Hairy legs - do you boot?

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CobsGalore

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Hairy legs refers to horse, not you...!

Do you ever boot up?

I would usually boot up front legs if jumping or doing fast work, but a) I can't find a big enough boot and b) he looks really silly with boots on as the hair puffs out underneath of the boots!

Will the hair on his legs protect him if he knocks himself? Or can anyone suggest good boots for hairy legs?
 
I've always used the logic that ridiculously amounts of hair and bare feet will protect my boy's legs well enough. He's not a fan of anything round his legs anyway... we tried fluorescent leg wraps once. I'll repeat: once. :rolleyes:
 
I don't boot my hairy one for two reasons;

1. The hair is so dense I've found farrier's apprentices left behind in there.

2. He's built like a coffee table, wide and with short legs. He couldn't get those legs to brush if he tried. If he hit a fence jumping, the rail would come off worse than him.
 
we have some boots for front legs - which are woof wear cob extra wide or something... which just about fit. First time to cross country together we borrowed front and back boots. But the back boots were taken off when he took such exception to them that he danced around then he sat down... with me on him still. Not our finest hour!
 
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Depends on what we're doing, if I do boot I use equilibrium wraps as they are nice and soft and conform to the legs so extra hair isn't too big a deal
 
I wouldn't purely because of the aesthetic aspect of it, it is like hair sticking out the neck of a man's shirt - eurgh, just looks awful. I am not into tufty fetlocks let alone hairy legs, I even trim my arab. :o

If I had a hairy horse that needed boots then he wouldn't have hairy legs at all :o

I do wonder how a well feathered horse would cope here anyway, permanent snow and ice for months, all the horses get ice balls which is why I trim feathers and tails. Draft horses here are clean legged Belgians and Percherons, and I haven't ever seen a cob.
 
I don't put anything on when they are long, only travel boots to keep them clean! However now he is clipped out he has Woof Wear medium wide ones which are still a little long on him and the velcro isn't quite long enough so I tape them on for cross country :)
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Enfys said:
I wouldn't purely because of the aesthetic aspect of it, it is like hair sticking out the neck of a man's shirt - eurgh, just looks awful. I am not into tufty fetlocks let alone hairy legs, I even trim my arab. :o

If I had a hairy horse that needed boots then he wouldn't have hairy legs at all :o [/B]seen a cob.
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Each to their own.

I love my cobs hairy legs, just don't want him to hurt himself doing xc
 
CobsGalore said:
Each to their own.

I love my cobs hairy legs, just don't want him to hurt himself doing xc
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Me too - I'm going to have to clip for showing her this summer tho as she shows as a hunter (no cob classes where I am) and she's only just grown them out from clipping due to tendon injury 18 months ago :rolleyes:
 
Enfys said:
I do wonder how a well feathered horse would cope here anyway, permanent snow and ice for months, all the horses get ice balls which is why I trim feathers and tails. Draft horses here are clean legged Belgians and Percherons, and I haven't ever seen a cob.
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This lad would be fine, the ice balls wouldn't reach his legs, he's well insulated.

DSC_0648-2-1.jpg
 
CobsGalore said:
This is the amount of hair I am talking about! :D
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Lovely feathers, lot of hard work to keep those clean :)

I still wouldn't boot, that amount of hair would offer a certain amount of protection anyway, as you say, each to their own, cobs are too big in every way for me. :)
 
have always minimally booted the welshie as the scabbiness from sweaty legs has always been more problematic than any knocks he might get. Booted when he's had studs in though and for XC
 
Enfys said:
How does the snow and ice affect him, does he get clumpy?
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No, although we don't quite reach the minus temperatures that you do. The snow whitens his feathers to a dazzling white. Amazing that snow can do what the most expensive detergents and even bleaches can't.
He does get icicles on his forelock and moustache though.

The hairy one is happier in winter, in summer he suffers from mites and midges attracted to the moist warm skin under the feather and the abundance of mane.

CobsGalore, they are maintenance heavy aren't they ? A quick check over for most horses is done by a glance, with these guys, you have to rummage.
 
It would make the legs too hot which would mess up with the dynacis of cooling the blood during exercise etc, hence why they are manufacturing airflo boots now for horses eventing.
 
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