Do you boot up everytime you ride?

Jeni Ball said:
I love my horses so much I could not bare it if they got injured just because I was too lazy to protect them.
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Like Janette I'm afraid I do not like the inference that anybody who does not put boots on their horses is either being lazy or doesn't love their horses. I absolutely ADORE both my girls (one's a yearling so not worked yet - so definately no boots!), but I will only put boots on as they are needed.

Genie is a welsh cob, chunky legs, who overreaches. Hence only overreach boots, and brushing boots all round when going XC. She does wear travel boots in the lorry (trust me when I say I am VERY careful travelling my horses), but I will not boot unecessarily, and definately will not put boots on just to turn out - she's a horse! Only once has she come in with damage to a leg, and that was from a kick that was higher than a boot would be anyway.

I apologise if I've got the wrong end of the stick of what you were saying, as has been observed before, the written word is very easy to read incorrectly. I'm not saying people SHOULDN'T put boots on, but a lot of people where I am put boots on unecessarily.
 
Another one slightly put out by the 'Too lazy' inference!

I don't love or care for my horses any less because I don't use boots as a rule.

Dom doesn't have any boots! I borrowed a sausage boot when he was young and unbalanced because of a slight dishing issue - once he'd grown up and learnt to balance himself the dishing disappeared along with the boot!

My mare had boots for cross country and as support for a few months after a wayward kick opened her tendon sheath and damaged the tendons.

Like so many bits of tack (flash nosebands are a personal bugbear of mine) boots are a godsend - but ONLY if needed.
 
Not for hacking, and usually not for schooling. I do for jumping normally, and always always always for cross country!! He has overreaches on the the field, and for a little while he had boots on in the field, until I decided they would do more harm than good! Interesting post- as when I first got my new boy I booted up all the time, but now I've become a little more relaxed haha. x
 
I've never used boots in my life on any horses's I've ridden.My mare's been out of work for the last year ( due to me having an accident) and for once am thinking of using tendon and fetlock boots while bringing her back into work. Most of the people on my yard don't use boots either.
 
QR:

Not everytime. I'm paranoid about overheating so use as little as poss.
I sj with just front, xc all round, flatwork v.rarely I use boots/bandages.
Hacking I do, mainly for the hi viz straps on them.

She doesn't over reach so I don't use over reach boots, do more damage than good.
 
So those who do boot up every time, do you boot up when you turn your horse out?

Phil wears brushing boots on the road because they are reflective. He has overreach boots as sometimes catches himself on the lunge but I never just put them straight on and he hasn't worn them in years.

I don't believe in booting up just because. If he needed it, I would. If he was at risk of doing the sort of damage that would cause big vets bills just by being worked (as in lunged or lightly schooled) then I'd be a bit concerned! I understand the need more when hacking on roads or jumping.
 
I have just moved yards and I am surprised to find nobody uses knee boots when hacking out and there is no mention of them on these pages (sorry if I missed something) Some years ago I had my first horse as a silver wedding present and a 'friend' hacked her out. They came down on the road and I nearly lost the mare. My friend had not put on the knee boots I provided and the knees were very badley cut. It took several months for the knees to stop weeping. I have heared of other horses falling on the road but rarely see anyone using knee boots why?
 
Never used to put boots on my pony ever as been a Highland he's pretty solid, well so I thought, he has turned out to be very accident prone!

So he does now wear front boots for xc mainly because of a injury he got to the front of his leg in the field, cut right down to the tendon and slightly cut the tendon. Never really used back boots on him, only after he had a operation on one of them. Also when hacking he wears brushing boots with the bits that come up over the knees. After a fall on the road last october cut his knees really badly. Wears overreach boots on his back legs as he cathches himself and have never got round to buying them ring ones you can use. Don't usually use them if we're just in the arena though.

No one else on my yard uses boots, though is a very small yard but we never used them on any horses at the riding school either before it closed.
 
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I tend to put schooling wraps on my horse just out of habit really and as a just in case measure but i don't think he really needs them, he never wears back boots because he doesn't like them, jumping he always wears tendon boots. Tbh i think it depends on the horse how much you need them, mine is more likely to get injured in the field than he is being schooled. When mine are turned out everyday they're not booted up but when they first go out after the winter or box rest or something then i'll put boots on for a few days
 
everything with shoes on wears boots.

my 6yro wears boots all round for hacking and schooling and open fronted boots for sj, prolites for xc and overreach boots as needed.

my 4yro wears brushing boots in front, nothing behind (only shod in front).
 
I think a lot of people don't realise the problems that some boots casue as well as prevent. Hunting at home I wouldn't wear anything more that OR boots as plough and mud under a horses boot can cause problems.
At home I boot up as I feel I need it, oshk is quite exciteable and tends to stand on himself a lot, whereas bertie doesn't ever need them.
OHs horses only do fast work in boots, which is fair enough, his pointer would injure himself in a padded cell and I think boots would do no good there!
 
i've hunted lots of horses, all with prolites all round and no mud has ever got underneath (my grey still has white legs at the end of the day)- you need to find boots that really fit and you shouldn't have issues with mud or rubbing.

main issue with boots (unless airflow) is the overheating element- but i weigh that up against external injuries and take the risk of overheating.
 
I'm another that falls into the "boot for conformation and circumstances" category

B came to me with brushing boots all round & for a couple of years I didn't question it but then I realised that whilst he'd been through a good 3 pairs of front boots through wearing out the strike pads, the back boots had been completely unaffected!

So now he wears front brushing boots every time he's schooled or hacked out. I do put him in tendon boots for SJ just because if I'm going to be putting him in brushing boots anyway, I may as well pop on those.

Always o/r boots for fast hacking or xc, although have never had an o/r injury

I think it's pretty unfair to label those who choose to care for their horses in a different way than yourself as lazy.... one of the great things about horse care is that many people have different opinions on how to do things.
 
When I got my mare three years ago she was very unbalanced and used to finish every ride with cuts and grazes so I quickly bought several pairs of boots and got into the habit of using them for everything.

Over the next couple of years her balance has improved and I have relaxed a bit and occasionally hacked out or done a little schooling without but I still boot up when galloping and/or jumping and always will - having seen one of her tendon boots split in half when she caught it with her hind hoof during an awkward landing I wouldn't dare risk that happening to her leg.
 
xRobyn said:
So those who do boot up every time, do you boot up when you turn your horse out?.
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Yes as potts treads on himself and harley kicks himself, and with them both in their mid/late teens i wanted them as protected as possible, always done it this way and always will.
 
I only ever usually would when we did jumping/pole work, hacking, lungeing and work in the field. For bog standard schooling I never used to.. Mainly because it would be very simple work for 20-30 mins and my loan horse tended to be very careful on his feet anyway! xx
 
Always boot up for riding but never when turned out!
Use the bog standard woof wear club Brushing boots at home.

For sj use open front tendon boots and back fetlock boots - I use studs and my horse is very careful so this helps prevent any injuries.

Xc I use the eskadron xc boots in front and woof wear ultra boots behind.
 
This is all very well but my BIGGEST pet hate is when I see people wearing incorrectly sized boots or terrible bandages. These will do more damage than not wearing any at all. All the gear and no idea.
I hate seeing brushing boots used for jumping as they offer little of no protection to the areas that need it so its a waste of time!
 
I only ever put boots on when we're jumping (and travelling). Over heating and rubbing would be more of an issue with my horse - in 4 1/2 years of owning him he's never had any problems with brushing or over-reaching.

I was always taught you shouldn't boot up 24/7 as problems can be caused to do with circulation - imagine wearing tight leg warmers all the time!
 
Brushing boots allround, plus over reaches if jumping.

Pony tripped on the road once (didn't fall) and took a huge chunk out of brushing boots. Would have been nasty if I didn't have them on.
 
Due to the dingbat's legs going all over the place, though admittedly getting less so as her brain cells start to join up (she is six now lol), she wears boots most of the time when being worked. Mark Todd tendon boots and over-reach boots, and if she's in a complete idiot mood, Tri Zone Cross Country boots all round.

Little Cob has boots for jumping and cross-country, but tends not to wear them for 'just schooling'.
 
LEC said:
This is all very well but my BIGGEST pet hate is when I see people wearing incorrectly sized boots or terrible bandages. These will do more damage than not wearing any at all. All the gear and no idea.
I hate seeing brushing boots used for jumping as they offer little of no protection to the areas that need it so its a waste of time!
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Not a waste of time if your horse actually brushes!
 
I bandage Wings when I school or do fast work (and yes, I was taught how to bandage so know how to do it properly and have never had a bandage come undone), just because I'm working on lateral work so he's more likely to knock himself, and for fast work, just incase a stone flies up and hits him or something, or if he spooks and treads on himself. He also wears over reach boots when being ridden always, but also in the field, as when he goes hooning around he often over reaches, and sometimes even cuts his heels.

For jumping I wear tendon boots on front, over reach boots and nothing behind, simply because he doesn't touch poles when jumping, so the front boots are only incase he lands on himself.
 
It is interesting that I've come across several horses who I've been told don't brush, but you put a new set of brushing boots on and they come back with scuffs all over the pads!!!

I use brushing boots all round and over reach boots too as both the girls like to leap about when hacking, and we do a lot of lateral work when schooling, so I'm happy to protect them! Got tendon boots for SJ, when we do it.

Don't boot up to turn out as they are out 24/7 and tend not to rush about, and also it gets knee deep after a bit of rain, so they will do more harm than good (also don't keep them on for any longer than necessary due to over heating).

I boot when needed, have yet to see any horse bring back a pair of brushing boots still in new condition with no brush marks on them. Doesn't hurt to prevent instead of cure. :D
 
My mare brushes so badly, she wears through boots so quickly. So I used breathable brushing boots whenever I ride her, her previous owners turned her out in boots all the time, but I think they did more damage than good, so I don't turn any out in boots.

Tendon boots for SJ. Allround XC boots for XC. I always hunt in boots, including overreach, as she stands on her own feet a lot.

My 4y/o only wears fronts of the normal woof boots hacking/schooling. Tendon and Fetlock for SJ, and allround for XC.
 
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