# horse boots for the trail



## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

My husband and I are pretty new to the world of horses. We really only ride on trails, since we live in the Daniel Boone National Forest and there are miles and miles of trails by our house (we're spoiled). A friend of mine suggested I get horse boots to protect their legs when we're riding through brush. Does anyone else do this? Do you have any suggestions for specific boots to use? There is a huge variety out there and I don't even know where to begin. Do horses usually accept these pretty well?

Thanks!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My horse thinks he is a bulldozer. He likes to go through trails that aren't really there. I'm forever worrying about his legs with all the thorny brush. 

For starters, make sure whatever you choose does not absorb water. Don't use SMB's. If you go through water, the extra weight from the waterlogged boot can put extra stress on their legs. Same with fleece. Neoprene is popular and most boots are made with it. It can make their legs hot since it doesn't breath, but if you go through a lot of water, I think that would help keep them cool. 

I've tried quite a few different brands. I settled on Davis Splint boots. They have a hard outer shell for going through brush and a rubber-ish liner as a cushion for the leg. Seems like the best of both worlds to me. They're easy to hose off which is also a big plus. Here's a link to the Davis boots. 
Davis Pastel Splint Boots - Dover Saddlery.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

I do not like boots on my horses. Here's why : #1 I don't believe they really do anything for them. #2 If they walk through water at any point in the ride (even if they don't soak up water) and then go through any deep soil or sand, they will tear up the skin under the boots. I've seen several horses cross rivers and mud, then ride for the rest of the afternoon thinking they were ok, only to pull the boots at the end of the ride and have the hair worn off, and very raw legs. 
I think if you're using them in a dry arena with a dry horse, you're fine, but on the trail, I think they're a gimmick. Just my personal experiences.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I ride as rough of stuff as anybody. 

I don't use any kind of leg protection. I do occassionally use use Easy Boot hoof boots to protect the hoof since I leave al my horses barefoot.
But if I had shoes on, I would add nothing to protect the legs.

My horses do occassionally come home with rock bites. It's just part of being a trail horse. they have never done any permant injuries, just scrapes and small cuts usually around the cornet line and the pastern.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

PH are you in Utah?


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## dashygirl (Nov 21, 2006)

Qtswede said:


> I think if you're using them in a dry arena with a dry horse, you're fine, but on the trail, I think they're a gimmick.


Agreed. Horses were made to wander through the brush and tall grass, they're grazing animals! Unless you're riding through pure thistles or cactus, I'm sure you'll be just fine.


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## Bronco Hollow (Jul 21, 2009)

Paint Horse, I woundered if I knew you...the picture confirmed it! I know you from ATR!

Bowing to PH, he does ride some of the roughest I've seen, words of wisdom from him!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Thanks BH, It doesn't matter where you go, some body knows ya!

qtswede Yes, I'm in Utah

I ride the slick rock in the winter months 









And the high country in the summer









And I've never used any leg protection for the horses legs. And I can't even start to tell you how many miles of trails my horses have covered.


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## charlene1985 (Aug 4, 2009)

I agree on not using the boots, I dont ride near as hard as ^^^ them but i do go through brush and rivers that horses have to swim through part of it. Ive only experienced 2 injuries and they were minor...one was a small cut on the side of the fetlock (looked bad though cause it got wet and he had white legs so it looked like a scrape but it was a minor skin scratch. and the other was a small puncture above the coronet band but it was no bigger than the end of a push pin (the ones you use to hold fabric together in home ec and stuff) I say dont waste your money


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

I would protect your horses legs, better be safe than sorry right? I use Woof Boots for everything I do and on all the horses that are worked. Good luck with all the riding!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Stormy, educate me here. WHY use leg protection?

Mustangs runs across some pretty rough country and have no extra protection. If you compete in Competitive Trail Rides you are not allowed any protection above the cornet line. And they ride 50 mile trails every other weekend, they are not taking a short ride around the pasture. And hundreds of horses have been competng in that sport for decades. And in all the rides I competed in, I never saw anything more than rock bites and scraps on horses legs. Horses loose points for getting nicked up on their legs in that sport.

A good trail horse should know how to take care of his legs. He should pay attention to where he places his feet. 

We are not asking them to chase a cow in an arena, they are not going full blast and quickly and repeatedly changing directions. Trotting or even a canter down a trail just doesn't require that kind of protection.

It's kinda like wearing a helment inside your car. Yes we see the value of seat belts and air bags and most of us use those devices, But most of us don't feel the need to wear a helment inside our cars. If we got in an accident, yes a helmet may help protect us, But the discomfort of wearing one full time is worse than the odds we face of having an accident. So nobody wears a helment in their car except race drivers.

Yes leg protection might prevent an injury to your horses legs, but the chance of a serious injury doing trail rides does not outweigh the discomfort to the horse of wearing them and the possibility of rubbing a sore. I just don't see the need.

I look forward to your opinion


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## firegurl979 (Oct 1, 2008)

Painted Horse said:


> Stormy, educate me here. WHY use leg protection?
> 
> Mustangs runs across some pretty rough country and have no extra protection. If you compete in Competitive Trail Rides you are not allowed any protection above the cornet line. And they ride 50 mile trails every other weekend, they are not taking a short ride around the pasture. And hundreds of horses have been competng in that sport for decades. And in all the rides I competed in, I never saw anything more than rock bites and scraps on horses legs. Horses loose points for getting nicked up on their legs in that sport.
> 
> ...


^^^ agreed. I ride endurance and eventing and if there's no need for protection, why put it on? Its not worth the risk of rub sores, etc. and imo can cause more probems than it solves. (such as becoming loose, or absorbing water, etc.)


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

What if you come accross a patch of thisitles, thorns, stray wire or rocks that need to be crossed. I would rather spend $60 on a pair of protection boots than the hundrads if we needed to sew a horse up for getting cut up on the trail. I would rather my horse have protection on their legs and would never do anything other than walk without them. And when boots are put on correctly they wouldn't rub. Just my opinion on it.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

My horses ride through Wild Raspberry, Current bushes, prickly pear cactus, Hawthorn bushes and they don't ever seem to worry about those thorny plants. Even when I try to steer them around them, they prefer to plow through. Only once, when they got into some cactus that stuck spines in their legs above the knees did they every seem to get upset over the cactus. And rocks are just not an issue. Horses deal with rocks every day. The ony thing I'd worry about is wire. And the chances of stray barb wire only getting wrapped around the 4-6" protected by leg protection is pretty small. If the horse gets into wire, It'll get higher up the leg than your protection provides. 










I've had a vet bill twice in my life for an injury to a horses leg. Once for a horse getting a leg into a feeder she knocked over in the corral and the second time ( and only time on a ride) for a cut high on the gaskin where she bumped her leg on a sharp rock and split her upper leg open in front of her joint. You are worrying about things that just are not a high probablity for injury.

I worry about horses getting their feet stuck inbetween rocks, about them twisting an ankle when crossing rocky areas, I worry about them sliping and going down and getting cut or scrpped up on their knees. but I don't worry about them bumping a rock and cutting their pasturn or cornet on rocks.


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## dashygirl (Nov 21, 2006)

Painted Horse said:


> My horses ride through Wild Raspberry, Current bushes, prickly pear cactus, Hawthorn bushes and they don't ever seem to worry about those thorny plants. Even when I try to steer them around them, they prefer to plow through.
> 
> You are worrying about things that just are not a high probability for injury.


Yes I agree, especially with that last sentence.
Honestly, I think this concern for boots on the trail relates less to the actual safety of the horse, rather, it makes the horse's owner feel better, like they're preparing for injury. I think those that ride trails often understand that horses are made to handle rough terrain and can easily pick their way through anything. They're not dumb animals, they've been running around mountains, through prairies and over the desert for longer than we have, they're built for that kind of stuff. 
It's easy for us as horse owners to spoil our horses, worry for them and pamper to whatever we think their needs are. However, I've learned that letting your horse teach you what they're actually capable of doing is wonderfully surprising. I think people often underestimate what their horses can handle.
Trust me, your horse will be just fine on the trails without any sort of leg protection.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Just my opnion I guess. I event too, so I guess that perserving my horse's legs is one of my topmost priorities, and my horses ARE spoiled. ;P


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

No critisim intended. You are welcome to spoil your horses.
I just wanted to know if there was a practical reason for doing it vs just a warm fuzzy feeling.


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

I guess I will not do the boots for now since we go through a lot of creeks and I wouldn't want the boots to rub once wet, dirty, etc. I'm not concerned about spoiling them (heck, I spoil them anyway;-)), but I don't want to do more harm than good which it kinda sounds like they might. We have been through some thorny stuff and it didn't seem to bother her (However, I didn't enjoy it and figured out that I need to wear some thicker blue jeans!). Thanks so much for all of the input.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Good luck and happy trails!!!!


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Chaps or ****** for the thorns. Blue jeans will never be thick enough.

Like these.


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## IheartPheobe (Feb 15, 2009)

I take my barn's horses on trails alot in the summer and we go over pretty rough ground. We don't have any leg protection and they're usually all fine.


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## Pinto Pony (Jul 28, 2008)

I sometimes ride on trails with boots and sometimes not. If I know I am going on nice clean trails then sure I might whack them on, but if I know I am going through water and scrub I keep them off. Too many issues with rubbing and things getting stuck on the boots in the past like twigs and branches, thick grass etc causing more injury cause they are caught up in the boot itself as to when their legs are naked nothing gets caught on them!


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