Proper Way to Bandage a Hock
It is more difficult to apply bandaging over the knees and hocks. Care must be taken to not place pressure on the bony prominences located just under the skin of these joints. Otherwise the horse will have bandage sores.
Do not cover the point of the hock and the bony protrusion on the inside of the leg right above the hock.
Numbers correspond to leg drawings above. Note all hand positions.
1) Apply medicated gauze pad and take a couple of wraps with a flexible bandage such as Kling Gauze above the hock.
2-4) Drop down below the point of the hock and wrap about two layers.
5) Spray tincture of benzoin above the wrap to aid in sticking this self-adherent elastic wrap.
6) Start 6 to 8 inches above the wrap and take two wraps with the elastic wrap around the leg.
7) Spiral the wrap downward but don’t put tension on the achilles tendon; after about three wraps, place two soft rolls of gauze on each side of the tendon to fill up the holes just above the point of the hock.
8-10) Continue spiraling downward, covering the rolls and then going back up to the top. A couple of wraps with electrician’s tape will hold the loose end of the bandage.
Learn more about bandaging a horse’s leg.
- Wrap or Bandage a Hock
- Wrap or Bandage a Knee
- Wrap or Bandage the Forearm
- Wrap a leg below the knee or hock
- Standing Bandages
- Shipping Bandages
Ashley Griffin, University of Kentucky
