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Which provides more support - polo wraps, sport boots, or splint boots?
For everyday flat-work, which do you recommend and why?
For jumping, which do you prefer?
I have always been a fan of polos because they seem to provide overall support, keep the tendon warm, and move with the horse.
What I'm really looking for is education on each. Thanks!
It isn't a matter of opinion anymore, since many studies have been done on this both as relates to human athletes and equine athletes.
Boots and wraps are evaluated according to the amount of support they offer, which refers to their ability to prevent tendon and ligament tears from over-stretching and over-expansion.
They are also evaluated according to their ability to absorb shock from concussion due to blunt forces such as interference or banging into jumps, etc.
Polo wraps have been found to provide no more than 1% support, which is virtually no support at all. This means they will do nothing to prevent tendon and ligament overstretch injuries.
SMBs with fetlock support have been found to provide the most support, but still only an insignificant 5 to 7%.
No boot or wrap can be applied tightly enough to function in providing significant support, since that amount of constriction would compromise circulation and damage tissues, and nothing can be rigid enough to lend support while still allowing normal movement.
SMBs with fetlock support have been found to provide the most significant absorption of concussive forces, and are veterinarian endorsed because of that and the fact that they do provide a slight amount of tendon and ligament support.
Polos provide little in the way of absorbing concussion, virtually nothing in the way of support, and because if they are wrapped incorrectly they can cause bandage bows or worse damage, I don't recommend them. However, they look nice and do provide a small amount of protection from abrasions, so if you know how to wrap them correctly, and like how they look, there is no harm in using them.
That said, in my own experience, I'd say that the majority of polos I've seen wrapped by average individuals over the years have been done incorrectly.
You don't want to keep tendons warm. Just the increased blood flow during exercise will provide plenty of warmth to tendons. The thing you don't want to do is to overheat tendons.
Both boots and wraps hold heat and should be removed immediately when a workout is finished. The legs should also be cold hosed in hot weather. The cells at the cores of tendons begin to degenerate when a critical heat threshold is exceeded.
Boots are better than wraps, and should only be worn when needed. If you know there is a likelihood of your horse sustaining blunt force injuries while you ride, then SMBs with fetlock support are the recommended boots for that, and for the optimum support possible.
The only prevention you can provide for tendon and ligament tears comes through a good conditioning program that is focused on developing the strength and resilience necessary for the specific activity your horse will asked to perform.
Personally, I prefer to leave the boots off until actual competition if at all possible, and I wouldn't recommend wraps at all.
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