Boots or no boots?

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Zoemary

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Just a little thread to get some ideas and opinions.

Do you use any types of boots on your horse/pony and if so why?

What is your overall opinion on booting up horses?

Now I know a few people very against it, but I also know others who are very for the idea (for obvious reasons i.e the way the horse moves and conformation) I have never thought about using boots on my mare but recently i was told I should maybe use brushing boots on her fronts as I'm working on improving her balance ect and in canter she likes to throw herself around a lot, falls in now and then and is not the most balanced mare in canter especially. Now I was just wondering what your guys opinion is, whether I should just for extra protection, or avoid it? She does have feathered legs however she is not a heavy cob! She also used to have very scabby and poor legs, baby oil has definitely worked the treat softening the skin!
P.s Happy new year! :)
 

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I hack around, trot on roads etc and I don’t use boots. I’d like to as I think they look smart!! But can’t think of a valid reason for me using them sadly.
 
Historically would use a hard tendon backed boot for jumping only.

Welsh cob so some feather and prone to scabbiness so mostly nothing at all as better without and unshod which also helped.
 
Mine wear front boots at home, after having a horse knock himself and put himself out of action for 3 weeks, but they wear boots all round when competing in endurance.
 
Ive always booted my horses and have done for the last 25+ years, although the options weren’t quite as varied in those days.

Flatwork they generally wear training wraps, if we are doing lateral work or poles I tend to use LeMieux schooling boots. I have tendon and fetlock boots if I ever jump (they haven’t left the drawer for a few years ha!) and they hack in brushing boots. They also lunge in boots- they have a set that I keep specifically for lunging- for no reason other than that I have so many!

I have a spare set of everything so if anything gets wet or needs a wash, I have another set.

I travel them in sport boots and overreach boots because they hate travel boots.

I don’t do bandages. I can’t be bothered with them.
 
Zoemary said:
That's fair enough, why type of horses do you own?
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One sports horse with legs like sticks and a part bred welsh.
I did have a hairy coloured cob. She wore brushing boots for hacking and Farm rides and wraps for flat work. It was difficult to get boots to fit as she had so much feather! Sports horse legs are a lot easier!
 
Zoemary said:
Just a little thread to get some ideas and opinions.

Do you use any types of boots on your horse/pony and if so why?

What is your overall opinion on booting up horses?

Now I know a few people very against it, but I also know others who are very for the idea (for obvious reasons i.e the way the horse moves and conformation) I have never thought about using boots on my mare but recently i was told I should maybe use brushing boots on her fronts as I'm working on improving her balance ect and in canter she likes to throw herself around a lot, falls in now and then and is not the most balanced mare in canter especially. Now I was just wondering what your guys opinion is, whether I should just for extra protection, or avoid it? She does have feathered legs however she is not a heavy cob! She also used to have very scabby and poor legs, baby oil has definitely worked the treat softening the skin!
P.s Happy new year! :)
Click to expand...

I use brushing boots for schooling and lunging, to protect against splints and brushing.

Competition boots when jumping to protect

travel boots
knee boots
 
Aw lovely!
My girl doesn't have that much feather! :( Which is why I wasn't sure whether to get her some brushing boots for flatwork / lunging after being told too as she's not having any of the canter at the moment!
 
Brushing and over reach boots for all work here.
One Welsh who has tufty heels and doesn't move 100% straight , competing advanced dressage and would be gutted if she clattered herself. One clumsy WB who is a spooky dingbat and is prone to flailing around!
 
The cob only wears boots to travel and to keep clean. The ponies wear boots for driven XC or scurry and sometimes for jumping (not always- depends how well boots fit them). Pip wears stable boots to travel in as he's not fantastic travelling, the other ponies travel bare. My horse turns out in OR boots, and turnout boots when going out in a new field or new companions. Travels in turnout boots too. He wears hind XC boots to drive in and all round XC boots for lessons ridden and driven- he has 3 white socks so the plain front leg is a bit distracting. He has hiviz and reflective brushing boots for hacking.
 
I have some brushing boots......somewhere. Can't remember the last time I put boots of any sort on a horse. I would use brushing boots on a young, gangly horse if they were clattering themselves, but in general if they can't walk down the road with out banging into themselves, they aren't fit to be ridden.
 
Skinny legged tb here, nothing at home for hacking, jumping or flatwork. Air cooled boots for xc schooling or hunter trials. Sometimes has tendon boots when competing sj but sometimes not.
 
hairy natives so no boots-have some hi viz wraps. Don't use travel boots either-they are unshod.

I did use to use knee boots for road work and I had a boot set that I used because I thought they looked smart on my old horse (lusitano)-liked using westrops boots on him too-probably the only ones he needed.
 
Overreach boots. Sometimes brushing boots or bandages as well depending on what we're doing/the horse. Xc boots for xc, and big horse wears hind fetlock boots for jumping because of his jumping style.

The overreach boots are because young mare overreaches in walk at the start of a session and her back end is a lot more powerful than her core muscles at the moment so her back end frequently tries to overtake her front. On the big horse it is mainly for hacking - when on slippy ground he has a nasty habit of standing on himself while keeping balance.
 
Baby horse wears over reach boots for schooling as when he’s feeling lazy he can clip himself as he’s got a short back and long legs. On the road he wears the over reach boots, brushing boots and knee boots. He looks a prat but he’s often too busy looking around that he forgets where his legs are, hoping to reduce this as he gets older and more co-ordinated though.

Older welsh has only ever worn boots for xc or when jumping 90cm+. She’s straight as a die.
 
biggun wears overreach boots at all times. She struggles with foot quality and takes shoes off instantly without them. Brushing boots on the front as she is still getting her balance and is a bit of a lump and fairly clumsy with her legs so until she leans where they all are I'd prefer to avoid the damage. Coblet only wore boots on the rare occasion I went xc. The chestnut wore overreaches in the field after taking 4 shoes off in 2 weeks (I was trying to sell her so naturally the day before every viewing shed take one off!!!). she also wore boots for xc and occasionally for jumping.
 
Knee boots for hacking.
Hoof boots.
Brushing boots or wrap type thingies all round if doing pole work.
If we jumped, don't at the moment, tendon and fetlock boots.
Travel boots but can't decide so sometimes not, especially if we're going hacking when she just has the knee boots and hoof boots on ready.

Maxi cob type with some feather but not much.
 
I don't put anything on mine out hacking, brushing boots & over reaches in the school for jumping otherwise nothing, if he's going through a self harming phase of standing on his own heels he has over reaches on in the field but thats rare, use something more substantial or tendon boots out XC or on the gallops. I usually travel him without anything either as he gets in a tizzy, at the very most its his brushing boots & over reaches so I dont have to bother the other end.

I do know someone who's horse is always booted as in 24/7 - field boots, stable wraps & even out hacking who has knee boots, over reach boots & all round brushing boots! Everyone's different.
 
Cortez said:
I have some brushing boots......somewhere. Can't remember the last time I put boots of any sort on a horse. I would use brushing boots on a young, gangly horse if they were clattering themselves, but in general if they can't walk down the road with out banging into themselves, they aren't fit to be ridden.
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Sums up my view really and I don’t find boots work for hunters they just get mud fever so when I looked at my hunters being out for six hours sometimes in the most testing conditions and coming back fine I had to ask myself did my horses need to be wearing in them for swanning about in the school.
And the work on chronicle tendon damage and heat from booting is pretty clear I don’t boot to travel either .
 
Mine wears fleece lined brushing boots for schooling and jumping at home as he has a big splint inside one front leg and I don't want it getting hit. Ones without a furry lining don't sit well over the splint.
Furry lined tendon and fetlock boots for jumping at shows
Cross country boots for cross country
Its a bit of a faff but the splint doesn't bother him at the moment and I would like to keep it that way!
 
Mine is a straight moving sure footed sports horse so boots are not necessary. I do however use knee boots after having a horse who fell on the road and badly broke his knees - that's purely for me, the horse does not need them; my blood runs cold even at the slightest routine trip or stumble. I also use hi viz leg wraps because I'm obsessed with hi viz.
 
I only use them for XC comps. The beast doesn't knock himself and is very surefooted so I haven't needed them.
 
Cortez said:
I have some brushing boots......somewhere. Can't remember the last time I put boots of any sort on a horse. I would use brushing boots on a young, gangly horse if they were clattering themselves, but in general if they can't walk down the road with out banging into themselves, they aren't fit to be ridden.
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That would be my worry too. I wouldn't fancy riding a clumsy horse, especially on xc. It wouldn't give me confidence in the animal. It's bad enough that I constantly bump into things...
 
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