More pointless questions... using tendon boots vs "cooking" legs

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wench

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More random thoughts but please fee free to join in!

I never really use boots on anything, except for at a competition, where they generally dont stay on that long.

Got a jumping lesson booked for June, which presumably will involve more jumping than I normally do, so was thinking maybe some boots on the nag would be a sensible idea.

HOWEVER, what puts me off doing this is a couple of years ago, I was at a small SJ comp, and had been walking horse around/warming up for 20-30 mins maybe, and when I took his tendon boots off, he was literally steaming underneath them. Needless to say those didnt go back on for any more jumping rounds that day. Since they, I've only ever used them at a competition if we are going in for a quick warm up, jump round, then finish. (I generally got eilmiated at pure SJ/or was doing eventing SJ, so no second rounds.)

I have a nice pair of "holey" tendon boots for competitions, but they are smart, and cost a fair bit of money, so I dont really want to use them at home, or buy another pair of them. I've also got a cheapy secondhand pair from ebay, that arent breathable, so dont really want to use them for a long lesson at home. Ideally I dont want to buy any more boots either (as much as I would like to purchase lots of nice new shiney horsey things, I cant afford/dont need them).

What do others think on the prolonged used of boots, and cooking legs?
 
I only ever use knee boots to hack, XC boots out schooling or XC but they're vented ones, and overreach boots for showjumping.

My mare can be a little careless SJing so not wearing boots helps her make a better shape and she's more aware of where her legs are. If she jumped higher than she does now (80-95) then I'd be more likely to boot her but she's naturally a very hot horse and gets itchy under boots, constantly stopping to try and itch.
 
Personally I do use boots as often as possible - but my horse brushes and is very close generally, so I'm protecting him from knocks!! I have the holey boots for XC, and a set of hardshell tendons boots for jumping, and a set of neoprene brushing boots for flatwork/hacking.

What I've found is that the neoprene are the hottest, HOWEVER they hold water fantastically. Between rounds/when waiting etc I pour water over them - this helps keep the legs inside cool.

For me, the leg protection is worth getting a bit warm, however I think it depends on the horse. My friend competes 1* and only uses boots XC as her horse just doesn't need them.
 
Well at the minute I can do without my horse injuring itself. Does she really need them? Not really sure, probably not, doesnt brush, and is pretty careful SJ.

I would always put boots on now to do XC. Just after having seeing my previous horse's steaming legs kind of puts you off. (They were a hard shell, neoprene lined tendon boot. Not cheap ones either.)
 
So long as you get them off the legs at the first opportunity you'll be fine.

Recent research advises that boots/bandages need to come off fast to ensure tendons are not cooked. Hot tendons damage more easily. Cool down with cold water bandages and remove once they have reached blood temperature.
 
Yes they are cheaper than PE too! These are my smart ones I don't really want to use at home
 
I think it is pointless just keeping a decent set for best when the horse is just as likely to damage itself at home when you are doing far more than in a round or two at a competition, I use my PE boots for serious schooling, fast work and competitions I feel that the protection offered with the cooling effect means the horse is at less risk of an expensive injury which could cost far more than replacing the boots a little more often.
I have 2 sets of PE boots, they are 3 and 5 years old, still in regular use, 1 pair now being used for a pointer when galloping and racing, they have been very good value for money and do not yet need replacing although one pair are looking a little worse for wear.
 
be positive said:
I think it is pointless just keeping a decent set for best when the horse is just as likely to damage itself at home when you are doing far more than in a round or two at a competition
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This.

I put open fronted tendon boots on every horse I ride or lunge and have a smarter pair for competing. I find the legs might be a little sweaty after 40 minutes work but never, ever, steaming hot and I dont' even use an air cooling type. As far as I'm concerned it the lesser of 2 evils, its not ideal to be heating the legs but it could prevent a tendon injury which would be career ending for my horses.
 
I don't school or hack with boots on. Never SJ with boots (apart from O/R boots), never felt horse needs them. I always XC, whether schooling or competition, in XC boots. Horse is incredibly careful XC but still not worth risking him bashing something. He really did whack a wide corner at Somerford earlier in the year, with a back leg, and left a mark on the boots. I have the PE event boots with the hard insert so he was fine, but there was some damage to the surface of the boot so I wouldn't have liked that to be his leg instead! I use the air cooled ones but TBH I couldn't tell you how hot his legs get underneath as I don't think I've ever done XC without doing a water jump so his legs are always wet when I take them off anyway!
 
I only ride in hind boots or fetlock boots at home because my horse is close and I hear him brushing behind when we are on the flat or jumping.

Otherwise front boots for XC only.
 
I only use boots for jumping these days. Hacking through mud in the winter with boots on causes a fair share of issues, and the risks of tendon damage due to overheating stops me from using them unless I feel I have to. For SJ they wear open fronted tendon boots and fetlock boots so hopefully the legs are reasonably cool with them. For XC they do have closed tendon boots and brushing boots behind, in case they knock anything or strike into themselves. Hopefully they are never on for too long except for schooling sessions, and I generally use cooling boots/water afterwards to cool the legs.
I actually found it a wrench for myself when I stopped using boots.... logically I knew boots couldn't prevent any sort of catastrophic injury to a tendon/ligament and knew there was more evidence of overheating causing issues and yet I still found it hard to make that decision to stop! I think its partly a tradition and partly a humanizing thing! But touch wood I've had no problems since stopping using them :-)
 
be positive said:
I think it is pointless just keeping a decent set for best when the horse is just as likely to damage itself at home when you are doing far more than in a round or two at a competition, I use my PE boots for serious schooling, fast work and competitions I feel that the protection offered with the cooling effect means the horse is at less risk of an expensive injury which could cost far more than replacing the boots a little more often.
I have 2 sets of PE boots, they are 3 and 5 years old, still in regular use, 1 pair now being used for a pointer when galloping and racing, they have been very good value for money and do not yet need replacing although one pair are looking a little worse for wear.
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this.
whats more expensive, vet for a bust tendon or another set of boots....................

if you dont want to use the crap ones, or the good ones, and wont spend any £ then there is no answer to this question.........

just for the record i use bandages at home every day, never have steaming legs and have never had tendon probs either.
 
I only ever had the steaming legs once, with one make of boots. Who knows if if was the length of time they were on, the make of boot, a problem brewing with the horse, or the fact it was just a hot day. I just felt so guilty if done that to my poor horse.
 
I agree with those who say about saving boots for good can be counter productive.

Plus I think horses know if you use different kit at shows sometimes and this can be a disadvantage.

I have premier equine tendon boots. I don't find they over heat the legs but I do have a thin skinned TB.
 
Totally personal choice but I always choose to use them. When I had my horse vetted I asked his opinion on boots overheating tendons v injuries being incurred from not using them. I was told that the risk of injury from not wearing was much greater than the risk of overheating. If it's warm or my horse has been worked hard I just take them off sharpish & cold hose & never had any problems.
 
I ALWAYS use boots. There has been so many incidents when they have saved my horses legs. When I was a teenager I fell off and my horse got on to the road, he slipped and fell over and his front brushing boots were ripped to shreds. That could have been his leg.
XC with another horse and finished with a chunk out of her hind boot..could have been her leg.
Hunting, finished with a slice out of tendon boot at the back where horse had struck the front tendon with a hind leg.
Jumping at home my overreach boots frequently have chunks missing and my brushing boots are so scuffed. Even hacking it only takes a stupid spook for them to strike themselves.
I generally wack on a light pair of brushing boots all round for hacking and ovvereach boots. Jumping I jump in tendon boots, fetlock and overreach. Xc I use XC boots allround and overreach. Schooling I use the same boots I hack in or if it's a cool day and he's working hard I bandage him.
I ALWAYS hose his legs and put linament on them after he schools, jumps or competes.
To me the risk of a knock to the tendon is higher than the risk of overheating especially when he is only wearing the boots for an hr while he is worked. There are also so many fancy boots now that encourage airflow with modern lightweight materials that dont overheat the legs why not boot?!
 
el_Snowflakes said:
Totally personal choice but I always choose to use them. When I had my horse vetted I asked his opinion on boots overheating tendons v injuries being incurred from not using them. I was told that the risk of injury from not wearing was much greater than the risk of overheating. If it's warm or my horse has been worked hard I just take them off sharpish & cold hose & never had any problems.
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My vet said the opposite!
He believes there is a real risk of weakening the tendons by overheating them, but that boots are a good idea when jumping, if they are removed immediately afterwards.

Whether he would have said differently if my horses brushed or wore shoes, I don't know.
 
I also use PE vented boots although I use them for home use (lungeing only, dont use boots otherwise at home) and have usual tendon boots for SJ (events and lessons) and a set of N.E.W XC boots for XC competition and training. I only keep a seperate set for lungeing at home because they get muddy. I don't leave the horse standing about in boots, they're taken off after XC for example the second I return to the trailer and then make sure I wash them off well with cold water and put cool boots on.

The PE vented ones are pretty cheap, you could probably get cheap 2nd hand ones off Ebay - then just use them for your training etc. if you're really concerned.
 
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monkeymad said:
My horse wears stable bandages overnight, is ridden out in boots and is turned out in boots........
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Can I ask why you feel the need to cover your horses legs at all times? Genuine question, I'm really not a great believer in boots and don't see the benefit? X
 
Like almost everything in horses (and life!) It's a case of weighing calculated risks. There iswe're,sk of a horse striking itself and there is now fair evidence that overheating legs increases the potential for injury. There is no 'right' answer.

Personally, if a horse is not shod, is reasonably sane and doing ordinary work, I'd rather not use boots. For fast work or in situations where I think the horse is likely to crash and bang, I'd use boots. The exception to this would be situations where the going is very heavy.and/or I'm likely to be on a horse a long time and I'm unlikely to be able to fix a sliding boot easily. If a horse interferes out e has a history of standing on itself, it gets boots.

I usually boot if I stud, too, because I'm not convinced horse proprioception can account for something we stick on the horse. That can go for boots too. I had one that moved very close behind tore his hind boots up. Eventually we figured out he never caught himself the other 23 hours out of the day so tried him without and, indeed, he never struck himself. On the other hand I had another that basically lived in a sausage boot or thick fetlock boots or he put gashes in his pasterns and fetlocks.

Again, educated, calculated risk. In reality I've found it's more about an owner's preferences and prior experience. I do think we're pretty clear now though that booting isn't risk free.

Funilly enough, I was told by the old horsemen of my youth that it wasn't wise to wrap or boot all the time because it overheated the legs and made them weak. Everything old is new again.
 
Teri said:
Can I ask why you feel the need to cover your horses legs at all times? Genuine question, I'm really not a great believer in boots and don't see the benefit? X
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My mare moves very close behind, and has come in from the field with cuts from brushing which have required antibiotics. One of these injuries led to lymphangitis and required a long course of IV antibiotics to clear up. She now goes out in boots behind and has bandages behind at night to stop her legs filling up. I would always boot a shod horse for ridden work as a preventative to knocks. But I wouldn't boot/bandage for turn out /stable unless I felt the horse was likely to self-harm.
 
Take a look at this video - its a good a reason as any to boot up XC! I know its of riders going round a 4* which most of us only dream about but notice how many of the horses smack the front of their hind cannon bone on fences, and another horse knocked one front leg with the other front leg! Potentially very nasty injuries had they not had protection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB6KDasoOyw#t=32
 
My original question was in regards to SJ/tendon boots, not XC.

I would guess that the majority of XC boots now are "breathable"
 
I have leather tendon boots for SJ. He doesn't get overly hot in them, but we're only working for around 40 minutes. I use them at home and at comps - it's amazing what some shoe polish can cover, so they look smart again once polished up!
 
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