Boots vs Bandages

G

Gin&Ginger

Active Member
Joined
2 January 2011
Messages
34
Location
Hampshire
Visit site
Can anyone suggest pros/cons for travel boots vs bandages?

Have a horse who is a bad traveller (kicks out, unbalanced etc) and was wondering if she may be better in bandages as opposed to boots? Not sure if this may just be wishful thinking, but I was thinking maybe she finds it harder to stand/move easily in boots which doesn't help the problem?

Any advice/experiences appreciated

Thanks
 
Sometimes if the boots are too bulky or don't have good design, they can slide down if the horse is unsettled and stamping a lot. I'd probably be tempted to use bandages and gamgee if there's a likelyhood she could pull the boots off and get tangled in them. If it's for short journeys, you could always try travelling in brushing boots and front and back over reach boots? x
 
I would of thought bandages myself if she is an un settled in the box and has a habbit of kicking out or stomping about a bit.

Bandages are more secure, less bulky, if she stands on them she may rip one off or it may slide down her leg, also most come over the hocks and she may not like this, could make her feel less balanced or give her more reason to faff about.

Least with bandages, it is something that won't feel alien to her if you get her used having them on at other times apart from traveling, so either on a night (stable bandages) or use some polo wraps during exercise, then when she has them on for traveling it won't give her as much reason to fidget, but they will remain secure and offer her the protection needed.
 
Hi having similar prob with my 3 y/o i bought some new travel boots for her and she shredded them at the bottom(even though they fitted well) so I now bandage with gamgee and stable bandages, making sure that they dont go down too low. I even cut the gamgee a bit short so that it didnt risk her treading on them when she fidgets, this worked well.
 
Ours tend to shuffle out of bandages or travel boots.

We use front and back brushing boots, over-reach boots on all 4 feet. If you're worried about knee/hock banging during travelling you could use knee boots/hock boots which are fairly cheap and available from most places!
 
Bandages are worth a shot as they are less "bulky".

I know some people that travel in brushing boots but I'm not too keen on that personally. Having said that I've had 'sensible' horses who are used to wearing either travel boots or bandages with padding.
 
I had a horse who could not walk in travel boots could hardly stand in them . He was 14 when I tried but previous owners had tried too. He was fine to travel in bandages though.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, a lot of what has been mentioned sounds similar to the situation we're in.

She walks fine in travel boots, but once on the trailer can't seem to find her balance, even when the trailer isn't moving. She had damaged a pair through faffing about in the trailer, and I think they often slip down which must be uncomfortable! Will definitely give bandages a shot.

The only thing I am puzzled about is the fact that its all come on very suddenly - she used to be a great traveller and all of a sudden has become very unbalanced and stressed, hence a lot of kicking out!
 
My horse started with that too, best thing is to bandage rather than use boots and then take the centre partition out, then they have more room to get their balance :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top