FEI hind boots rules

[AllAboutTheBay]

I just bought a set of Woof Wear boots for my pony. We do baby level eventing and only do 1 or 2 shows a year. My friend mentioned that I should be careful what kind of boots to get because the FEI changed their rules about what kind of hind boots that are allowed.

I looked at the rules, and they do not allow for velcro closures, however, these rules are listed under the FEI Jumping Rules (Art. 257 2.5). To my understanding, this would apply to show jumping only, not eventing.
I looked at the USEA and FEI Eventing rules and neither mentioned any hind boot restrictions, expect for Young Horse competition and the total weight of the boots.

My friend is insisting that the FEI Jumping rules apply because there is show jumping in eventing, but I feel that the FEI Eventing rules would at least reference the new hind boot restrictions from the Jumping rules if they applied.

Can any one help clarify which rules apply?

[Gardenhorse]

In the US, FEI rules don’t apply to eventing until you are competing at 1 star level. You are fine with Woof boots at low levels.

[findeight]

Many lower level Events are not recognized by anybody anyway so go by their own interpretation of rules. You are fine.

[AllAboutTheBay]

Thanks for the feedback! At my baby eventing level, I figured Woofs would be good enough. But my situation aside, would the FEI Jumping Rules still apply to eventing, even if not specifically stated in the eventing rules?

[RAyers]

Your friend is wrong. They allow for velcro. That is what is called a “hook and loop” closure. Velcro is a brand name.

[Willesdon]

Eventing and Show Jumping are different FEI disciplines and can have different rules e.g.blood, whip abuse etc

[Scribbler]

Do leg boots close with anything other than Velcro?

[PNWjumper]

I can’t address how the FEI rules apply to Eventing (since I’m only on the showjumping side of things), so take my words with a grain of salt!

The rule that I think you’re referencing doesn’t disallow velcro in general, only the double lock velcro type of boots. So the hind boots with one piece of velcro that lay across the other side are fine. But the ones that have a piece of velcro that lays across the other and then another piece that lays across that (that people can really crank down on, presumably) are not.

These are okay: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/eskadron-ankle-boot-7796
These are not okay: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/thinline-ankle-schooling-boot-17095

[INoMrEd]

Some boots do close with buckles.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Velcro is just fine. The FEI rules only apply if you are in an FEI event/division. Not all Horse trials. Even then…the new rules ONLY apply to the stadium. It’s intended to go after weighted hind ankle boots used in show jumping. Your woof brushing boots are just fine.

[endlessclimb]

@Scribbler

Do leg boots close with anything other than Velcro?

Or those ferrule/hole closures.

https://www.victorycanter.com/Veredus-Olympus-Colors-Open-Front-Boot.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1NbhBRCBARIsAKOTmUtU9q80aeYOiSYVWje1ILAx97mgtv-KuesbsBY5cY5vHylqpIoslLYaAkQ5EALw_wcB

[PNWjumper]

Weird - the board shows that I posted, but the post just disappeared. So if it shows up as a duplicate you can ignore one (or both if you want to, lol!).

@bornfreenowexpensive

Velcro is just fine. The FEI rules only apply if you are in an FEI event/division. Not all Horse trials. Even then…the new rules ONLY apply to the stadium. It’s intended to go after weighted hind ankle boots used in show jumping. Your woof brushing boots are just fine.

Disclaimer first that I’m a jumper-only person, so I can’t claim any knowledge about where the rules are applied. But I do know the FEI hind boot rules as they pertain to show jumping (as of 2019 all horses follow the young horse class rules). They’re designed to go after both weighted boots, pressure boots, AND the act of overtightening hind boots. So regular single flap velcro closures are fine. Double flap velcro boots or boots that can be cranked down are not fine.

Fine: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/eskadron-ankle-boot-7796
Not okay: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/thinline-ankle-schooling-boot-17095
Not okay: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/woof-wear-pro-ankle-boots-6711

[Marigold]

@PNWjumper

I do know the FEI hind boot rules as they pertain to show jumping (as of 2019 all horses follow the young horse class rules). They’re designed to go after both weighted boots, pressure boots, AND the act of overtightening hind boots. So regular single flap velcro closures are fine. Double flap velcro boots or boots that can be cranked down are not fine.

Fine: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/eskadron-ankle-boot-7796
Not okay: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/thinline-ankle-schooling-boot-17095
Not okay: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/woof-wear-pro-ankle-boots-6711

Interesting. Any idea why the first “not okay” is banned? I understand that the second “not okay” would help you overtighten, because the way the Velcro threads through and then loops back on itself is similar to a crank noseband. But for the first “not okay” just seems more like just a double closure - secure one flap and then add the second over top (like the closure on a Pro Choice bell boot). As far as I’ve ever been taught, that just helps the boot stay on. I can’t see a way it would help you get it any tighter or apply more force?

Definitely not questioning you, since I haven’t looked into this at all. Just curious if you knew the rationale behind it?

[findeight]

Think they are going by the type boot stewards have found overtightened or weighted. It’s easier with the specific closures named and probably what they are finding violators using. The rule makers generally don’t go after theoretical situations but react to what they actually catch.

[PNWjumper]

I think the double velcro allows you to tighten the boot more than a single closure (IOW - crank down the bottom strap and then crank down the top strap too), but that’s a guess since I haven’t ever tried to see how tight you can make a boot! Or maybe it’s just an innocent victim from the way they tried to define the 2nd “not okay” example? But I thought the same as you initially, and then this last year (2018) they started doing hind boot checks before YJC classes and I got asked to remove my Eskadrons that had that double closure in the first “not okay” example. So it’s definitely something they are not allowing.

Honestly, I’m glad that they are starting to crack down on hind boots. I wish they would completely ban pinch boots at horseshows entirely. Probably not a big issue in the eventing world, but it sure is one in the jumper ring. I’ve always wondered how it’s not considered cheating to artificially change the mechanics of a horse’s jump. I personally feel that pinch boots take away from a horse’s heart a bit (maybe not with all horses, but certainly with some), and are not something I would be willing to put on a horse who’s a super trier already. But that’s a tangent that’s out of place here.

[Marigold]

@PNWjumper

I think the double velcro allows you to tighten the boot more than a single closure (IOW - crank down the bottom strap and then crank down the top strap too), but that’s a guess since I haven’t ever tried to see how tight you can make a boot! Or maybe it’s just an innocent victim from the way they tried to define the 2nd “not okay” example? But I thought the same as you initially, and then this last year (2018) they started doing hind boot checks before YJC classes and I got asked to remove my Eskadrons that had that double closure in the first “not okay” example. So it’s definitely something they are not allowing.

Interesting. Since the straps go different ways, I’ve never thought that cranking on the second strap would do anything to make it tighter (especially since you’d then be pulling the tendon in the opposite direction, which has other reasons for being dramatically undesirable).

Whatever the reason, it’s certainly easy enough to avoid the double closure. There are plenty of single closure boots out there that don’t differ in any other way from the double closure styles I use. I guess I’ll just buy singles in the future, in case the rules ever cross over to eventing. Thanks for the clarification!

[JER]

Wait. Is ‘overtightening’ hind boots a thing these days?

[Janet]

I may have missed it, but the point is that the FEI SHOW JUMPING rules apply to the Show Jumping Phase of an FEI event.

But they do NOT apply to non-FEI events.

[SecondInCommand]

Are they referring to this type of velcro closure that doubles back on itself through a loop? You’d think they’d aim for boots with this mechanism, or boots with elasticized straps rather than double lock velcro if over-tightening is what they’re looking to avoid.

This is meant to be an example of the closure type only; I don’t imagine there are too many of this specific type of boot in FEI jumper classes…

https://www.doversaddlery.com/all-purpose-galloping-horse-boots/p/X1-04176/

[RAyers]

@SecondInCommand

Are they referring to this type of velcro closure that doubles back on itself through a loop? You’d think they’d aim for boots with this mechanism, or boots with elasticized straps rather than double lock velcro if over-tightening is what they’re looking to avoid.

This is meant to be an example of the closure type only; I don’t imagine there are too many of this specific type of boot in FEI jumper classes…

https://www.doversaddlery.com/all-pu…ts/p/X1-04176/

As I read the rule, yes, you are correct. You can’t use one that allow a person to draw tension using leverage. The boot equivalent of a crank noseband.

It explicitly states hook and loop is allowed. Thus velcro is legal.

The double flap that PNWjumper says is not OK is because of the way loads are imparted on the boot closures. The two “not fine” examples basically keep a strap locked as it acts as a second enclosure.