Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I love getting new stuff. Seeing a brown box outside my door always makes me feel giddy, even when I know it's just vet wrap. Of course, nobody orders just vet wrap. You have to throw a few more things into the order. And in this case, the vet wrap was actually the add on to get the free shipping. What I really needed were new bell boots for Izzy and a way to keep him from chewing them off in the first 24 hours. After much research and web browsing, I decided on RapLast. There are a few different anti-chew products on the market, but I needed this kind of quickly and aerosols don't come by plane. Since I bought Izzy a year ago, he has had some kind of wound on his body that has required doctoring. And I am not talking about little scrapes and bumps. His are HUGE and most have to do with his legs and feet. He is just so active in his stall and paddock that he is tearing himself to bits. Most recently, he has tried to separate his hooves from his body. I have tried several pairs of bell boots already, but he has managed to get them off his feet within a day or so. I put them on and the next day I find them ripped into a million little pieces. I read the warning label on the RapLast very carefully, especially after reading the reviews. From what other users have said, this stuff is quite nasty. I donned gloves and laid out a plastic barrier before I doused the bell boots with the RapLast. I even kept the gloves on while I put the boots on. When I first put him back in his stall, he started chewing on the bell boots immediately. Crap. I don't have much hope for this product. Not one to be deterred, I threw caution to the wind and set the nozzle to spray. The directions explicitly forbade using the spray feature as the dose delivered would coat too large of an area. Fine by me. After coating the bell boots again, this time with the spray dose as opposed to the stream, Izzy reached down to give the boots another tug. He quickly gave the flehmen response which gave me some hope. I don't know if this stuff will work or not. I have my doubts. I've probably just wasted another $30 in boots and spray. In the meantime, my order also included some Mane and Tail, so I gave Izzy's tail some much needed attention. Izzy has a very luxurious, full tail. I rarely touch it except to keep it banged or to run some kind of conditioner through it. Even though I coated it with some Mane and Tail detangler, it was still pretty gnarled. I pulled out my conditioner of choice, EQyss Survivor Detangler, and rubbed it through his tail. This stuff is fabulous, but it is on the pricier end of the spectrum. After his tail was neatly combed through, I lifted it and cut a good six inches off. It looked so much better that I wondered how I let it go so long. So even if the RapLast doesn't do its job and Izzy continues to whack his own feet, at least he has good hair!
jenj
11/16/2015 06:13:52 am
At the track, they paint some mix of cayenne pepper and ... uh, other stuff (no idea what) on all the standing wraps. NOBODY nibbles on their wraps, NOBODY. 11/16/2015 06:20:45 pm
HAHAHA - funny! I like hot pink because it is easiest to see in the dark. My barn doesn't have lights so I do a lot of wrapping in the dark. I use my headlamp, but this color is much easier to work with than the darker purples or black. 11/16/2015 06:21:47 pm
So far, the RapLast is working, but I am willing to try ANYTHING!
SprinklerBandits
11/16/2015 07:38:05 am
Fingers crossed! 11/16/2015 06:23:11 pm
It seems to be working. He does have a nicer tail than Speedy has, but I'd like it to get a bit thicker. Trimming it more regularly should help. 11/16/2015 06:24:17 pm
So far, it seems to be working. It might also be that he has simply forgotten about them. Either way, I am glad they've made it a week - that's a record! 11/16/2015 06:25:24 pm
It's been a week so it's looking good. Although I am sure I just jinxed the whole experiment. LOL
Carly
11/16/2015 12:49:38 pm
Straight chili powder (like, an entire spice bottle) stuck on with a little water is a must have for leaving Bobby in wraps overnight. Hopefully the spray stuff works. Nothing drives me battier than chewed up wraps and bells boots. 11/16/2015 06:26:53 pm
I wouldn't even mind if they were a little ratty as long as they were still on. He would literally have them completely chewed through in ten million pieces within a day. So far it seems to be working. Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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