Schooling boots for the horse

[keysfins]

What is your preference, and why?

I have one horse in the ThinLine schooling boots, and he’s done well in them for years.

I have another horse who doesn’t seem to do as well with them. I clean them daily to get the sweat/crud/any debris out of them, so they are clean against the horse’s skin. This horse seems a bit more sensitive, and I started seeing signs of rubs or salt abrasion under the boots.

I’ve ordered a pair of the Back On Track schooling boots. I love BOT products, and have several items. But given that the BOT action is essentially to warm the area, I have wondered if that might NOT be desirable when it comes to tendons and ligaments, which would be covered by the boots. Will they be too warm, especially as we come into summer?

I also used the Iconclast boots, which were recommended by our vet for suspensory support. They can be a bit tricky to put on correctly, and they went from “Velcro super-strong” to “Velcro not holding” in a few months. They were properly cleaned and maintained, so not sure why that happened, but they were an expensive investment, to have the Velcro not hold. (And yes, I have kept both surfaces of the Velcro free of debris.)

What do you use, and like, that offers support and protection, but won’t cause overheating? I tried to search for the topic, but only found posts about riders’ boots.

Until I can try other options, the horse will be wearing el-cheapo Dover fleece boots.

[digihorse]

http://www.horze.com/protection-boots/horze-laval-boots/19341.html?color=BL
These are the best deal I’ve found. Have held up reasonably well, and with the impact protection they have kept mister whack a leg injury free.

[Cowgirl]

I use Back on Track exercise boots exclusively and have for years and years. There is no risk of legs overheating. The legs are cooler in these boots than any others. They do NOT offer much suspensory support, if that is what you are looking for: the sizing does not allow much for that. I love them, and won’t change. They will last about a year.

A friend does love the Ecogold boots for coolness. They do not have a suspensory strap. I think the only support boots that work are the Iconoclast.

[keysfins]

[QUOTE=Cowgirl;8684908]
I use Back on Track exercise boots exclusively and have for years and years. There is no risk of legs overheating. The legs are cooler in these boots than any others. They do NOT offer much suspensory support, if that is what you are looking for: the sizing does not allow much for that. I love them, and won’t change. They will last about a year.

A friend does love the Ecogold boots for coolness. They do not have a suspensory strap. I think the only support boots that work are the Iconoclast.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the input on the BOTs. Which ones do you use? I see they have the Exercise boots, and the Splint boots. I’m really glad to hear that they do not heat the legs.

[Nestor]

[QUOTE=Cowgirl;8684908]
I use Back on Track exercise boots exclusively and have for years and years. There is no risk of legs overheating. The legs are cooler in these boots than any others. They do NOT offer much suspensory support, if that is what you are looking for: the sizing does not allow much for that. I love them, and won’t change. They will last about a year.[/QUOTE]

I actually found the opposite with my horse. For a horse who doesn’t sweat under boots, his legs are DRENCHED if I use the BoT exercise boots. And I LOVE BoT products (just ask my bank account…). So I only use BoT’s boots in the winter.

These are the exercise boots, which do have a strap for under the fetlock. I do like them in the winter as they help with my horse’s wind puffs, but they actually seem to make them worse in the summer.

To the OP: no boot really offers support. Even polos don’t offer support. And unless your horse is like an octopus on ice skates, IMHO it doesn’t really matter which boots you use with regards to protection. With that in mind, the only boots I bother with are the Equilibrium Stretch & Flex boots. They are easy to clean, keep the legs cool, and hold up well. I think they’re ugly, but they do the job! If you want more skin coverage to prevent scrapes, polos are best, no boot I’ve seen can go up as high as polos (but if you know one, please tell me! I’m too lazy for polos all the time :lol:).

[outerbanks77]

I ended up buying these, in white last fall when I got my new horse. The material is perforated so they’re very breathable, but still very protective. They have double velcro, so they really stay in place, but take a bit of doing to get on. Overall I’m very pleased with them, and they aren’t so hideously expensive.

http://www.sstack.com/equine-splint-boots/professionals-choice-pro-performance-schooling-boots/

For light work where I’m not really worried about striking, I’m still using Stretch and Flex wraps because they are quicker to throw on and take up less space in my tack box. I don’t think the S&Fs are worth the money for what they are, but they ARE nice wraps. They only have single velcro, so I never dared use them for trail riding for fear of losing one, but as a lightweight, easy to apply wrap with about as much protection as a polo, they are pretty good. However, when this set wears out, I won’t buy another set.

[see_u_at_x]

I’m a big fan of the Valena woolback boots. They may not offer a hard shell for major strike protection, but if you have a horse that doesn’t really interfere anyway or only brushes themselves occasionally, I think they’re great. They’re good quality and I love that they’re wool vs. fleece. I sold my last pair because they didn’t fit my new horse, and replaced them with DSB boots, which I don’t like nearly as much because the footing from our arena ALWAYS sticks like crazy to the DSBs. I never had that kind of problem with the Valenas and plan on replacing my DSBs as soon as I can swing it.

http://www.doversaddlery.com/valena-boot-front/p/X1-04114/

[SendenHorse]

I use PRI polos or woof brushing boots. I don’t like the fleece lined boots- my horse would catch himself in lateral work since they stuck out and he is a smaller guy.

There was a new boot like Woofs sold in Britain that someone mentioned on here. If I need more, they are a vented version of Woof so I might bite the bullet and pay shipping. I just have not had to replace my Woofs.

I also go through water occasionally on XC (walking, no jumps! LOL ) so I like that Woofs are waterproof

[keysfins]

Great feedback, thanks very much!

[egood]

I’ve used the BOT boots and they were great, held up for like 3 years. They finally disintegrated, but instead of getting another pair I’ve just been using woof boots. They’re easy to get on/off, hold up well, get the job done, and look good.

[Cowgirl]

[QUOTE=keysfins;8684959]
Thanks for the input on the BOTs. Which ones do you use? I see they have the Exercise boots, and the Splint boots. I’m really glad to hear that they do not heat the legs.[/QUOTE]

I use the exercise boots with the suspensory straps. The sizing is a bit funky so they tend to slip a little and don’t offer much support for the suspensory, however they do offer sufficient protection and do NOT get hot.

[Hafdressage]

I have always been a polo wrap person, but all of the research that I’ve seen lately seems to suggest that you don’t want tendons overheating, so for the summer I’m either going without wraps or switching to one of the following:

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/equilibrium-stretch-and-flex-flatwork-wraps-6864

http://www.sstack.com/equine-splint-boots/professionals-choice-pro-performance-schooling-boots/

A couple of the girls at my old barn had the stretch and flex wraps and I really like them. A little bit of support, but very cool and light weight.

[beowulf]

Woof galloping/brush boots for me, I find they are invaluable for when doing cavaletti/poles or lateral work.

I haven’t had good luck with the BOT exercise wraps - they kept falling down my guy’s leg even when snug.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

I go between two boots for my sensitive redhead : ) We use the Thinlines and DSB’s with the fleece lining. I end up using the thinlines more because my mare doesn’t make faces when I put them on her and they are less bulky for lateral work. I will be using the DSB’s more when we go out on trails.