I haul naked.
On the flip side ive seen on more than one occasion horses unloading with slipped boots and wigging out. I know 2 people that have been kicked in the face over horses wigging out with shipping boots.
I use standing wraps over quilts for hauling, wrapped low on the hoof - over the coronet & almost to the ground - so bell boots are not needed. If horse steps on himself the quilts protect the heel bulb.
I wrap for support as well as protection on long hauls - 4h+
For short trips - 1h or less - I will leave them unwrapped.
Current trailer is a stock, so plenty room for them to find their balance.
I used to wrap consistently, no matter how short or long the trip, but as I got older, I started to get a little lazy, and my knees more arthritic, and on occasion, felt I didn’t have time to wrap. . . so have hauled without leg protection. I got away with it. . . but JB’s comments reminded me why I used to be so zealous about wrapping. So. . . I think I’ll go back to wrapping. . . and try to make sure I give myself enough time to get it done. And maybe increase my glucosomine dose:D so my knees can handle the squatting… . . .
@Shagyas Rock I love that. I know we can’t prevent every problem. Helmets and vests don’t always save lives. Boots/wraps don’t always save legs. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to get into a situation where a helmet or wrap would have likely meant me being alive and functional, or a sound or living horse, but my laziness was the deciding factor for the worst outcome.
Here’s a random thought - get a set of those foam knee thingies that baseball catchers use so they aren’t sitting on weighted fully flexed knees. Maybe that will make you a lot more comfortable down there
I always wrap and bell boots on shod feet. The ONLY time I won’t wrap is a short haul to the local vet which is 20 min and back roads. I have only had one issue where a wrap slipped in a 7 hour haul. Almost bandaged bowed my mare. I do not like boots for the most part. They are hot and do not stay as well as wraps do.
If they fit correctly, I’m a fan of shipping boots. I put them on snugly and haven’t had an issue with slipping. My shod horses wear bell boots 24/7 and I don’t take them off to ship. Barefoot horses just wear the shipping boots, no bells. I’ll wrap if I don’t have a suitable set of boots. I haul in the DC area and other drivers are crazy. I want all the protection my horses can have when we’re out there.
BOT quick wraps also no matter the distance. And adding bell boots after reading this thread.
I haul most often in shipping boots, unless I want the support as well as the protection of wraps. The mesh lined boots are sturdy, have ample leg coverage and have good skid plates on the bottom.
Like many types of boots, they were a bit too generous for my OTTB. I could wrap them snugly around the leg, but I was not satisfied with the over hang of the straps; being concerned that the excess strap could catch and pull loose. More of the lower half of the Velcro was needed to fully secure the straps. I liked the design of them so I kept them and custom fitted them to his legs. I put them on and marked where more Velcro should go to make them secure and safely snug fitting. Then I trundled off to Walmart and purchased wide stick on Velcro.
All I had to do is cut and stick on the correct portion of my extender Velcro. My extender piece was not quite the same size as the ones on the boots, but positioned in the center holds the strap very securely with never a shift. Once I was sure of the positioning the pieces were glued in place with Loctite liquid glue. The sticky on the Velcro is not strong enough to withstand repeated on and off, but the addition of the glue is perfect. The boots and their Velcro addition have never shifted or loosened during a season of hunting and other long trailer hauls. Customization with only kindergarten craft skills - glue and scissors.
Like many other posters, I don’t trust the other drivers out there, I want my boy to have some protection.
Thank you, JB, that is a wonderful idea. I’m sure I can get some from our local sporting goods store. I agree with you that we cannot guarantee that nothing will go wrong using wraps/helmets/vests etc. but. . … I’d rather have some protection than none at all - no one has a crystal ball. I use a helmet RELIGIOUSLY so should apply this same conscientiousness to the shipping wraps as well. By the way - I’ve never used the boots. . .I have worried about the heat they can generate and I think they could come off easier than a well-done standing wrap over a quilt.
I have never had a wrap come undone. When I was younger, I used to practice on the furniture legs, hee hee.