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 Expert
Posts: 1631
   
Location: Somewhere around here | What do you prefer? I've recently been given some good polo wraps and I was thinking about using them on my barrel horse but do they give the same support and protection as a sport boot? I know how to put them on from my past English riding lessons but there's a huge difference of support form walk/trot/canter and doing barrels. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | no comparison ..........sports boots offer the best protections......
m |
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Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | mruggles - 2014-01-22 11:16 AM
no comparison ..........sports boots offer the best protections......
m
Just curious but then why do I see people riding in them at BBR events? Either they are on all four legs or some horses have sport boots on the front but then polo wraps on the back. |
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 Vodka for Lunch
Location: Lala Land | My vet told me just last week that the sport boots offer more support and protection, polo wraps aren't bad but mainly just protect some from them hitting. It's a personal preference I guess... I've always like wraps, but my horse ran more on top of the ground and wasn't prone to hitting himself. The horse I have now I make runs with the boots and will use wraps just to exercise at home. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I didn't put in a vote because I use both. It just depends on what I'm doing and who I'm riding and where I'm riding.
Most of the time I use polos on the back of my mare because no matter what boots I put on they always slide and move around and don't fit her the way I like them to so I prefer the polos but I use boots on the front.
On Hemi, I prefer all boots
I always use polos at home...just easier. And I always always always have bell boots on!! |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | I pestered Professional's Choice enough that I got a hard copy of their study from 1998.
PC claims that their boots shock absorb an average of 26% and up to 45%. While their statement is technicially true, they failed to mention that some of the trials showed as little as 4.5% shock absorption to the fetlock joint. So my take home from that is that you do get some shock absorption with boots, but probably not 45%.
PC claims that their boots prevent hyperflexion of the fetlock joint. This is false when you actually read the study. They provide some shock absorption but they do not prevent the fetlock joint from hyperextending.
I was never able to get a hold of the actual study, but there was one done looking at polo wraps. It was quoted that they provide 6% to 10% support to the fetlock joint.
In a nutshell, both sport boots and polo wraps provide a small amount of support to the fetlock joint, in terms of shock absorption. Sport boots do a better job than polo wraps, but we are probably talking about single digits in percentages so I wouldn't think that amounts to very much in the grand scheme of things.
With that said, I don't use sport boots for the purpose of support. I use them because they are cheap physical protection against cuts, scrapes, and hits. It's easy to pay $80 to replace a torn set of boots. Not so easy to pay $$$ in vet bills and possibly have a lame horse from a torn up leg.
I myself prefer to use Professional's Choice SMB 3 boots on all four legs, with Classic Equine Dyno-Turn bell boots on the front feet.
Personal preference on your choice though, really. |
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Expert
Posts: 2122
Location: The Great Northwest | I prefer the polo and I have used the boots but went back to polos. I feel the boots are too bulky, hot, always fighting the velcro, and they are never where I put them after a run or just working. Yes, the boot does have more protection. I feel a good amount of wrap gives the horse that does't have a problem good protection and a lot of support. |
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Veteran
Posts: 296
| Both - sport on front, polos on the back - my horse is much happier with polos on the back than the sport boots, which he throws a fit over! |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | I like my PC on the front, and polos on the hind....unless I'm feeling a bit "eh" then I'll mix/match polos all the way around |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 956
Location: Washington | I use both, SMBs on front and Polos on the back.
I prefer the SMBs on the front because they offer more protection if a horse over reaches or catches itself. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1078
Location: Salem Ky | I use both. Tend to use mostly polos in the summer. Since they breathe so well.
I have one mare that has a scar on her back leg. Boots just don't fit right. So it is always polos on the back for her. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | I use Both but most often my polos. Both polos and boots dont offer much support as a previous poster mentioned. MOSTLY my reason for using them is some time a horse over reaches and those $20 polos or $80 boots can save a lot of money form the vet and possibly lamed up horses.
They are excellent for protecting from out side forces.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
| I personally like polo's. I have a horse that no sport boot seems to fit. With a polo I can conform to each horse. I think as far as them over reaching and knocking into themselves a sport boot would add more protection. Support wise I think they are pretty equal. I think a good chunk of people don't put sports boots on tight enough to do a dang... I also see polo's wrapped incorrectly. I guess overall any support is better than none when done right!! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| cn1705 - 2014-01-22 8:42 PM
I personally like polo's. I have a horse that no sport boot seems to fit. With a polo I can conform to each horse. I think as far as them over reaching and knocking into themselves a sport boot would add more protection. Support wise I think they are pretty equal. I think a good chunk of people don't put sports boots on tight enough to do a dang... I also see polo's wrapped incorrectly. I guess overall any support is better than none when done right!!
I also use both and am the sport boot and proper polo wrap application Nazi. (Sorry, I grew up riding English and if you didn't do it PROPERLY...you didn't ride.)
When applied incorrectly, the PC boots will not really support your horse's suspensories, I have seen the "tendon support" bar inside the legacy boots lame a horse during a run due to improper placement, too.
As far as polos...if done incorrectly, not only can they unravel and tangle your horse whether taped or not, but they can actually bow tendons.
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | r_beau - 2014-01-22 12:55 PM
I don't use sport boots for the purpose of support. I use them because they are cheap physical protection against cuts, scrapes, and hits. It's easy to pay $80 to replace a torn set of boots. Not so easy to pay $$$ in vet bills and possibly have a lame horse from a torn up leg.
Right on. I'm a polo user probably 80% of the time because I have a terrible time keeping dirt out of boots. My bay horse sets too hard to run with polos on the back so I keep a pair of Professionals Choice skid boots on hand for him. I do keep some super thick polos to use on the back legs of my other two horses, and I have some thinner, narrower polos that fit better on front legs. I've had horses that we couldn't use boots on because they never quite fit right but polos worked great. Plus polos are super cheap compared to boots. I have WAY too may polos.....in all honesty I could probably go 5 months without washing any polos or using any of them twice, and I run three horses most of the year. What can I say, I have an obsession with polo wraps. |
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