What do people use other than travel boots ?

We have two horses that don't like hind travel boots, so we travel them wearing Equilibrium turnout chaps behind - they don't protect the hocks but they do protect the rest of the lower leg down to the hoof. I am always a bit worried about travelling shod horses without boots as it is easy for them to tread on themselves if they lose their balance. As for tail bandages, I prefer not to use them but have one that will rub his tail badly without so he wears one. Like most things with horses, it is a case of using your common sense and doing what is right for the individual horse.
 
Mine hates back travel boots so he wears brushing boots on back. Then tail guard, and travel boots on front. I got the PolyPad ones - expensive but he's much happier in them as they aren't as restrictive. Was thinking about travelling him without, but then he managed to fall on the ramp going in twice (silly animal gawping around at shows), and I was glad the padding was there. Thankfully has learnt his lesson and now pays attention to his feet when loading...
 
Mine haven't worn boots for the past few years. They don't travel often, but have done a few long journeys (they moved from Manchester to Brighton just over a year ago) without anything on their legs. They just get hot and uncomfortable with the boots on, and my mare in particular seems more distressed with them on.
 
mine wears the boots he works in, so brushing boots, over reach boots and a sausage boot

he hates travel boots and to be fair they dont stay up on his thin TB legs (needs length of Full but width of a pony!) so i think its more dangerous if they fell/came down and he wanted to panic
 
Bandages if they don't like boots but mine are all used to them. The one and only time I travelled my old much travelled gelding without protection, he cut his coronet band!!!

A stallion going on transport back to the UK had boots on at my insistence, just as well as he fell off the top of the steep side ramp and would have cut himself badly.
 
Travel boots on my mare who struggles with her balance and has ripped her boots on a few occasions, so lucky she was wearing them!
Young boy travels rarely and just wears knee boots and nothing else. He's fine to travel but is often so busy looking around I do worry he'll trip on the ramp loading and unloading so a bit of knee protection for him doesn't go amiss.
 
Spangles said:
From what I hear, travelling boots are not always a popular option. We have bought a 16.2hh horse who has never worn boots before and just wondered what other options people use ?
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travel boots all round some times all in ones but favourite short ones and knee and hock boots overeach boots . Tail bandage and tail guard, poll guard like this
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Travel boots all round, tail guard with bag, quarter guard and fully tacked up. Mine is accident prone and has cut herself before, also when she’s being tricky to load she’ll catch herself on the ramp. Its strange for a fair amount of you say you travel without, and I see why. But I’ve seen my fair share of horses injuring them self whilst travelling, some at a standstill. I’d rather not risk it.

Plus mine poos a lot through excitement and I hate poo stains down grey legs when I get to a show.

She’s tacked up because she’s an absolute sod tied up to the trailer, Fizz by name and nature and an absolute fidget, nothing worse then chasing an excited horse round and round a tie up trying to do a bridle up.
 
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I don't travel with any boots now. Diva hates them and starts getting herself into a state and with her breathing, I have to keep her as stress free as I can. She used to wear little leg wrap ones (shires I think).

Polly is a reluctant loader so at the moment she travels bare legged, I might possibly just put some sport wrap around boots on her fronts if she'll accept it.
 
I no longer travel in boots. I always used to and he seemed far more reluctant to load in them than bare. I usually use a tail guard tho.
 
Cortez said:
Nothing: never have in 50 years of moving horses. Just ask the pro transport companies, who recommend the same. And don't use a tail bandage either: I have a horse which lost his tail after a too-tight tail bandage on a long journey.
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A friend with contacts at the Spanish riding school of Vienna tells the tale of how they imported 7 horses from Spain. All arrived in Austria with tails that had to be removed due to over tightening of tail bandages! He doesn't know what happened to them, just that they were not fit for purpose.
 
For my connie I use travel boots, tail guard and tail bag (the joys of a grey)-he doesn't mind the boots at all. My welsh a has tiny legs so I just put sports wraps and overreaches on him.
 
Mine has travel boots on due to the fact she poos everywhere in a trailer and has white legs and i can't be bothered to bandage. on the way back from places i don't always bother though. I always use a tail guard however as a friends pony managed to completely bald half her tail in a 15 minute journey when not wearing one
 
Travel boots and a tail bandage or at least tail guard. Have travelled previous horses with nothing, sports boots and overreach boots, PE stable boots... But current horse is a serial self harmer with a history of throwing himself around in the trailer and pulling off shoes and cutting his legs up. He's generally pretty good now, but I wouldn't trust him not to hurt himself if he didn't wear something, and he doesn't travel any worse in travel boots compared to naked or exercise boots/bandages.

Have to admit that tail bandages are mostly to stop him pooing on his lovely white tail, but try and always use a tail guard because he does rub his tail if I don't!
 
Nothing - I remember years ago a horse transport lady who transported thoroughbred racehorses all the time telling me that travel boots caused a lot of injuries and the best way to travel them was without anything at all. I have always followed her ethos - it might be more inconvenient with the poo aspect to travel them normally but actually I have never found an issue with travelling them normally with nothing on at all.
 
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