Tack Review: Hidez Compression Suit

Well to be honest, obviously I didn't buy one of these bad boys. Despite how tempting it was. So this isn't an actual tack review of the item over a period of use. But I know you guys are all anxious to read about these after seeing my sneaks, and since I'm scheduling this for Thursday, which is my normal tack review post day (when I muster up the energy to do them), it just seemed to fit. So here ya go -- an informal tack review of a product I don't actually own ;) but I totally would buy one if I had discretionary income to blow. Or ya know, if they want to send me one as a reward for all the business I sent them when people started blowing up my Messenger when I posted the photo.... hahaha.

New favorite photo of Ruby. *insert heart eyes emoji haha*

On Saturday morning as I was wandering around Von Holten Ranch, I noticed a new booth -- Hidez. I had heard of their products, but mostly from friends who are barrel racers. Oddly enough, a few days before my trip, I bookmarked this review and eagerly read it when I had some free time. So when I saw the booth, I immediately went over to chat with them. I told them my main discipline was dressage (well ya know, it is when I actually ride with any sort of regularity, haha), and that I'd seen the review on HorseNation. I got a chance to handle the products, and we talked about the kind of problems the Hidez products can help with. It was at this point that one of the reps mentioned demo-ing the suit, so I jumped all over that. I offered Ruby as a model, and headed off to grab her (and my friend, to help me document the experience).

Do it for the 'gram guys! Or ya know... the blog?

So what do Hidez suits do? As per one of their websites I perused, Hidez Compression Gear increases blood flow, delivering oxygen and fuel the muscles need for explosive performance. Compression promotes a calming effect, excellent for horses with performance anxiety issues. Serious athletes need serious gear. Hidez helps fuel top equine athletes all over the world through competition, travel, and recovery. Therapeutic Socks promote healing of stressed or injured structures within the leg. Hidez Ice/Compression Socks are the easiest way to ice legs without exception. No cords, no hoses, no batteries, no babysitting. (Ruby demo'ed their Travel/Recovery Suit.) Hidez Travel and Recovery Suit drives toxins such as lactic acid out of the muscle, decreasing soreness and improving muscle feel. This is especially important in horses that "tie up" as this detox tends to significantly decrease the frequency of these episodes.

Ruby and the "official" Hidez model! haha

After some discussion about sizing Ruby, we started with the 16.2-17 hand size and tossed it on her. The suit has 6 zippers (one on each leg, one on the belly, and one on the chest. We started with the front, and got her all zipped in. Then they asked how she was about having her back legs handled -- I said fine, so total strangers crawled underneath her and started zipping her in. I'm really glad I got to watch experts do it the first time, because there was a bit of a learning curve with getting it on and situated the first time. As one of the reps told me, there's a "wrist twist" that's vital in getting those hind legs in! I can see where it would be a 2 person job the first few times if you were ordering offline without having a chance to try it in person first.

But overall, my impressions were that the suit was very well made. The zippers were solid, and the suits had a fabric flap behind each zipper to prevent any kind of rubs. There was a handy slot to pull the tail through, so at the end, Ruby looked like she was wearing a giant pair of pajamas. The reps both became reps after being customers first, and one said she had a suit going on 2.5 years old -- so while I didn't personally get to test them, sounds like they stand up to some regular use (although if you had horses who are rough on "clothes" I'd be hesitant to try these!). The fabric was great -- although we enjoyed good weather last weekend, it was a bit warm when we were trying on the suit. Ruby wore it for quite a while without any obvious increase in her body temp. I would have no qualms about leaving it on a horse in warm weather as long as there was airflow (fan in a stall, or window open in a trailer).

Discussing with me the easiest way to get it on.

Ruby totally fine with 2 strangers crawling around under her back legs.

It was interesting to watch Ruby as the suit went on -- she started softening her mouth and wiggling it around, which is something I've observed from her during her massage sessions, so I think she really enjoyed the feeling of the suit. She was relaxed throughout the whole process (she's naturally a fairly chill horse), but she did get even more relaxed after she wore it for a bit. The first time we asked her to walk off, she did the hind leg weirdness that some horses do when they wear boots, which made all the bystanders giggle a little.

The sound is a little wonky, sorry!

After watching her walk around for a minute, the reps observed that the initial size was a little too big, so we pulled it off and replaced it with a size fitting 16-16.2 hands (which, you know, was TEAL -- I'm sure the fact that I was dressed head to toe in teal didn't tip them off to my color preference, hahaha). Ruby seemed to enjoy that one even more. She cocked a leg and hung out with droopy eyes and just chilled. Eventually she started acting like she might be relaxed enough to lay down, so I quickly had them pull it off her (lest she get their nice demo suit dirty!).

Overall, I was super intrigued by the concept. I think if I had a horse who was in heavy work, or traveling a lot, I would absolutely be willing to invest in one of these suits. Currently my horses are essentially glorified trail horses, so I couldn't justify the $550 price tag for this particular suit. But they also offer masks, leg wraps, and a variety of other products! One of the suits is designed to actual be used during workouts! They also offer ice/compression boots, for those of you with horses who require frequent leg icing. Compression therapy is not unusual for humans, so it's super interesting to see it make the leap into the equine world. While we didn't try one out last weekend, apparently the Hidez masks are supposed to help horses with performance anxiety? If anyone has tried one of those, weigh in in the comments!

If I were doing my normal "tack review", I would grade them on cost, durability, available colors, etc., but since I didn't purchase one, I don't really feel right doing that. But if you get a chance to try one of these, and they're in your budget -- I'd say go for it!