What Are the Best Ice Boots For Horses?
There are a number of ice and cooling boots for horses on the market, but what are the best ice boots for horses? Whilst of course we believe Cryochaps are the best ice boots for horses, there is also research to back it up. This blog article outlines some research carried out by David Marlin (2019) on the cooling efficacy of various horse leg cooling methods.
Comparing Equine Leg Cooling Methods
David Marlin published a paper recently comparing a variety of commonly used equine leg cooling methods. These methods included hosing, ice and water, ice boots, ice cubes in a boot, clay, Hypacool Instant cold packs and evaporative/water cooling boots (Marlin, 2019). The water cooling boots used were the ones you soak in water before you apply to the leg. Aerochill and Premier Equine cold water therapy boots were used. Three different brands of ice boots were used: Cryochaps, Ice Vibe (with and without vibration being turned on) and Ice Horse.
Which Horse Leg Cooling Methods Were the Most Effective?
So, if you are going to use cryotherapy either for acute injury or after exercise, which methods are most effective?
Standing in iced water did indeed produce the greatest drop in temperature. However, the feasibility of getting a horse to stand in iced water buckets may require some training. This method is also likely to involve dragging heavy buckets around the yard and lots of ice!
Enter the ice boots for horses! Equine ice boots are designed to harness the power of ice bath therapy in an easy-to-use and portable ice wrap or ice boot. Much easier that carrying a tonne of ice to the yard!
Comparing Ice Boots for Horses
At this point, we discover that not all ice boots are created equal. Cryochaps and Ice Horse demonstrated similar temperature decreases. Interestingly, both ice boots equalled the temperature drop provided by cold hosing. Wetting the leg and applying an ice boot is easier than cold hosing, therefore ice boots are certainly the practical option.
Cryochaps had significantly better results in dropping temperatures than just using ice cubes in a boot, which is a common way people ice legs. This may be due to the highly malleable nature of Cryochaps. With the added benefit of the compression sleeve, Cryochaps give a really good contact with the leg, allowing maximum cold transfer. Conversely, ice cubes are not very flexible and as a result provide less contact with the leg. Hence, you do not see such good temperature reductions.
All of the ice boots far outperformed the clay, water cooling boots and instant cool packs.
Do read more at Marlin, D.J. (2019) Evaluation of the cooling efficacy of different equine leg cooling methods. Comparative Exercise Physiology: 15 (2), 113 – 122.
Purchase Cryochaps Ice Boots for Horses
If you are looking for effective ice boots for your horse, look no further than Cryochaps ice boots for horses. Shown to be more effective than cooling clay and cold water therapy boots, Cryochaps ice boots provide ice bath therapy in the form of a practical ice boot. Purchase Cryochaps today.