Dressage bods... what boots do you use for schooling?

Due to Grace injuring her suspensories and having the operation two weeks ago (can you believe it was that long ago!!!) I am now thinking about when I start bringing her back into work... see, I can be positive!

I have always schooled her in bandages, the polo fleece ones without any padding, as I always felt these offered good support
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Anyway, there are that many boots on the market these days, I was looking at investing in a pair of the medicinal sports boots like these.

I was wondering whether they are worth spending this kind of money on them, and if others use anything like this?

If not, what do you use to train in and why?
 
H

H-J

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I school in these (well a cheaper version!) with bandages behind
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You will help her ligament by doing all the work correctly now and building up very gradually and re-strengthening it
 
Personally i use bandages for schooling, but i know an international dressage rider/trainer who uses these boots on his horses
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Having a horse with a tendon injury has made me absolutely paranoid about not heating the tendons up. Hence bandages are out, as are SMBs. The best boots I have found are the Equilibrium Training Wraps (I literally just bought some this morning for my share horse, I already had some for my injured mare) as they don't heat the legs up as much. They're not strong enough for jumping really but if dressage is all you intend to do, then I highly recommend them.
As for support - well, even though I use wraps myself on my horses I know full well that a bit of material wrapped around the outside of a horse's leg is going to do naff all for supporting the structures inside, especially as the "average" horse weighs 500kg (then add in all the extra forces of movement...) As much as we like to think these wraps and bandages do offer support, it's never going to be enough to prevent injury. However it makes me feel better to put the wraps on!
IMO if you're not worried about heating the legs up, stick with the bandages and save yourself money, well-applied bandages are better than wrap boots.
 
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Having a horse with a tendon injury has made me absolutely paranoid about not heating the tendons up. Hence bandages are out, as are SMBs. The best boots I have found are the Equilibrium Training Wraps (I literally just bought some this morning for my share horse, I already had some for my injured mare) as they don't heat the legs up as much. They're not strong enough for jumping really but if dressage is all you intend to do, then I highly recommend them.
As for support - well, even though I use wraps myself on my horses I know full well that a bit of material wrapped around the outside of a horse's leg is going to do naff all for supporting the structures inside, especially as the "average" horse weighs 500kg (then add in all the extra forces of movement...) As much as we like to think these wraps and bandages do offer support, it's never going to be enough to prevent injury. However it makes me feel better to put the wraps on!
IMO if you're not worried about heating the legs up, stick with the bandages and save yourself money, well-applied bandages are better than wrap boots.

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I agree about legs heating but do you not think those boots offer no protection at all? I saw them the other day and they are soooo think arent they
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I had a full set of SMBs, the velcro split on them
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Also they make the legs hot, and they are really bulky. I dont like them im afraid.

I use eskadron all round boots in black for schooling and i have them in white for competitions. as you know Archie can prat around a lot and they are really solid boots, i think they look really nice on aswell. The white ones are lovely! Archie also wears velcro over reach boots all round too.
 
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Personally i use bandages for schooling, but i know an international dressage rider/trainer who uses these boots on his horses
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Hmmmm i wonder who that is - Dane has them in loads of different colours ive noticed!!
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I use eskadron all round boots in black for schooling and i have them in white for competitions. as you know Archie can prat around a lot and they are really solid boots, i think they look really nice on aswell. The white ones are lovely! Archie also wears velcro over reach boots all round too.

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I saw those the other day and had a hankering for a set!

Nothing on the outside is going to support the tendons, but to prevent them being damaged by knocks when they're pratting about I use either NEW (the non-fleecy inner ones) or Prolite. I should really put them on to turn out in seeing as Hector always damages himself in the field, but then they rub him if it's hot/cold/wet/dry.
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Holly_Jane - I certainly wouldn't use them on something that brushed badly, they'd just fall apart. But then so would the majority of brushing boots...
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I have tried just about every boot on the market at some time or another. The piaffe boots are veeey bulky and all that velcro is a nightmare to unstick. I use bandages mostly but if I feel lazy I use Equilibrium wraps.
 
hi , you use the same vet as me , & ironically just the other day a friend of mine had been speaking to him & he apparently said he doesn't like boots or bandages on a horse unless they have a tendancy to brush etc

ok , grace is on rehab so i too would be tempted to use something , why not ask peter what his recommendation would be?
 
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I have tried just about every boot on the market at some time or another. The piaffe boots are veeey bulky and all that velcro is a nightmare to unstick. I use bandages mostly but if I feel lazy I use Equilibrium wraps.

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I have two sets of these, white and black, so may just stick to using these. I just never felt they offered much support
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hi , you use the same vet as me , & ironically just the other day a friend of mine had been speaking to him & he apparently said he doesn't like boots or bandages on a horse unless they have a tendancy to brush etc

ok , grace is on rehab so i too would be tempted to use something , why not ask peter what his recommendation would be?

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Thanks pennyh... I will have a chat with him when he gets back from his hols
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Grace does brush occasionally on her hinds, not all of the time, more when she stresses at something. And because of her history of mud rash, I have always used saome sort of protection on her legs to avoid her brushing and getting sand/mud/wet into them and coming up in horrendous mud rash (this has happened in the past).
 
I use Veredus Piaffe boots on the front, and Woof Wear brushing boots on the back.

Tempi, why put overreach boots on the hind feet? I've seen lots of people do this now and have always wondered why
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Or am I being a bit thick...
 
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I just mean if something strikes itself they wouldnt offer any protection really
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Well no, but nor would bandages
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We are talking flatwork here, not XC schooling! If I were really paranoid about strikes then I'd have Prolites on my horses all the time.
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Polos mostly (trainer's choice) otherwise eskadron boots or stretch&flex training wraps (not flatwork wraps!) . Over reach boots always
 
My horse came back into work form a bad fetlock injury last year and we started to work her 6 months post on in jan.

She wears the equilibrium training wraps on her frounts and the standards on her backs.

They are not suited to xc but i would also use mine for sj.

They are the best in that they keep the legs cools and dont aggrivate the legs and are soft supple and easy to clean.

I love mine and am going to buy another pair at badders as i want a second pair not its getting warmer to turn out in as her winters boots will heat her legs too much.
 
I have got some equilibrium boot but tbh I think the best thing to help legs is correct fitness work and lots of road walking. I don't school mine in boots now if he knocks himself then it is his own silly fault but at least his legs aren't desensitised!
 
I use bandages mostly or stretch & flex training wraps if i'm in a rush....

I attended a lecture by Dr Hilary Clayton on repetitive strain and tendon/ligament injuries. She said scientific studies have proved that no boot or bandage can actually offer "support" as to do so they would need to be so tight it would limit the circulation. so I use boots to protect my boy from knocks only....

I agree with what someone else said about correct fittening work! It is so important to do lots of walking, hill work etc before going in the school properly.

Dr Clayton also said that all work be it circles, hills etc put damage on the ligaments and tendons to some degree and it takes between 24 and 48 hours for the horses body to repair itself.... she suggests not doing the same thing one day after another to limit repetitive strain injury i.e. lateral work one day, hack another, lunge another etc

I also use over-reach boots in the school and knee boots out hacking. He doesn't brush, over-reach or stumble but I am paranoid and like to have them on just in case
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