Weighted boots

If it stops them rapping their horses, like so many others do then weighted boots are a good thing.

...unless they increase the probability of injury by other means in which case they are not a good thing, at best they are a mixed blessing. Perhaps rapping fences is a better way of teaching a horse to pick its feet up than interfereing with its natual movement ?
 
Well its a tricky one. Certainly it might have an effect but there's no saying what the effect might be. It could be that it just overstimulates the skin and causes the horse to keep snatching its leg up until the horse eventually ignores it. The problem is, that mechanism is designed to avoid tripping up so its not a natural part of gait or jumping so it will disrupt normal movement. Also it might distract the horse which is not necessarily a good idea coming into a jump. Also if the horse eventually ignores it, it might be more prone to falling over which is also not a desirable outcome. So overall I think whether it appears to work or not, its probably not something you would want to do.
 
Do you mean like a chain around the fetlock?
Know of therapy yard that uses chains around fetlock on one leg as it encourages a higher action in that leg which is meant to be useful when rehabing certain problems??
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I really can't remember what sort of things it was used for but we were shown horse on treadmill with a chain around one hind fetlock as it encouraged a higher action in that leg which was helping with it's rehab?!
Also seen weight stuck oto hoof wall?!?!
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Does anyone know how much weight we're talking about? A horse's foot weight about 1kg so you're sort of adding an extra foot for every kg.

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I don't know exactly how much extra these boots weigh, but no way are they anything even near a KG!!! They're not that heavy, just more than a normal brishing boot!!

I still haven't bought them/am still thinking about it.. but one of the two horses i was thinking of getting them for, i think has another fairly major problem, so there's no way he'll be having weighted boots...

I think before you go putting weighted boots on a horse, ask yourself why you think it needs them, ie why is it being lazy behind, there might be a fairly major problem there that you just don't know about!
 
Yup, this was for rehabbing on the flat too (typically lunging in this instance), not jumping. I think on the premise that it makes them more aware and they 'snatch' quicker/higher with that leg, in a similar way to the way that on some horses, using spurs can also make them snatch up, rather than extending the reach underneath themselves. I could be very wrong though...
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Does anyone know how much weight we're talking about? A horse's foot weight about 1kg so you're sort of adding an extra foot for every kg.


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Some weighted boots i've seen for sale are 2.9lbs for the front and 1.6lbs for the hinds.
 
Found an article on weighted boots that some may be interested in:
"The effect of weighted boots on the movement of the back in the asymptomatic riding horse"
Wennerstrand, Josefine et al
Abstract "Back dysfunction is an important reason for impaired performance in sport horses. Limb movements influence the movements of the back and factors affecting the limbs may therefore affect the movement of the back. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of weighted boots on the fore- and hind limbs on the movement of the back. The back kinematics of eight horses was studied at the walk and trot on a treadmill. The ranges of movement (ROM) of the back were compared intra-individually, using Wilcoxon matched pairs test, when the horses moved with and without weighted boots on the fore- and hind limbs, respectively. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Weighted boots on the hind limbs increased the ROM for dorsoventral flexion and extension in the lumbar back at the walk and decreased the ROM for lateral bending at the thoracolumbar junction at the trot. Weighted boots on the forelimbs decreased the ROM for lateral bending at the withers at the trot. Knowledge of the effect of weighted boots on the back movement is useful in training and rehabilitation of sport horses. Weighted boots on the hind limbs at the walk may induce strengthening of the flexors of the lumbar back and increase the flexion–extension of the lumbar back under controlled conditions. "
 
A section from a website on training dressage horses:

"Weight Training
In applying weight-training to horses it is important to distinguish the type of weight training that loads the horse’s limbs during the propulsive phase of the stride from weight training that loads the limbs when they are being elevated during the swing phase and which might improve the expressiveness of the horse’s movement.
The addition of a weight cloth (similar to that used by racehorses) forces the horse to work harder. This may have some merit for a lightweight rider on a large horse. A rule of thumb is that the weight of the rider plus saddle and weight cloth can be increased up to 20% of the horse’s body weight. A 17 hh warmblood that weighs 1,500 lb could carry 300 lb during training.

The addition of weights to the lower limbs is aimed specifically at strengthening the muscles that are used to raise the limbs as they swing forward and to produce a more expressive type of movement. If the weights are added further down the limbs, their effect is greater. Heavy shoes are one way to apply this type of training; an alternative is to use weighted bell boots or sausage weights around the pasterns. Start by using a few ounces for about 5 minutes and increase gradually up to 2 lb for 15 minutes. When using weights, restrict the work to the collected gaits (in hand or under saddle). This is because the weights increase the momentum of the leg as it swings forward and there is a risk that the horse may lose control over placement of the limb on the ground during the medium and extended gaits."

http://www.cvm.msu.edu/dressage/articles/mcpres/CTDH.htm
 
An interesting discussion and one that I have been researching....For the scientific perspective, have a look at:

H. M. CLAYTON, M. LAVAGNINO, L. J. KAISER and N. C. STUBBS:
Swing phase kinematic and kinetic response to weighting the hind pasterns
Equine Veterinary Journal: 23 AUG 2010

which says that "The addition of weight to the hind pasterns stimulates increased muscular activity across all the hindlimb joints from the hip to the metatarsophalangeal joint."

Clinical significance: The addition of weight to the hind pasterns may have therapeutic applications in activating and strengthening the hindlimb musculature. This is particularly relevant in the hip region, which appears more sensitive and responsive to the effect of weights than to tactile stimulation alone.

So, addition of a small weight, in this case only 700g, is recommended by the leading biomechanical scientist in the US, although it still wouldn't be recommended for horses with a major weakness in this area unless a vet has seen it prior to trying this out. Remeber that adding any weight to the distal limb has a big effect on this proximal structures, so only small weights are necessary. A standard steel shoe already weighs 250-500g on its own.

I'd like to hear more opinions on this issue, esepcially from those that add weights to forelimbs of showing horses in training!!
Thanks
 
Personally I'd get him a chain to go below his fetlock - to make him more aware of his leg and where it is. I did this on the advice of my physio as my horse was dragging his toe and not tracking up properly on his off hind. I had to get one from France - like a human one for arthritis. You can make your own with a curb chain or two. You don't want it too heavy, just enough to make him aware. It worked well. This type I got can stay on for turnout too as it has a break away clasp and you order it in the length you want to fit your horse's pastern. I'll see if i can find the link for you.

PS in the USA they use a lot of weighted contraptions and other methods on trotters (I think that's what they call them) but they became too heavy and subject to abuse and now they have laws about the weight of such items.
 
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