Which boots for hacking/jumping?

[littlen]

Question in title really.

I never boot my horses, I don’t even own any (embarrassingly!) however we are starting to do some faster work/small jumps and some more advanced schooling and I’m wondering if I should invest in a pair to protect legs.
Horse moves straight and does not knock herself or overreach touch wood.
I can’t be bothered to bandage!

So what would be best? Brushing boots/club boots or something else?
I’ve seen schooling wraps, would these offer any protection?
Tendon boots seem to do the job but would they suit someone who does mainly flatwork?

 

[Shay]

For me - don't boot unless you have a reason to. One of my pet hates is folk who never let their perfectly correct horses work without booting. Obviously if they brush / strike / overreach that is another matter.

I boot for XC, front and back + over reach. But only from the point of entering warm up to immediately after the round. I will boot for SJ once we get over 1.10 / 1.20 depending on the horse. Open front tendons. Again I tend to put them on in warm up and remove immediately after the class. I don't boot to hack or to hunt unless the horse strikes itself. I will use brushing boots + over reach boots to lunge an excitable one in case they go off on a hooley. And I use bandages or exercise wraps when teaching early stage lateral work because they are a bit more prone to strike themselves at that point - but my aim is to be able to get rid of them as soon as the horse is working correctly.

But I do know others have different views.

 

[Ben2684]

I have a big gangly 17.3 ISH who can knock himself. So I boot according to what we are doing and the risks involved. Hacking is just a pair of OR boots and some tendon boots (put on just before I get on and the first thing I remove) for XC , fast hacks and sponsored rides i use the PE ones with the air holes in on all four legs. I find the legs aren’t too warm when removing them.
Tried the HUSK boots and these were great but I quickly sold them on as they were only the first or second design and they were awful quality (over a hundred quid for four boots!) am thinking about giving the new designs a go though as they are very breathable.
I found the wraps to be the worst at hearing the leg and have since sold the only pair I bought and tried.

 

[Flicker]

There is quite a lot of research that now indicates booting overheats the leg and increases the susceptibility of tendons and ligaments to injury. They also change the horse’s natural gait by interfering with the action of the lower leg. The advice is to not boot unless you have to protect against strike injuries, then to use breathable or open fronted boots, and to remove them as soon as you have finished riding.

 

[pennyturner]

There is quite a lot of research that now indicates booting overheats the leg and increases the susceptibility of tendons and ligaments to injury. They also change the horse’s natural gait by interfering with the action of the lower leg. The advice is to not boot unless you have to protect against strike injuries, then to use breathable or open fronted boots, and to remove them as soon as you have finished riding.

^This^

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I use Woof club boots, soft, don’t rub, machine washable, last for ages although a lot thinner than they used to be and versatile.

 

[ShowJumperL95]

There is quite a lot of research that now indicates booting overheats the leg and increases the susceptibility of tendons and ligaments to injury. They also change the horse’s natural gait by interfering with the action of the lower leg. The advice is to not boot unless you have to protect against strike injuries, then to use breathable or open fronted boots, and to remove them as soon as you have finished riding.

This! This is exactly why I never use bandages as they are not breathable and trap heat. I use mesh brushing boots daily as he strikes himself a fair bit bless him and his legs do not heat up at all in these and have open fronted vented tendon and fetlock boots for jumping.

 

[AFB]

I only tend to boot when necessary, I don't want overheated legs - and schooling wraps IMO are useless, they offer no protection from knocks like boots and no support like bandages.

A good pair of tendon boots will cover most bases, I have the PE vented ones and am happy with those.

 

[SallyBatty]

I never use boots on my own mare, but my daughter's mare wears open fronted tendon and fetlock boots for hacking, flatwork and jumping as she tends to knock herself and actually goes much better with them on.