We spend a lot of time talking about horse recovery — wraps, saddle pads, hock boots. We almost never talk about what happens to the rider’s body after a full day of riding, hauling, hand-walking, and mucking. Your legs are swollen. Your hands ache at the knuckles and wrist. And you’re supposed to be back at the barn at 6 a.m. If you treat your horse’s recovery like a system and your own like an afterthought, something needs to shift.
Benefab makes a small but genuinely useful people line. Two products in particular have earned a regular place in my post-barn routine: the Therapeutic Fingerless Gloves and the Therapeutic Support Sock. Here is what they actually do, who they suit, and who might want to skip them.
This post contains affiliate links. If you shop through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — and you’ll get my reader benefits. I only feature gear I’d actually put on my own horses or wear for a full day in the saddle.
Quick Comparison
| Product | Price | Best For | Skip If |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therapeutic Fingerless Gloves | $42.95 | Hand and wrist comfort after long riding and barn days | You need full-finger coverage for grip or cold weather |
| Therapeutic Support Sock | $19.95 | Tired, heavy legs after hours in tall boots | You need a graduated compression sock with clinical specs |
Benefab Therapeutic Fingerless Gloves — $42.95
The honest version: these are not riding gloves. Do not put them on and expect to pick up reins and school a flying change. The fingerless cut and the fabric weight are not built for that kind of grip and feel. What they are built for is what comes after — the wrist and hand fatigue that accumulates over years of riding, repetitive rein contact, trailer loading, pulling a lunge line, and doing barn chores for six hours straight.
Benefab’s therapeutic fabric is woven to encourage warmth and circulation at the surface. In the gloves, that means the tissue around your knuckles, wrist, and palm gets consistent gentle warmth while you’re wearing them — not the aggressive compression of a support brace, but not nothing, either. Many riders I know reach for them in the evening after a hard training day, or during winter barn chores when their hands stiffen up between horses.
Fit and sizing. These run true to size on the palm but are cut slim through the finger openings. If your hands are wider than average, size up — you do not want the fabric pulling at the knuckle. The fit should feel snug without cutting off circulation at any point. They stay put well during low-intensity hand use, which makes them practical for brushing, hand-grazing, and general puttering around the barn.
Who this suits. Riders who log multi-horse days, especially those who also do their own turnout and stall work. Riders who have noticed their wrists and fingers feel stiff or achy post-ride and are looking for something to support comfort during that wind-down window. If you listen to the podcast and have heard me talk about treating your own body with the same intentionality as your horse’s — this is exactly that philosophy made practical.
Who should skip it. If you are looking for a protective riding glove with rein grip, look elsewhere. If you need significant wrist stabilization for an acute injury, talk to your physio first — this is a comfort and recovery tool, not a brace.
At $42.95, it is not cheap for what looks like a simple glove. The therapeutic fabric and the niche function justify the price if hand and wrist fatigue is a real issue in your daily routine. If you only ride three days a week and your hands feel fine, it is probably not the priority purchase.
Benefab Therapeutic Support Sock — $19.95
Twenty dollars. That is the first thing I want you to notice. For how often riders complain about swollen ankles after a show day, tired calves after five rides, and that heavy-leg feeling when you finally peel your tall boots off — twenty dollars for a therapeutic sock is an easy yes.
The Support Sock uses the same Benefab therapeutic fabric to encourage warmth and circulation along the foot and lower leg. The feel is closer to a well-constructed athletic crew sock than a clinical compression stocking — there is gentle support throughout, but it is not aggressively compressive. That means most riders will find it comfortable for extended wear without any of the pinching or rolling that cheaper compression socks are prone to.
Real-world use. I wear these on long haul days and on back-to-back show weekends. That particular combination — hours in boots, then hours of standing on asphalt at the trailer — is brutal on the lower legs. By evening, many riders are dealing with noticeable puffiness around the ankle and that tight, heavy feeling through the calf. The Support Socks do not eliminate that entirely, but they are a meaningful part of an after-show recovery routine: socks on, feet up, done.
They also work well as a simple daily wear item if you are on your feet most of the day. Barn managers, working students, and professionals who are moving constantly for eight or more hours will notice more than the rider who only rides one horse in the morning.
Fit note. One size does not fit all. Check the sizing guidance on the product page before ordering. The sock needs to sit correctly on the foot and not bunch at the ankle or pull across the arch — if it is too small, you lose the support function; if it is too large, it will not stay in place.
Who this suits. Almost any rider who logs full days on their feet. It is a particularly easy recommendation for eventers hauling to competitions, working amateurs who ride before and after a full work day, and anyone who has noticed their legs feel genuinely beat up by the end of a barn Saturday.
Who should skip it. If you have a condition that requires medically prescribed compression levels, get a prescription garment fitted properly. The Support Sock is a comfort and recovery tool, not a medical device.
Ready to try the Benefab Support Sock or Fingerless Gloves? Use my link for reader benefits at Benefab → https://bit.ly/4uhqYoF
How I Use Both Together
The combination is simple: gloves on while I’m cooling horses out and doing the evening feed, socks on as soon as boots come off. It takes about thirty seconds of intention and it makes a real difference in how I feel the next morning.
If you want to go deeper into the rider recovery angle, Benefab also offers a Therapeutic Blanket ($69.95) that works well for those evenings when your whole back is done — draped across the couch while you decompress after a long day. And if you are building out a full rider recovery kit from the ground up, the Human Starter Kit ($242.80) bundles the people line together at a savings over buying individual pieces. That is worth looking at if you already know you want multiple items rather than starting with one.
I have talked on the podcast about how riders tend to treat their horses like performance athletes and themselves like pack mules who just need sleep. The recovery gap is real, and products like these are part of closing it — not a substitute for proper rest, nutrition, and body work, but a consistent daily habit that stacks up over time.
The Bottom Line
The Therapeutic Fingerless Gloves are a considered purchase — specific to a specific problem, well-constructed, and worth the price if hand and wrist fatigue is part of your regular riding life. The Therapeutic Support Sock is a straightforward yes for almost any rider who puts in full days at the barn. At $19.95, the barrier to entry is low and the daily-wear value is high.
Neither one replaces a physio, a good sports massage, or actual rest. But both are the kind of small, consistent investment that adds up when you are in it for the long haul — which, if you are reading this, you probably are.
Ready to add Benefab’s rider recovery tools to your routine? Use my link for reader benefits at Benefab → https://bit.ly/4uhqYoF
