Horse Show End-of-Day Care Routines

EC Question of the Week:

We recently asked our readers to tell us what their after-care routines are at the end of a show day – especially at longer circuits.

As always, we can depend on our readers for an abundance of knowledge and ideas! Read on to see what they do:

 

Ellexxah Maxwell

Blue lotion (Neale mctarnahans)  or poltice, wrap legs. Sometimes also use a vibrating sheet depending on the level of work done.

 

Kory Kumar

PEMF and Back On Track. My horse has a full BOT wardrobe.

 

Whitney Romanoff

Bemer treatment and or Game Ready. A lot can be said for a good bath; water and a good scrub do a lot for the body. I’m a huge fan of a good hand walk, especially outside if they are indoors most of the time like at SouthPoint, OKC, etc. Day light and fresh air can do a lot. Standing wraps if they are on cement, I get puffy and sore without compression socks after a long day, they deserve the same concept.

 

Kelley Claire Stannard

hand walks/wine walks do wonders. 🥰

 

Kimberly Roark

It depends on how long the show is and if we are jumping or not. But with a long hard schedule we pack front feet, poultice and wrap legs, use liniment body wash, back on track sheets for a couple of hours, and will do pemf once or twice for a long show. If it’s a shorter show we may do none of that, or only a portion depending on how the horse is feeling.

 

Marissa Campbell

Depending how hard the day was… cold hosing legs & a full wash, poultice legs or blue lotion joints and wrapping. Bute or banamine if it really seems needed. Cloud boots or soft rides too. I don’t like leaving hock or knee wraps on overnight, so if used, only for a few hours…. And a few cookies in their dinner for a good days work. 🍪💕

 

Kaylee K. Bandy

BEMER! It makes such a huge difference for both equine and human athlete.

 

Sailor Endres

Biggest thing… REST! In the summer a nice cold close and scrape. I do like the BOT Hock boots!

 

Amber Littlejohn

Ice cream…a good bath, back on track and a theraplate (he gets this in the morning before showing, throughout the day and in the evening).

 

Kendra Pinno

poultice, cold hose, wraps, Magnawave.

 

Kathy L Murphy

I bathe and cold hose her legs!

 

Jeremy Martin

Normally we poultice and wrap all 4 legs and pack the front feet. Sometimes at longer circuits we will poultice there back. If there is a person that is pulsing we will have that done as well.

 

Jessica O’Connor

I add Absorbine liniment to the washing mixture I use, cold hose their legs, keep electrolytes added to their water, and let them rest.

 

Kristin Ashley Tullis

PEMF, a good hose down in warm weather and a good brushing in cold weather, sore no more, standing wraps, clean stall, fluffy shavings and plenty of hay and then leave them be so they can rest up ❤️

 

Lindsey Brown

Treats and turn out to relax and just be a horse. 💜

 

Kelly Lazo

Not so much after care as all day care. Clean water, small amounts of feed throughout the day, making sure they get back to their stall in between classes, unsaddling if time, some scratches, $ mini massages to keep them happy.

 

Beth Clemons

Red Light therapy (we have the gospel ones and equicare bell boots) and Liniment

I like my BOT products before they show.

 

Kay Osborne Haines

No matter how late it was when we got home from a show, we always put him on a lunge line, went to our outdoor pen, and he would roll multiple times. He always loved that!!

 

Alyse Roberts

I love the Back on Track USA standing wraps!!!

 

 

Caleigh Anderson

A nice bath, liniment, magnawave, and back on track products !

 

Katie Greenawald

A solid exercise program to keep in good working shape, routine Adequan and Magnawave, portable stall mats at every show, a good cold hose, hand walk around the grounds especially if I can find soft ground, extra bedding, lots of good quality hay, and possibly Bute since he’s an old man. We will also standing bandage if he seems to be sore but normally don’t because he runs hot.

 

Jordan Melegari

I like to cold hose or ice boot them, then go on a nice hand walk/graze to give their brain a break too. After that, sometimes I’ll poultice and wrap them. However, I always groom, give a cookie and tell them they’re pretty (lol). Then I put their Jammie’s on and tuck them in for the night and leave them alone! I always allow their brain a break, but sometimes less is more in my opinion, so if they don’t need “doctored up” I refrain from it.

 

Ashley Wilson Hammer

Ice & poultice end of day.

Bemer beginning of day.

 

Adriana R Grimm

A good grooming, a few treats, legs wraps, some type of mud or lineament,(we travel with a Magna wave so that, too).

 

Tori Murany

In the summer time I brush her, rinse her, put her jammies on then I clean her stall and make sure it’s nice and fluffy and fill her buckets up with fresh water and fill her hay bag for the night! And of course leave her be to lay down and sleep for the night. ❤️

 

Sally Saur

Back on Track and magnesium oil spray and sometimes my ice boots.

 

Laura Rogers

PEMF, poultice w/standing wraps overnight. And my BOT wraps, too!

 

Jamie Crofoot

MagnaWave, liniment with BOT sheet and wraps, poultice sometimes, mash of cubes for their belly with constant comfort and electrolytes. Love spending time at the stalls with them.

 

Gracie Cochran

Good brushing. Ice Vibe boots followed with poultice and wraps. Draw it Out spray where it’s needed. Fluffy stall, Plenty of hay and leave them be. 🥰

 

Shania Poney

We love our liniment, lux wraps, and most importantly are the treats!!!

 

Kristina Russell

Bath with liniment rub down.

Pack feet with magic cushion.

Ice legs.

Poultice legs.

Back on track.

And a serving of Handimash.

Plus a deep bedded stall – I want my kids to rest.

 

Mary Lou Spaull

Green Vigor liniment on body/cold hosing legs, hand walk and grazing while drying off, and a nice deep bed of shavings

 

Darian Sullivan Bode

Rinse in the summer/groom with cowboy magic spot remover in the winter, BOT standing wraps, BOT sheet if not too hot in the barn, dose of ulcergard, rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle for wet legs/cooling effect or poultice, and a good night routine of full hay bags, water buckets, clean stalls. 😊

 

Cheryl Melody Grove

After every riding session both at the barn and before bedtime at shows I give my horse a full body massage. First I spray his neck, topline, and legs with Natural Release Muscle and Joint then I rub it in so it permeates his epidermis. I’ll also use the gel on his joints. I then follow up with a light massage with a pulsating massage gun on a low setting. He yawns, stretches to me and I can visually see the release of tension in his entire body. The regiment has helped me identify specific areas to watch like a windpuff I might have missed that may need wrapping. But more than that the bonding time defines my relationship with him and this transfers to my groundwork and under-saddle communication with him. Lastly, I drop 5 to 6 Outlast treats in his bucket to soak up excess gastric acid from the workout.

 

Annika Rear

Incrediwear exercise wraps, after riding leave them on while you hose your horse off and they get icy cold, a Magnawave session (also good for me), saltwater therapy every few days, wrap legs at night with DAC poultice, pack feet at night with magic cushion, and a couple peppermints for a job well done.

 

Cassie Weyers

I start by rinsing off any sweat, dust, or grooming sprays that may have been applied throughout the day. That way, she doesn’t feel grimy. At the longer shows, we tend to have a day where we aren’t showing, so I take her bands out and scratch her neck (her favorite). This gives her a little break from wearing the slinky constantly. Banding takes me about 30 minutes, so I am happy to redo them so that my mare can relax for a night. My horse does really well with Back On Track, so she wears a full outfit of the poll cover, hock wraps, leg wraps, and a sheet if it’s not too warm. She also gets her Soft Ride boots, which I have found keep her legs feeling fresh even on the last day of a long show. Some other things I love to do are: Sore No More under my show pad, take her for lots of walks because she is used to turnout, take her grazing, Bemer therapy if someone has a sheet available, and continuously fluff her shavings throughout the day. And of course, she has a hay net in front of her face at all times. Keeping my horse feeling her best is something I take very seriously, and I take great pride in the care of my horse.

 

Cassandra Madaras

Blue lotion, PEMF, poltice wraps, Lux, soft rides at shows/rodeos & on the trailer, Jack’s leg soakers, & lots of treats. 💝

 

Jodie Moore

Day off( or two) depending on age and how good they were; mud on what needs mudding; turnout; Equivibe, bodywork if needed.💕🐴

 

Grains & Manes Farm Equine Massage Therapy

There are many cooldown strategies, such as a TheraPlate and high-intensity PEMF sessions, but I’ve found the most overlooked is simply Icing. Hay, Hydration and Electrolyte supplementation on the nutrition side.

 

Catherine de Coster

Cryotherapy! Total body-inflammatory treatment leading to a great night of sleep.

 

Leah Womack Roehl

At the end of each show day – liniment rinse, absorbing gel on legs, 1g butte, and ulcer guard. Bemer every few days.

Back at home – turnout and equal amount of days off as the show length (3 day show = 3 days off)

 

Josyanne Frazee

Leg brace or poultice back legs all the way up to stifles and wrap lower legs. Pulse or Beamer if someone is offering services. Chiropractor depending on length of show and who is there. Also brace on front legs and back .

 

Marla Fullen

Soft rides, quilts and polos with liniment sprayed on the tendon.

Bute is a must.

A few days of rest after a long show.

 

Amber Morra

PEMF, a hose down, and Soft Rides or Back on Track standing wraps

 

Nancy Luckasavage Griffin

Ulcergard during the show, free choice hay and lots of shavings.

 

Cassandra Grainger

Back on track everything.

 

Blake Smith

After a long show day, green jelly the legs, and then at least dry wrap if not poultice and standing wraps! We always bemer throughout the day, and will usually try to find someone to magnawave at night! Treats are very important (in my horse’s case, carrots and sweet potatoes!).

 

Jennifer A. Sharpnack

Magna wave, mane and tail bags, bot wraps, sleazy.

 

Lori Arthur

Turn them out and let them roll.

 

KristiPaul Castelo

Theraplate. Mud.

 

Megan Vainosky

LONG walks, when hosing let the cold water drizzle over their legs for like 5-10 minutes, stretch while drying and allowing horse to graze/walk around, if in a stall over night poultice w standing wraps, if going out in paddock, immediately turn out of stretch/post hosing walk.

 

Shelley Otness

Bemer treatment!

 

Roni Murphy

Bemer sessions spread out during the week

 

Heather Correa

Acuscope/Myopulse

 

Carla Whaley

All the above! lol

 

Adam V. D’Agostino

Poultice, wraps (either no bows or BOT wraps), sometimes a liniment or brace depending on the horse.

 

Judy McNabb

Pulse PEMF! Equine & Equestrian Pulse Therapy LLC

 

Jerran Dolan

PEMF, ice wraps and turnout.

 

Mary Hamp

Good body rub and set up all four legs.

 

Leslie Draper Saunders

MagnaWave Corporate – Wellness and Pain Relief PEMF & Red Light.

 

Wendy Brown

Pulse PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) therapy. Pulseworx Pulseworx PEMF Buy/Sell.