What do people use other than travel boots ?

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Spangles

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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 ?
 
mine travel with nothing-I might put a tail guard on for longer journeys and I am travelling ponies in a lorry and both are unshod. in the past I travelled my shod horse in exercise boots and overreach boots.
 
I travel my horse with nothing, the pony has travel boots but I’m yet to try them on him as I keep forgetting them. I bought them because he had a bad trip to our barn but since he’s traveled well.
 
Nothing, sometimes saddle/breastplate so jump in back of lorry put bridle on, off we go! Saying that he travels alone in a 3.5 van conversion so is not leaning on beech bar with backside/tail as he is rear facing.
 
Both my midgets came down from north of Inverness with nothing on them at all.

I don't use travel boots ever. I sometimes put brushing and over reach boots on all round if they're travelling with another horse they don't know. I do always use a tail bandage or guard though.
 
Small pony - nothing.
Middle sized pony - travel boots.
My riding mare (14.2) bandages with pads underneath and over reach boots, although just exercise bandages and over reach boots if not going too far.
None of the above wear anything on their tails as all too short to reach the back of the box and none have ever even vaguely scuffed their tails!
Horse - bandages with pads underneath, over reach boots and tail guard.
Riding mare and horse will always wear even the thinnest of coolers - a friend's horse went down in the lorry and a summer sheet saved a lot of grazing. The lorry is well ventilated and they never sweat up.

I will add that this is one of those questions where it is personal preference - I very much doubt you will reach a general consensus amongst posters. Enjoy your new horse. :) x
 
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Never a tail bandage- arrived to Hungary with a pony with a blistered tail from one used by a professional travel company, and have owned others with scarring from the same. Always a gaurd though.
PE stable boots all round of socks chalked for a one day show or bad traveller, otherwise nothing.
 
For going to a competition I always used gamgee and stable bandages, what would be more annoying that the horse to get a scrape coming off the trailer? It has happened. And that was all there was years ago.

Then I had some great Cottage Craft wraps that were super quick to put on and take off, but they were pony size I think and never saw any in horse size.

I, like many, many people, bought something like the Mark Todd travel wraps, which my horse absolutely hated. At second hand tack sales you can guarantee that there will be travel boots for sale, very little used.

So now I don't use anything. However, my horse is good to load and is sensible about coming out too, he waits until I tell him to move. If I had a horse that was liable to mess about or there was a danger of them being stupid and hurting themselves I would still used some sort of protection.

And I agree about tail protection. On the way to a competition I would use a tail bandage, or on a long journey something in case they rubbed the tail.
 
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.
 
I have some softer fleece lined boots that i use. The one time I didn't he caught himself stepping onto the ramp and cut himself. He walks on and off calmly, he just sometimes gets distracted and doesn't look at where he's going.

The transporter I was using said the reason he preferred no travel boots was not because they are an issue in themselves but if they slip or need adjusting, he's no wish to step into the back near the legs of an unfamiliar horse. Plus they transport a lot of youngsters from europe who have barely been handled so are not used to wearing anything on their legs.
 
exercise boots my boy can be tricky to load so don't want to raise his stress levels by using travel boots. he has travelled all over successfully in them. he travels beautifully. if we are going a really long way I would be inclined to use stable bandages with gamgee, or the like underneath. never use a tail bandage and have never had an issue. he has an ifor willams 511 trailer with no centre partition so he has lots of room to move is he needs to.
 
I'm another who doesn't use anything. Not on mine anyway. My mare did a 5 day journey au natural when she came up from Portugal so I never really thought of putting anything on her after that. And my little gelding likes ripping brushing boots off his legs �� so he goes without too.
For work (SJ horses) I use leg wraps & a couple who rub their tails wear a tail guard. But I am not a fan of bulky or long boots for travelling, particularly anything that can slip or wrinkle.
 
Until recently I travelled mine with brushing boots and over reach boots all round and knee boots in front for competitions and just front knee/brushing boots for hunting. But she started scuffing the hair on her hocks do now she wears soft shires travel boots behind for hunting with her normal knee/brushing boots in front and will wear travel boots all round for competitions .

She travels in a saddle and sheet/fleece/rug depending upon the weather for hunting and without her saddle for competitions.

I sometimes remember a tail guard, but have never had a rubbed tail or even a messed up tail plait so I don't worry if I forget it.
 
Why do people not like travel boots? I use some soft shires travel boots/wraps as my mare was unused to any boots when we got her (brought her home with no boots in a 3.5 tonner). But shes perfectly happy in the shires boots now. Doesnt even do silly walks. Havent done much travelling yet but seems fine with boots. Is it just risk of them slipping?
 
Local travel brushing boots. Longer journeys with older horse Polly pad travel boots, although last journey he got cellulitis so from now on he'll wear bandages behind (only long journey). Never tail bandage.
Normally travel saddled up for journeys up to hour.
 
I've never been a fan of boots for travelling but newbie came with a full set of everything and following various issues with shoes etc (including losing one on her way to a lesson - no boots for that journey) I decided to boot her up to go to the next lesson (travel boots and overreach). This time we heard her shift dramatically - on unloading (shortly after) she'd dislodged a hind shoe, scuffed her boot and removed an overreach. All easily sorted but had she been naked she could easily have injured herself.
 
Interested that people travel tacked up, think I might do this for local trips as my girl is very good traveller . Otherwise just tail guard and for longer journeys Shires fleece travel wraps. I did try bandages and gamgee for a little while but couldn't be bothered with the faff.
 
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