DAN: "Boots during turnout.
I see lots of people turning horses out
with brush boots and splint boots.
Does this help or hurt the horse in any way?
I've heard some people say it'll make the horse's legs weaker
because they rely on the boots for support.
Is there any truth to this?
Is there any circumstance where boots would
be beneficial during turnout?"
DR LYDIA GRAY: Go ahead.
DAN: Oh, sorry.
DR LYDIA GRAY: She's not done yet?
DAN: She is done.
She's the last.
But we had some feedback from the YouTube comments.
So Niamh Heraty-- and if I butcher your name,
I'm very sorry--
she also said, "Are boots beneficial for horses
to wear during turnout?
Because I really want a horse of my own,
so I'm learning everything I can."
So she's doing her research--
DR LYDIA GRAY: Good for you.
DAN: --ahead of time.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah.
DAN: That's it.
That's it.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Now it's my turn?
OK.
What I was going to say was, I've
noticed a trend these questions-- one
question on a topic has like three, four, five questions
and I can't remember them all.
So you--
DAN: She--
--wanted to make--
--sure if--
she's going to submit her questions
she is going to get all the points covered.
DR LYDIA GRAY: My goodness.
OK.
And she said brush boots or splint boots?
I think--
DAN: Correct.
DR LYDIA GRAY: --brush or splint boots-- like the same--
that name can be applied to the same kind of boot.
DAN: Correct.
DR LYDIA GRAY: We had an example.
Like these would be brush or splint boots.
They're pretty simple.
They have a strike guard in the inside.
And the point of these is that it's
to protect against impact injury.
So horses that might be knocking one leg against the other.
You want to protect the cannon bone, the splint bone,
the soft tissues, the tendons and ligaments that run down
the back of the leg.
The ankles-- that tissue from like the knee to the ankle.
DAN: Yes.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Because that's where some horses interfere.
Bell boots would be if horses, like, overreach.
So their hind foot comes up and hits
the heel of the front foot, so you want to prevent those.
I know a lot of horses that wear those like all the time.
DAN: Yeah.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And then the final
would be overuse injuries.
In that-- and I'm going to give this
to you because it's Velcro, and my hair and Velcro don't really
mix.
But this has a sling on the bottom,
so it's not just like the brush boot with the three straps
up here.
It's got this additional part.
And that goes underneath the ankle
and protects against overuse.
The tendons and ligaments in the back
of the leg from sinking down too far and from the ankle
from hyperextending.
So a little bit different use there.
So you have to know why you're putting boots on your horse.
You don't just put them on because everybody
else at your barn is doing it or it's tradition or something.
You need to know why you're doing it.
DAN: So if you have a horse who maybe
has had some tendon or ligament issues prior
it might be a good idea?
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah.
Or if your horse interferes.
Like, I have a horse who is so, shall we say,
"wide," that he doesn't interfere.
So I've never put boots on him.
But now I have a young horse who, as he grows,
he's narrow-- he hasn't developed any musculature yet
and so he interferes and overreaches both.
So he's a brush boot and a bell boot guy.
DAN: I'm big into bell boots because a lot of horses--
I ride stock horses and egg bars with the navicular.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Oh, yeah.
You don't want to be pulling--
DAN: It's very
DR LYDIA GRAY: --those off.
DAN: --easy for them to throw their shoes in turnout,
so I'm big into the bell boots, for sure.
DR LYDIA GRAY: So the things I wanted
to say were, it's important that they fit well and stay on.
That you apply them correctly?
Because boots can do harm if they're not applied correctly,
if they're left on too long, if they're dirty.
Bell boots that just get left on in turnout,
especially where it's sandy or dusty or whatever,
can cause sores.
So you have to be careful there.
Along those lines, your boots need to be easy to clean.
These are super easy to clean.
I mean, you just hose them off.
They need to be durable.
So all these Velcro pieces that we've been showing you they
need to hold up for daily use again and again and again.
They need to not hold water.
And here's an important thing, not trap heat.
And that's why I like Professional's Choice's
new splint or brush boots.
They're made of a new kind of fabric that it is good airflow
and doesn't hold the heat in like our old fashioned neoprene
did.
Because there's been some research--
DAN: I can do--
DR LYDIA GRAY: --that says--
DAN: --your Velcro for you.
[CHUCKLES]
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah, thank you.
I'm not touching it.
There is some evidence that says,
if you put a boot on a horse and it's this neoprene that
traps or holds the heat in, once they
start working the soft tissue can get overheated
and that's damaging the cells.
So you want a good, breathable, good airflow boot,
especially if you're going to leave it on for a long time.
DAN: Because this is lightweight and it's also like--
DR LYDIA GRAY: It's very lightweight.
But it's got a good strike guard.
I can feel there's good protection here on the inside.
And then the other thing I was going to say
is read reviews when you go online.
Because we've all got different sized horses and long legs
and short legs and fat legs and skinny legs.
If you read the reviews it'll tell you about the sizing,
like, is it true to size?
Or should you order a size larger or smaller
than you normally would?
It will tell you about, is it hard to clean, easy to clean,
maybe some cleaning tips.
But I found the reviews that people write about products
to be very, very helpful when I select.
DAN: And to your point about like the sizing,
because if they're too loose you can get dirt
in the inside of them.
DR LYDIA GRAY: They can slip down.
DAN: Slip down.
DR LYDIA GRAY: And scare horses.
DAN: Exactly.
So luckily we do have at SmartPak free return shipping
on sized items.
So something--
DR LYDIA GRAY: That is right.
I forgot that.
DAN: So sometimes what I recommend
is order both sizes, see which one fits best--
DR LYDIA GRAY: Great--
DAN: --and--
DR LYDIA GRAY: --idea.
DAN: --just throw the other one back to us.
And that way you don't have to wait about all this exchanging
back and forth.
DR LYDIA GRAY: Yeah.
Thank you, that's good.
DAN: You're welcome.
My contribution to this one episode.