Horse boots & bandages, do you really need them all?

At the end of the day, you want your horse to be suitably protected against injury according to the type of work you do. A simple summary guide to commonly used types of boots and bandages, as listed below, should help you to decide which, if any types of boots you may need. Have a look at the discount tack stores to see if you can find some bargain boots and bandages!

/ EXERCISE BOOTS

These are the most commonly used boots for everyday wear. They are generally made of soft material (like neoprene) and wrap around the leg, with a material pad on the inside of the boot (strike pad) to protect against the horse knocking itself (or brushing). These boots are especially useful for young horses that are not fully balanced yet, spooky horses that may knock themselves or for horses whose back legs are a little close together causing them to brush (i.e. one back leg scrapes the other back leg, low down, when exercising).

These boots are generally used for show jumpers. Known as tendon boots because they are designed primarily to protect the tendon. They are open at the front, with a more rigid material at the back of the leg, so that if the horse strikes into the back of it’s front leg (with its back leg), the tendon is protected from injury. The front of the leg is not covered (other than the straps) so that the horse can feel the poles when jumping, should he / she touch them.

Competition boots often refer to boots made of more substantial material than brushing boots, with usually a rigid strike pad on the inside. These are designed for activities such a cross country, hunter trials and eventing, where the horse is jumping solid, timber fences at usually a greater speed than when show jumping and therefore, the legs require more protection from knocks and potential injury.

Obviously, unlike most boots, these are only worn on the back legs to protect the hocks from injury. Generally only worn when travelling to prevent rubbing or bruising to hocks as the horse leans back to gain balance, these boots can also be useful to keep bandages in place if a horse sustains a hock injury. They are usually made from soft material, like neoprene, so they don’t rub.

Again, often used by show jumpers and useful for young horses, these boots are generally worn on the hind legs to protect the horse’s fetlocks from knocks by a horse that has a tendency to brush its back legs (i.e. one back leg scrapes the other back leg, low down, when exercising).

Knee boots, only worn on the front legs, protect the horse’s knees from injury, should it trip and fall onto its knees. Generally made from soft material, like neoprene, so they don’t rub, they are useful for young horses until they are fully balanced, older horses or spooky horses. Some people also use knee boots for travelling.

Commonly made from rubber, these boots are worn around the pastern and cover the hoof (almost to the floor) to protect the horse from an over reach injury. An over reach injury is when the horse’s back foot strikes into the back of the front foot (hence the boots are mainly worn on the front feet). Many people use over reach boots for everyday riding if their horse has a tendency to over reach. They are often used for jumping and commonly used when turning horses out to help prevent a horse that over reaches from pulling its shoes off. If worn for long periods of time they can rub, although you can use vaseline on the pasterns to reduce this. Alternatively, use neoprene overreach boots, as they are made of softer material and less likely to rub than traditional rubber ones.

As the name suggests, these boots are used when travelling horses and ponies. Worn on all four legs, they generally cover from just below the coronet band to above the knee and hock, thereby aiming to protect the majority of the horse’s legs without restricting movement. These boots are usually made from soft, breathable material and padded for extra protection.

•EXERCISE BANDAGES - Instead of boots, some people prefer to use elasticated, exercise bandages whilst exercising horses. However, incorrectly fitted

(i.e too tight, too loose, too high) can cause serious injury and restrict movement. Bandages must always be fitted over a suitable, soft cushioning pad, (e.g fybagee or

) and should always be removed after exercise. Bandages are used instead of boots when additional support to the limb is required, in addition to protection from knocks.

•STABLE BANDAGES - Stable

are usually less elastic, made of wider strips of thicker material than those used for exercise as their purpose is not usually to support, but merely to protect the horse from knocks and keep tired or injured limbs warm. Stable bandages are useful for horses that regularly knock themselves whilst rolling etc. As with exercise bandages, stable

can be used on all limbs, but must be fitted over a suitable, soft cushioning pad, (e.g fybagee or

).

•TRAVEL BANDAGES - As with other types of leg

, travel bandages must always to be fitted over a suitable, soft cushioning pad, (e.g fybagee or

). An alternative to boots, these bandages are used to prevent knocks to the horse’s legs whilst travelling. Due to the elasticity of bandages, they will offer more support to the horse’s legs than boots, however, incorrectly fitted, they can cause injury and they take longer to put on than boots.

•TAIL BANDAGES Tail bandages are used for travelling to stop the horse from rubbing its tail as it leans back to gain balance, they are also used in the stable to keep the tail clean and tidy. They should never be applied too tightly or left on for too long (especially not left on all night) as this can cause lack of circulation, discomfort and injury. For travelling, rather than spend time wrapping a tail

, a useful alternative is to use a

. These are commonly made of soft neoprene and are quick and easy to put on and secure with Velcro straps.

•VET WRAP -

is a commonly used lightweight, self adhesive bandage for use with injuries. Although it is not re-usable, it is popular due to being self adhesive and therefore useful to bandage over injury sites almost anywhere on the horse’s body. Obviously, as with any horse related injury, you should always take advice from your vet before treating your horse.


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