I usually use open front boots in the front and wolf boots in the back but over the winter I was crunched for daylight after work and we were keeping the rides pretty easy so I stopped booting. Spring has got me thinking… should I be booting up again?
Do your horses wear boots/polos every ride? Flat vs jump days? What kind?
I am sure there is another post like this out there, but I couldn’t find it. Thanks!
I know everyone has their own preference when it comes to booting but this is my usual routine:
Regular flat days: polos on the front and ankle boots on the back. I use the Thermal Therapy brand boot, which is similar to the Back On Track “Royal” boots. If I’m riding outside and the ring is wet, sometimes I’ll use nothing at all to avoid mudding up my gear and ankle rubs on my horse. My horse is currently barefoot so I’m not overly concerned about the shoe catching on anything.
In the case that she is wearing shoes (come next spring), I’d throw a set of sheepskin or no-twist bell boots. But by mare tends to overstep. This is also dependent on how muddy it is.
Jump/lesson days: Open-front boots in front and same ankle boots in back. Depending on the exercise I might throw on a pair of bell boots (I use Eskadron, Supra and Veredus brands). I will use boots even if we plan on jumping in the mud, just for protection.
Show warm-ups/schooling days/clinics: Black polos on all fours depending on the exercise.
I only use boots if the horse is wearing studs.
It depends on the horse and on the rider, honestly. Some people always boot, some never do. Some horses interfere and need boots, others don’t. I tend to fall on the always boot side of things mainly because I’ve had horses who really need protection from themselves and got into the habit.
My now retired horse was a genius at hurting himself, so he always went out in a full set of everything, and wore bell boots 24/7. On my jumper, I don’t have to worry as much, but I like to protect his legs. I don’t bother with fleece polos since they seem sort of worthless to me, but I will sometimes use the T-Sport wraps from Equifit if I am just flatting. In the winter I use the woolback Valena boots for flatting when it’s cold.
The rest of the time I have a few different sets- my favorites are the Veredus Carbon gel open front and ankle boots. I only use bell boots on my guy when we are in grass or showing, since in grass he will sometimes just slide his front shoes off with his hind feet. In jump offs anything can happen and he once grabbed his heel pretty bad, so we wear bell boots or quarter boots for the ring.
As long as whatever you use fits well, doesn’t hold in the heat, and doesn’t inhibit the horse, use whatever you like. One caveat: I really dislike the Professional Choice Sports Medicine boots, or any kind like that with the thick neoprene that wraps all the way around because I’ve found that those heat up the leg to an alarming degree.
Nothing except bell boots on the flat. Jumping around at home I’ll usually put boots on (open fronts and ankle). At shows, I don’t put boots on my jumpers unless there is a specific reason to (ie interference). I want them to be able to feel the rails and stay careful.
On the flat, I rarely use boots. They always get so gross inside.
I do wear open-front boots in front and ankle boots behind when I jump. Especially since my little guy is a greenie and has been known to go demolition derby through a jump when he’s unsure.
I’m a big fan of Eskadrons because they’re so quick to put on, and so easy to clean. Plus they last for bloody ever. Love my Eskadrons.
I’m a leg protection fanatic. Came from the eventing world and we didn’t leave the barn without something on the legs pretty much always.
For flatting I rotate. If I have time to polo wrap, I do, or put on woof Brushing boots sometimes. If not, the same open fronts I use for jumping. I’m an equifit girl, so all my boots are those except a set of Eskadrons I love because as Momateur said, easy to clean. (I actually put mine in the laundry with my woof brushing boots!).
I rarely don’t boot or wrap, unless it’s a quick long and low trot day, but those are rare.
I may have a small obsession with collecting polos and boots…
For jumping I use open front boots with ankle boots in the back (like eskadrons or equifits), depending on which horse it is I might add bell boots as well.
For flatting I usually always polo wrap, unless I’m super pressed for time in which case I’ll use some PC brushing boots.(If anyone is looking for a cooling set of polos eskadron came out with some that work AMAZING)
Ever since I saw that video where they showed how much strain the tendons are under while a horse is galloping, and then the gently hit the back of the leg and the tendons snap I’ve become a helicopter parent about my horses wearing boots…
I use almost exclusively boots, at least open fronts for every ride. Hind boots if we are going to be doing a lot of lateral work or turns. Occasionally for a hack I will use as little as just front polos, but not often as they don’t provide much protection.
OMG that sounds insane! :eek: do you happen to have a link to it? I’d love to see it.
I used Woof boots on all four on my mare for jumping, because she was very sensitive to hitting a pole. Otherwise bare for flatting most of the time, unless doing a serious schooling session and usually just boot in front. White polos for dressage clinics.
I always ride with boots 99% of the time. I’m an eventer so obviously can’t wear any in the dressage test. When I’m at home, for jumping and flatwork, I typically wear DSBs on the front legs as my horse has a large splint so I need a harder shell boot but the sheepskin also helps the boot to fit and conform around the splint better. On the back I typically use polo wraps to get the swelling down in his back legs but sometimes I put DSBs on the back too. When jumping outside in the field, conditioning or going anywhere off properly at a show or schooling I use SMBs on all four. I use bell boots during the summer months 24/7 and at competitions.
I think it’s important to ride with boots to preserve the tendons but also protect the legs from injury. For example, my horse also has locking stifles, so when he locks it’s important for him to have boots on so he doesn’t strike another leg when he gets it unlocked. I’m not a big fan of people jumping without boots or open fronts. Brush/splint boots are ok, but not the best. Polos, if wrapped correctly are good, although I only jump with them on at lower heights. If I am jumping 3’ or higher, I’ll put SMBs or DSBs on. In high stress situations, I think a boot that supports the leg is the best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NScGMcx3tYc
This is the one I was thinking of, makes me squeamish to watch it again.
FYI I know they use a scalpel in the video, and I doubt many of our horse will be getting hit with one in the back of their leg, but I think it goes to show how much pressure and force is put on our horses legs when working at high speeds.
Edit: I think it goes to show that impact to the back on the leg (especially if a horse wears shoes) can cause considerable damage.
I also always use at least front boots (full wrap ones, either my Boogaloo for my large ponies or small Woof boots for my mediums) for flat work and all 4 boots for jumping.
They could easily take a misstep and bang or injure a leg, so I would rather have protection there than not have it. A lot of my ponies are also young and learning to jump and do hit a pole from time to time. So again, I’m always happy to have boots on them.
My medium ponies are so fine boned as well (they look fine boned since they are only 13.1h though), so I always worry about their “deer” legs lol!
The boots are so quick and easy to put on and clean, so why not.
I usually do DSBs for any serious flat work up front, ankles behind (young horse still learning lateral movements), and open fronts/ankles for jumping. I don’t believe boots/wraps provide any kind of measurable support, but it’s nice to keep the legs from getting knocked. If I’m just hacking out, then he’s bare-legged.
It also depends on what you’re doing - we NEVER booted our horses out fox hunting unless the horse has some serious interference issue. Boots out in that environment (or out on a long trail ride, etc) usually cause more harm than good if they get wet, rub, debris is caught inside, etc. So consider the job and the environment as well.
I think of booting in terms of interference protection only. Generally I err on the side of assuming that most horses on most days might ding themselves, so they get four boots. There have been horses that are visibly wide-legged and straight movers who have never come in with so much as a streak of dust on their legs - those can go without. There are those that do regular damage to themselves and/or regularly pull shoes - those can also get hind pastern protection and bell boots every time.
(I don’t personally see how any boot can provide meaningful “support” to an 1100 pound body under galloping or jumping stress. That’s why I only consider booting from the perspective of interference protection.)
I have come to the conclusion that fleece polos are not only worthless, they’re probably detrimental - they’re hot, absorb/hold sweat and moisture, and offer less protection than boots (especially the boots with Kevlar or reinforced strike plates). Therefore, I use only the Eskadron Climatex polo wraps if the horse gets boot rubs and can’t wear them. Flat usually just nothing or bell boots, jumping at home I use Eskadron boots front and ankle, and then shows I use Eskadron Air boots or Veredus.
I use exclusively Veredus or Eskadron Air boots as much as possible - the Equifit boots don’t dry and hold moisture, and the liners shrink in the wash. Their polos are even worse in terms of durability and drying. Leather boots are nice for an eq class, but that’s about it. I try to stay away from anything that will hold in heat without any ventilation.
The evidence for decreasing use of boots and wraps is growing. European led research has been showing how detrimental heat is to tendons, and actually destroys cells and makes the tendon far more prone to injury. Since most currently on the market wraps and boots do not dissipate heat, one should consider using only if the horse has a specific known risk of interference. If you do use boots it is also important to remove immediately after work and cool the leg as fast as possible.
Here is a nice educational article.
https://www.totalequinevets.com/client-center/resources/TEVApedia/equine-leg-protection
I flat in front polos except if the ring is soaked because they just soak up water and sand and get really heavy on her legs. If it’s 1000 degrees in the summer I will also skip the polos to avoid overheating her legs as was mentioned above. In the winter I feel like it helps warm up her tendons, plus we do a fair amount of lateral work on the flat.
Jumping I use open front Equifits up front and Equifit ankle boots behind. We do jumpers so there is a lot of turning etc. Her hind ankle boots are quite scuffed after a year and a few months so that tells me they are definitely doing their job.
Pull on rubber bell boots 24/7/365 because I’m an over-the-top horse mom :winkgrin:
My horse lives in pull on bell boots because he lives outside and has a knack for pulling shoes off…with every farrier we’ve ever had. He also over steps a lot.
We flat in soft knock off Valena boots on the fronts. Usually naked behind.
If we’re lunging he gets the knock offs in front, plus polos behind.
If we’re jumping he gets open fronts, usually naked behind.
He’s a hunter, and doesn’t typically hit himself, so if it’s hot out we’ll flat naked.
I’m always very hesitant to jump without front boots though. I witnessed a horse trip on landing a few years ago, didn’t have boots on, and managed to nearly sever the tendons in his front left with his own back foot. He didn’t even have hind shoes on. Luckily it was able to be rehabbed. Nearly a year of stall rest, and he’s sound to flat and jump small jumps.
It’s been proven time and time again that SMB’s don’t support the leg and actually do more harm than good with heat retention. Also they hold water horribly so going XC in them isn’t exactly the best…
Polos also do not help swelling go down, the movement of riding does. Standing wraps can help prevent swelling, but polos do nothing except protect the leg during rides.
I’d suggest looking into the science of the boots and read up, and hopefully change to a boot that better suits the longevity of your horses’s lower legs!
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