Duct tape squares are an important part of almost every hoof bandage! They protect the foot and keep your underlying bandage clean and dry. Your veterinarian may recommend bandaging your horse's hoof for a number of reasons such as a wound or hoof abscess. Knowing how to protect the bottom of your horse's foot is also important if he pulls a shoe and your farrier can't make it out to the barn for a few days! Below I have outlined my favorite way to make a handy duct tape square to fit the bottom of your horse's foot!
Materials:
- 1 roll of duct tape
- 1 pair of scissors (Bandage scissors are a great addition to your horse's first aid kit!)
Step 1: Rip off about a 8" piece of duct tape. The exact size depends on how big your horse's foot is. You can always add more duct tape or cut the square if it doesn't fit exactly.
Step 2: Overlap 8" (or whatever size you decided to use) strips by about half until you make a square of duct tape strips all lined up going the same way.
Step 3: Now that you have the first layer of your square go back and repeat the same steps in the opposite direction to make a second layer. Lay the new strips directly on top of your first layer.
Step 4: Now you are ready to cut each corner. Don't cut all the way to the center. There should be enough un-cut square left in the middle to fit the sole of your horse's hoof.
Step 5: Fold up the front and back flaps and then the side flaps to wrap the hoof with duct tape! Be careful not to put any duct tape on the horse's skin, you may need to carefully trim your square if it is too big at this point.
There you have it! How to make a duct tape square! Be sure to watch out for a short video on how to apply a hoof bandage soon!