[buck22]

What is recommended for trail driving?

I'm not a leg protection person in general so I am woefully undereducated in this department.

The real reason I'm seeking it is for fly protection. Greenheads, deer flies and other large blood sucking and aggressive critters have descended like plague on us this year and really driving my horse nuts.

He was a very good boy and tolerated the onslaught on our drive yesterday, but rinsing off the speckles and dribbles of blood on his legs was really heart breaking. Not to mention 5 ticks under his tail clever boy used his tail against the crupper to itch them on our cool down, I could not for the life of me figure out why he was shuffling the crupper with his tail like that. Poor baby.

What is safe and recommended but offers maximum coverage?

Thank you!! Pony thanks you!

[butlerfamilyzoo]

I guess you could do something like SMBs with bell boots. I have the newer ventech ones, they are nicer, not so hot. The neoprene inside is perforated for air flow. I think the important thing is that they fit well. I measured my pony and it said she would take a small (14h) but her bone is so thick that she actually needs the medium, and the smalls fit my fine boned 13h pony just fine.

Polos you can cover some area on, but they pick up everything on them, you'll be bringing home cockaburs and bits of grass and whatever else. You'll have this some with the SMBs as well as they are kinda of a "fuzzy" type of exterior.

So with that thought in mind, you could go the more plasticy davis splint boot with bell boots, but you are going to leave some fetlock un-covered.

I would say for coverage, open front jump boots leave too much open space, though are the easiest to get on.

I LOVE the sheepskin lined dressage boots, but the sheepskin picks up stuff too. So for ease of use, i would say the Davis would be the easiest and hose off. The SMBs more coverage, but if they dont fit they suck, and they can be a pain to put on/off cause they constantly re-stick to themselves.

I have them all, lol. But to be honest, after my mare's injury i cant decide if i'm in the boot camp or not. Booting them supports tendons/ligaments which can be good, but can also weaken them as they are not doing as much supporting of themselves as they would without. Therefore unless i'm doing something that they might kick themselves doing, i just dont bother anymore.

I wonder if you could do some kinda of elastic velcro strap and sew long tassels on. Maybe attach right below knee, would have to be snug, line it with sheepskin maybe? I dont know if it would slip down still though. He could be sporting some tassel bell bottoms!

[CDE Driver]

What about something like these?

http://www.horse.com/item/cashel-cru...-guards/BUC04/

I like the idea of tassled bell bottoms though!

[buck22]

lol! tassled bell bottoms!

I was desperate enough to consider pulling out the fly boots, but that can't possibly be safe driving, can it? If it is, it sure would be a simple solution since I already have a set that fits my chicken legged morgan.

I need to protect my horse, but I'm afraid to do something boneheaded I just have no experience in this department.

If I had my druthers, I would *really* like to use my Saratoga wraps. We go all over hill and dale, wet and sandy, brush and roads. I don't mind cleaning and picking out debris, I just don't want to create a hazard for my horse. I've never trail ridden in polos so I don't know if its likely to pick up a stick, or unravel, or slide if it got wet/sweaty, etc.

As a last resort I do have a set of SMBs that fit him nicely, but they are the older style, they are fuzzy and pick up a ton of debris (the Saratogas are slicker), and they do get hot. I stopped using them once I discovered that and keep them around for emergencies only.

Heck, I have half a mind to try to the Winny Warmers in the horse care section, but they're not recommended for "exercise".

The only boots I have that I am totally confident in are jumping/exercise boots, but as you said, they offer splint bone protection primarily, very little else, defeating the purpose of what I'm after.

I tried slathering his legs in poultice clay before going out, and it helped in the areas it was laid on quite thick, but the flies found the thinner areas easily. Poultice is a nice solution but its going to get costly quick applying it each day.

I'd prefer a reuseable option like wraps.

I'm just having day-mares of us cantering down the trail and a sock or fly boot or polo coming undone and fluttering around causing an unsavory situation.

I simply have no experience here so I'm unsure what I can get away with.

[butlerfamilyzoo]

I would worry about the fly boots slipping if you are doing a lot of trot work.

Your saratoga wraps would likely be fine. Those are firmer than a polo, if you are worried about them coming undone, run a strip of electric tape around the velcro like the eventers do. I mean, if they can hold up for eventing, i think they'll hold up for trail driving, if you dont mind clearing the debris out.

I've gotten small twigs stuck up the splint boots before, but otherwise, i've only had issues crossing water and getting the boots soggy and they slip, or rub when wet. The SMBs seem to stay put for the water, and i havent gotten twigs up them, but yes, the old style is HOT.

[Drive NJ]

If the boots are just for fly protection, you may want to consider a different type of bug protection.

There was a roll-on product called "War Paint" or something that that which really seemed to help with bugs. What about something like that?

I'd be less inclined to use any sort of wrap for bugs because of avoiding any extra heat on the legs.

[Chewbacca]

I agree with Drive NJ about finding other forms of fly protection. The "spot on" product is supposed to work well, although I've never tried it.

I apply generic aloe skin lotion from the dollar store. I mix with water and put in a spray bottle. It seems to do OK. I also use Pyrahna fly spray and will sometimes use the 2 together.

I drive my horses in polos on all 4's. Not all the time, but if I'm doing something particularly difficult, like obstacle practice in the (sometimes deep) sand arena, or if I plan to go on a 1hr road drive. I will use the polos for support (and of course, looks!) and they have the added effect of fly control.

In nearly 20 years of both riding and/or driving, I've never had a polo wrap slip, come loose, or do anything undesirable.

I did purchase some lime green splint boots for Chewbacca, to use instead of polos. They are a top name brand boot, which currently escapes my mind. I also used them with bell boots. The splint boots have 4 bands of velcro, one that wraps under the fetlock for added support. I used them a few time and one day, out on a drive, I noticed they had started to come loose! Both of them! I had to stop in the street to remove them before anything undesirable happened. This was not an ideal situation, and I also hated how the bell boots (which were also velcro) sat (or didn't sit).

I don't use either of those anymore and just stick with polos. Or fly spray/aloe if I'm not using them.

[butlerfamilyzoo]

spot on was a total fail for me.

I think the flies down south are immune to fly spray, and i dont get the cheap stuff either! lol. Actually, those big horse flies in PA i've dealt with a few times in my life were the worst ever. I've never been in a show that we had to stop the horses cause of horse flies, not once but multiple times, and still have a buck and dump happen. That was an eye opener. The horse flies i've got showing up here are about half that size, but buzz just as loud, and bite pretty dang hard. Left a welt on my back the other day i was trimming feet and didnt feel it till it was too late. OUCH.

[buck22]

Thanks guys!

Topical products are problematic for several reasons. One, my thin skinned chestnut just can't handle anything but the mildest water based products, his skin will lightly burn and get scurfy. I tried the spot on and it caused hives and welts on both of my horses.

The real reason however is that the bugs that are a nuisance aren't susceptible to any kind of insecticide or repellant. I'm dealing with huge biting greenheads and deer flies. I did a bit of research into how to kill these little bastards and Rutgers reports that for biting flies of their size the amount of insecticide needed to kill them is toxic to mammals. Only options for control are to trap or protect.

I tried that Fly Armor noseband thingie... might work on noseeums or mosquitos, but the deer flies literally landed on it.

So I need barrier type solution, that won't be hazardous driving,

BFZ, thats right, I didn't even think of that, if eventers can go all day in Saratogas with electric tape, surely its safe enough for us.

THANK YOU!!

[Drive NJ]

True enough about bug spray not working well for greenheads, B-52s, deer flys and like.

We put out a greenhead trap, but haven't found the perfect flyway for it yet. Traps a bunch of flies, they dry out - no smell - and we dump them on the ground for the birds to eat.

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/greenheads.htm

http://www.instructables.com/id/Deer-Fly-Traps/

I've seen one article where someone rigged up a lawn tractor with arms of these gluecovered blue cups and trolled around the fields catching the flies.

Also saw one about a rider who put one on her helmet (older helmet used used for this). Attracted the flies away from the horse and to her... not sure I'd go there

Worked pretty well until the hot weather melted the tanglefoot off the cup and down the helmet into her hair... ewww

[buck22]

Rutgers greenhead trap is on my to-do list this week. I'm going to put them out into the paddocks to hopefully lessen the burden on the ponies.

The greenheads to have a silver lining though, in the paddocks anyhow, Fattycakes Fatenstein and his fat fat friend are FINALLY loosing weight. I am a mean mean mean mommy and hay them out in the paddocks, not in the safety of the run-in. They are on the run-outside-eat-for-10-minutes-run-back-inside-to-hide-for-20 diet. I do feel horrible but I like that I can actually feel their ribs again.

[kookicat]

I guess you could do something like SMBs with bell boots. I have the newer ventech ones, they are nicer, not so hot. The neoprene inside is perforated for air flow. I think the important thing is that they fit well. I measured my pony and it said she would take a small (14h) but her bone is so thick that she actually needs the medium, and the smalls fit my fine boned 13h pony just fine.

Polos you can cover some area on, but they pick up everything on them, you'll be bringing home cockaburs and bits of grass and whatever else. You'll have this some with the SMBs as well as they are kinda of a "fuzzy" type of exterior.

So with that thought in mind, you could go the more plasticy davis splint boot with bell boots, but you are going to leave some fetlock un-covered.

I would say for coverage, open front jump boots leave too much open space, though are the easiest to get on.

I LOVE the sheepskin lined dressage boots, but the sheepskin picks up stuff too. So for ease of use, i would say the Davis would be the easiest and hose off. The SMBs more coverage, but if they dont fit they suck, and they can be a pain to put on/off cause they constantly re-stick to themselves.

I have them all, lol. But to be honest, after my mare's injury i cant decide if i'm in the boot camp or not. Booting them supports tendons/ligaments which can be good, but can also weaken them as they are not doing as much supporting of themselves as they would without. Therefore unless i'm doing something that they might kick themselves doing, i just dont bother anymore.

I wonder if you could do some kinda of elastic velcro strap and sew long tassels on. Maybe attach right below knee, would have to be snug, line it with sheepskin maybe? I dont know if it would slip down still though. He could be sporting some tassel bell bottoms!

Boots don't offer any support. Protection, yes, but no support.

I've seen fly boots made from the same stuff as the fly rugs. Not sure if you can ride/drive in them though.

What about these or these?

[butlerfamilyzoo]

I disagree. A SMB (sports medicine boot) with the piece that stretches around and under the fetlock has been proven to offer support to tendons/ligaments. BUT, they must fit properly.

My mare tore her annular ligament, the sling in the fetlock that holds the other tendons up. We were working in these boots for 2 months before she tore this... It does make me wonder if i weakened that ligament thanks to the SMBs.

As for any other boot, i would have to agree, offers no support, unless you want to wrap your polos under the fetlock, however, even then, unless its something like the Saratoga type wraps, i dont think they are going to offer that stretch/support type of function. Regular fleece polos are going to stretch with the fetlock.