What bandage length do I need for my horse?

For a horse, exercise bandages made of fleece are usually around 3.25 to 3.5 m long, for a pony about 2.8 m. Kentucky Horsewear specifies a length of 325 cm and a width of 12 cm for its Polarfleece bandages in Warmblood size, Eskadron specifies 3.5 m in size Full and 2.8 m in size Pony for its fleece bandages.

Stable bandages are longer because they are wrapped over a thick pad. The dirt-repellent stable bandages from Kentucky measure 4 m by 14 cm, for example. If a bandage is too short, it does not reach down to the fetlock and back. If it is too long, it becomes bulky and uneven.

By Julia Lühr, Ahrens Reitsport in Tangstedt · Updated 18 October 2026

How long are horse bandages usually?

The length depends on the type of bandage and the size of the horse. Exercise bandages made of fleece are around 3.25 to 3.5 m long for horses and about 2.8 m for ponies. Stable bandages are longer because they are wrapped over a thick pad. The following overview shows manufacturer specifications as examples:

Bandage	Size	Length and width
Kentucky Polarfleece bandages	Full (Warmblood)	325 cm by 12 cm
Eskadron fleece bandages	Full	3.5 m
Eskadron fleece bandages	Pony	2.8 m
Kentucky stable bandages, dirt-repellent	Full	4 m by 14 cm

Most bandages are sold as a set of four, so one for each leg.

How do I know that the length is right?

The length is right if you can wrap the cannon bone from the area below the carpal joint down to the fetlock and back again evenly, and still have enough material left at the end for the hook-and-loop fastener. PetMD recommends overlapping each layer by about half. A bandage that is too short forces you to space the layers too far apart or to pull more tightly. A bandage that is too long is bulky and difficult to wrap evenly.

Which bandage pads go with which bandages?

Stable bandages are always wrapped over a padded underlay. PetMD explicitly describes stable bandages as bandages over quilted padding. Kentucky Horsewear recommends quilted stable pads or exercise pads for its stable bandages. The pad should be long enough to cover the cannon bone from below the joint to beyond the fetlock, and it must lie flat without wrinkles.

What else should I look out for when buying?

Material: According to PetMD, bandages made purely of fleece provide light protection when riding. Kentucky also offers fleece bandages with an elastic component that stretch more.
Hook-and-loop fastener: Manufacturers such as Kentucky and Eskadron use strong hook-and-loop fasteners. Regularly brush out hairs and shavings.
Care: Kentucky specifies 30 °C in the washing machine without a tumble dryer for fleece bandages and stable bandages.
Pony size: There are special shorter sizes for small ponies.

If in doubt, ask someone experienced to show you how to wrap them once, and for stable bandages ask your vet.