Are protective hoof boots (Soft Rides, EZ boots, etc.) permitted in competition? I know there are rules against boots or bandages for the dressage but I couldn’t find anything definitive in the rule book.
USEF DR 121 any kind of boots (including “easy-boots”) or bandages (including tail bandages) and any form of earmuffs or plugs, nose covers, seat covers, hoods are, under penalty of elimination, strictly forbidden.
EV 115 2. Dressage Test
g. Shoes (with or without cuffs) that are attached with nails or glue, or wraps that do not extend past the hair line of the hoof are permitted.
Cross country and stadium nobody is looking at what is on the feet.
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Is it safe to go xc in protective hoof boots?
Scoots advertises their boots used in jumping. I like my Scoots and gallop in them on trails. I would not feel comfortable jumping in them. My horse has gone to a couple of lower level X country events (my coach riding) barefoot because really it’s all turf.
I would not use hoof boots on XC unless they are studded. Wet grass and rubber is such not a good combination.
You can use hoof boots for some schooling shows as long as you get permission in advance. Just make sure the show coordinator tells the dressage judge in advance or they’ll ring the bell and you have to spend your time explaining before resuming your test.
So I have evented several of my horses barefoot through training level. My personal experience is when you start getting over three foot the horse experiences un-natural forces landing coupled with terrain and turning questions at speed. At the point of going preliminary, I felt the horses were uncomfortable and put them into shoes and studs. I understand that some other folks have gone preliminary and above barefoot, to include Bruce Davidson on one horse. If you jump regularly in boots and school xc, and you and your coach are on board, nothing in the rules are there to stop you. However, having used hoof boots myself, I find the horse’s hoof moves in an un-reliable way in the boot so if they don’t have tough enough feet to jump barefoot, I feel they need an affixed “shoe” or glued on sleeve that does not move separate of the foot. Just my opinion from using hoof boots. I would NEVER try to jump in a soft ride. That said, the endurance folks do some crazy stuff in Renegades, newer models of Easy Boots, and scoot boots.
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It’s true endurance riders do amazing things in boots. However I think the risks in scrambling around rocky terrain in boots are much less than in jumping heights and landing with all the weight on the front feet.
Also many endurance riders train in boots but use actual glue on boot shells for their big competitions.
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Yes, you can jump in well fitting boots & you can put studs in some of them. I have competed the jumping phases in hoof boots in the past (without studs, did not need them) & would have no problem with it at the lower levels (BN or N and below). There are a wide variety of boots out there these days, some have excellent traction & if they are working well for your horse, they are a great tool.
I would not use SoftRides for this, but have used EasyBoot Epics and the new Fury. As mentioned, there are also many glue-on boots now available that are also legal for jumping.
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If they fit well I don’t see why not. Weird things can happen to horses in shoes too. Studs can get caught in belly guards and I’ve seen at one of the local events where horse and rider both fell jumping down into water when some how one of the horse’s shoes got hooked on part of the jump. I didn’t see their approach so I don’t know how their jump in was.
I have not ridden in boots but I use them in turnout for one horse. I would never jump cross country in them for several reasons. One - they are slippery. Said horse is really sure footed but she has slipped and gone down in them while bucking around and the ground/ grass was wet. Two - when they get wet they slow down the flight pattern of the front feet. She usually steps on them and pulls them off when this happens. But I could see a scenario where you are jumping and the horse’s front feet don’t get out of the way fast enough when you are taking off or landing from a jump. That seems to me to be a dangerous situation.
Now the scoot boots that are open and plastic may not have these problems of getting wet and heavy on the feet. Still I can see problems with the horse stepping on them at a gallop and creating problems that an attached shoe would not have. Just my thoughts!
Not something I’d do. I’ve seen a horse step on his over reach boots and fall quite badly. Hoof boots would have the same risk.
What I worry about is that the boot will come loose or get ripped partway off and then the horse will land on the half on/half-off boot. It could happen with a shoe too, but not having done much jumping in boots I don’t know what the relative risks would be?
Soft Rides?? Have you actually seen them in person? Do NOT ride in Soft Rides - they aren’t even designed for turnout (unless in a medical type paddock). They are big, clunky, and heavy. Perfect for use in laminitis cases not riding!
Soft Rides?? Have you actually seen them in person? Do NOT ride in Soft Rides - they aren’t even designed for turnout (unless in a medical type paddock). They are big, clunky, and heavy. Perfect for use in laminitis cases not riding. :no:
It was merely an example of a boot, I was trying to make clear that I wasn’t referring to bell boots. I have no intention of riding in SoftRides - my horse is shod anyway. I asked the question on behalf of a friend who was trying to go the “barefoot + boots when ridden” route. We’ve since discovered that her horse is much happier in shoes so the question is a moot point regardless. Thank you for clarifying, though.
If it comes up again, find some endurance folks who do difficult terrain. They want to do what is right by the horse, so they will give you some very forthright opinions on their own experiences. 
