that can go wrong with your broodmare and foaling out, and correctly giving innoculations, he taught us how to correctly use quilts and polos to wrap your horse's legs for travel.
The ONE time I didn't was because a friend, whose horse I was transporting to the Vet's office to get Coggin's for our joint upcoming trip, said it was too much trouble.  She didn't wrap her horse, and I didn't wrap my 3 horses.  While rushing to unload her mare, the mare reloaded herself and ripped the flesh down to the bone on her back lower leg.  The Vet cleaned it up and stitched it.  It was an unnecessary accident.
In 25 years this was the only time I didn't wrap for travel.  When I had my old herd, I cheated with shipping boots, but I now have 2 four-year olds, so I'm back to quilts and polo's OR shipping boots and polos, because "Buster" knows how to use his teeth to take off his shipping boots.
I cannot tell you how many times people ask me what I'm doing and why.  I also see numerous programs with horses in trailers and no wraps.
What do YOU do?  I'm interested in your opinions--TOO late to change mine on this!!  
My record is wrapping (with quilt and polos) on 4 horses in 20 minutes!!


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## michickenwrangler (Jun 14, 2010)

Despite the fact that Izzie was injured in a trailer accident 4 years ago that probably would have been prevented with wraps, I don't wrap her. Mainly so that she doesn't stock up.

She also doesn't load in the trailer well, and I did wrap her a few times about 8-9 years ago. After the second time, she caught on to what the wraps mean and it took twice as long to get her in. This was BEFORE she incurred her injury. Her injury resulted from me WORKING with her on loading when she spooked, reared up, flipped over backward while falling out the back and got her leg caught, tearing a big gash in her hind leg. The usual vet was out of town, and only the dog vet was in. Since it was a straightforward gash, I felt pretty confident that he could deal with it.  But, he couldn't get out to the stable. So...I had to load her back up and drive to the vet.

She's better now, but she loads a lot better if I get her straight from the pasture and in the trailer without a llot of thinking on both our parts.

Of the boarders at our stable, only 1 ever wraps her horse's legs.


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## goodhors (Jun 14, 2010)

I wrap everyone about 95% of the time.  Exceptions would be very young equines, who are not used to wearing leg wraps.  I also might not wrap if trip is very short, under 5 miles.

Otherwise, we wrap everyone with cottons and track bandages everytime they load.  Especially important on long trips.  We were taught by a Standardbred trainer, who made sure we did things right.

We wrap for support, since trailered horse is flexing, swaying to stay upright ALL THE TIME they are in a moving trailer.  Muscles fatigue with CONSTANT use, so support helps them.  We do stop every 2-3 hours to let them rest and pee for about 20 minutes.  We need a break too!

Our leg wraps are somewhat protective, but the track bandage is only run from fetlock to just under the knee.  Cotton padding sticks out above and below, but is not firmly on the leg.  We have wide bodied horses, only partial dividers, but have not had problems with stepping on each other's feet or leaving damage during transit.

We also use head bumpers, that is 100% on each horse, every trip whatever the trip length.  Have seen some nasty head wounds on some animals who threw up their head or banged it on the roof edge when entering or exiting.


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## ducks4you (Jun 16, 2010)

So...45 views, 2 comments.  I'm disappointed.  

I didn't post this to try and convince anybody.  I'm curious about YOUR thoughts...REALLY!!!!    
BTW...
"Troubleshooting Guide for Trailer Loading"
http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/farm_ranch/trailering/trailer_loading_guide_022409/?imw=Y


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## michickenwrangler (Jun 16, 2010)

I know.

Maybe no one trailers their horses? Or they just haven't thought about it or are embarrassed to say they don't.

Remember too that there aren't a huge number of people on here like on BYC


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## LauraM (Jun 16, 2010)

I use shipping boots when trailering long distances, trailering on the interstate, or trailering my horse with a horse he doesn't know (in case they fuss at each other).  

For short trips by himself or with one of my other horses, I don't use anything.  But, my horse loads himself calmly, unloads himself calmly (both with me just standing there watching) and trailers calmly.


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## adoptedbyachicken (Jun 19, 2010)

I know how to wrap and I own quilts, cottens, polos and shipping boots but honestly don't wrap for transport much.  I did when I was hauling long ways for shows with higher strung horses, but when I quit that and just started to do pleasure trail I got calmer easier going horses (the same critter, their outlook changed, and they aged in the time too) and trailered much more often for just 10 minutes to get to the National Park.  The we would ride for 2 to 6 hours, up to 8 total as we packed lunch, snacks and then home for another 10 minute trailer ride.  So for a while I switched to SMB boots, put them on and left them for the day rather than wraps twice, or trailer boots.  I found with them my horses got sloppy in their footing.  They no longer cared if they picked up their feet right, or if they sidestepped getting in the trailer.  They started banging themselves where they never had before, and tripping.  So I quit using them and things got better again.  I don't think that's an issue you would see with the velcro on trailer boots, they don't provide enough padding to make the horse that comfortable.

Anyway good you posted to make me think again, now I only trailer to the vet when one needs it.  If the whole crew is to be done the vet comes here.  That's it, I ride from home so now I should boot or wrap again.  When they were trailering all the time they were old hands at it and knew where they were going and why, now they might be nervous and more likely to make a mistake.


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## patandchickens (Jun 19, 2010)

I haven't replied (well til now ) because I do not, nor have I ever, owned a truck or trailer. And most of the horses I've been involved in trailering were other peoples' -- in some circumstances I put my foot down and said 'I'm wrapping' for cover-your-butt purposes, and in other circumstances (where no obvious big risk existed) I did whatever the horse's owner preferred. 

My personal opinion though is that it is an awfully good idea to wrap (NOT shipping-boot -- I ahve seen too many accidents involving 'em) a horse if the trailer is questionably-suitable or if the horse is questionably-calm or questionably-balanced or inexperienced.  

As for the rest -- routine trips with very experienced "good travellers" -- I have (at others' behest) seen too many horses travel literally thousands of miles without incident to get TOO wound up about the necessity of wrapping. If you wrap properly it is probably not a bad thing, of course, and may avoid a few rare accidents; but in the grand scheme of things, if people are going to be urged to worry about SOMEthing, I'd rather see people go out and inspect AND REPAIR AND HORSEPROOF their fences a couple times a month, or soemthing like that with more abundant dividends.

(That may not have come out right -- I am TOTALLY not saying you should not urge people to wrap their horses for travel -- I just think that there are bigger things that people should worry even MORE about. And you probably take care of those things too )

JMHO,

Pat


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## ducks4you (Jun 22, 2010)

WELL SAID!!


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## w c (Sep 1, 2010)

You betcha, they don't go near a trailer without having their legs wrapped.

I wrap with pillow wraps, they are called, they are thicker than cottons, and standing bandages.  Standing bandages are fairly long and very wide and made of a fabric that does not stretch a great deal.  I also have a set of flannels, that work about the same as the standings and are the same length and width.  Standings are usually a kind of a flat shiny material, not at all thick, not like track bandages, which are knit.  They have velcro ends.

It is strongly not advised to use track bandages to wrap for trailering.  Also not polos.  They are too stretchy.

I use the standing bandages for either trailering or in the stable.  The difference is that for trailering, I use longer padding ('wraps').  The pillow wraps for my horse are 16" for front legs and 18" for back legs for trailering.  For standing wraps in the stable, I use 14" and 16" wraps.  The trailering wraps come down over the back of the foot, over top of bell boots.

I put on bell boots on the front legs, and put the padding down over the bell boots, then bandage.  Then finish with masking tape over the velcro tabs, leaving a little bit of a tab on the masking tape so I can take it off quickly in one piece.

I avoid shipping boots like the plague.  There are a few brands that stay up and stay stiff, but they cost about ten times what wraps do.

It's very, very important when bandaging to have a very consistent way of doing it so the pressure is even and not too loose or too tight, nor binding across the back of the beg or wrinkling.  It takes practice to get a good job.  Many put them on either very loose or very tight, both are bad.


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