Using travelling boots in hot weather

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seabiscuit

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I tend to leave travel boots off when it is really hot as the legs just foam and sweat up with them on. However cant help feeliing that im taking a bit of a risk!
So who else tends to leave them off, or do you always travel with them on no matter how hot it is?
Just interested in people's opinions really.
 
ALWAYS with boots on; i do leave my girl's rug off when it's very hot, but i would never, ever, EVER leave her boots off. hell, i even bandage underneath her boots! paranoid perhaps, but she's too precious to me! if you leave them off in the summer, why bother at all? you're no more/less likely to have a crash, or the horse is no more/less likely to become spooked and kick out than during colder spells.

hope that helps!
 
I never use them on Jimmy but do on Yak. Yak is always falling off the ramp and stepping on himself generally being an idiot so its a case of tough. Jim is careful and not such a goon so no need.
 
I know but its a vicious circle; if the legs are being heated up to such a degree that they are sweating then the tendons are being overheated which is potentially destroying tendon fibres or weakening them ( as research has shown) scientists are already saying that we shouldnt use exercise boots that make the legs sweat so surely having travel boots on in hot weather is just as bad. Also bandages and fybagee also makes the legs sweat.
Its a difficult one!
Think we need some new travel boots to be designed like those air cool ones that NEW do for cross country...
 
I always use travel boots (even though barefoot) just in case he waves his legs around or scrapes down the side of the box - but I cant say as he has ever seemed too hot in them. I have the weatherbeeta ones and they have worn very well.
 
daisy why does the fact that he's barefoot mean he doesn't need travel boots? He could catch himself on the lorry, or you could have an accident. As a new owner I am paranoid and if I went anywhere George would be protected as best I could, I'd rather he was a bit hot than hurt - but maybe I'm naive.
 
My lad always travels in travel boots, he always has a poll guard on aswell.....he's never banged his head on the roof or doorway....but if it happened he'd be protected.
smile.gif
 
If it got really hot, and the interior of the box was baking before my horse had even got in I suppose I might travel in bell boots and either exercise boots all round or those breathable mud fever chaps. Ive seen too many leg injuries on unbooted or ill booted horses in boxes. Even scrapes that seem minor always flare up- dont know why? Am paranoid though. But the research about weakening tendons surely correlates more to horses actually doing intensive exercising at the time? I know horses work hard to keep their balance whilst travelling but assume that its mainly to shift their body weight rather than locomotion. Down in Oz they seem to use really short travel boots, they have a few more degrees on us haha!
 
I don't use travelling boots on Axel, if I'm going to a show I put his sportabac boots on the back to keep his white socks clean. I always have overreach boots on anyway and put brushing boots on the front.

I have bandaged him once in the past but he was so wound up while we were taking them off he trod on one and fell over!
 
I always use travel boots no matter what the weather is. I was out competing today and at 4.45 it was 27C!! However my horses legs never sweat when she travels.
 
My horse's legs sweat badly with travel boots so I use good quality thick COTTON underpads from Equiport then bandage in place. Result - no sweat and safe horse!
 
I never used to use them as I could never even dream of finding a pair in H's size, but then fell upon polly products soft floppy ones and use them all the time now
 
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