Boots v Bandages

[Luckylocalian]

Hello all - I am a roll posting today - must have really missed the forum!

Just wondered if anyone could tell me what the benefits of bandages are over boots and when you would wear them respectively and also why people no longer seem to use gamgee or when indeed gamgee would be appropriate!

Thanks x

 

[eventersrus]

I use tubi grip under my xc boots best of both worlds then!

 

[Luckylocalian]

Oh - never heard of that! I had my last horse nearly ten years ago so although i have kept ridding etc all through uni, law school, travelling, training etc I have only come to have my new boy now ten years later so everything stable management is like starting from scratch and has moved on so much! I'm so old fashioned - really need to get with the programme ;-)

 

[cobwithattitude]

interesting - worrying about boots (well, my old WOOF boots) that the legs get so hot and sweaty underneath; what happens to the tendons? I tend to use banages (fleece) for flatwork - but again legs get quite warm but sweat is absorbed. I use WOOF or Clarendons for jumping. Do think i may need to invest in some new air cooled ones? Re Gamgee - think now people tend to use bandage protectors - like huge padded table mats. I bought some from P Equine but they are massive and i use one of them as a roller pad when i lunge instead..

 

[Ginn]

Tilly has such long thin legs that I do find getting them to fit is a nightmare (she's a pony infront and a cob behind but needs the length of full all round!). Because of that I find bandages can be very useful! I do have some boots that fit her quite nicely but they weren't cheap so I only use them if they are really needed (lunging if she's in a slightly hyper mood or hacking if we are doing more than just plodding round the lanes!) as she seems to be going through her bull in a china shop phase atm! Since playing polo locally I have become a slight convert to correctly applied polo bandages, with the tail down the tendon, and so have invested in a couple of sets for T for when I feel she needs the protection and support. When she's stopped growing and starts being asked more demanding work then I will invest in some really good boots for all round but atm its not really needed.

For travelling I have only just (September I think) invested in travel boots as prefer to use bandages. However, I found when trying to rebandage to come home without help its easier just to pop boots on and be done with it! If she were travelling any great distance then I'd probably bandage for support (stable bandage and gamgee type stuff (John lewis fake sheepskin - much cheeper and nicer imo)) underneath or even not both with travel boots and put OR and knee/hock boots on with the bandages.

For stabling I always use traditional stable bandages over anything else, complete with above mentioned gamgee and I will not allow anyone else to bandage for me unless I can interfer and supervise!

I'll also probably be shot down for saying this but I do beleive there is a danger of over booting in some situations - one reason I don't use leg protection that often is that Tills is already pretty clumsy with her legs but also needs to learn to respect them a little! Although I don't wish any ingury or pain on my horse I do think it does them good to take a few heavy knocks as it does usually teach them to be a little more careful.

 

[Nari]

I use fleece bandages for schooling because
- my yard has a sand & rubber arena that can get deep at times, sand works its way inside boots but not bandages
- if Jim's legs are at all sore (he gets mudfever easily) then he'll let me but bandages on with no complaint but moves away from his boots
- again re mudfever I wash bandages after every use because they're so quick to dry, hopefully this stops mudfever bacteria spreading
- I don't mind putting bandages on damp legs which can be a necessary evil in the winter

I use boots for hacking & any jumping because
- I feel they offer more protection
- they're less likely to come undone & if they do they come off rather than unravelling