Travelling - Boots or bandages?

[Stenners]

What do you all use to travel your horses and ponies? I used to use Travel Boots (Mark Todd) until my horse broke them years ago but the last few years have used bandages but they are such a faff!!

What do you all recommend? Pony is 14.2

 

[Equi]

Does she need them?

 

[TheMule]

Neither

 

[Tiddlypom]

Preferably neither, but if horse is a self harmer then bandages. I'm v.quick at putting bandages on and off.

Boots cause more problems than they solve, except for over reach boots, which can be useful.

 

[NeverSurrender]

Only the boots they need at the other end for whatever we are doing (so tendon/brushing if competing etc. Or nothing if we are moving yards/flatwork school hire etc), plus over reach boots for my clumsy shod horse.

 

[Cortez]

Never use anything when travelling.

 

[gallopingby]

Used to use boots and bandages but now only if l think they’re essential. Travel / boxes & trailers are so much better now and floors usually matted so not as necessary

 

[Carrottom]

Brushing boots if horse needs them for exercise, overreach boots for a shod horse.

 

[SOS]

Nothing unless the horse is a self harmer. That said if they are really silly, still nothing as I don’t want to go near their legs if they pull the boot down or bandage comes down.

I would never travel in bandages personally as if they slip and tighten you’ve got a real issue. And boots make them more unstable. I don’t like having tendon and brushing boots on for prolonged periods of time as they heat the tendon up.

 

[ycbm]

Another nothing here, I'm amazed how common it's becoming, what changed?

.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Neither

Same.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Just brushing boots on front

 

[McGrools]

Neither! Never owned travel boots of any description

 

[Orangehorse]

I used to bandage, then used soft wrap around travelling boots, the reason was I didn't want my horse to scape his leg going down the ramp before a competition.

Since I now only take him for non competitive outings I use nothing.

If you go to a Tack Sale (secondhand tack) I can guarantee that there will be Mark Todd travel boots, or similar for sale. Of course I had a set and found the horse didn't really like them and would kick and dance around and I think most people have found the same.

 

[HashRouge]

I also travel without.

Another nothing here, I'm amazed how common it's becoming, what changed?

.

I think a transporter suggested it to me. I've since done a couple of seriously long haul trips with my two elderly retirees (last one was Manchester to Brighton five years ago) without any boots or bandages. My two travel quite well but tend to get a bit hot and anxious as they don't do it very often. They apparently look calm on the camera and eat hay the entire way (I always use the same transporter) but will always come off the lorry dripping wet. Not wearing boots/ bandages seems to stop them getting as hot.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

What do you all use to travel your horses and ponies? I used to use Travel Boots (Mark Todd) until my horse broke them years ago but the last few years have used bandages but they are such a faff!!

What do you all recommend? Pony is 14.2

My first choice and second choice

1. Short boots and knee boots and hock boots
2. all in one ridged but don't find these stay up or cover the knee when knee bends
   
   
   
   
   Having seen my friends horse go through the floor of a trailer and take his fur off, and having a trailer accident myself, I wont travel without protection. In the event of accident

 

[HeyMich]

Nothing here too. All of mine travel totally naked, except for a cooler or fleece if sweaty.

We had a long ol' discussion on this topic last year sometime... https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/travel-boots-bandages-do-you-dont-you.791595/page-2

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

None. We don't travel the racehorses in them either. Just a tail bandage and headcollar. In winter a thermatex too but that's it. Nothing on the legs.

Horses seem to prefer being able to feel where their legs are in relation to the partition/sides and big boots block that.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I use bandages to keep legs clean when going to shows but travel in nothing when I am not needing to keep them clean. Never found a set of boots that stayed up

 

[PSD]

I use fleece wraps but only to keep legs clean when showing. Otherwise I use nothing, my previous mare use to get annoyed when they slipped and it upset her travelling. She used to fidget and stamp her legs.

 

[Stenners]

Wow! Thank you for all of your comments!! I have always travelled in leg protection! It’s never even crossed my mind to travel without mainly coz my TB I had, used to take the skin off his hocks and hips travelling!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Another nothing here, I'm amazed how common it's becoming, what changed?

.

What changed for me was a race horse transporter pointing out the pitfalls should things slip etc. It seemed to far outweigh the advantages. Raceshorses don't travel with boots and I thought if its ok for those expensive animals its ok for my boy!

 

[milliepops]

I do a mixture
For shod ones, if travelling for immediate exercise I usually pop brushing and over reach boots on, they'll wear them for their work anyway so saves faffing.
If travelling for an overnight trip i'll often put travel boots on, i have soft ones that wrap on securely, have never slipped and don't appear to be irritating. I've been glad of them on a couple of occasions.

Unshod ones travel naked.

 

[tatty_v]

Ours wear fleece bandages or the snuggy wraps, mainly to avoid clonking themselves coming off the trailer ramp than anything else. One of mine is a previous bad loader so I like to have some protection on in case we have a debate about loading.

I’m not a fan of travel boots as they look so hot and restrictive, plus I am not up for scrubbing poo off them!

 

[ihatework]

Depends on the horse but I try and avoid travel boots at all costs.

Unbroken youngsters - nothing
Shod working horses I’d generally pop over reach and brushing boots on as preference, or possibly bandage over ice if appropriate.

 

[dorsetladette]

Mine wear soft boots with elastic straps, they tend to be best at staying put and not being irritating to the horse.

I'm uncomfortable with anything travelling with out something on legs, although sending horses on transport it now seems to be common place and I have sent a pony on transport with out.

I was involved in a nasty accident as a child. The ponies walked away with only a couple of scratches. They were wearing bandages and boots. The boots were cut to pieces and the bandages were damaged. without boots and bandages those ponies legs would of been shredded.

So boots or bandages for me - we only wear a seatbelt IN CASE we have an accident we don't go out planning on having one.

 

[humblepie]

Always used to use bandages then changed boots but on current horse just over reach boots. He used to get very hot travelling and even now only has a light sheet if it is really cold. You do see some racehorses with their shoes taped as an added precaution but most seem to travel without anything on their legs as well.

 

[Spot_On03]

Nothing usually here. My mare dances too much. Depending on where we are travelling occasionally I will out on brushing boots and her overreach boots to save me time other end as I won't need to take them off other end until I am done riding, then travel her home naked.

 

[BSL2]

Brushing boots and over reach boots now he is shod. When he was without shoes, I'd come home without boots.

 

[ycbm]

What changed for me was a race horse transporter pointing out the pitfalls should things slip etc. It seemed to far outweigh the advantages. Raceshorses don't travel with boots and I thought if its ok for those expensive animals its ok for my boy!

My moment was when I realised that the only horse I'd had hurt himself was trying to kick the boots off. Then compounded by finding out that professional transport companies don't have anything on the legs.
.