The Danger of over reach boots?

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gaggingtogallop

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Hello,

I over heard a instructor airing there views about over reach boots being dangerous beacuse they make the horse trip up.

I have known alot of horses that have been off for long periods beacuse they have over reached or dished and injuried themselfs.

I would just like to hear what others think if your for or against.

:cool:
 
I don't think that they can make a horse trip up, unless the front legs are in risk of brushing together, like the pigeon toed cob I know. You can get different types of overreach boots too; like these http://http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/Equestrian/Horse/Boots++Safety/Exercise+Boots/Derby+House+Over+Reach+Boots+-+Pair_440-0051.htm that are quite thin and there's not a lot of them there, if you know what I mean. But these .http://http://www.elitesaddles.co.uk/saddles/228_Eskadron-Furtopped-Over-Reach-Boots1.jpg are quite thick, and if the horse's front legs were close, they would catch.
 
I have a pair of foam / velco ones which I have trimmed around the bottom (with scissors) so they dont come down to the ground, and hopefully the horse can't stand on them and bring himself down. (Before I trimmed them they did touch the ground) Does your horse forge a lot?
 
Hello,

Thank you for your response. My own horse wears eskadron over reach boots with sheepskin lining. But then she wears fleece lined boots all the time as she rubs really easily in neoprene or leather boots.

I have never had a problem with well fitting equipment. Just never heard someone say that they where dangerous.
 
I doubt they would cause a horse to trip unless they were waaayyyy to big. Just one warning though - I schooled my horse in a sand arena wearing them and when I was picking out her hooves afterwards I realised that the sand had rubbed the back of her heels and pasterns raw. The boots had acted like a big roll of sandpaper. I stopped using them except for shows on grass after that.
 
if a horse treads on one it will trip, i've seen quite a few event horses hit the deck because of this.
having said that, i NEVER jump a fence without them if the horse is shod, the last 2 times i have my horses have overreached badly. they mustn't be too long, and i prefer the fabric ones to the rubber ones (they're fine for turnout though) but i regard them as an essential bit of protective kit.
 
I did my work experience with a lady who's horse landed over the ditch part of a coffin fence, overreached, stood on his boot and stumbled catapulting her face first into the palisade fence - it wasn't a pretty sight, she removed a few teeth, broke her nose and her face was very swollen.
From then on he wore sausage boots in front coated with heaps of vaseline to help his foot slide off if he overreached again.
 
Lucinda Green once had an accident caused by one and said after that she would never again ride cross country in a horse with overreach boots on unless it had already proved it would overreach without them. I wouldn't use them unless I was sure they would break open easily if trodden on (or tear a leaf off like those clackety-clack ones).
 
To be fair, most of the big wrecks in that past were with the gum rubber pull on (or similar) construction. They often sat quite low and loose and it wasn't at all uncommon for galloping horses to tread on one. The kinds we have now, with shaped heels, hard strike plates etc. are designed largely to address that problem and the fact that lots of horses got rub from them.

The "clackety-clack" ones (great description!) were designed to be "break-away" and became the go to boot for eventers (also popular because they came in eye watering colours) but I see a fair few wearing the various no-turn models now. The most important is to find a style that fits. I would also be a bit wary of using sheepskin ones for eventing because of the risk of them getting wet, then dirty, then rubbing but I'd have to experiment to be sure.
 
I think over reach boots would only make a horse trip up if they are too big or long i.e ill fitting- i always use over reach boots on mine as they are shod with plenty of heel support so i wouldn't want them catching a shoe or ripping one off!, and the one time i didn't put o/r boots on my horse he over reached and cut in to himself!
 
Mine has to wear over reach boots to stop her ripping her front shoes off in the field and the only sort that don't rub are the rubber ones. I've opted for a pull-on pair this month and hope they last a little longer than the velcro ones she's been shredding within 3 weeks wear. Mine only wears them in the field: under saddle she doesn't seem to over-reach or pull her shoes, just when she's messing about at liberty :rolleyes:
 
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