From The Ground Up: Leg Protection

FrFor the past couple of weeks I have been able to work with a good friend of mine, Hannah Neuman. She has had the opportunity to work with some of the top Reining horses and trainers in the industry for the past couple of years.

The biggest thing I have learned about reining horses is that they are some of the hardest working athletes in the the industry. These animals perform maneuvers that are strenuous on their mind and body. They have the ability to stop on a dime, turn quick, and hold up perfect body positions as they perform patterns.

To rein a horse is to guide the animal through a pattern at a canter, with little to no movement from the rider. Reining horses have to be completely tuned into the rider’s every thought, breath, and motion in order for them to work as a tight team. Every movement between the horse and rider must be meaningful and clear in order for the team to successfully complete the pattern and gain of points.

The first step to starting a reining workout with a horse is to first make sure the horse’s body is protected and put on correct. A reining horse is an athlete and proper equipment is important. Many reining horses weigh over a thousand pounds and all this weight is supported by four legs that need to be protected and supported.

pc: Jaksen Curtin

There are many different ways to protect the horse’s legs for reining events. The two I have used over the past couple of years are SMB boots and bell boots. Both are a thick foam and fabric material that wraps around the horse’s legs with velcro. They easily protect the ligaments along the backside of the horse's legs and bones. The bell boots protect the back side of the horse’s hoof that is tender and can be easily bruised if the horse oversteps or trips up and clips its self.

pc: Jaksen Curtin

Through working with Hannah I have also started to learn how to properly wrap a horse's leg with polo wraps and knee wraps. Polo wraps are a fabric that is 6-9 feet long and made of a felt material. They have to be evenly wrapped in order to have even pressure through the leg. It’s important to make sure they are snug yet not too tight in order to not interfere with or bow the horse’s tendons. The knee wraps are also a fabric that wraps around the horse's knees in order to make sure the horse’s knees do not get bruised in case the horse knocks them together while turning or stopping.

Having the proper equipment is important to protecting the horse, but it is also important to know how to properly use this equipment. It’s crucial to be pulling the wrap over the bone of the leg instead of the tendon that runs along the backside. If you pull over the tendon then there is a higher chance of creating uneven pressure that could damage the tendon.

Here is a video of Hannah Neuman showing you how and why we wrap the horse’s legs for a reining workout.

PC: Jaksen Curtin

Wrapping the horse's legs assure the tendons and bones are properly protected. Learning how to wrap the horse’s legs with polo wraps has been a very fun experience. It has taught me a lot about the anatomy of the horse’s legs and how crucial it is to protect the bones and tendons.