# Leg coverings for riding



## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

Does anyone use any leg coverings for trail riding (wraps, boots, etc)?
I want to try some because he always gets SO itchy from the spider webs on the trails. I'd like to protect his poor legs, and help keep him sane.
What's a good leg covering for trail riding - something that will stand up to fallen branches and bushes trying to grab them, water crossings, etc.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Personally I don't like leg coverings on trail horses. My horses go thru mud, sand, and all kinds of dirt. I don't want anything that will trap and rub that into his skin. They cross blow down logs and I don't want a strap or something getting hung up.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

That's the reason I've been hesitant to use anything.

On the other hand, when we get back from riding he practically attacks his legs for 5 minutes trying to get all the cobwebs off. I try to hurry him over to the hose to wash them off, but I still have to get the saddle and bridle off first.

He used to try to do it through the entire ride, but I wouldn't let him (after a few times almost going over the head from an abrupt halt and head drop to scratch at his legs). So now he just suffers with it until we get back :-(

I do feel for him. I pull down several cobwebs along the trail myself, and they make me itch, too.


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## WesternSpice (Aug 28, 2011)

I use cheap polo wraps. You can go to any tack shop, and find some really cheap ones, and if they get dirty, all you have to do is put them through the wash. Thistles and prickly plants really bother my horse, but once I put the polos on, he was fine.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

Do you have any problems with the polo wraps getting caught on those thistles and prickly plants?


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## WesternSpice (Aug 28, 2011)

Not usually, raspberry bushes tend too, but my wraps are cotton and worn.


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## MicKey73 (Dec 26, 2010)

I use the cheap Dover saddlery boots (black with fleece) because it will give him a bit of protection from snakes and cactus if we are unlucky enough to find them. But if I knew how to properly do polos, I'd use those on the back legs because you never know when you might need a bandage out there, and they make a good temporary one that you don't have to pack!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I learned my horsemanship skills while doing Competitive Trail Rides. NATRC did not allow any leg protection during competition. They stressed that a horse should know how to take care of his legs. Rock bites, nicks and cuts were a deduction from your score. It has just stuck with me that my horses should do well with no leg protection on trail rides.

Are you sure it's the cobwebs that are making him itch? I can't imagine they would be there for very long. If my horses get a cob web on their legs, It's pretty much wiped off by the next brush they push thru.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it's the cobwebs.
I often see them on his legs visibly when we get back to the barn. Also, if we ride in the fields or arenas (even the grass arenas) he has no problem. If it's rainy and the spiders aren't out, he has no problem. It's just days we're going through tons of cobwebs that he has issues. Now, it's possible there's something else that's correlated with cobwebs...

However, even with the ones I go through, they often continue to itch long after I've removed them from my arms. And bits of the strands hang on in various places.

There aren't a lot of bushes to push through. Most of it's open, between trees. But these cobwebs are HUGE, and they come out of nowhere, hanging between widely spaced trees.

It might not be the same where you are? I know in Colorado I NEVER had a problem with cobwebs. Here in Virginia we're passing through a new one every few minutes. It's gross.


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## bbsmfg3 (Aug 12, 2010)

I seriously doubt it's cobwebs. Maybe something on the webs, tick, mites, etc.

Ditto, Painted Horse's comments. If you think you need something, you need to look at the horse's training first.


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