Every barn has the same question sooner or later. Do I reach for poultice or liniment gel right now. Both have their place. The key is matching the tool to the job in front of you.
What Poultice Does Best
Poultice is a pack and draw product. It excels when there is fluid and heat that need longer contact time.
Reach for poultice when you see:
- Visible swelling in a leg or joint
- Heat you can feel with your hand
- Post workout puffiness that needs a longer contact time
- Recovery windows where the horse is standing in a stall
Poultice is usually applied in a thicker layer, often under paper and a wrap, and left on for hours. It works while the horse rests.
What Liniment Gel Does Best
Liniment gel is a massage and move tool. It supports a calm recovery routine after work, hauling, or heavy use.
Reach for liniment gel when you are dealing with:
- General stiffness after a ride
- Post work muscle fatigue
- Daily recovery for performance horses
- Back, topline, or large muscle groups that feel tight, not puffy
Liniment gel is applied as a thin layer and worked into the tissue. It should support movement, not replace it. With a sensation free formula, it becomes an easy part of every cool down.
The Simple Rule
Heat and swelling. Choose poultice for draw out support.
Stiffness and post work soreness. Choose liniment gel for a calm recovery step.
When both show up together, poultice the hot spot and use liniment gel on the surrounding areas after you rinse and reset.
Where Draw It Out and MasterMudd Fit In
In your program, think of these products as a matched pair.
- MasterMudd™ poultice. Built for draw out jobs, overnight wraps, and focused heat and swelling support.
- Draw It Out® liniment gel and concentrate. Built for daily soreness, post ride recovery, and long term Prehabilitation routines.
Use MasterMudd when you want a poultice step. Use Draw It Out liniment gel when your horse needs quiet, repeatable recovery support.
The Bottom Line
Poultice and liniment gel are both valuable. Problems start when they are used without a plan. When you treat poultice as the longer contact step and liniment gel as the fast daily step, decisions get easier and your horse’s legs tell the story the next morning.
