Competition Leg Care with Tiffany Foster

Top jumper rider Tiffany Foster and her head groom share their leg care regimen for before, during, and after competition.
Tiffany Foster and her head groom, Caroline Holmberg, work closely together to monitor any minor changes to their horses’ legs. This means that an intimate knowledge of each horse’s ‘normal’ is of paramount importance in order to identify any slight changes and address the issue before it turns into something serious.

“It is of the utmost importance to know your horses’ legs,” explains Foster. “Every horse is different and every horse’s ‘normal’ is different. Some horses, especially the older ones that have a lot of mileage, might always look thicker than what is considered ideal, but if you know that, then there is no cause for alarm. On the other hand, if your horse’s legs are usually tight and you pull them out of the box one morning and one leg looks bigger, you know that it needs attention.”

Any top rider’s relationship with their groom is based on trust and communication. Often the first person to examine the legs in the morning and the one who will handle the horse the most throughout the day, grooms are the horse’s first line of defence. “The groom probably plays the biggest role in really knowing a horse’s legs,” says Foster. “They handle them several times a day and should be very in tune with what their horse’s legs look like. A good groom can be the difference between a little problem and a big problem.

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“My groom is amazing and knows my horse’s legs like the back of her hand. The first thing she does in morning is run a hand over all their legs to make sure everything looks within normal parameters.”

As a general rule, Foster warns that any swelling, heat, or skin irritation on the horse’s leg would be cause for concern. “My general philosophy is that if the horse has any of these signs, but is not lame, then it’s better to get them out and have them move around. If they are lame then it’s time to call the vet!”

During training

“Everything depends on the horse, but there are a couple of things we do differently on jumping days compared to flatting days. The first thing is the leg protection we use: if a horse is flatting, we will generally put on four polo bandages and sometimes bell boots, and if they are jumping, we will put jumping boots on.”

In the stall

“Any horses with old leg injuries will have ice boots applied after jumping and have standing bandages put on at night. There are certain horses, generally the older ones, that get bandaged every day. At our farm in Florida we have a cold salt water spa that certain horses will go into after a strenuous session. We find that it works really well to keep the legs tight and also to help with any skin issues on the legs.”

After competition

“It is very horse-dependent, but we normally bandage a horse after a strenuous jumping school or class at a competition. After a grand prix – or any big class – some horses will get a zinc bandage as well. I don’t use a lot of poultice, personally; that would only be used if the horse had a hard-to-bandage area like a hock or stifle, and only in an unusual circumstance. We don’t use any icing machines, just ice boots or the spa if it’s available. I believe anything that can be used to keep inflammation down and circulation active to be a good therapy in the maintenance of the legs.”