Travel boots...opinions

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ARDesign

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Hi all,

I am new to the equine world and am doing some research for a product design project on travel boots. I wondered what peoples' general opinions were on the use of travel boots, no specific models in mind, as I know some people experience problems with them...if you have any ideas or opinions on the areas below or any other issues you can think of please share them!

  • Do you use travel boots?
  • If not, why not?
  • What do you find irritating about them (lack of breathability, poor fit, slip, not robust/fall apart, poor level of protection, design aesthetics, etc)?
  • Are there any particular makes/models which you like and why?

I am really interested in your thoughts and want to get down to the nitty gritty of the problems with existing models. Thanks for your help!
 
[*]Do you use travel boots? - yes
[*]If not, why not? - N/A
[*]What do you find irritating about them (lack of breathability, poor fit, slip, not robust/fall apart, poor level of protection, design aesthetics, etc)? - price, and ease of application (my mare isn't the easiest to boot up!)
[*]Are there any particular makes/models which you like and why? - currently have a set of masta boots cos they're protective and quite pliable. I hate rigid ones.
 
ARDesign said:
  • Do you use travel boots? No, I prefer to bandage and with young stock never!
  • If not, why not? They tend to be big and bulky if for any reason the horse stresses they can get trodden on or move causing more distress. They can also overheat and although this is the case with bandages as well imo give no real support, turnout chaps actually fit better and give more protection.
  • What do you find irritating about them (lack of breathability, poor fit, slip, not robust/fall apart, poor level of protection, design aesthetics, etc)? Sizes are hit and miss, they aren't easy to clean due to bulkiness and all i've mentioned above. In some cases I'll use turn out chaps and in others use nothing as I've found if they don't fit well they can cause more problems.
  • Are there any particular makes/models which you like and why? I've got some very cheap lidl ones that are quite soft and seem to fit most larger horses! Plus some very old Gallop wraps!! Have tried others and am either too mean to pay lots or don't think they actually work very well - the worst being the ones with the hard bottoms.
Click to expand...

Hope this helps!
 
I don't use them as my horse will not tolerate them and he travels fine so I don't bother. I don't like the bulkiness of them, the sizing is difficult to work out IME, and if I needed to protect his legs I would rather bandage as it would stress him out less.
 
I use them on the front as mine won't tolerate them on the back. I hate that most only have 3 vecro straps which I think is insufficient and means they are less able to be fit properly at different parts of the leg. Most I find are stiff and slip down.

I actually use ones from Lidl that meet all my pet hates - they have about 8-10 velcro straps down them so are very well fitting, they are flexible and they have a waffle cotton inside so they don't slip.
 
I don't use them, professional horse transporters who fly all over the world with multiple million pound horses don't use them either, or at the very most use wraps. I think they can be bad for the horse, overheat the legs, very difficult to fit properly and get to stay up, can cause more trouble than they are worth in nervous horses. My horse only ever has over reach boots on at the most, my driving is good and he can stand on his own four legs. I stopped booting around 10 years ago and have not had a problem since then. Of course there are freak accidents but the benefits of not doing it, outweigh the risks of doing it for me.
 
I don't use them either - they annoy the horse. If ever we go a long way I might bandage, but generally he's happier with nothing, and it's certainly a lot safer at the other end than trying to get something off his legs while he's dancing around :D
 
Do you use travel boots? Yes
If not, why not?
What do you find irritating about them (lack of breathability, poor fit, slip, not robust/fall apart, poor level of protection, design aesthetics, etc)?

white fleece on the inside.. I can never understand why white fleece is deemed a good material to be putting on wet dirty horse legs..

Are there any particular makes/models which you like and why?

The mare wears polypads as they are a bit more flexible and she was a bit funny about boots that were too stiff to start with.

Mine wears rhinos.. robust on the outside but with a fab waffle material inside, my cheapy lidl old ones were great for years and also had waffle cotton on the inside.

fwiw I would travel my lad without, would never travel the mare without particularly when they are in a trailer together as she is a back leg spreader.
 
I hate travel boots, they are usually way overpriced and rip easily, tried many makes on mine and they slip when she is being difficult to load and then end up caught on her legs. In my opinion if your horsebox/trailer interior and flooring is as safe as it should be, then you wont need them because the horse wont be falling through it or getting caught anywhere! If I am travelling far to a show or with another horse that might have issues with mine then I would put bandages on, much better for support and protection!
 
ARDesign said:
  • Do you use travel boots?
  • If not, why not?
  • What do you find irritating about them (lack of breathability, poor fit, slip, not robust/fall apart, poor level of protection, design aesthetics, etc)?
  • Are there any particular makes/models which you like and why?
Click to expand...

I never travel without boots as it's not worth the risk to the horses legs to travel without protection.
Biggest problem is if they slip down, otherwise it's funny watching them walk to start with.
I prefer stiffer boots with a strike pad as they provide the most protection in my opinion
 
Thanks so much for all of your insights and opinions, it's all really good stuff for my research!

I realise the slant on this discussion might be a bit negative (assuming current designs are flawed and have problems) so if you feel there are any particularly good aspects to existing designs please share them too!
 
ARDesign said:
Hi all,


  • Do you use travel boots? No
  • If not, why not? I think they make the horse uncomfortable, over heat and don't fit well.
  • What do you find irritating about them (lack of breathability, poor fit, slip, not robust/fall apart, poor level of protection, design aesthetics, etc)?Poor fit, lack of breathability, general design is rubbish
  • Are there any particular makes/models which you like and why?
don't like any of them!

I am really interested in your thoughts and want to get down to the nitty gritty of the problems with existing models. Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
I found my horse travelled far better without them, so I threw them away!!!
 
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