Tendon boot pondering

FigJam

FigJam

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Joined
1 May 2005
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Location
West Lothian, Scotland
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The last three outings where I've done SJ, my mare has at some point in the proceedings (it has varied each time, one time quite early on, another time after two rounds + two jump offs) gone a little lame on her right foreleg.

She is very clever and when I jump off to take a look holds it out and waggles it at me, then places it down on the ground a foot or so in front of her other hoof!
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The first couple of times I was baffled and trudged home all depressed thinking maybe I'd razzed too quickly in the jump off or something. I then trot her up at home and she's fine again! Partly
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, partly
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!!!

However, yesterday she did the same thing again and I know I (tried!) to go steady in the jump off and did no severe turns etc. I took her tendon boot off to have a look and once I'd done that, she pulled her foot back to normal position and started munching on the grass! Walked her around and she was back to normal!

So... my conclusion is it must be the tendon boots?! SJ is the only time she wears these boots and it is the only time I have this issue. She will jump for hours happily in her XC boots (Woof Wear Ultras) and for hacking I just use random double velcro brushing boots which are neoprene with a reinforced strike pad on the inside.

My current SJ boots are Premier Equine moulded ones with a neoprene lining. What I think may be the problem is the fact that they are very stiff moulded plastic which is pressing on her fetlock and making her sore?

I don't really want to jump her without tendon boots and prefer the open fronts. Do you think leather ones with sheepskin lining would be comfier and mould to her leg better? (Mr FigJam thinks she's just being a diva and wanting pretty fluffy boots!
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)

Any other ideas welcome!
 
have you used the XC boot since this has been happening?

If not I would Sj with them to check that is the problem before buying some new open fronted ones.
 
Thanks. Will have a nosey around and see. I don't think it's the material as such annoying her, more the rigid plastic pressing on something, somewhere. Very odd as I've been using the boots for a couple years now and it's only recently she's been doing this. But yesterday's "recovery" was so quick I'm 99% sure it's related to the boots.

Just as well I managed to sell on a couple of unused things out of my tack room yesterday to yard mates- need the pennies for new boots!
 
Yup, was using the XC boots last weekend for training day with David Gatherer- she had them on a good couple of hours and spent 1hr 45mins jumping Intro/PN fences in them, no ill effects after. (and ground was reasonably firm as it's so dry at the moment.

Yesterday she had the SJ boots on for about an hour and did one round of 9 fences and one jump off (with no tight turns) with 6 fences. (She is still happy to haul my arms out round the jumps, it's only when I brought her back to trot after the jump off that she felt a little odd)

The SJ boots have given her problems both on a lovely modern surface and grass the last few times out. It's really odd, but like I said, the recovery is so quick once the boots are off.

The XC boots are much more flexible, with the little rods going down the back/front for protection, but the area around the fetlock joint is softer than in the SJ boots where it's very solid plastic.
 
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