Boots 101?

Okay well I may be getting a horse within a year and the horse I would be most likely to get is the horse, Socks, that I leased over the summer and I haven%26#039;t ridden him in a while but I will start hacking him once a week soon. If I were to buy him I would be jumping him at least once a week. Now I know most horse don%26#039;t use boots for juming below 2%26#039;6%26quot; but I%26#039;m tired of seeing horses pulling up lame. Over the time I leased Socks, he went lame in his left hind ankle for about a week. His owner thinks he probably knocked in his stall. Do you think I should get him boots, or at least for jumping days? If so what kind of boots, like Wolf boots? Should he have just front boots or boots for his hind legs too?

Boots 101?
Boots aren%26#039;t going to protect the horse from going lame if he has internal issues like arthritis, or some other joint problem, bone chip, spur, or any type of tendon/ligament strain.





Boots protect slightly from impact, to help prevent splints, and to help support the leg in an effort to prevent torsion injuries like strained or pulled or torn suspensories.





If you buy %26quot;Socks%26quot;, you should have him vetted out, and start with the leg he went lame on - get some xrays of the fetlock/pastern/foot and find out what the real problem is.
Reply:Shoot - I put splint boots on my 2y.o. warmblood %26amp; he%26#039;s just learning how to lunge! Whenever we (by %26#039;we%26#039; I mean those of us at the barn) hack out/ride/train on any of the older guys or girls, they wear boots on all 4 legs. We also use bell boots on the horses that tend to over-reach - i.e. step on the front foot with their hind.





We use Professional%26#039;s Choice for boots - but they can get a bit pricey. We also prefer velcro closures rather than those that buckle - but everyone is different.





Other good %26#039;anti-lame%26#039; tips are:


1) Make sure the legs are clean %26amp; cool before putting boots on.


2) Thoroughly clean all 4 feet %26amp; then LOOK at the foot - is it dry? Chipped? Shoe loose? Any heat there or around the coronet (part right befor the hoof starts - like the cuticle of your own nail)?


3) When done, don%26#039;t just take the boots off %26amp; that%26#039;s it. Clean the leg again, maybe even hose each leg depending on how hard your horse worked. When dry, feel down each leg again looking for heat.


4) Know your farrier %26amp; talk with him/her about Socks - they have a wealth of information and any farrier worth his/her salt will happily share it with you!





Good luck!
Reply:i always use boots when jumping my horsie just for safety. not in shows though. we use davis splint boots. and we also have eskadron front and hind boots which are fabulous. pricey though. then put bell boots only on the front hooves, not back. basically any work but ya.








http://www.doversaddlery.com/search.asp?...
Reply:I always use boots no matter how high I am jumping. But I have a Quarter horse who is too smart for his own good so I have to wear boots on non-jumping days so that he doesn%26#039;t associate boots with jumping. I use only front boots and bell boots. The bell boots are because this horse has eggbar shoes which he has pulled on more than one occation. I didn%26#039;t use to use front boots, then an old splint came to the surface and he started knicking himself every once in a while, so I got him some boots. When we go to Hunter shows, I don%26#039;t use boots because now he has developed better jumping form, but I still recommend using boots in jumping everyday, if nothing else then they provide some support for the lower legs which take lots of concussion when jumping. As for back boots/ankle boots. The only time I use them is for eventing conditioning, again because my horse caught himself once and I didn%26#039;t want to risk a real injury. To decide if your horse really needs boots, have a parent or trainer, someone fairly knowledgable watch your horse go. If he plaits (swings his feet in while he trots/canters) in the front or back I would definitely get boots because horses that plaits on the flat do it even more over jumps. If you aren%26#039;t sure whether or not to get boots, I would air on the side of caution and get him boots. Especially if you are a new rider because your weight can throw your horse off balance while over the jump which can cause him to hit himself.
Reply:Who said people dont use boots for jumping under 2%26#039;6. People use them in dressage and I make my students wear them for ground poles and every lesson my horses are in. But yes get boots! You can get jumping boots to wear all the time including for the hacking. I would recommend water proof though. Woof Wear boots are EXCELLENT. yes I would go with those. Well it depends on the horse. Some horses only need front boots. But there are other horses who need both. It depends on how much money you want to spend. If I was you, I%26#039;d get front, back , and bell boots.



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