Earlier this year I purchased a pair of Equilibrium’s Hind & Hock Magnetic Chaps as part of Scottie’s ongoing care for his hock arthritis. While I think magnetic therapy can have some incredible results and certainly think it is something worth trying when you have a horse suffering with an ongoing lameness/stiffness issue, I don’t think they are a miracle cure. So if you are reading this review in the hopes of hearing that Scottie has made a miraculous recovery from his arthritis just from using these magnetic chaps, you are going to be disappointed!
Why did I choose Equilibrium’s Magnetic Chaps?
There are so many magnetic products available on the market now and I certainly have a good collection myself from Overreach Boots, to Magnetic Wraps to Magnetic Bands. In theory, any of these products would be suitable for treating Scottie’s arthritis as there is some research saying that the magnets do not need to sit over the problem area to work. However, other research suggests that magnets work better the closer they are to the problem area. Based on this, I wanted to look at options what would cover Scottie’s arthritic joint with a magnet.
Doing some research, I found that there aren’t too many products on the market what actually cover the hock joint with a magnet. Most of the ones what do, can not be worn overnight in the stable, which is when I want Scottie to be wearing them. The Equilibrium hind & hock magnetic chaps were one one of the only ones, maybe the only one, I was able to find what worked for us.
Why I love them
I do really like these magnetic chaps. I think they fit well, although it did take a few days to work out how to get them to fit Scottie the best. He has your classic long but skinny thoroughbred legs. So he needed a Large maybe even an Extra Large for the length of his legs, especially as I wanted to have magnets over the hock joint. But really he is a Medium – Large in leg width. I went with Large and they fit well. But I do need to make sure that the 2nd bottom strap is above the fetlock and tight or they do slip down.
For me, one of the best things about these magnetic boots is that the magnets are not part of the boot. The magnets come in secure pockets which velcro to the inside of the boot. This means you can put them exactly where you want them. You can have them vertical, horizontal or at an angle. Each boot comes with 4 small magnets. But you can but more if needed. I have Scottie’s magnets vertical, on each side of the magnetic chaps so they cover the inside and the outside of the hock joint.
The chap it’s is a clever design. The inside is soft and cosy, with the velcro able to stick to it. The outside is soft but a more dirt resistent material. They don’t get dirty or covered in bedding from Scottie laying down. Which is a huge bonus. But if your horse does manage to get them dirty, with the magnets being detatchable they are really easy to clean. Just remove the magnets and pop them in the washing machine. You can even take the magnets out of their fabric pockets and put the pockets in the machine too!
Do I think they work
I do a lot to help manage Scottie’s arthritis. Alongside wearing these magnetic chaps, he also has a glucosamine supplement, devils claw, steroid injections (when needed) and I make sure he gets plenty of controlled movement. Other than the steroid injection, it is hard to really say what is and ian’t helping him. All of these things have evidence to show that they can help and I do see an improvement in him when I am using all of them. But I would be lying if I wrote that these magnetic chaps have made a huge difference to Scottie. I think they help, but I can’t put a number on that. What I will say is if you have a horse with arthritis, I would certainly start using them as part of your routine, just accept that they aren’t the miracle cure.
Last Updated on 19/07/2023
