Or do we use them just to help us sleep beeter at night knowing we are protecting our horses?
It just seems unrealistic to me that a little bit of material will help support a 1000 pound animal.
I use them everyday but now I am asking why?
agree completely with COgrayhorse
I use them for protection. A few minutes of time to put boots on is good insurance against weeks off because of a silly misstep.
If they also add any support - great - but I doubt it.
BarbB
charter member BEQS Clique & Invisible Poster Clique
Catwoman:
Your story sound like something Jade would do. She does 90% of her misbehaving because she is MAD! She was so bad the other day because we took her out of her stall at dinner time. It was way to late for a propper lady to be out alone! My goodness!
The next day wasn’t much better because we had the gall to make her work in a lesson with other horses. We normally have private lessons. I mean she actually had to wait for horses so beneath her to complete their jumps. What a waste of time! She could be happily munching hay in her stall instead of waiting around for her turn! Sheesh! The nerve of her “people.” 
Its not about supporting the whole entire horse, because obviously, nothing short of steel beams and ropes could “support” the weight and bulk of the horse. Boots and bandages that claim to “support” are actually providing support to the internal soft tissue structures of the lower leg (vs. the whole horse or entire leg), usually by forming a cradle. Yes, it is very minimal, but does provide some “support” … in addition to making us sleep better at night- If nothing else though,some of the Pro-choice Sports Medicine type boots absorb a small amount of shock, and just like COgrayhorse and BarbB pointed out, any type of leg covering will offer some amount of protection against interfering, or the occasional knock or blow to the lower leg.
Chef
Jake is the only child of Jupiter that I know, so I love hearing about Jade. It sounds like they are alot alike. He has a great sense of propriety, and even when he is scared, he gets mad (mad is never very scary though). The wonderful thing is that he is fairly uncomplicated, and gets over it quickly. He definately considers himself to be the very center of the world, and is sure to insert himself right into the middle of whatever is happening.
First and foremost, a horse in neat polos looks sharp. And that’s about it for their benefit
Ditto to all of the above - they offer zippo in support, otherwise there would be a lot more racing TBs using them and a LOT less bowed tendons
But they sure can prevent the whacks and bangs, although I would prefer a good leather or molded plastic-type boot if I was jumping a fence high enough to be concerned about the horse grabbing himself and slicing his tendon on the descent.
I always ride in Saratoga wraps…its more of a habit than a precaution. Besides, Puff likes them too.
…not bad for a chick in breeches.
Eventers can do it for 3 days.
Man makes the ribbions, ribbions don’t make the man.
I have heard from a few people that if you always use boots or polos the horse will rely on the support? And when it comes time to take them off at a show or something- I forget what happens, lol but something to do with them not having the support anymore.
Has anyone heard this or have any comments on it??
I am looking into getting my horse a pair of front boots for schooling over fences in, now that we are going to be jumping bigger (only 3+ feet but bigger for me hehe ) Does anyone have any suggestions 1)If this is a good idea (rather than polos) and 2)Different kinds of boots that are good?
Thanx sorry for going a tad off-topic there! 
If you really need support you should use Concos or vetwrap, polos are just too soft and fluffy. They are mostly protection against cuts and abrasions, but don’t offer a whole lot of support. Some boots are supportive, some are not. Stay away from anything that fastens with a metal D ring. If you take the time to condition your horse properly, he will be less likely to become injured.
A horse that interferes behind need to be looked at by the blacksmith - he is usually not traveling correctly, or else has bad conformation.
Use the Force.
I think polos look good, and unless your using them because your horse interferes, they really don’t offer anything in the way of support. They are more for looks than anything
If your horse interferes, then splint boots offer a bit of protection.
I personally like the SMB’s the best. They look good and do provide some protection from interference.
First of all…I am a POLO freak…lol…so I use them when I hack on the outdoor course and jumping…I’ve also heard that they help absorb the shock from the cold ground in the winter, but I dont know if thats true or not. I don’t know… Personally, I love polos…they look good, and help protect against the little booboos…
I also have Splint Boots…and they help more then Polos…havn’t used them that much lately though for some unknown reason, but they help w/ little knocks too…
Oh, and about the reliance thing, I’ve heard its true if a horse is wrapped or (umm) booted? (lol) almost or all day i.e. all the time.
Britt
head*shye-
In response to your question:
The only way that a horse could become dependant on the support/protection offered by boots/bandages would be if it was never allowed to go “bare-legged” (i.e. if it was always turned out w/boots, or if it always was wrapped while in the stall). Otherwise, the one to two hours 5-7 times a week that boots would be used while you are riding will not cause the horse to become dependant.
After umpteen years trying to keep the legs relatively clean I think it’s a matter of padding against interference. I NEVER lunge or jump without something (like my famous $35 escadrons) on the front. I have seen so many injuries from either the opposite front leg hitting the leg, a clip from a rear hoof or hitting/landing on a branch that could have been lessened if not avoided by some kind of protection that I rarely leave the stall without it.
I am talking about the lightest possible thing that will protect the area between fetlock and knee. The SMBs were a b^&ch to put on and created too much heat and polos tend to slip. I like the neoprene galloping boots, cheaper the better as long as there is a stiff inner portion to protect the inner cannon area.
We overboot really bad these days, mostly to support boot makers who advertise alot to make us feel guilty when we do not use their product.
After 35 years mostly with no money I do think the inner cannon on the forelegs needs something for protection. Anything else just “supports” the fancy ads.
From Allergy Valley USA
If you have a horse that tends to get sideways once in awhile then wraps of any sort sure protect from those boo boos. I use the Heidi boots, easy velcro on and off all the way around for most schooling and definitely turnout.
I have gotten more skilled at doing polos and use them off and on when schooling. I go on the ounce of prevention rule…
But I will NOT let anyone else put polos on my horse. I am a fanatic about no wrinkles and they mustn’t go under the fetlock, just around and so that the bulk of the layering would be from the fetlock up. Probably why I stayed away from them for so long. If I couldn’t do them perfectly I wasn’t going to mess with it.
Someone long ago instilled the fear of god in me regarding improper wrapping.
So here I am obsessed about not going out without wraps and what does my horse do? A few years ago I pull him out of his stall and he has a lovely splint bump on a front. AGHHHHH. Apparently he was being an idiot in his stall when some knucklehead went screaming by on the canal bank on a quad. Can’t win for loosing. 
PS Chef, Love your new “kid”!!!
“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”
It’s funny, but when I asked my vet about the difference in support between boots and polos he made that snorting noise people make when they can barely contain themselves.
He sat down and used little words to explain to the silly horse owner that “support” is for old ladies’ hose, and nothing to do with horse boots. They’re all about impact resistance. I use neoprene lined Weatherbeeta boots with a tough plastic shell outer, and the dings and scratches I see on them reminds me that without the boots my horse would be crawling about on stumps by now.
However, I do remember going hunting as a kid and being told “NO BOOTS/WRAPS” because in a long day of hunting, one grain of sand inside those boots can do more harm than leaving the boots off entirely.
So, for me:
Polos = water-retaining leg-sponges that are only cute for dressage.
Boots = good for actual work.
Badly-applied anything = worse than useless.
[This message was edited by Zimt on Oct. 29, 2001 at 06:31 PM.]
Or do we use them just to help us sleep beeter at night knowing we are protecting our horses?
It just seems unrealistic to me that a little bit of material will help support a 1000 pound animal.
I use them everyday but now I am asking why?
I agree, it is totally about preventing little bangs and nicks not about support at all. I school in the weatherbeeta open front because the protect the inside, outside and back of the leg. Chase has a nast overreaching problem and if I have to make sure to protect all sides of his legs. He also interfers behind so I use polos on hard working or longeing days and weatherbeeta ankle boots on easy flat or trail days.
He gets turned out nekkid except for bell boots which he lives in. He is always banging up his hind legs in turnout but since he is out half of the day I a not keeping boots on him.
About polos, I just skip them on the front legs. For my guy they don’t even protect agains those gouging back feet. He got a nasty cut through the polos on the outside of his front leg. For the back legs they seem to work pretty good and I don’t feel as worried about injuring him. I am very good at wrapping polo wraps but my horse always likes to rub his nost on his legs at the end of a ride and I worry about him sliding them around or getting caught on them, back legs no problem.
I have heard people say the same thing about dependence on boots or wraps but I think what can happen is if a horse is used to having protection on his legs at all times he might not be as careful about banging himself. Then when he is shown with out boots might have a tendancy to get nicks here or there. Luckily I have a jumper and he will never get shown without full protection, he would come back with shredded legs after a hunter course. Poor guy!
Chef,
I’m a boot-a-holic myself.
I would say, though, in my opinion, that boots and polos have very little to offer by way of support. You’re right - a horse coming down from a 3’-3’6" jump is exerting thousands and thousands of pounds of pressure on his front legs. A boot or bandage is not very useful by way of support with THAT much pressure.
But what boots and polos WILL do is protect against interference injuries. If a horse is turning quickly, spooks or is shod in a way that his feet don’t travel straight in flight, he may bang/step on himself, and this is what I see boots are for.
My TB used to interfere a lot, especially at speed, and he’s got splints and scars on his front legs to prove it. It’s too bad, because he’s got otherwise gorgeous legs.
So from my perspective, boots are cheap insurance against those little bumps and bruises that cause a horse to pick up a scar or miss work for a couple of days (while you break your back cold-hosing).
That said, boots must also be applied carefully and kept clean to avoid actually doing harm with them.
That’s my experience, for what it’s worth.
I had one of those fiasco’s that someone else was talking about on the H/J board where Jake got away from me on the lunge, and ran at approximately Kentucky Derby speed around the round pen for 15 minutes. (I don’t think he was as scared as he was mad). Anyway, he didn’t have on his bell boots, and in addition to tearing off a shoe, he sure took some chunks out of his heel. Of course, it was a Sunday and I was breaking my own rule that he totally gets Sundays off.
As far as splint boots, I am more concerned about protecting him against knocks, etc. rather than any support. BTW, Chef, if you remember Jake is by Jupiter, and he went to his first show a couple of weeks ago. He was such a good boy after he got over the initial shock, and even though he didn’t win, he did place in every class. Congrats on your new horse, too.
