Do you think protective leg boots or polo wraps and a pair of bell boots are necessary for trail riding?

I trail ride all the time in varied terrain and have never, ever used boots or wraps on my horses. All with no bad results over the years. In rough terrain, I would be more worried about something getting stuck to or under the imagined protection and causing more problems than were solved.

Not really necessary for trail riding, but it depends on the horse. Some horses do need bell boots, even if they are turned out in the paddock. And if the trails are rough, then a little extra leg protection wouldn't hurt, especially if you were going off trail and into the scrub (lots of scrub bushland around where I keep my boy) and you were worried about your horse's legs getting scratched by branches, and whatever else.

I use bell boots on my current horse, whether schooling in the arena or hacking on a trail, because he forges and I don't want him nicking his forefeet. However, if we come upon deep mud or thorny brush, I will take them off to make the going easier for him. I also don't use bell boots while riding on the beach. The sand gets lodged under them, irritating his pasterns and turning the boots wrong way around. It's unnecessary on the beach in any case because the deep sand causes him to take shorter strides.

I have never used leg wraps or other types of support boots during trail riding or schooling. I researched them, including asking a few knowledgeable answers here for their opinions, and concluded that there wasn't much benefit. However, I will be investing in a pair of hock boots for him to be turned out in, since he has apparently developed arthritis.

like EmEquine said not necessary, bell boots id say no unless you decide to so some cross country then consider it but my horse dose not need them but i still put them on just for safety but thats me if it makes you feel better use splint boots instead of an open front boot to me i find them more secure and if polo wraps are not wrapped properly they can cause issue with the horses legs, i have only heard this never experienced it, but if you go the splint boot route don't cheap out on them if you can help it

Personally, I find it unnecessary in most cases. And I'm not your typically trail rider; I endurance ride so am usually at a trot or faster over varied ground.

The only thing I use on my horse is splint boots, and even then only sometimes. I often go without boots of any sort while on the trail.

I'm more likely to use bell boots in the arena when we do more transitions, lateral work, etc where my horse might be more likely to nick herself from crossing legs.

It's not necessary, but it would be nice for your horse. Boots aren't needed, but polo wraps would be great! Polos offer no protection in terms of pressure (can't protect from jumping, etc), but it can protect from scratches and bugs.

Make sure you're doing it correctly and it is on tightly enough (but not too much or you can hurt your horse's tendon), because it can be dangerous if they're loose.

Hiya,

It really depends on the horse and the trail. Most of the time I find it completely unnecessary, but when I rode at a barn that retrained OTTBs we used boots when trail riding. This was because they have thin, delicate legs and our more advanced trails included more difficult terrain, jumps, etc.

So, depends on if you think it's really necessary. :)

I use splint boots. They have gouges in them that could have been my horse's legs. I do some rugged riding, though.