do you wrap? (polo/splint boot/open front, etc)
really only curious as it pertains to under 3 feet, not talking about jumping huge here
We boot up for any jumping higher than a cross rail (open fronts and/or splint boots, depending on the horse). Everyone gets fronts, some get hinds. We do it for protection from the odd ding. There is a concern about trapping heat sp boots go on last when taking up and come off first when untacking. Come winter, the majority of the in-work horses get a modified hunter clip (legs and head are fluffy) so we don’t always boot as much. My girl get a yak coat (and isn’t jumping much higher than 2’ anyway).
My childhood barn did boots and/or polos for all jump work. Again, front protection was required and hinds depended on the horse.
Personally, not a *fan of polos, especially for jumping and/or when it is damp out. I’ve seen them come undone while cantering/jumping and then watched the horse step on the trailing bandage.
*I think they look super pretty and sharp, but A. a lot easier to mess up than boots and B. a PITA to keep clean. I got tired of brushing the sand out of mine really quick.
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Usually I don’t put anything on except bell boots as needed, and they live in those if they’re shod.
That said, I have a young horse who is still figuring out where his legs are. I may invest in some good ventilated XC boots for his intro to jumping, since I’ll need them anyways should I do some baby events with him.
In general though once they know their job I don’t see much point of boots for schooling at home, unless the specific horse interferes. I don’t like polos, as I don’t think they provide enough protection to be worth the hassle (I’m fast and neat at wraps, I just don’t like them). So the answer is “it depends on the horse” - I’ve had them go bare, only in hinds, or only in fronts.
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I think the evidence against boots/wraps re overheating the tendons and potentially creating much more risk of injury is pretty strong at this point. Unless my horse has a specific interfering problem I do not boot. Wraps I think are really pretty useless as far as real protection/support, so I do not wrap. Bell boots are another story and if the footing is deep or for muddy turnout these go on. If I were jumping big tracks in competition with tight turns at speed the need to boot may be more necessary. Routine booting/wrapping just for the sake of it I believe does put the tendons at risk with minimal benefit.
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I always use open front boots up front to protect the tendons. There’s not too much heat buildup with a well-ventilated pair, and the risk of serious injury from impact is higher IMO than the risk from heat damage over time. I don’t use hind boots unless the horse interferes, and I never use polos (too hot, no clear benefits).
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@Trekkie, not doubting you in the least, but do you happen to have links on this topic? I could be more educated on leg ornaments.
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https://equimanagement.com/articles/effects-of-boots-and-wraps-on-equine-leg-surface-temperature/
https://science-equine.com/…/3370-effect-of-a-bandage-or-ten
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Our horses go in bell boots and the Dover sport boots up front when flatting at home. Over fences, they go in bell boots up front and the Veredus vento boots on all four. I don’t like polos because of how much heat they trap and their tendency to retain water if I want to hack in the field after a school. We check the temperature of their legs pretty religiously, and haven’t had any issues with the boots we use, but we’re also in a fairly moderate climate.
I’ll add that in summer time we tend to add cold hosing just in case, but if it’s really hot, we either don’t ride or seriously modify what we’re doing anyway.
Polos are useless, IMO, unless the only goal is to be pretty but I believe the risk of trapping heat isn’t worth that.
I only boot at shows where we are showing 3’+. Below that, I usually don’t bother with it. I will only use non-neoprene vented boots with wide (pressure dispersing) Velcro straps (infinite adjustability compared to the stud closures with 2-3 options) when I do boot. If I had a horse with an interfering problem, I would boot according to that.
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Mine lives in bell boots 24/7.
Trail, flat, and low jumps - no additional boots.
More serious jumping - some sort of front boot, either open front or not.
I use open front boots any time I’m jumping. I will use back boots if I am schooling bigger as that tends to be when my horses knick themselves. I am not against using polo wraps either (as long as weather and footing is dry).
My horse is in bell boots up front 24/7 (unless we’re dressaging at a show since that’s illegal) and hind bell boots for turnout. I never boot his legs to flat, and rarely do for hacking out. I usually boot up to jump in the ring because he’s still figuring out where his feet go and always do for XC.
When we school I usually use the Arma Air Motion brushing boots. Those things are so well-ventilated that his legs rarely feel any warmer than the rest of him after I take them off, even in the middle of the summer. I also use the Arma Oxi Zone open fronts and they aren’t quite as well-ventilated as the brushing boots but they’re still quite cool. We XC in Majyk Equipe brushing boots, which definitely aren’t as cool as the Armas but are a bit more substantial in case he whacks himself on a solid fence.
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We don’t do polos ever, but most go in the cheaper Eskadron-style open-fronts or the EquiFit everyday boots. I like those liners and don’t feel that they trap too much heat on the leg.
My rule of thumb is that if I boot in competition, I’ll provide leg protection at home if I’m going the same level of work. So it’s not jumping, but if I’m schooling marathon obstacles, I boot. If I’m working cones at speed (instead of gymnastic exercises) I’ll use boots. Dressage is practically never (ridden or driven), the only exception is occasionally for ridden lessons, just to make it easier for the clinician to see the legs. Back when I did hunters, the answer was just about never when it came to leg protection.
I mostly think of it as something that adds value when you have abrupt changes in speed or direction that the horse has a hard time predicting in advance (polo, marathon, cross country, jumping).
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Many thanks!
I very rarely use boots, other than Davis bell boots for turnout.
If we’re doing a lesson where I know the footwork might get tricky, like gymnastics, I might boot, either with the Lemieux carbon mesh ones or a pair of open front Eskadrons. Otherwise, bare legs.
If I have a dressage day or a set day, I don’t boot at all.
If we’re doing any kind of jumping, I put Armas ribbed bell boots on. For SJ, he gets Armas Carbon open fronts and nothing on his hinds. For XC, he gets Dalmar fronts and LeMieux Proshell hinds. They’re all well ventilated, so he doesn’t get much heat buildup even if he has them on for a long(ish) time.
I’ve used basic Woof brushing boots on his hinds in the past, and his legs were always sweating underneath, so I don’t use them anymore.
Sometimes he gets white polos for photo shoots because they’re pretty 
other than that, all of my polos are in storage and don’t get used.
