Travel boots keep being wrecked - any ideas??

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

My friend's cob has a very expensive habit of wrecking his travel boots every time he goes out anywhere. He stands on his own hind feet whilst travelling and has even gone as far as ripping a shoe off.

We've tried various different brands and styles to no effect. He does this whether travelling forward facing in a trailer, or sideways/backwards in a lorry. We can't find over-reach boots big enough (he's a traditional cob with a huge amount of feather) and fetlock rings/do-nuts don't work either.

Setting aside the expense of new boots each time he travels we are concerned he may really hurt himself.

Any ideas or suggestions as to what we can try next?

 

[Bossanova]

I would tape the side of the shoe with duct tape and apply a thick gamgee pad and stable bandage down to the base of leg.
Personally I'd be tempted to try him with nothing on behind but thats a risk and she may not want to take it!

 

[Beccaeve]

I'm not sure if this could help but...

Could you not possibly try using the shaped pads you can get (travel boot shape) and use bandages??
I dont think they would be as hard to get off.

 

[Evil_Cookie]

I don't know if they would make a size to fit him, but you could try looking for a pair of hoof boots? and then just bandage the legs, at least then you wouldn't have to worry about him pulling shoes and it would soften the impact if he was to bash himself or stand on his own feet?

 

[Evil_Cookie]

Don't know if it would work, but just searched, the largest size easyboots go up to is 7 9/16 " wide and 7 3/4" long, they are pretty big...

 

[Cyberchick]

I would use old fashioned bandages. They wont slip down and just leave it at that. I'm sure he wont damage himself.

 

[Maesfen]

He's probably trying to tell you he's uncomfortable!

Why don't you buy extra petals for those over reach boots and use a long boot/shoe lace, the padded sort to give a snug fit?
I'd either leave the rest of his legs bare or use brushing boots with the over reach ones.

 

[lucemoose]

Everyone I know never puts travel boots on tight enough! They just touch the velcro to the closures and thats it. He shouldnt be able to get bandages off if done properly. Perhaps as a big lad he hasnt got enough from to spread his hind legs out whilst he travels so is unbalanced?

 

[JessPickle]

woof wear Kevlar extra large are HUGE fitted my clydie x on his hinds when he injured himself

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

Thanks everyone - will pass the info given on to her. Hopefully we have a solution.

 

[gabriellexxxx]

My thoroughbred used to stomp around and trash a set of travel boots everytime he went out. In the end, we resorted to buying stable bandages and bandadging him, so instead of standing himself or boots he just catches the padding underneath. The padding will still need replacing quite often, but you can get good deals for it on ebay!!

 

[teddyt]

Either bandage or use turnout socks, they fit closer than travel boots

 

[almorton]

premier equine do HUGE overreach boots, and sports medicine type boots. a girl on our yard has just got some to fit her 18.2 part draught. id go with those and forget the travel boots.
oh, and how fast is he driven? one of ours takes every boot off it someone drives even fractionally too fast!

 

[nomini]

My cob used to do that, in the end i started travelling him without boots, mite not be practical in ur friends situation but found it helped with jig

 

[millitiger]

gamgee and bandages to cover cannons down to the hoof and then knee and hock boots on top.

i don't know if it is illegal but could someone try and stay in with him for a journey and try and see why he is getting them off?

 

[FigJam]

I use the Premier Equine stable wraps for travelling my horse in as I don't like the "loose" fitted style boots that seem most popular with everyone else (must just be me!

) but find bandaging too much of a faff with an excited horse at "parties"! (they're the black neoprene wraps with bright orange padded liners velcroed in)

These are a happy medium I think, tight enough fitting to avoid slipping or annoying the horse, but easy to do with velcro tabs. And the liners can be removed and washed in the machine when manky, perfect!

I use over reaches on the front feet, but obviously your friend would want to use over reaches on both pairs of feet!

Just another idea to throw into the pot!

 

[hairycob]

Mine started doing this & took a shoe off every time she travelled. What made it worse was she was only going as a companion for a pony who hated travelling alone. We stopped using travel boots & stopped having problems.

 

[GT_02]

Some horses just don't seem to be able to 'find their legs' very well when travelling in boots. You could try getting the horse used to wearing the boots in the stable and being led about, or if that doesn't work, just travel him without. Yes, it's a risk, but then so is travelling a horse who's stomping about and pulling his shoes off. Good luck

 

[PennyJ]

Try him without any on a short trip, you may be pleasantly surprised, and that it's his legs being covered that is causing him to act like this.

I have a feeling that professional horse transporters shipping horses long distance specifically state no travel boots/bandages.