Red goes deep and is the one people use around work. Blue stays at the skin and is the one people use for surface trouble. Purple is both running at once. That is the whole distinction -- everything below is detail.
Most horse owners meet LED therapy through red light and stop there, which is fair enough -- red is the one everyone has seen at a show or in a friend's tack room. But the EquiCare line runs three colors, and they are not three versions of the same product. They sit at different points on the light spectrum, and where a wavelength sits determines how far into the body it travels.
That single fact is what separates them. This guide walks through what each color does, what owners actually use each one for, and how to work out which one belongs in your barn.
Red, blue and purple at a glance
| Color | Wavelength | How far it reaches | What owners reach for it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 660nm visible red plus 850nm near-infrared | The deepest of the three | Muscle, tendon, ligament and joint areas -- around work, and the day after it |
| Blue | 450nm | Shallow. It stays at and just under the skin | Skin-surface trouble: scratches, nicks, dermatitis, damp-coat problems |
| Purple | Red and blue diodes running together | Both at once | Cases that are genuinely both -- something at the surface, something sore underneath |
If you only take one thing from this page, take the middle column. Depth is the difference. Everything else follows from it.
Red light: 660nm and 850nm
The red kit runs two wavelengths at the same time. One you can see -- 660nm visible red -- and one you cannot, an 850nm near-infrared. Longer wavelengths travel further into tissue than short ones, and near-infrared is the longest of the three colors here, which is why red is the one associated with muscle, tendon, ligament and joint areas rather than skin.
In practice, red is the color owners reach for around work. Before a session, after a hard school, on the stiff days when a horse is coming back into a fitness program, or through a season where the ground has gone from summer-soft to autumn-hard. If your horse is legging up for fall shows, red is probably the one you are thinking of.
Worth knowing
- The red kit is the broadest of the three -- multiple wrap sizes for different areas.
- It is not limited to horses. The same wraps get used on dogs and other livestock.
- There are rider-shaped versions of the same idea. See the shoulder and knee wraps below.
Available as a complete kit or as individual wraps, so you can cover a whole horse or focus on the one area you keep coming back to.
Blue light: 450nm
Blue sits at the short end of the visible spectrum at 450nm, and short wavelengths do not travel far. Blue light reaches the skin and the layer immediately beneath it, and effectively stops there. That is a limitation if you were hoping to reach a tendon, and exactly the point if what you are dealing with is on the surface.
So blue belongs to the skin end of the problem list -- scratches, nicks, dermatitis, and the general crop of damp-coat trouble that turns up when the rain sets in and legs stop drying out properly between turnouts.
The blue kit is built around that use: two bell boots and two medium pads, sized for the lower leg where most of this shows up first.
Built around the lower leg, which is where surface trouble tends to show up first.
Purple light: red and blue together
Purple is not a third wavelength. It is red and blue diodes running simultaneously in the same wrap, which your eye reads as purple. You get the shallow coverage and the deep coverage in one pass instead of going over the same leg twice with two different devices.
That is the case for it, and it is a narrow one. If your problem is clearly deep, red is the more focused tool. If it is clearly at the skin, blue is. Purple earns its place when a horse has something going on at the surface and something sore underneath -- the leg with a bit of scurf and a bit of filling -- and you would rather not do two sessions.
Runs both wavelengths in the same wrap, so one pass covers the surface and the depth together.
Which one belongs in your barn
Start with red if...
Your horse works. Most owners buying their first LED kit are thinking about legs, backs and the general business of keeping a working horse comfortable, and that is depth territory.
Start with blue if...
Your recurring problem is skin. Wet paddocks, feathered legs, a horse who gets scratches every single autumn. Blue is the specialist here and red will not reach the problem.
And purple?
Purple is the answer to "both, and I do not want two devices." If you genuinely deal with surface and deep issues in the same season on the same horse, it consolidates. If you do not, buy the color that matches your actual problem.
How these actually get used
The manufacturer guidance across the line is broadly the same, and it is undramatic: a session of roughly 20 to 30 minutes, once or twice a day. Wraps fasten with hook-and-loop, the battery packs stick to the wrap, and the newer kits are cordless, which matters more than it sounds when the alternative is a cable running past a horse who moves.
Two rules, and one bigger one
- Do not use over open wounds. This is stated on the products themselves.
- Charge weekly under normal use. Flat batteries are the main reason a kit stops getting used.
- None of this replaces your vet. LED therapy is something owners use alongside professional care, not instead of it. If your horse is lame, off, or has a skin condition that is spreading or not resolving, that is a call to your vet -- a light wrap is not a diagnosis and it is not a plan.
And for you
The same idea, human-shaped -- worth knowing about if you have ever finished a long day at the barn with a shoulder louder than your horse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just buy red and use it for everything?
You can use red for anything red reaches, which is most of the deeper structures people care about. What it will not do is reach a surface skin problem any better than it reaches a tendon -- the depth that makes it useful for one makes it the wrong tool for the other.
Is purple just red and blue in one box?
Essentially, yes -- red and blue diodes running at the same time in the same wrap. The value is not a new wavelength, it is not having to run two sessions on the same leg.
How long is a session?
Roughly 20 to 30 minutes, once or twice a day, per the guidance on the kits.
Can I use these on my dog?
The red wraps are not limited to equine use -- the product information lists dogs, cats and other livestock. Size and sense apply.
Do I still need my vet?
Yes. LED therapy is something owners add alongside veterinary care. Anything that is not resolving, is spreading, or involves lameness belongs with your vet first.
Not sure which color you need?
Ask us. We have been outfitting horses from Chagrin Falls, Ohio since 1948, and someone here has almost certainly had the same problem you are describing.