travel boots- do you or dont you??

Used to religiously use boots but after TB trashed 2 sets of hind boots, stamping incessently and pulling a shoe off I have stopped. I now just boot up ready for competition, i.e. tendon boots/XC boots and over reach in front and fetlock or brushing boots behind. If its a long journey I'll sometimes put pastern wraps on the hinds too.

Since I've been doing this he has been much more settled, legs and shoes all intact after travelling and best of all no faffing with booting up at shows :D
 
they dont get cold when travelling, pretty good at regulating their own temperature without standing in a sodden sweaty rug for a few hours, which is more likely to make them cold IMO (could get a cooler, wick away thing, but why pay for something they dont need?).
 
Just thought I'd bring this story up. My mare is a very quiet traveller.

I nearly always boot her up for travelling ,with conventional travel boots, but didn't once last year when we went to a local competition as didn't feel the need.

That day, I got her off the lorry the other side and she had a lump appear below her hock on the anterior (front)side of her cannon bone. We assumed fly bite, bruise,knock etc etc.

After two weeks had passed, it had not gone away so I called the vet as I was worried. He came out, assessed it and said it is from trauma, probably knocking her hock in the lorry which means fluid has leaked into the tissue causing a lump.

He said it would never go away, it hasn't! Although, it has gone down and is only noticeable if you know it is there. He also PROMISED me it would never cause any future issues.

Anyway, my point is, I will never go without boots again after my personal experience as it has caused my horse to have a permanent 'blemish' by something that could probably have been prevented by using leg protection.
 
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I think many on here might be surprised at how little attire the globe-trotting horses wear. When I fly horses, most wear no boots at all. A few have worn regular front boots but never hind boots. When they travel long-haul land journeys they all travel with naked legs. However in these instances the horses are transported in spacious stall accommodation, quite different to the regular squashed-in partitioned 2 horse trailers most of you will be familiar with.
 
mine always wear travel boots.. few weeks ago my boy went over in the trailer & if he hadn't have had his boots on who knows what his legs would have looked like!! He only had one scratch on his upper leg..
 
My pony always wears travel boots that come up over the knee/hock and down over the top of the hoof. The only time she hasn't was coming home from hospital after surgery - then she wore bandages. I don't think it's worth the risk not to.
From now on I also won't even be doing loading practice without a full set of travel boots on. YO was doing loading practice with her 2 year old filly with naked legs. Filly took a misstep backwards to the top of the ramp and has sliced everything off her leg to the canon bone on the edge of the ramp, including shaving the bone, so we are all crossing our fingers that the bone doesn't get infected and the horrible mess heals ok now. It's scary because I never used to boot up unless I was actually going somewhere - well now boots are going on every time the horse even goes near a trailer.
 
MaisieMooandCometToo said:
Sorry but I was always told that horses are safer travelled in a smaller area, thus taking partitions out is actually more dangerous?

Mine are quiet travellers, they both wear boots and tail guards and I use leg bandages for longer journeys, such as a 14 hour 2 day journey to the top of Scotland :D
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I was told so too but apparently not. Not for mine anyway. Since taking everything out and just using a breastbar, I've had no falls and no banging coming from the trailer.

I think he finds it easier to balance when he can spread out a bit.
 
No never. Both are shod and have Mark Todd boots allround. Never had a problem with them slipping or horses not liking them at all. Better on my boy who despite lots of travelling is still a cluts round corners :o
 
tallyho! said:
I was told so too but apparently not. Not for mine anyway. Since taking everything out and just using a breastbar, I've had no falls and no banging coming from the trailer.

I think he finds it easier to balance when he can spread out a bit.
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I think it depends on the horse. I've tried mine both ways: without the partition she shifts from sides to side, swings across especially on roundabouts however carefully you drive which makes it horrible to drive. I think she prefers to lean on something rather than spread her weight and balance so she is much better wedged in a narrow gap. Of course, the bonus to having one that prefers to travel wedged in is then you fit two in and get to share with your friends :)
 
speaking from experience i am a fan of boots and head protection ( a special poll guard covers head poll and nose) i call it "trojan helmet" bet none or few of you have seen it???????

1. Diamond had an accident on way back from wales having bought her

car and trailer snaking doing a 180 facing the wrong way roof gone off trailer her on the rd side of trailer managed to get out ( JUST SCRATCHES SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD )

I generally dont like the all in one boots as see to many fall down

i like the old short boots and knee and hock boots and knee boots add protection in winter when rds are icy


2. my friends horse went through trailer floor boots reduced injury tho still serious

3 . nother friends horse split his head open in box down to scull.

it only takes one **** pulling out in front of you
one lack of concentration
oil on rd
driving too fast
horse messing around in the back

and serious accident occur regardless if horses dont like the boots . its a small price to pay after all you would leave a child without a seat belt!!!!!!!!!!

I always remember one sentence in Flika film when Rocket the horse died


" IT ONLY TAKES A LITTLE LICK IN RIGHT PLACE TO KILL HORSE "
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I NOW MADE UP a sign for my horse box


WARNING SLOW BRAKING
HORSES DONT
WEAR SEATBELTS


but if you choose not too you run the risk of injury up to you my horses are too precious not to protect vulnerable area like legs and head!

and with so many idiot drivers showing NO respect for trailers and horse boxes and them thinking we can stop 7 1/2 ton vehicle with animals on 6pence .

why risk it even if you have a big cobby with hairy legs doesnt mean if traile flips or box stops quick horse can fall get his legs traped under partions injury occurs.

I live around a particular hot spot where winds have flipped over caravans and horse trailers seen the evidence in papers. !!
 
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I travel him in a 505 with no partition and dont use motorways if that helps at all?

I wish there were hard and fast rules with these things- i am toooo confused!
 
always always wear boots!!
my horse had a freak accident last year which ended up with hinm falling out of my trailer, his travel boots were in a bad condition and I dread to think what would of happened to his legs without them on. So never travel without boots, or never use a trailer actually! Far to dangerous
 
luce1 said:
always always wear boots!!
my horse had a freak accident last year which ended up with hinm falling out of my trailer, his travel boots were in a bad condition and I dread to think what would of happened to his legs without them on. So never travel without boots, or never use a trailer actually! Far to dangerous
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oh god!

I've just got my trailer license and traded in my little lorry for a trailer, have I done the wrong thing?
 
in my opionin yes, however, a lot of people have used trailers for many years and have been ok. Its just my personal preference not to put my horse in a trailer again....
 
Mine rarely travels but he's generally good, just sweats up a little along the journey.

He always wears travel boots because he tolerates them and I like them on for my own piece of mind. He's quite prone to knocking his legs and getting little nips. In saying that though I'll only put good, quality boots on him that don't slip about and offer full protection. He doesn't get rugged as he gets to hot but also has a tail bandage on :)

I've seen a horrible leg injury from an accident as a result of not wearing travel boots which ended up retiring a fantastic horse :(
 
when my friend travels her 16.2hh ID, she always uses a full set of 'proper' travel boots, leather headcollar, rug, tail bandage and tail guard (over the bandage). but as she does like no work on the show day it takes me ages to get him ready.. i would much rather she travelled him naked!
 
Mine travels in bandages all round, the hinds are the hock shaped gamgee, and then OR boots on all four feet. Oh and his front shoes are wrapped round the edge with vetwrap and ducttape so he doesnt pull the off if he stands on himself- which he does do, im not just being really paranoid! He is an ex racer, who travels in a rear facing renault master, cross tied, with no partition.
 
Transport company pretty much refused to travel mine with boots - I'm a safety freak and couldn't get head around it however when he explained how they kick on the long journey I eventually gave in as other companies not keen on boots either - seems odd however they did offer insurance instead, at extra cost. I got the impression they just tell me he was booted as he was nearly coming around to booting. Arrived after long journey dropping off all over UK from Ireland without one mark on him. I have to say its made me lazier with boots - always set off with them and for some reason come home without them, just chuck them in the car.
 
It seems accidents can happen either way. I've seen numerous horses appear to be rather hampered by their boots---pony coming out of a trailer with her boots having slid so she was standing on them, hobbling about awkwardly. I choose to travel mine (unshod) naked. He's usually loosely cross-tied, rear-facing, no partition. He's quick on his feet, and I think would prefer to be able to sort himself out.

With another horse, I might choose differently!
 
when i bought my horse i knew he had to be travelled to my new yard by a hired transporter - i bought new travel boots fot the journey and the transporter advised me not to put them on!
He said they can cause more problems than they cause - so i didnt - complete waste of £60 lol
 
After one of the horses had what could have been a very serious accident on the lorry, it makes me cringe to think of a horse going without some sort of protection.
Horse had tried to jump the partition and got cast, eventually wriggled off and then fell off the ramp. He was cut to shreds and almost certainly would have no legs if if wasn't for the boots!
 
Loaded Ed with boots for his journey - ten mins in he was kicking hell out of my friends ivor..took them off.. horse travelled without a sweat or a nick..

Sent up my Mark Todds for Clover to be transported down with, unloaded her, boot slippage "best thing to do is chuck those in the bin" the transporter said...

I couldn't agree more. I travel in over reach and all round comp boots.
 
I bandage.
I think travel boots can move around too much.
Last mare had long skinny legs too. Cob length legs but cob boots would slide everywhere.
Pony size were the right circumference for her leg but only covered her cannonbone, and not her knees or hocks so I thought sod it! Bandaged for short trips.
However when she was transported to the UK from the IOM I didn't bother with any boots as I knew that with an overnight stop she would probibily arrive either with no travel boots or with bandages that hadn't been changed in 2 days.
She was fine.
 
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