Protection for a Horse's Knees

Since horses use their knee joints when they are running, it is vital to protect them. Depending on what is happening with your horse, you will need to enact different protective measures. As such, you should only use quality bandages, boots and wraps, because otherwise, more bad than good will be done to the horse.

  1. Why Protection?

    • Riding horses need protection because they are often subjected to wounds and sores through constant riding. Without proper protection, infections can fester, leaving a crippled horse. Furthermore, providing the horse with protection is a preventative measure. Instead of having to often treat the horse's wounds and sores, bandages, boots and wraps lessen the frequency of wounds if used constantly. For example, the continual use of an open front jumping boot ensures that the horse does not receive scratches on its knee when jumping over fences.

    Types of Protection: Boots

    • The type of boot you purchase heavily depends on the type of rider you are. If you are a hunter or a jumper, you should purchase an open front jumping boot, which would protect a horse's front legs from obstacles inflicting scratches. When a horse is traveling at high speeds, skid boots and knee boots protect a horse's legs from pulling a muscle or tearing a tendon, which, if torn or pulled, may put added pressure on the knee and its muscles, damaging it internally. Otherwise, you may opt for splint boots or galloping boots, which also protect a horse's legs at a high speed. Similar to the skid boots and knee boots, the splint boots and galloping boots protect the knee from splintering if the horse comes to an abrupt stop.

    Types of Protection: Standing Bandages

    • Used whenever a horse is in its stall, a standing bandage can be both preventative and protective. Used only when the horse is at rest, a standing bandage is wrapped several times around the leg to provide additional support. Also, instead of waiting for a horse's injured leg to swell, it will be best to wrap standing bandages around all of the legs to lessen the weight placed on the bad leg.

    Types of Protection: Exercise Wraps

    • Extreme caution should be used when you are placing exercise wraps on horses. Worn by race horses, exercise wraps protect the knee from ripping its joint ligaments. Even though exercise wraps are temporarily beneficial to the horse when it is racing, you should take off the exercise bandage within the hour. Otherwise, the tightness of the bandage can limit the oxygen the horse receives to its leg.

    Types of Protection: Wound Bandages

    • If your horse is injured, wrap the injured area with a wound bandage, which can be purchased at any drug store. These gauze pads need to be clean and soft to aid in the horse's well-being. Wound bandages prevent further injury and infection.