Knee Boots for road work.

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Baileyboo

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I have just bought a pair of jeffries ones. I don't normally use them but keep worring about my pony tripping when on the road. Just wondered why some people use them and some don't really? I know some people that do a lot of road work and never use them and then some people who use them religiously. just thoughts really.
 
My loan pony came with his knee boots, and strict instructions that he was not to go out without them until fit, as he has a tendency to trip when out of condition - so we got him fit and schooled in the school before taking him out, and paid particular attention to his shoes (rolled toes or Natural Balance shoes help with this) and he has not tripped at all when out.
Schooling him away from his forehand helped a lot
 
I have never used them before but over the past few weeks I have been toying with getting some for hacking on the roads.
I'm not sure why I have decided this all of a sudden though!
I think it was over Christmas when it was getting quite slippy on the roads and there were a few days I didn't go out because of it.

I guess now that I have though about it I would feel terrible if something did happen and I hadn't bothered to get them...
I am going to get the jeffries ones I think. just need to get them ordered
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My old mare broke her knee (twice) and after that was always ridden in knee boots as the scar would have been too fragile if she went down again.
In fact the second time she was wearing her knee boots, and still managed to rip the scar and open up the wound again when she fell in the school. The first time she tripped over a stone on a track
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They can rub the back of the knee when worn for long periods, especially if you are doing faster work.

I don't ride my current horses in knee boots, despite doing lots of roadwork and knowing the risks.
 
I use them religiously.

When I had my first horse I never used them but then I had a recurring nightmare of one of my horses tripping on the road. Not sure what make I have but I thought for the sake of £50 it was worth getting a pair.

I know of a girl who had sold her horse for approx £20,000. The horse had passed the vet and eveything but the buyers had asked her to keep the horse in work. So she was hacking her out. The horse fell and opened up her knees. It was no great suprise when the buyer backed out the sale. Nor that when the horse came right again her price dropped.

I think some people think that they don't look 'cool' and that others just haven't had an experience of a horse tripping and the consequences so not really thought about it.
 
Bought a pair after my horse tripped on the road and cut both his knees open- thankfully they were superficial injuries but I daren't risk him doing any more serious damage as he does trip up a wee bit- also suspect the fitness factor too as he isn't that fit at the moment.
 
I always use them on the roads. He is very sure-footed, but what with ice, oil spills and surface water, there are plenty of opportunities to go down on his knees.
 
I have the woof ones and used to use them all the time on my old horse. I think I've used them a handful of times over the past couple of years and I only remembered I had them when I was clearing out my tack room the other day.

My boy went the other way and went down on his hocks which was quite nasty.
 
I do quite a lot of road work with my mare, but don't use knee boots. It has crossed my mind, but she is pretty sure footed. I guess it's a risk I'm taking by not using them, I would just have to deal with the consequences if something were to happen.
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My boy tripped and gashed his knee the 2nd time I went out on him. I got some decent 2nd hand Jeffeires ones and we use them all (well nearly all) the time.

Always hack out in them and school when it's icy.

Blow me down the time I left them off he tripped in the school and gashed his knee again, fairly badly ... but not lame. Also I'm lucky coz he has v hairy white legs so you can't see the scar. Mind you blood on white legs looks worse and gives people a fright.

Found some Skeleton Knee Boots that don't have the fabric like the Jefferies, good for when it's wet! Just got to toddle off and get them.
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Knee boots are cheaper than vets bills. Once you've seen the damage that a horse does to itself when it goes down on it's knees on a road you would never go out without knee boots on again. My lad always wears them out on the roads.
 
I had assumed these had gone out of production as don't seem to be in any of the catalogues any more, but above poster has put up a link to westropp website where they still appear.
I have very similar boots (made up by a saddler - thanks kerelli) and never hack my TB mare out without them. She grows no winter coat whatsoever, I can just imagine what her knees would look like if she tripped.

FIona
 
I use them for proper road work, but not when possibility of doing canter work as they slip down!! I have the masta leather ones which are good.
 
I always use them. When I worked at a stable 3 of us were out hacking in the poring rain walking down a small hill on the road when one of the horses slipped down and due to the rain, whilst trying to get up, slid down to the bottom of the hill on his knees. It took months to heal and he was never the same again. After seeing an Eventer with sure feet do that I have always worn knee boots since! Also Jefferies are the best and never slip.
 
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