Your horse’s legs – boot and leg protection shopping list!
Do you know that old saying about no hoof, no horse? The same applies to his legs – no leg, no horse. You will need to protect a horse’s legs in many instances; here’s a handy boot and leg protection shopping list.
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Options, options, options.
The situation: Basic leg protection for exercise.
- Your horse can, and will, find a way to knock themself during a workout. Even the horse that doesn’t regularly interfere can benefit from protection just in case: during lateral work, when the terrain is bad, when they wants to dance, when they spook. For more info on interference, read this article.
Options: Splint boots, sport boots, polo wraps.
- The most versatile choice: I pick sport boots. They can be used for all disciplines; they are machine washable, they last, they are easy to put on and take off, and they can also be used for turnout. No polos in turn out please, they can easily unravel.
Multi-purpose and easy to use. These are my Valena boots.
The situation: Leg protection for trailering.
Options: Standing wraps (quilts and wraps), shipping boots, sport boots and bell boots (not the best option, but better than naked legs).
- The most versatile choice: I pick standing wraps. Standing wraps are good for trailering and medical needs. Shipping boots are great if your budget allows it and your horse is fine with the knee and hock coverage.
Quilts and standing wraps are the most versatile.
The situation: Post-exercise leg care.
Options: Poultice, ice boots, cold water hosing, liniments.
- The most versatile choice: I pick ice boots. A poultice is messy; you need to let it sit 12 hours and you can’t use it everywhere unless you want a sticky mess. Ice boots take 20 or 30 minutes, and the packs can be used all over your horse, or you.
I often use these on my own achy parts.
The situation: Hoof care.
- You will need something for hoof icing, hoof poultice, hoof packing, hoof protection from a tossed shoe.
Options: One thousand types of hoof boot.
- The most versatile choice is a boot you can soak, ice, and protect your horse’s legs in. These catch-all boots are not super for letting your horse walk around or be turned out. They excel at protecting the hoof until your farrier arrives. They are commonly used to protect the hoof after the horseshoe has disappeared.
These temporary hoof wraps are affordable, but may not stand up to a lot of wear, especially on gritty ground.
The situation: Your horse has a medical reason requiring leg protection.
- This could be to combat proud flesh, to keep a wound or surgical site covered, to treat massive swelling, etc.
Options: Quilts or cotton batting or “no bow” wraps. Covered with flannel wraps, standing wraps, medical tape.
- The most versatile choice: I pick quilts with standing wraps. Quilts are forgiving, and it’s tough to get them too tight. “No bow” wraps and flannels are not so forgiving in their application, and in delicate medical situations perhaps some squish from a quilt is better. Cotton batting and medical tape get expensive if you are doing multiple changes! If you have quilts and wraps for hauling, they can do double duty here.
Talk to your vet about the need to wrap both legs if only one has the injury. Sometimes it’s a good idea, other times it’s not a good idea.
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These boots are the gold standard for jumpers and horses that like to interfere.
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The gold standard for bell boots in a rainbow of colors.
Be practical when wrapping your horse's legs with a traditional color, but toss in some spice with the understated pattern!
Protect your horse's legs and let them shine bright.
These boots are my favorite for wrapping hooves with poultice or clay and a diaper. No more duct tape boots! You can also use inserts with these for more squish.
This style is great to protect the hoof, but is not soft and squishy for laminitis cases.
Show off your horse's legs with these safe, reflective, and fashionable boots.
These boots are great for protecting barefoot horses.
These SilverSox are great for protecting the legs from rubs, help with scratches and mud fever, and provide some compression, too.
These are amazing for riding. They take some wrestling to get on, but they will stay on.
Thank you!
