# Bell Boots while trailriding



## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

I have a very dumb question! 

I have never used bell boots, I actually always looked at them as a rodeo piece of equipment. I just never needed them that I was aware of! 

ANYWAY..... While trailriding with another couple a few weeks back, it was suggested that I get a pair because it would help my Spotted saddle horse gait a little smoother (she is not the smoothest) and would help her front feet. While riding with this know it all couple, I didn't want to sound stupid (which I am) so I didn't ask, but exactly how would bell boots do or help me while trail riding??? My mare is not extremely smooth at gait, and she is slightly tenderfooted on rough ground, she is shod. She does not strike her front hoofs with the back and that is what I thought the bell boots helped with. 

So please answer some questions for this dummy!!

Rhonda


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Rhonda, I am with you on this question. I look forward to hearing how regular bell boots could help your horses gait.


My horse wears bell boots pretty much 24/7 when he has shoes on (which is most of the time) to make his shoe removal game a little more challenging. I take them off right before I go into the ring (I show hunters so they are not allowed) and they go back on when he comes out.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

I don't see how they would help with the gait. Some horses are very dramatic when they have boots on their legs and exaggerate the motion but that is typically initially - not a constant.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I don't believe bell boots can help the gate. In fact I was told by old hunter/jumper instructor (with like 40-50 years of experience, very well know in area) that they interfer with the movement and should be avoided.

Personally I still keep bell boots on even on trail rides and in arena (because she wears them 24/7 anyway), and didn't notice any "interfering", but I definitely didn't notice any improvement in gait either.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

Two of you responded that your horses wears bell boots 24/7.... why?? what DO they help with???

Rhonda


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

I'm with you all, I thought they were only for avoiding strikes from the rear hooves?? That's what I use them for, since Sandie went and took a chunk out of the back of her front leg once when we were galloping without them!


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

RhondaLynn said:


> Two of you responded that your horses wears bell boots 24/7.... why?? what DO they help with???
> 
> Rhonda


I'm assuming they mean because they get turned out with them, so if they're running around in the pasture they won't do what my mare did :wink:


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Nope. My horse wears them in his stall, turned out, any time he is not actually in the show ring.

He finds shoe removing to be a fun horse sport. With out his bell boots his shoes do not stand a chance.


After giving him an evening bath I put him away in his stall for the night with out his bell boots on. When I took him out in the early AM the next day to leave for a show, he had removed one of his front shoes. Yes, over night in his stall.

I use the rubber pull on style.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

Ok, Always behind, I can understand why you would need/want the bell boots. not only for the safety of his foot but $$$ saved!!!

Rhonda


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

The entire point of bell boots is to protect the heel from overreaching, and of course help keep horses from pulling shoes that have them. My mare is barefoot, but she has a horrible habit, of overreaching and cutting her heel bulbs with her hind feet. She does this on an almost consistent basis. I turn her out, or round pen her, and pretty much every time, she's managed to catch one of not both front feet. I finally got bell boots after being able to handle her feet better, and I can see where she steps on them when I turn her out. I have used them on a couple of my horses, but all because they over reached.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

RhondaLynn said:


> Ok, Always behind, I can understand why you would need/want the bell boots. not only for the safety of his foot but $$$ saved!!!
> 
> Rhonda


Actually it would be both money and safety. Pulling a shoe - especially in a stall - the horse could step on the nails and abscess, he could rip off a chunk of hoof and the farrier would be unable to replace the shoe for a couple of weeks, etc.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

RhondaLynn said:


> Two of you responded that your horses wears bell boots 24/7.... why?? what DO they help with???


Rhonda, one of my horses manages to cut herself on back of front leg right above the hoof. She did it couple times on ice (probably it broke and cut her), so I kept the boots only in winter. But then she managed to do it last summer (I guess found a rock somewhere). So I keep them on all the time since that. Of course I take them off and clean periodically, but they are loose enough, so just kinda hang out around the leg. :wink:

Edit: BTW, she's definitely not over-reaching - at least I never noticed in field or on ride. And I don't keep boots on my other horse (except in winter when we have ice - than I do as precaution).


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

These are all valid reasons to wear bell boots and I can certainly understand why you would put them on for the reasons listed in the posts above. I just don't know why the "know it all" woman I was riding with thought I needed them for my tender footed, rough gaited mare... I guess she wasn't such a know it all after all!!!hehe!!! I am glad to know I'm NOT quite as stupid as I was beginning to think. THANKS for all the responses!

Rhonda


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## vivache (Jun 14, 2009)

Your horse is probably pacey or trotty. A trainer would be able to tell you if it can be trained out of them, or if they need weighted shoes-- if it's that big a deal.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

Here is North Georgia we have TWH trainers around. We took my mare to a trainer friend and I rode her in the ring. She is pacey. Most of the time I can get her into a smooth gait, but she is lazy and comes out of it fairly quickly. 

We ride mostly in the mountains here in N. Ga. they are the foothills of the smoky mtns. so it is REALLy not that big of a deal that she is not extrememly smooth because we don't have that much opportunity to ride areas where I want her in gait for long periods of time. 

Thanks to everyone who has responded to this thread.

Rhonda


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

You should ask your friend what they meant. It would be interesting to know what they were thinking.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

well.... they were not our friends. We met them on a ride and she had bell boots on her horse. She was a "know it all" person. We were sort of stuck riding with them for the afternoon. I have ridden all my life, but I KNOW just enought to KNOW I don't KNOW anything.(make sense??)

When she said that, I just kinda mumbled yea... ok... not really wanting to hear more. Then I starting thinking and couldn't for the life of me figure out why bell boots would smooth out her gait and make her LESS tenderfooted. Mostly less tenderfooted. She does not have a problem with striking her front feet with the back.

Rhonda


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

I did a google search, and apparently they make weighted bell boots. Maybe that's what she meant. I had never heard of it either, but I suppose I'd prefer a weighted bell boot over some other methods I've seen...


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## OnAWhimFarm (Sep 6, 2010)

The reason she suggested it would be that the bell boot would add some weight. The weight is suppose to help with gaiting. To make them gait better. Like a balance thing. I have never had any success using regular bell boots and I wouldnt try the weighted ones.


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## bbsmfg3 (Aug 12, 2010)

Boots, chains, any additional weight on the front end will sometimes help smooth out a rough gait. Notice I said "sometimes", not always. The front weights usually do more good for the running walk, than with the rack. Weights on the rear of a rough racking horse will sometimes help them.


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