Travel boots - yay or nay?

If your horsy did his moon walk, then settled and walked normally after a few steps, then that is absolutely normal and he should be fine with your travel boots on as long as they are fitted properly and wouldn't slip. Just take everything very slowly and allow him lots of time to work things out and get balanced and find where to put his feet when on the move.

If travel boots didn't fit (uberskinny legs) or slid or bothered the horse to the extent that he was trying to kick the boots off etc, then bandages would be my first choice, sports medicine boots with overreach boots would be my second choice.
 
Have to admit that I am a travel boot person. I have seen a horific injury (vet had to rush out to put horse down) because there was no boots/bandages used. My horse managed to cut his travel boot near the hock where it could have caused alot of damage and nothing else would have protected that area. The other reason that I prefer boots is that generally my horses are excited if they think they are going somewhere and so trying to put bandages on a horse that is doing an irish jig is not fun or a calming experience for either of us. If your boots fit well and are made well then they shouldnt slip down.
 
An interesting fact is that any horse transporter to/from ireland/england will not travel horses in boots or bandages!
 
I think it totally depends on your horse. All three of mine are absolutely fine in boots - and all those above who say boots always slip/don't meet in front of leg/don't protect hoof, well thats not the case with mine? They all meet on front of leg and all reach the floor, and none have ever moved? When we collected our youngster he had never travelled or worn boots so we didn't use any - he was alone in a trailer with the partition taken out, and obv no shoes. He was fine. The first few times we travelled him once he had shoes on I used bandages but he also gets very excited when he knows there is an outing coming so bandages are quite tricky. He now has a full set of travel boots (the Mark Todd ones as it happens) and has been absolutely fine.

I wouldn't travel anything on my lorry with no protection at all I must admit - our ramp is fairly steep and my mare actually managed to fall off the side of it last week - she was being a bit special and managed to forget how to turn onto the back section, lost all forward momentum and slid off the side of the ramp. She is fairly special! But had she not had her travel boots or bandages on, she would have skinned the whole front of her hind leg...the only injury was above the boot, and the boot has simply slipped up a bit....

However on a trailer, particularly alone, I did travel my older boy with no boots as he is a very very stable traveller and woudl struggle to fall off a trailer ramp!
 
I always used them in the past but the horse I have now hates them. He won't walk in them, can't stand up in the trailer in them and generally has a panic about them. Travelling isn't his favourite thing anyway so I don't see the point in making him more concerned about it. He loads and travels far better without boots on. Tends to shuffle around and kick with boots on, never moves a muscle without. I just use OR boots in front.
 
Another one for over-reach boots - front only.

Having said that, if I'm showing in hand I will bandage the back legs for the journey to the show, but that's only because they're white and I don't want poo stains down them! I don't bandage for the journey home.
 
fumanchu said:
i used to run a transport company...and the only animals that stomped/kicked were generally unsettled whilst travelling were those "booted up".

and i personally hate them ;)
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I have to say I agree with this had horses for years and the only ones with problems have been booted up.
 
I would absolutely use travel boots. With youngsters I put their boots on when they're loose in the stable (or yard) regularily (like daily for 10 mins) before travelling them. That way they're totally used to them. I would never risk travelling without.
 
charlimouse said:
Going against the grain here, but I use travel boot on all my horses and have never had any problems. I have used them on horses from 3-30, and all have loaded and travelled well (except for 1 who would fall over in the trailer, but was fine in the lorry, so nothing to do with the boots!)
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I used travel boots too, youngest had been 4.
I prefer the more "all round" protection they give compared to brushing boots.

However if your horse is silly with travel boots then bandages and padding should be ok :)
 
Never realsied there would be so many conflicting opinions!

I still think im pro boots - as he wasnt all that fussed with them on, and they fit him well ( meet at the front - touch the floor - not loose) and the idea of him hurting himself beacuse he has no protection is unbareable!

(and also for the keeping poo off the hocks - never though of that one! :o)

I think im just in the better safe than sorry camp :o

I can understand the whole idea of them stressing him more, but the journy isnt all that far ( 5 miles)

I just dont know what to do! :confused:
 
I would always use travel boots. However Fany has a lot of bone but short legs so no travel boots will fit, she is bandaged.

I have seen horses hurt when they are not bandaged, so always something on legs.
 
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