Boots on traditional cobs?

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Sophiecollins11

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What are all your opinions of putting boots on hairy traditional cobs?
I have one that I have been bringing back into jump work, so I have been using pro sport boots to protect his legs as he does knock and roll them occasionally, however I have noticed a lot of people are anti booting on cobs?
Also while I lunge him he forges occasionally on the inside what do you think of over reach boots?

Not trying to get any critism as I will out boots on mine no matter what, but what do you all think?
 
Doubt anyone is "anti booting" in particular. Just hard to find boots that fit well and really I don't think my cob needs them.

I had boots on my welsh cob when I got her as she brushed but with the correct fittening programme she now doesn't brush so I don't bother.

None of mine are shod and I feel for my horses, the risk of heating tendons is higher than significant damage from a knock.
 
Mines got stumpy legs and tons of bone, combined with a ridculous amount of feather. I doubt I'd get boots to fit even if I wanted them. I'd also be worried about the extra heat generated by having all that hair inside the boot. I think the thick feathers probably provide as much protection as boots would :)
 
If your horse is forging he is either on his forehand, his feet are not correctly balanced or possibly both, I would address the reason rather than putting on overreach boots which will not really help, forging is very different to overreaching and is fairly easily corrected with work.

I don't boot any horse unless there is good reason, a traditional cob with loads of feather will have enough natural protection from a minor knock, if they tend to knock show jump poles then leaving them without boots should help them learn to become more careful, which is what the schooling/ training should be aiming for, I would put some on for xc.
 
I only boot when there's a specific need and in the situation described I wouldn't use boots as the risk of over heating is greater than the likelihood of damage from a knock
 
Thank you all for commenting with your own opinions, I always cold hose my cobs leg after jumping with boots on and ride him for a little without them on also, I would never leave him if I felt his legs were still hot. Because of his past I would be too worried not boot him, although I am only putting them on for jumping and lunging really now. He's quite light boned for a cob really so although he's at the top end of the boot sizing guide it's not hard to find some to fit him!
 
He over reaches onto the back of his front foot aswell and he is on his forehand which is why I am working on it, he was not lunged before I brought him so now I have started introducing canter he gets incredibly unbalanced coming back down into trot and forges and over reaches, I know this is an issue hence why I am addressing it but in the mean time I don't really want him injuring himself
 
Its not about after, its during. Exercise increases the temperature of the tendons, if you have boots on and loads of hair as well, then the tendons can cool down effectively. That happening can lead to breaking down of the tendon.

That doesnt happen with over reach boots, but any sort of tendon/brushing boots would be a total no for anything with hairy legs for me :)
 
I boot my fell for xc, we don't do it very often but when we do I put brushing boots all round. I think for the odd xc session the potential for him to clout himself (or trip over - more likely!) a fixed fence is higher than the damage to his his tendons from getting hot for an hour.
 
If the legs are very hairy then I wouldn't, TBH. My reasons would be that firstly, simply because of all that hair, you're going to have to somehow squeeze it underneath a boot, and to do that you may well catch a stray hair or two which the horse will then find very uncomfortable; also there's going to be a lot of heat thus generated, again uncomfortable.

If the horse is over-reaching, knocking or rolling, then I would ask the farrier if there is any reason for this and whether any adjustments might be necessary before looking at booting.

The only way I'd consider any sort of booting is if the legs were clipped out. Otherwise, no.
 
I try to boot as little as possible tbh, it wouldn't matter on the breed. If they moved in a way that they needed boots then of course I would, but I do think they heat up the tendons.
 
Overreaching and forging, I would stick on overreaches until the horse has been schooled on. I tried brushing boots on my very hairy cob, 10 inches of bone, tons of feather, you can get large ones to fit. Mine sweated madly, so never again.
 
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