How to Use Polo Bandages

Polo bandages are a soft and elasticized fleece-type material that wraps around a horse's lower legs to provide protection during polo matches and workouts. The ligaments in the lower leg stretch during exercise and can tear if the horse's lower leg is not adequately warm or supported. Applying polo bandages before strenuous exercise can prevent unnecessary damage to and pain for your horse, allowing it to run and make fast maneuvers without risking ligament problems.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape
  • Mild laundry detergent
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Instructions

    • 1

      Tether the horse in a familiar grooming area that is large enough for you to work comfortably on each leg without the horse becoming nervous. Groom each lower leg of the horse so that it is free of dirt and grit that may rub the skin after you apply the polo bandage.

    • 2

      Using one polo bandage, apply the start of the roll half way down the shin bone. Unwind the roll by wrapping a full turn, and using a light pulling tension overlap the previous turn by half a width in a downward spiral motion.

    • 3

      Cover the protruding ergot bone at the back of the leg and continue to wrap around the leg and down to the ankle bone. Wind the polo bandage in an upward spiral once you wrap the ankle bone, and work your way back up the lower leg to the top of the shin.

    • 4

      Fasten the end of the bandage to a wrapped section at the back of the leg. Use the Velcro or self-fastening hook attached to the bandage material to fasten it. Wrap a piece of tape once around the horse's leg on the bandage end if you feel that the fastening system is inadequate.

    • 5

      Repeat the procedure for each leg. Remove the polo bandages straight after the match or exercise because they will be damp. Wash the bandages with mild laundry detergent and allow the material to dry before reusing them.