Do so many horses REALLY need boots and bandages?

I only boot on the rare occasions that we jump, for everything else they aren't booted except travelling when they are bandaged. My mare was booted for hacking when we first got her but she was 5 and not particularly well balanced as soon as she got her balance and coordination together we stopped booting. My gelding has huge legs and therefore we can't get boots to fit.
 
I don't boot for anything, travelling either, but then neither of mine have any movement issues.

Tbh I have seen more leg injuries from horses pratting about in the field than from ridden work.
 
Mine doesn't have any movement issues, but I like to boot him up.

For schooling he wears bandages and overreaches, hacking is Premier Equine Eventing Boots and overreaches. Travelling he has a full set of Amigo boots and for winter turnout he has a full set of Equilibrium turnout chaps. Finally, when he's stabled at night (in winter only) he wears a full set of stable chaps - this is mainly to keep his legs warm, not to prevent injury)

Whilst he's not clumsy or accident prone, he is spooky and jumpy. So I'd rather spend a little bit more money and spend a little more time on boots than having a lame, injured, out of work horse together with a huge vet bill!
 
I never used to (except over reach boots as he did regularly overreach), until one day he managed to tread on himself and pretty much degloved the leg. Took ages to heal. Booted from then on. Years later I got a new horse, straight mover, didn't bother booting. Managed to catch herself with her unshod hoof behind - a fairly long but shallow gash across fetlock. Wound got infected and resulted in months off. Now have 2 youngsters - booted for all work as I am not taking the chance they will do something silly. Of all the hundreds of times I've ridden and it has only happened twice, so I guess less than 1% chance of it happening, but I'd rather it didn't so I boot as that does them no harm.
 
Forgot to say - mine are out 24/7, but never booted in field. I know accidents can happen there too, but I have to draw a line somewhere!
 
I don't boot routinely. Mine travel in OR boots but that's all. I don't own and SJ/ tendon boots, and don't think I even have any travel boots. Never booted for hunting after I had one rub his legs raw on wet boots (I do use OR boots but because I have a fear of pulling shoes off!). Don't boot to hack, never for turnout. I have recently purchased my first ever set (front and hind) of XC boots, as we are doing our first ODE next week and plan to BE next year. I took him XC schooling in brushing boots two weeks ago; horse caught himself behind going over a table type jump and ripped the boot to shreds. Just glad it wasn't his leg! So as a result I've invested in proper XC boots.
 
mine arent shod, but have seen plenty of BF horses still manage to over reach or badly bruise a leg so in my mind makes no diff.

they wear 4 x over reach boots in the field as im aware that over heating tendons is also an issue. if i think they are likely to prat around (new field, new horse, snow etc) they ARE booted for a few days until they settle, but i use tendon boots to allow part of the leg at least to breathe.

they are in individual paddocks so no risk of kick injuries.

i think when doing a lot of lateral work, or ultra collected work (piaffe, passage, piris) the chance of losing balance and banging legs or treading on a heel is a very real risk. One horse is working advanced and the other GP and i dont want them to lose confidence in their own movement either-if you ask for a real big scopey half pass or passage and they bang themselves they move smaller and smaller. Obviously you cant use anything in the ring, but i like to cover as many possibilities as possible, for as long as possible.
 
Mare has over reach boots on 24/7 simply because she tazzes about and stands on her own feet and pulls her shoes off! never use any other boots including travel. Youngster will probably have brushing boots on when he is backed just because he is big and gangly and likely to stand on himself.
 
I had one horse who never wore boots except for cross country.

But then had another horse who would strike her front legs constantly so would need brushing boots and over reach boots all the time.

Each horse is diffferent and you can never generalise with horses
 
Never boot or bandage have seen some pretty horrific injuries from boots. Only horses that need boots are those with conformation or movement issues. I think it is a fashion thing for most. The overheating would be a major concern especially when you see ponies with six inches of feather wearing sheepskin lined boots
 
I really worry about the overheating issue - has anyone had any experience of it? I dont use boots except for travelling and (the rare!) xc trip but that is because I worry about overheating tendons.
 
I tend to weigh up the pros and cons for each discipline/horse for example I boot all round for schooling my 4 yo. For hunting I never boot because I worry about overheating as the boots are on for a long time, bits of dirt getting wedged under the boot, boots slipping etc.

Horses for courses :)
 
Mine wears over reaches and lightweight PE event boots on the front. He is renowned for standing on himself and pulling shoes off, he also over reached last year, thankfully not badly, but could have been a lot worse.

He probably doesn't need to wear front boots but he is narrow and can do some silly things so I'd rather be careful than have him injured, especially as although I call him mine I don't actually own him.
 
Many, many years ago when I was young and worked in dressage everything went in 4 white bandages, everyday. Occasionally one would get a bit of a "leg" and the head trainer would say "See, that's why we wear bandages". Now, nothing I have ever wears boots or bandages for anything, and we haven't had a leg injury for 15 years. Unless horse is banging into itself, I don't think horses need "protection", and as for the "support" of bandages, try properly conditioning the horse's legs by steady, progressive work.
 
Graymo wears over reach boots for jumping being he has crap feet and to pull a shoe would knock him out for a week or so.

At the end of the day - if the horse is going to injure itself then it will, by adding the boots you are merely lessoning to the blow.
 
Mine wears overreach boots when turned out and when worked. He's just a baby and only working in the school at the moment so he just wears wraps all round - will invest in some brushing boots for when we start to hack. Better safe than sorry.
 
Mine wears bandages for schooling and sports boots on front and brushing boots behind for everything else. He always wears over-reach boots. He is a tb and has an amazing ability to injure himself so I would rather be careful and never need it than leave them off once and him knock himself badly. Legs never seem too hot (I know its hard to tell) and bandages always removed immediately and legs sponged with cold water especially when it is hot.
 
Nope, my horses don't NEED boots/bandages - they don't brush or self injure themselves, so therefore have naked legs for everything except booted XC, where in the event of a 'knock' it may help with any possible bruising. Saying that, IF I forgot to pack them then I wouldn't have a heart attack about it, and carry on. Mare doesn't really enjoy being booted, can be a bit kicky, and I think they can irritate her if on for too long, so what is the point?

Previous self harming TB's have all been booted and over-reach'd - just 'cos they needed it!

Way back, I insisted my pony at the time HAD to have boots on... because every other pony in the RC had some!! = Fashion! :eek:
 
I put them on when I can be bothered to clean their legs! :o

Meg plaits in walk and can over reach so for fast work she gets front boots etc

Nesta is close behind so wears fetlocks for faster work.. I have hi-viz boots purely because they're hi-viz for going hacking. :)

However, now I no longer have a school to ride in they will be wearing boots much more often, especially for lungeing.
 
I minimally boot, just where the horse needs it. Particularly having sensitive arabs with annoyingly sensitive skin..... H dishes in front so when he was shod I just used to put fetlock boots on him to protect the bit he was likely to strike - nothing bigger or he'd come up in a reaction. Spud cannot tolerate neoprene at all (his worst reaction was when his entire legs went red and the skin pretty much came off with the boots and that took weeks and weeks to heal) but when shod he would regularly clonk himself - we ended up with some little felt polo wraps for him as they were the only thing that wouldn't bring him up in a reaction. Since they haven't been shod they haven't needed leg boots at all.

I haven't bothered booting Wolf yet - for 'normal' work he moves straight as a die and has quite a long back and short legs so over-reaching isn't an issue. Might stick some on him if/when we learn to jump, but then again to a certain extent he needs to learn where his legs are.
 
In my opinion, i think that some horses need it and others just wear them for the sake of it. My horse wears tendon boots and over reach boots because he tends to hit his legs but wearing boots is not natural for horses anyway so i don't see the point of putting on boots/bandages for 'the look' if you know what i mean:)
 
I always boot, prevention is better than cure.
Boots are alot easier to replace than legs!!! I know they don't stop injuries but in alot of cases can lesson an injury significantly.
 
My girl is 13 year old now i bred her up until she came along i always booted or bandaged for travel and lunging or riding

Alliya changed that way of thinking for me by nearly braking her leg in transit and never being 100% happy with boots on fantastic to put them on but just not comfortable. After a big vet bill with one trailer episode i gave up we have near looked back she is happy to have nothing on her legs

Just to say that she had woof ware boots or bandaged with knee and hock boots they never worked
 
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I don't know if they 'need' them but each to their own.

Personally I only boot for XC/SJ comp & training on all 4 legs plus overreach boots but not SJ at home and never for flatwork.
 
My cob wears over-reach boots when she's turned out, she over-reaches and pulls her shoes off otherwise, she likes a good loon around the field :rolleyes:

I also booted her when i first backed her, lunging she wears brushing and over-reach boots and any XC we do in the future she will wear brushing and OR boots too :)

Oh and travel boots but more to keep her legs clean than protection
 
I boot/bandage all round most of the time. He also wears overreach boots in the field just incase. For me it's just to prevent any injury. Better safe than sorry. If his legs have sweated up on an unusually hot day then I cold hose and gel just incase, but normally that's not an issue! I just want to protect him and it has no ill effects so why not.
 
joosie said:
Good question, but define "need".

Technically, you only "need" your riding hat when you fall off... you don't fall off every time you ride ((well most people don't, but I find it comes and goes in phases )) but you wear your hat every time because you know there's always a CHANCE you'll hit the deck.
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Very very good point!
 
I boot or bandage because one of my horses has injured his suspensory in the past. I like to be able to offer him a little extra support and protection when schooling him as he is a bit green. I would hate for him to injure himself if the injury could be easily prevented by chucking a boot or bandage on him.
I have knee problems, and when I run or play sports that are hard on my knees, I strap them up. Why should my horses be any different?

Horses may have survived many thousands of years without leg support and protection, but they were not kept the same way that they are kept now. They were not necessarily asked to do the same sort of work they are asked to do now. When they were the primary mode of transport, how many broke down due to leg injury steming from unnatural stress and strain? There wouldn't be any statistics because working class farmer Joe, Fred the Cab Driver or the stable hand for the rich Manor House owner would have taken Sparky or Velvet out the back with a shotty and sent them over the rainbow bridge rather than have to feed and rehab a horse that couldn't pay it's way. Read Black Beauty, times back then were hard. Horses either did the job they needed to do or they were killed or sold. There was no such thing as rehab, huge vet bills for surgery or retirement homes for horses.
 
Went to a small local show last weekend. Working hunter class in next ring, saw a fair few horses with the likes of boots (and coloured brushing/overreach too) doing both the jumping and showing. I am new back into showing after 15 years and I am horrified at the change. It seems the norm to allow horses to wear any boots at all, any colour, in any discipline. There was a small show pony with a lead rein on and rider, which had bandages on in one class. IMO if that pony is competing to such a level that it cannot risk getting any of it's legs scarred by simply walking in a circle (ridden best turned out) then it shouldn't be allowed in local shows. Bandages never used to be allowed or accepted in BTO when I used to show locally. :confused:
 
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