Trailering my horse..?

Question

Should i put bell boots on my horse before i put him in the trailer? I got standing bandages and i think thats enough, but I was just curious

Thanks!

Answer 1

It depends on how well your horse wears his shoes. The only purpose of bell boots is to prevent the horse from pulling a front shoe with a hind hoof, by preventing him from catching the tail end of the front shoe with the tip of his hind toe and pulling the shoe when he picks up his front foot. If your horse is barefoot, they are not necessary at all. If your horse has front shoes and you are going on a long trailer ride and worry that he may step on his shoe from standing in one small space for so long, use them, they can't hurt. good luck.

Answer 2

This depends. I always advise shipping boots, as these protect the legs from hoof to knee or hoof to hock. They're generously cushioned to protect against any injuries he might give himself, especially over long hauls across state or country. If you can't afford or don't want to buy shipping boots, than pillow wraps fastened with standing wraps are the next best choice. The pillow wraps provide ample cushioning. Polo wraps alone usually don't afford the same kind of protection (remember, that's not what they're made for). If you do wrap, bell boots are optional. It depends on your horse. The bell boot was designed to protect against an overreaching horse. In the trailer, he won't be walking, so he won't be able to clip himself. But if he fidgets and stands close together in the front, he may step on himself just out of nerves. If he's usually anxious in the trailer, I'd recommend the bell boots just to be on the safe side.

Answer 3

I always trailer my horses in their bell boots and shipping boots. Along with head bumpers reguardless of age or size. You can never be too safe when it comes to hauling your horses- especially if something unexpected were to happen such as you getting into a wreck or your truck or trailer breaking down. I also trailer all my horses in their fly masks to prevent debris from blowing or getting into their eye.


And to an earlier post- bell boots aren't to prevent a horses shoe's from falling off- their to prevent over reach damage. Over reaching when severe or if your horse is fragile enough can cause equines to go lame.

Answer 4

Most trailering bandages/wraps/shipping boots come down over the hoof like a bell boot would, if your doesn't have that i suggest getting ones that do, but if you can't then a bell boot would work fine. You horse will barely be able to feel them... Most people use shipping boots when trailering not standing wraps-- they look like this...

http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-04115&sid=shopz&CATALOG_CODE=1X844&EID=X1844001,/product.asp?pn=X1-04115&sid=shopz&CATALOG_CODE=1X844&EID=X1844001&bhcd2=1174593372

If you are refering to shipping boots and have the name mixed up then you CAN use bell boots for extra protection if you really think its necessary. I also suggest a leather head bumper that protects their head and a tail wrap to keep their tail together because you don't want to chance it getting caught on something.

GOOD LUCK and if you need any more help or have any questions you can contact my equine help hotline by adding Equine Help 101 to your buddy list for prompt answers and advice!

Answer 5

The bell boots sound like a very good idea, irregardless of how well your horse trailors. Anything can happen in the trailor while you're on the road; it won't make a lick of difference how well your horse trailors in more serious situations. Proper protection is important. Good fitting bell boots will help to protect the heals, shoes, and perhaps the coronary bands (I'm spelling "coronary" incorrectly, I'm sure of it!)

I used to do standing wraps with bell boots for longer trips, and I used his brushing boots, bell boots and commercial shipping wraps for shorter trips (the brushing boots and bell boots were on simply to speed up my preparation for my warm up).

So, I would say, if you have good fitting bell boots (in good repair), and you want to provide safe protection, then use them in the trailor! :-)

Answer 6

It depends on your horse. If he is a nervous traveler than it probably wouldn't hurt. Make sure that he is comfortable in bell boots first though. I had an Arabian that couldn't stand them and would act ridiculous to get them off; which would be bad in a trailer.

Answer 7

Depends on a few things-
How long is the haul? (if you are going very far I'd put them on just to be on the safe side)
Is he usually calm when in the trailer?(If he is usually mellow and you have never used them before, I think he'll be alright)
Over all I think he'll be fine with just the wraps but if you have the bell boots you might as well put them on, you never know what can happen when you are out on the road.

Answer 8

as long as you have breaks for the pony it is going to be great. I traveled approximately 5 hours with horses in a trailer and gave a break each 2 hours it substitute into great. My buddy traveled from NC to TX and the horses weren't under pressure. i'm useful they are going to be great.

Answer 9

You could, but it's not really necessary. If your horse is tall, you might want to put a head bumper on him, and some people are fanatical about tail wraps, but I usually just go with shipping boots and leave it at that.

Answer 10

If you have them, and he tolerates them, it wouldn't hurt anything to put them on! You never know what can happen on the road, and the more protection like that the better!