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mcnaughty
19 Jun 2009 13:51
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I am a pretry experienced horse owner but even this one baffles me. Does anyone know the real difference between all the different types of leg protection on the market. ie. what does a tendon boot actually prevent/protect from and why are they open fronted when if a horse knocks a jump it would be at the front and does a more wrap around boot that is closed at the front also protect the tendons?
Do you all have your favourites and/or ones you would stay away from\?
Also, price-wise - is there truly a difference between a £12 set of brushing boots and a £50/60 pair!!??
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20 Jun 2009 09:22
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Hmmm, GOOD question. But I do know the answer to at least one of your questions. And I hope I am right but it was what I was always taught!
Open fronted tendon boots are used for showjumping only, and are open fronted for the exact reason that you say. If the horse knocks the jump with its front leg on the open boot, it will be sensitive and the next time, not be inclined to do it. If you put on boots that protect the front, the horse can be inclined to plough through the jump.
I have to say, that there are HUNDREDS of different designs of boots on th market now and it can be a minefield choosing but it depends mostly on the work that your horse is doing. For example, a dressage horse would not get the protection it needs from a tendon boot, but rather from a bandage or a specially designed wrap around boot. And a horse doing cross country would again need a boot that was more sturdy than a showjumping one - in xc, the open fronted boots are unacceptable as the jumps are solid.
What you mentioned about price - in my experience (and I have bought cheap tat as well as expensive), you can sometime get what you pay for. Some cheaper boots I have bought have fallen to bits in less than one month, whilst I still have expensive boots from a pony that I had 10 years ago. The boots are still going strong. One thing I would say as well, is that the more expensive boots have more shape and more care has gone into the design, so they can often offer more protection as well. t doesn't mean to say that you can't find an acceptable boot for a reasonable price!
I use bandages 95% of the time as I now only do dressage but my favourite makes of boots are:
Eskadron (I have tendon boots and the xc equivilant for turnout and general hacking protection). Sports Medicine Boots from USA (a brilliant alternative to bandages for when the weather is bad, gives all round protection when schooling). Woof Wear Brushing boots for turnout and general hacking again but I never put brushing boots on front legs as I feel for my horses, it doesn't give the protection needed.
Its a minefield but I always say, once you find a make you like, stick to it. Until then keep experimenting - even if you buy a 2nd hand pair to try.
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David Marlin
20 Jun 2009 11:21
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I recently completed some studies looking at various issues realting to leg protection for horses and so you might find these comments of use. The first reason you should want to use a boot is to protect the legs. Lower legs injuries are extremely, actually probably the most common injury in horses across all disciplines. Horses can be injured from any kind of interference (one leg hitting another) or from falls or from hitting obstacles (fences). Injury can occur from cutting/penetration or from blunt trauma. Blunt trauma could leave no visible cut or wound but still cause swelling, brusing, pain, lameness or serious internal damage to soft or bony tissues. So a good boot should offer protection against concussion and penetration/cutting.
The potential downsides to using boots are:
1)increased weight which changes stride characteristics and increases the energy the horse uses to move. Some boots that absorb sweat or water can double in weight during exercise.
2)stiffness - stiff boots may rub or restrict joint movement leading to decreased stride lenght
3)heating - there is evidence that repeated overheating of tendons may contribute to inflammation that in turn leads to tendon damage
Some of the boots I tested protected against concussion, some protected against penetration, some scored well some cored poorly.
The best advice at present is to look for manufacturers who you know carry out laboratory testing. Don't be fooled by ones who say their boots have been used for years and no one has complained so they must be good.
If you want to look into this further then have a look at Equilibrium Products website as they have some more information on this.
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20 Jun 2009 13:42
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Very Interesting David, and you are absolutely right. When one of my horses was coming back into work after a tendon injury, we looked for a set of boots for him that were going to give the protection needed for his injury. Thats why after a load of research, I found the Sports Medicine boots, which were developed in USA for people who do barrell racing. There was so much research done on them, I bought the best ones I could - which were horrendously expensive but have been worth every penny. The best part of these boots, is not only the protection but if they break, or are damaged, you can send them back to the manufacturer and they will mend them for free but so that the construction of the boot is not damaged.
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Thudleston
13 Jun 2010 16:32
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I was told a while back about some research about tendon injury. It apparently showed that tendons often break down from the inside out and that this can be worsened by too much heat in the legs - I dont know how true this is, but since then I have not used neoprene boots, I always bandage. Of course this is probably not entirely true, but then then again many manufacturers promote the breathable properties of the leg protection so perhaps it is something we should all consider when choosing leg protection?
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joallan
16 Jun 2010 22:40
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My summer boots (sold as cross country boots), are made with orthopaedic lining material which is used to keep the tendon cool, the rear of the front boot is hard plastic of some sort which would prevent the rear shoe cutting the tendon, they need to be fitted carefully to prevent the stiff rear of this front boot leaning against the tendon, but i am happy that they are cool, and would prevent laceration of the tendon, the matching rear boot has a Kevlar strike plate which will prevent cutting the inside of the leg with the hind shoe..
Neither of these boots provide support, but i don't want to support the legs too much as I want to to build up strength over a period of training.
If I were to enter competition where I would be stressing the tendons, i would consider using polo non stretch bandages as used in polo competition and in dressage. Tendon boots could be put on top to prevent injury from the hind foot. Alternatively I might buy a plastic type of boot with aero-vents to use in competition or in serious cross country training.
I think that in competition one wants to ensure that no damage is incurred, in training I want to build up strength, without bruising, cuts, or casual knocks.
In summary, i think one can easily buy at least three boots, including a pair of neoprene for every day use in winter including turnout.
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Lighthouse
17 Jun 2010 09:28
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Hmm, so very interesting!
A subject close to my heart after having had my own and client's horses with various tendon/ligament injuries that have scuppered a horse's career, and even ended in euthanasia.
Aside from the big issue of not asking for too much of a young horse before they are strong enough, my feeling is, are we helping or hindering our horses by wrapping them up so much?
If we agree that heat is a major source of potential damage to tendons, why are we wrapping them up in layers of gamgee and fleecy bandages??
My decision in the past three years is to boot-up as little as i can get away with, and use boots with strong protection against striking/over-reaching etc, but very little 'support' - I am choosing to try and encourage healthy tendons/ligaments by NOT wrapping them up tightly at all.
Do human athletes/dancers wear tight elastic or fleecy wraps around their arms and legs all the time? Unless an existing injury troubles them, I don't believe they do...
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joallan
17 Jun 2010 12:31
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My background is in national hunt racing, ie jump racing: in any racing yard, all the front legs are checked daily before exercise and later, in the afternoon, this is a major responsibility, and it is usually the Head Lad who does this, it takes experience to know whether to step up the work, carry on with the work, to take it easy, or to lay off for a while.
In competition, jump racing horses are going to be pushed hard, they need to be fit, but bandages are not used to support them, the legs need to be "race hardened" by conditioning.
Boots are always worn in a race to prevent injury while galloping as severe injury can occur when the front tendon is extended and it is hit by a rear foot.
For daily exercise, most racehorse trainers would fit only those most likely to damage themselves with boots.
For "schooling", by which the NH peeps mean jumping over a series of fences, boots are worn for protection on all horses. These boots would give good protection not only from interference injury but also from the top bar of the hurdle or the stiff birch twigs used to construct a fence.
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