Do so many horses REALLY need boots and bandages?

Enfys

Enfys

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I have just been looking at threads in the picture gallery and it seems a lot of horses are booted and bandaged.

Out of curiosity, and without being judgmental (and of course not personally knowing the horses) do so many horses nowadays really need the legwear, or is it just because that is how things are in the world today?

I am not against protection, don't get me wrong, if I had a horse that needed it they'd get it.
 
I don't think most of them do. The only boots I use regularly are knee boots because my horse before last fell and broke his knees badly and I'm paranoid about stumbling and falling on roads now. My mare has never actually stumbled, they're there purely for my peace of mind. She sometimes wears hoof boots if we're riding over very stony ground. I never use brushing, tendon, over-reach, fetlock or any other type of boots or bandages for riding; she just doesn't need them. She is bandaged on the hinds in the stable because post an injury one leg has a tendency to go puffy.
 
Personally I don't think they do need boots, at least not for day to day riding anyway. My horse has never really liked boots - I think they irritate his legs - I therefore only wear open-fronted tendon boots and overreach boots xc. I swear wearing tendon boots for showjumping affects him so I just get away with overreach. He had (not jumping mind) had the odd small overreach injury before so hence the reason for them.
 
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 :p)) but you wear your hat every time because you know there's always a CHANCE you'll hit the deck.

We use brushing boots front and back on all our horses for lunging, hacking and flatwork - switch brushing boots for tendon boots when jumping. Most of the time they won't brush or catch their legs so technically 99.% of the time they don't "need" them... but you never know when it might happen, and if your horse is wearing boots it's not something you need to worry about!
 
My late tb had brushing boots behind because, well, she brushed! But that's it. None of the others wear boots for anything, including travelling. I think unless there's a very good reason they do more harm than good.

Looking through the Rideaway catalogue, you'd never imagine horses managed for the last million years or so without them.
 
Mine wears overreach for faster work because of her huge stride, but think most horses don't need boots. Seems odd to read on boot info about how they cool the leg, well if they aren't needed the best way to cool is not put boots on. Seems fairly common to use equipment for fashion rather than need.

Friends tb can't wear boots (by end of ride she is raw), 25 years old, endurance horse, great legs no blemishes.
 
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I think if you have a dressage horse for example with lovely clean legs it is tempting to bandage them for school work to protect them. Where the horse is trained to a higher level there is likely more risk of injury through a strike I would say.
I know when I bought my WB the vetting vet's comments were that he had beautiful clean legs - best to keep them that way via boots.

For showjumpers/eventer the tendon and knock injury rate would be a high risk I would say and warrant the protection of boots. I know a friend's horse sustained a stud injury to the exposed fetlock on spooking at a show.

I only use hind brushing boots on my cob due to previous tendon surgery and proud flesh. I never use travel boots.
 
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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 :p)) but you wear your hat every time because you know there's always a CHANCE you'll hit the deck.

We use brushing boots front and back on all our horses for lunging, hacking and flatwork - switch brushing boots for tendon boots when jumping. Most of the time they won't brush or catch their legs so technically 99.% of the time they don't "need" them... but you never know when it might happen, and if your horse is wearing boots it's not something you need to worry about!
Click to expand...

This ^^^^ My horse does have a close movement in front so he always wears front brushing boots. 9 times out of 10 he may not need them on but there has been the odd time (generally when hes behaving like a turd!) I can hear the boots knock together - I am much happier knowing its the boots rubbing and not his legs!! :)
 
joosie said:
Good question, but define "need".
Click to expand...

Is it absolutely necessary then ;) ?

Everyone, please note from my original post "without being judgmental (and of course not personally knowing the horses) " It is just a general observation that's all.
 
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After watching a programme where they pretty graphically showed what happened to the tendon if the horse was to strike under full load my horse definitely wears boots most the time.

He wears a sausage boot behind as he stands on himself quite regularly. And over reach as he had a nasty over reach last year.

But he is a thoroughbred with not much bone, and also performs acrobatics on a regular occasion so I guess is more likely to knock himself.
 
My youngster who is just starting work, has a set of sports boots for front and back, she is close behind and as she has a tendancy to be a hooligan sometimes, i think i would rather be safe than sorry, however, i do wonder if im pandering to her, if she knocked herself maybe she wouldn't do it again and learn from it. :confused:
 
Well I'd feel like a prize idiot if my horse had an entirely preventable injury just because I chose not to boot it up..... So I always use boots on my horse when it is being ridden.
 
It's a good question.

I always boot my horse up, and while he doesn't necessarily need them, I prefer to use them as a "just in case" measure. I think I would rather put boots on than have to deal with a brushing or overreach injury. You never know what can happen, horses legs can do interesting things when they spook!

I feel it's especially important to protect the legs when the horse is shod. I've seen some horrendous injuries from hind shoes catching front heels.
 
Since I now keep my horses barefoot I no longer use boots as I feel an unshod foot would not do same damage as a shod one. I did use boots when they were shod for the reasons above - that there was a chance they could give themselves a nasty injury with a knock from a shoe. One of my horses hated boots and would only tolerate one of the softer more flexible types but is now completely happy as she doesn't have to wear them any more!
 
I have always put boots on all my horses and my current horse gets tendon boots, over reach boots and hind boots. sods law that if I ever rode him without leg protection he would injure himself! and TBH I would rather replace a boot then have to get the vet and or have a lame horse... its one less thing I have to worry about and who wouldn't want to protect their horse as much as they could?
 
I have a trunkfull of tendon/brushing/what-have-you boots, they have been in that trunk for the last 5 years, previous to that, they have been in that trunk's predecessor :/ I suppose none of the horses need them? seeing that we haven't had any sort of injuries that could have been prevented by wearing boots.
Mind you, one of my horses wears a breastplate purely because she looks nicer with than without :rolleyes:, she certainly doesn't need it :o, so maybe I'm not the one to ask what is and what isn't necessary :D
 
Any horse can easily have an accident that can cause damage to the leg - damage which may be prevented or minimised by proper protection. Given its not difficult to safely bandage and boot a horse, I can't think of a reson why you wouldn't?
 
I have never, not once, used boots or bandages.
Personally I feel that the danger of the tendons and ligaments getting too hot is greater than the danger of them being injured through a strike injury.
I feel fashion has a lot to do with it, too.
 
No I don't use boots generally except for a specific reason on a specific horse.

With unbalanced, young horses I sometimes might use them initially until they learn where their feet are, but I also think its better for them to learn to be careful so it depends very much on the horse and conditions.

For XC, I would but that's not an issue until Missy gets an outing. On wet slippery days, she'd wear knee boots for riding on the roads because the tarmac is unforgiving and SMA surfaces are not horse friendly.


Otherwise, they are bare legged for riding and travelling.
 
Definitely not!

My horses move straight and are careful. They wear boots for xc and bigger jumping classes, particularly if it involves speed (1.10 upwards)
They dont wear them for schooling- I like my horses to have an awareness of where they are placing their legs and to feel it if they knock a pole.
 
on my unshod horses/ponies no-unless they are jumping/pole work, don't for travelling either. Shod horse yes for school work, jumps/poles/lunging/travel, not for hacking as a rule although I probably would on a youngster.
 
I would liken it to wearing a riding hat (on a horse) and a seat belt (in the car!), 99.999% of the time you don't need them, but that one occasion where you do then boy are you glad you did bother.

I never used to boot at all, then only booted for jumping but now boot for flatwork, hacking and lunging as well as for jumping as I figure I'd never forgive myself if my horse gained an entirely avoidable injury.
 
I think I fall mostly into the camp of booting just in case...

When I got my cob, he brushed fairly consistently behind - not thunking himself, but you could hear it. So brushing boots behind from the start.

He went through a phase of pulling shoes off regularly, and brushing badly behind, so had a few months of over reach boots all round unless in the stable. However, diet now sorted and hooves much improved.

I have tendon boots for him for the very rare occasion he does any jumping more than a 2' cross pole with me...but have only been worn in earnest once!

I suppose technically for schooling there is no reason why he should wear anything in front, and now he is unshod behind, his action is much better so could poss get away with nothing behind... But he has chunky hind fetlocks from previous mites/brushing, and I think it looks weird just having boots behind, so he wears brushing boots or sometimes polo bandages all round for lunging, hacking & schooling. If he's just having a mooch, or some novice is having a sit, I don't bother with anything.

When he's been introduced to new turnout buddies when moving yard etc, he's worn brushing boots just in case they prat around - although less worried now he's bare behind...

Think I'm getting a bit more relaxed about him breaking himself now though :rolleyes:
 
ditto megabeast.

why would you NOT boot or bandages, why risk an avoidable scuff that gets infected and means weeks off, or a bone bruise, or over reach that makes them 1/10 sore and you miss a lesson/show?

why would you not protect such a huge investment (money and emotional)????
 
If you are booting to prevent injuries while riding are you also booting them while they are in the field too? Horses are just as likely, if not more likely, to injur themselves in the field so by that token they should wear boots all of the time. I think wearing boots to often is more detrimental then not and TBH I hardly ever boot up and *touch wood* never had a problem.
 
No, not all horses need boots/bandages unless they have a specific problem such as over reaching/brushing. But I always wear boots/bandages all round and my horse does none of the above. I wear them as a precautionary measure as I'd rather rip a boot/bandage than my horses tendon!
 
I have trunk loads of boots and bandages that I used when I lived in the UK. They have never been out of the trunk in the 10 years I've lived here in North America! My horses were shod in the UK, none are shod here, so maybe that's why. I'd never use bandages on young horses and never for any horses just hacking or schooling about but I did/do use fronts for XC.
 
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