Should I buy boots, bandages or stay bare?

[QueenDee_]

My Connemara just seems to be one of those horses that always has something wrong with him. I could wrap him up in cotton wool and even then he'd probably start to eat it and get it stuck in his throat. Having had problems with his soundness ie ligaments and tendon trouble, I was wondering whether it would be best to buy some boots/wraps for him? To give him some more support...some people have said yes, where others have said its just a waste of money

So what do you think? Also any suggestions of brands/specific items

 

[Miss L Toe]

You need to strengthen the ligaments by road work, and make sure he is fit and strong before you ask for much work. Boots are good to prevent bruising, but I don't agree with bandages or boots for support for regular work, OK in competition when things happen, and you are asking for maximum effort. I note all pro dressage horses are worked in bandages from early in their career, and just disagree with it.
If you feel you must support with bandages, you have to learn how to do it properly, as uneven pressure can cause injuries rather than prevent them. Sports or medicine boots are designed to ovecome this problem but they heat up the tendons, which is not good either.

 

[TheBayMonkey]

I would do light road work to build up strength in the tendons first, boots prevent brushing and/or bruising, bandages are a good idea if you get the ones with the new cooling/airflow technology. But if you don't know how to bandage I'd use exercise wraps or get somebody knowledgeable to teach you how to. I've seen some people bandage over the knees, the wrong way and too loosely/tightly because they didn't know how to bandage properly :O

 

[QueenDee_]

I bought the Equilibrium Stretch and Flex Exercise Bandages and was planning on using them, but realised i'd bought ones that would be too long for him [Going to put them on ebay tomorrow...winkwink ] but was looking at the wrap type boots, that are sort of a bandage/boot, thought they looked quite good...

 

[unbalanced]

I agree with previous poster - I like using boots and use them pretty much all the time because my horse brushes and would have cuts on her back legs from her shoes every other day judging by the state of the boots if she didn't wear them.
I wouldn't use bandages for everyday (a) because they take too long and (b) because apparently they support the leg too much so the leg is weaker when you take them off whereas when you use simple brushing boots you don't have that problem.