Equiflex Sleeves
At first glance, I thought these sleeves were something I just HAD to have. I spent a LONG time hemming and hawing over whether or not to spend the $45 on a pair. I had heard a couple of positive reviews of the product, a couple of people who were indifferent, and some who would call these glorified compression socks.
Around the holidays I won a free pair (Thanks Buckeye Nutrition!). Probably the only way I was ever going to put hands on these and use them, because I have a very hard time deciding what to spend money on and what not to. (have you picked up on that yet??!) I got the size appropriate for Maxwell's hind legs, as his ankles are a bit larger in the back, and he tends to stock up back there more than up front. As you click through their site, they make a couple of really great points, things that really convince you that this product is a miracle for those who don't want to rely on anyone else to wrap their horse, or the inconvenience of unwrapping. I was really looking for these sleeves to give a bit of support to my horse's tired tendons, his slightly long pasterns, and his creaky ankles after a strenuous ride. A replacement for traditional standing wraps and no bows or quilts.
Applying the sleeves seemed like it would be a little bit tricky. You're supposed to apply the included plastic bag over the hoof, and pull the sleeve up over the hoof, and then slide it back down into place. In theory this sounds easy, and overall it was much easier to apply the sleeves than I thought it was going to be. My horse isn't a fan of plastic bags, but with a little bit of help the process was pretty straightforward and they were on in under 20 seconds.
Maxwell and his Auntie were twinsies
They appeared to fit Maxwell's hind legs well and I placed him back in his stall. The next day it was time to remove the sleeves...
Removal was not the walk in the park that applying was. After a lot of fumbling around and loss of patience, I just pulled the suckers off without much regard. I got so fed up with them, that I balled them up and placed them in the envelop they were delivered in, where they happen to still remain. I can't comment on the durability, because well, I was rough on them and haven't looked at them since.
The results: I haven't the slightest clue what these actually did. His ankles were no smaller, and tendons no colder and tighter than when I do nothing for the legs after a ride. I was seriously disappointed with this product upon initial use. I can't comment on their effectiveness for stocking up, because Maxwell does not actively stock up after every ride. I suppose I'll keep them around for a while, to see if we get an episode of stocking up that I can test these out on, but overall, I'm SO thankful I received these as a prize and didn't waste $45 on them. I think compression therapy has it's place, but the claims of support for tired tendons after a ride leaves me baffled. I'm not sure they provided any relief, support, or anything of the matter to the tendons, fetlocks, or pasterns. I will give them a fair shot, when stocking up becomes an issue in Summer (heat, humidity, wet weather, staying stalled for a 24 hour period if it's really bad...etc tend to be when I see this problem), but in the mean time, I don't recommend these. I will come back and give an update, especially if they do some magic on a stocked up leg. I'm willing to dish these babies out to whomever has a horse Max's size that would like to try them and see if they make a difference for a severe case or chronic stocking up issue. It could be that these are more for treating symptoms rather than prevention, even though the website claims both. (go figure!)
Perhaps I should bring them home and unball them, wash them, and place them on the shelf for later.
It's confirmed that I do in fact think it better to invest in 2 pairs of Back on Track Quick wraps versus these things, that's for sure!
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