66 EQUUS 498 autumn 2019
shipping. He opts for polo wraps in
front when working a horse on
the flat, he says, while he uses ankle
boots on the hind legs to protect
the fetlock joints while schooling
dressage movements.
“Bell boots, when fitted properly, do
well to protect the heel of the horse,”
he comments. “When training or
showing over fences, my preference is a
breathable open front boot that fits well
in front and an ankle boot behind. I’ll
also use a quarter bell boot to protect
the heel.”
Lico’s favorite joint-related thera-
pies include icing a horse’s legs
for 20 minutes after jumping or
working hard on the flat to reduce
swelling and inflammation. He also
likes to put standing wraps on his
horses after a hard workout.TIPTOP TRAIL WORK
Even if your horse never sets
foot in the show ring, you’ll want
to do what you can to protect his
joint health. Following trails,
for example, can stress a horse’s
joints, given the hills and un-
even terrain you might encounter.
Just ask Julie Goodnight, a well-
known multidisciplinary trainer
and clinician based in Poncha
Springs, Colorado.
“Like with any riding sport, the
more arduous the effort, the more
wear and tear it has on a horse’s
joints,” she says. “I live in the high
mountains of Colorado, where trail
riding can be very steep and rocky,
with unstable footing. It’s widely
believed that horses should not beridden in the mountains until they
are 4 years old, to avoid injury
and joint damage.”
The risks multiply when casual
treks become long-distance rides.
“It’s about the hours/days and miles
you put on the horse,” Goodnight
explains. “Just as with humans,
your body can take only so much
physical abuse before you start
seeing physical effects. Not all trails
are created equally, either. Light
riding on soft, flat footing with an
80-pound kid won’t cause much joint
damage in a horse. But arduous, steep,
rocky trails, all day long and over
distances of 20 miles or more, will take
its toll on your horse’s joints.”
Joint support needs to start well
before you take to the trails, Goodnight
says. “To avoid joint injuries, I make