|
|
  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
   
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Because I'm bored, another two weeks of no riding. I'm curious.....what kind of leg gear do you use when competing? And a second part of the question, do you use leg gear every time you ride or just when you run? |
|
| |
|
 A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | I use bell boots every ride on every horse. I use Splint boots (NOT sport boots) at home because the two I ride have front shoes. If they didn't have front shoes, I would leave them completely naked.
I use polos here and there, depending on my laziness that day. I've been using them just to get my wrapping skills better.
I can't use sport boots on my gelding bc of a calcium deposit. The mare I ride does get boots when she does pattern work or runs. I really like the SMB Elites or the RES sport boots. The CE are just WAY too bulky for my taste. Good concept, bad execution.
Legging up at home should use the minimal amount of leg gear possible, in my opinion. Unless you're doing hard pattern work, they should be naked or just have a set of splints on.
And I don't boot or wrap the rear.
No amount of fleece or neoprene is going to offer a 1200lb animal support. So I just boot/wrap for protection and nothing else.
Edited by hlynn 2014-03-24 5:01 PM
|
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Only when I do barrel work |
|
| |
|
 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I use Classic Equine leg boots and bells. Here at home while riding we always use bells, if we're working the pattern we use all leg wear and of course when competing we use all leg wear. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
Location: IL | I use only polos (all the way around) & bells on my mares. I've tried sport boots and they just never seem to fit right to me and just seem uncomfortable. I prefer the custom fit of the polos and the fact that they don't seem to hold heat or dirt like the boots do.
I put polos & bells on no matter what we are doing, whether it's lunging, simple flatwork, or barrel work. I want my horses legs & feet protected at all times while working as it only takes one bad step or bump. |
|
| |
|
More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | TACKyPaints - 2014-03-24 7:13 PM I use only polos (all the way around) & bells on my mares. I've tried sport boots and they just never seem to fit right to me and just seem uncomfortable. I prefer the custom fit of the polos and the fact that they don't seem to hold heat or dirt like the boots do.
I put polos & bells on no matter what we are doing, whether it's lunging, simple flatwork, or barrel work. I want my horses legs & feet protected at all times while working as it only takes one bad step or bump.
I totally respect your decision to put them on at all times but I've had more injuries while they are out in the pasture than while running. I have a gelding that hurt his suspensory last Sept while playing in the pasture. He's still not ready to ride. I've never had an injury while running. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
Location: IL | :) My motto is "Better safe than sorry." I guess I feel that I'd rather have the protection on them "just in case" than be kicking myself for not having them on and it could have prevented something.
Not that it protects from tendon/ligament injuries, but my girls always get turned out in bells & splint boots. My one mare wasn't able to be ridden for a month this past summer because I turned her out, she got to acting like a fool, and hit her own leg with the other foot (that had a shoe). She's super thin skinned and split the skin open on the inside of her right leg and had a big popped splint there. I know that anything can happen, especially when they are just being horses, but I figure I'll try and take any preventative measures that I can. I don't judge anyone for how or how they don't boot up their horses, what I do is just my own little routine.  |
|
| |
|
 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | I have the original iconoclasts and love them. I only boot up when I do work. So barrel work at more than a trot or any drilling like hard stopping or rollbacks etc. Honestly I rarely use them but I show once a month so that's about it. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| I also boot up when doing almost any kind of work, but only sports boots when making a run. I also use splints/bells/polos rather than sports boots at home. I am the polo wrapping nazi, so usually I wrap everything in them just to keep my "skills" up. LOL |
|
| |
|
 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
|
I use professionals choice and classic equine. I start using leg protection when I start practicing barrels faster than a trot. When they get their shoes on, I almost always use bell boots.
My horses have all 4 legs protected.
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| SMB 3's in the front with bell boots, and polos in the back when we are competing. Bell boots at every ride. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| Bell boots every time I ride.
Classic equine on the front and polos on the back anytime we compete... roping or barrels.. |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| TACKyPaints - 2014-03-24 7:22 PM
:) My motto is "Better safe than sorry." I guess I feel that I'd rather have the protection on them "just in case" than be kicking myself for not having them on and it could have prevented something.
Not that it protects from tendon/ligament injuries, but my girls always get turned out in bells & splint boots. My one mare wasn't able to be ridden for a month this past summer because I turned her out, she got to acting like a fool, and hit her own leg with the other foot (that had a shoe). She's super thin skinned and split the skin open on the inside of her right leg and had a big popped splint there. I know that anything can happen, especially when they are just being horses, but I figure I'll try and take any preventative measures that I can. I don't judge anyone for how or how they don't boot up their horses, what I do is just my own little routine.
You do know that any leg protection can cause heat even bell boots, which isn't necessarily good.
|
|
| |
|
 Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | I only use Classic Equine Legacy boots and bells when I run. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1032
Location: IL | Yes I am aware of that. However, I have found that my polos hold less heat than the neoprene of sport boots. Once I am done riding/running, polos and bells are removed immediately. Like I said, I dont judge anybody for the way they boot or dont boot up their horses. This is just the product & process I have found works for me and my horses. Unlike some, my horses are not able to be turned out 24/7 in a paddock or big pasture. I am only able to turn them out for a couple hours and let them stretch their legs for awhile. So when they go out, they have splint boots on and pull on rubber bells to protect their legs/feet for the short time they are out. Not telling or suggesting my process to anybody, just sharing what works for me. |
|
| |
|
 Living within my means
Posts: 5128
Location: Randolph, Utah | I have prof choice, iconoclast, CE, relentless and polo wraps in my trailer.
I like the CE's my old horse couldn't tear them up, he could go through prof choice in a couple is runs. I do like prof choice on my mare. One horse likes polo wraps on his hinds. You can't warm him up in boots he kicks but polo wraps he is fine. I use polos on the hind more than the front.
I love my iconoclast, and I really like the relentless as well.
Right now I am riding through the fields and they don't get any leg gear. It's dry now but when I first started riding it was to wet for boots. At the arena I usually use bell boots only. If I'm working fast or a young horse I'll full boot but mostly just bell boots. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| I use Pegasus front boots and bell boots at home every time I ride. My horse is super accident prone so I boot up everytime. I use pro choice when I run. Front boots only, he doesnt like back boots and he acts like theres extra 100 pounds on the hind if I use anything. I use the Pegasus at home because I want to preserve the Pro choice boots. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| I have a lot of different brands, I usually use the SMBs with a seperate bell or combos when running.
When I am just riding, I don't use anything. If I have one that is prone to over reach, I will throw on some bells for every ride. |
|
| |
|
 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I don't put anything on for daily riding. For runs, it depends on the horse what kind of leg gear they get, if any. My mare gets bell boots and Elites on the front only, and my gelding gets bell boots and Elites on the back only. I have a young horse that I'm not using anything on at the moment. I've had horses that I'll boot up all the way around, and others that get bells only. I put the boots on shortly prior to a run, and pull them immediately after a run.
|
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state | Lynn Palm has a great youtube video on this subject but I can't get the link to copy here. Just google and you should be able to find it. |
|
| |
Folks on-line