dashnlotti - 2014-09-03 12:38 PM

This post made me laugh out loud... Let me explain.
I, like you, was interested in the Equiflex sleeves.  A girl I know even had some and seemed to like them.  I liked that they weren't expensive and came in pretty colors (hot pink? Sure!), and also super easy to put on.  So I measured my horse's legs and ordered him a full set.  The afternoon of our first rodeo of the year I bathed him and after he dried, put the sleeves on.  They come with little plastic bags to put over your horse's feet to keep them clean and from snagging on nails.  I followed the instructions- yep, easy!! And T-Bo looked pretty snazzy in his pink socks!
Fast forward a few hours to the rodeo that night.  It was raining so it was pretty muddy, plus they hadn't cut the grass in the parking area since-ever.  So it was gross.  I decided the socks should come off so they weren't getting wet and muddy.  OK, fold edges down, check; start to slide over hoof, check; remove, umm...remove!!  It was stuck.
Oh crap.  Don't let him put his foot down!  Pull!!  Pull it off!!  Who cares if it snags, get it off!!
Poor T-Bo.  I was pulling like a madwoman and the dang sock was stuck right where the shoe is.  It wasn't caught, it was just too tight where the band is.  All 4 feet I looked crazy pulling with all I had to get those things off.  I think I had a claustrophobic episode even though it wasn't MY feet they were stuck on.  Thankfully I don't have a kicker because I had his back leg up in the air, standing behind him, pulling on the sock.  He could've got me good that night LOL.
Once I finally got all 4 off, I threw them in the trailer and that's where they remained for months LOL.  I just took them out last week to wash them.  I don't know if I'll use them again.  Maybe after another couple months when I forget why I haven't been using them...

So, there ya go, there's my review LOL.
 

rodeoveteran - 2014-09-03 2:08 PM

I used them when my mare was recovering from a suspensory injury. I am convinced that they helped to speed the healing process. I did not have the problems removing them that Dashnlotti had but they can get snagged on a clinched nail. It does make me wonder.....why did you not just reverse the process and use the plastic bag to remove the sleeve?? If it was big enough to go on, it's big enough to come off.

dashnlotti - 2014-09-03 1:06 PM

Haha no problem!! :)
They were super easy to put on, but now I'm scared to try again!  And I am the type to follow the instuctions exactly, it just was not working for me LOL!
 

efs - 2014-09-05 7:38 AM Hi Dashnlotti - I have to chime in on your hilarious post! Have you ever seen the old Chinese finger trick? It is a narrow, woven tube and you put 1 finger in each end. The harder you try to pull your fingers apart, the tighter the weave gets and you can't get your fingers out. But, if you push your fingers together, the weave loosens (the tube compresses) and you can easily get your fingers out. Somehow, you created this effect on your horse's legs - the longer you made the sleeve as you pulled, the tighter it got! When you fold the hems over, try to get the total sleeve length to about 4 inches long. Pull from the bottom down onto the hoof and really get the back over the bulb of the heel. Then, pick up the leg and work the sleeve off of the toe first - the back should just pop off over the heel. I hope this helps!

dashnlotti - 2014-09-03 9:27 PM Because if I remember correctly (as I stated it's been months since I used them), the instructions said to simply fold the edges to avoid snagging them and slide off. I was at a rodeo and didn't bring the plastic bags with me. They didn't catch on a nail. Maybe it was the way I folded them, I don't know. I just watched the company's video on how to use them. I did exactly as the video did to remove them, mine just didn't want to come off. Who knows. I'm not knocking the product or saying they don't work- I just thought it was a funny mental picture... Perhaps I was wrong...