Boots for a horse that has large splints?

[thefamegame]

My mare decided to throw two huge splints after knocking herself in the paddock! She never went lame while they were forming and now they are established and settled, (and ugly!). My problem is that I prefer to turn her out and ride her in boots, to prevent her from knocking them, as they are so prominent. But the boots, (just light little woof boots) are beginning to take the hair off the most prominent part of the splint, and I am worried she will start to get sore. So has anyone have any suggestions as to which boots on the market, brushing and tendon, might be suitable to prevent the rubbing? Would bandages be better or would you worry about over heating? Maybe sheepskin lined boots? Any ideas gratefully received.

 

[Welly]

No advice on rubbing but if the splints are recent they will get smaller, with luck.

 

[Red-1]

I would be OK with riding with bandages, but would not turn out for the far of too much pressure, and I don't know how your horse would react if one came undone? They are also not reliable if they get wet/dry in a cycle.

I have used the NEW fluffy lined brushing boots before. They are not cool, but are wool lined so there is air trapped in there too, and they are very soft.

Would Tubigrip help under your nomal boots?

I would contact the helpline on several companies, such as WoofWear, NEW, Premier Equine, etc. I know they will all say that THEY have the best solution, but they may have some good ideas.

I guess I would also consider a soft boot with two soft pouches sewn in to take the pressure off, each side of the splint. Maybe a saddler could help if you are not a sewing person? The pads could just be sheepskin so the whole tendon area does not heat up?

Well, that is a few ideas that I would consider!

 

[Flame_]

I like to use boots as little as possible as I ride for quite long periods and pretty often boots get wet through but my horse has a big splint. I use pro choice elite boots just because they fit so nice and softly, and are fairly well ventilated. They don't offer as much protection as boots with a strike pad but i'm sure in the distance we cover and as sometimes the legs are wet, the stiffness of a strike pad would cause rubbing on the splint like you're getting. So the elite SMBs are a compromise that seems to be working out well over a couple of years now.

 

[Shay]

Take the advice of your vet - but might she do better without so much booting? I know views vary and you will need to take your own vet's view into consideration. But my experience is that horses left without boots strengthen the tendons and are more resistant to injury. It also helps the splints reduce more quickly. But if you have conformational issues or challenging behavior or something to complicate the mix then it would be different. But might be worth seeing what your vet says?

 

[thefamegame]

Thank you for all your great suggestions. I will try all of them to see what works best.

 

[saddlesore]

What about the stretch and flex wraps? They're unlikely to rub.