Preparing and caring for your Cryochaps
Before placing in the freezer, distribute the gel evenly across the ice boot. Make sure to push up, away from the bottom seam to get the gel to the top too. The bottom seam has heat seal circles, which are there as a barrier against the gel coming through at the bottom. Please monitor these to make sure they are intact and not being forced apart by pressure from too much gel pooling at the bottom.
Ensure the wrap is dry before placing in the freezer.
Place flat in the freezer at -18 to -24 degrees for a minimum of 24 hours. With some freezers they may need longer as there is a lot of gel to freeze. Cryochaps compression ice boots for horses are designed to be left in the freezer permanently.
Preparing your horse’s legs for ice boots
Wet the horse’s legs so no air is present in the hair. Air will impede the cold transfer. Just wrap and strap.
Leave for 10-15 mins and repeat if required.
We advise you to have your horse tied up and to monitor the horse whilst he/she is wearing Cryochaps. The ice boot can be damaged by teeth and if the horse tries to get them off by flexing their legs, this can lead to excessive pressure on the ice boot, which can break the seals forcing the gel through the blue material.
- Cryochaps cooling boots should not be used on open wounds.
- Do not leave on longer than 15 minutes, as this could lead to skin damage.
- If your horse has sensitive or clipped legs, it is advisable to cover the leg before applying the ice boot.
- Take advice from your vet before using after injury.
Label markings on the boots
HF – FRONT LEG
HH – HIND LEG
L – LEFT
R – RIGHT
Applying Cryochaps
- Line up the bottom of the ice boot so it covers the horse’s fetlock joint adequately.
- Make sure the raised top section of the ice wrap is aligned with the back of the horse’s leg, in the middle of the horse’s knee or hock.
- Wrap the ice wrap around the horse’s leg and secure with the Velcro straps.
- Tighten after a minute to ensure the ice wrap is secure in contact with the leg
- Leave on for 10-15 minutes
- Remove and push the gel back up the ice boot and check the heat seals at the bottom are still intact. If they are beginning to come apart, then you must be more proactive about pushing the gel back up the ice wrap.
- Return the ice boots to the freezer.
