Anyone who has worked out one day and woken up stiff and sore the next understands the pain associated with physical activity. One procedure that helps with this discomfort in horses is poulticing. “Poultice” is moist medicated clay that is applied to a horse’s damp leg, wrapped, and left overnight to draw out heat and inflammation. The process can be tedious and messy, but experienced grooms often do not mind the effort and with practice, poulticing becomes an easy chore. With the right equipment already set out, poulticing is not as chaotic as it seems.
Supplies Needed for Poulticing a Horse
- Poultice (a few brands are available, and come in a plastic covered pail)
- Brown paper (from the liner of a feed bag, or any kind of paper material that will hold dampness)
- Plastic wrap (like Saran wrap, but this is not absolutely necessary)
- Bucket of water
- Rag
- Pillow wraps
- Standing wraps (also called stable wraps – the supportive, non-fleecy, non-stretchy kind)
How to Poultice a Horse’s Legs
- Cut or rip pieces of brown paper so they are sized to wrap once around the horse’s lower leg. Cut out two pieces for front legs, and two for hinds.
- Float the paper pieces in the bucket of water so they become waterlogged.
- Wet down the horse’s leg with the rag.
- Apply poultice to the lower leg liberally, getting into the grooves of the tendons and over any part that might be swollen. Layer on the mud to about a half-inch thickness. Apply from just below the knees to the fetlock joint, or lower if puffiness is present.
- Wrap the soaked paper piece around the poulticed leg. The wet paper will help keep the mud moist.
- Wrap a layer of plastic wrap around the paper and poultice, if it is necessary to keep the pillow wraps clean. Poultice will easily wash out of the wraps, but to keep them from getting exceptionally crusty, plastic wrap will help contain the mud to just the leg.
- Next, wipe off your hands on the rag if they are still covered in mud. Then, wrap the horse’s leg with the pillow wrap and then the standing wrap like you normally would for shipping or standing wraps. Like with all wraps, be sure not to pull them too tight (and possibly bowing a tendon) or leaving them too loose (which poses a tripping hazard, and could also pull unevenly on the tendons).
- Leave the poultice and wraps on overnight for maximum effect.
- The wraps should be removed the next morning, and plastic and paper removed as well. The mud will be dry underneath from the heat of the horse’s leg. The hardened poultice can be hosed off or brushed off.
Remember: Even if you only poultice one leg, the other leg of the pair must be wrapped as well. A horse with only one standing wrap will tend to shift his weight onto the other leg, causing problems with the sound leg. For support, be sure to wrap both front legs or both hind legs.
Wendy Picard - Wendy holds a degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and is enthusiastic about the biological sciences. She is currently in school to ...
