Booting to Assist Soft Tissue Rehabilitation
All horses have a unique talent when it comes to hurting themselves, even if the people in charge of caring for them take every measure to keep them safe. It's remarkable. And while it may be tempting to wrap our enormous pets in bubble wrap; they will still find a way to get hurt.
Aside from bubble wrap, we do recommend taking traditional preventative measures to keep them healthy and have a back-up plan when the inevitable happens.
Meet Bella and Rudy, a dressage duo from Middlesex/Surrey, England.
When the pair was still competing up until a year ago, you may have found Bella and her horse Rudy in the dressage arena or enjoying a hack as a way to mix things up. They rode in an area that didn’t offer a significant amount of soft terrain to choose from, forcing the pair onto main roads, riding on tarmac for miles and travelling over rough terrain.
Because Bella would ride on a regular basis, and was aware of the impact Rudy’s feet were taking, she took extra precautions to keep him fit and comfortable; starting with his feet. That’s when she began using Scoot Boots on Rudy’s fronts to begin with to lighten the concussion from road riding. The boots were a success and Rudy didn't even notice he had them on.
Soon after getting her front pair, Bella got hinds for him as well to give him all round protection, which again “blew her away” in how well they worked.
One day while bringing him in from pasture, Rudy turned up lame, which turned out to be because of a strained suspensory ligament.
After consulting her vet and farrier, Bella was advised to rehab with shoes and faced a decision. Should she keep her horse barefoot or put shoes on him to aid in the rehab process? She was hesitant to put shoes on not only because Rudy had never been shod, but because of the long term effect nailing metal shoes could have on his overall hoof health.
That's when she turned to her Scoot Boots.
Because Rudy needed something on his feet to absorb concussion and allow his suspensory ligament to heal, he began to wear his Scoot Boots twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
As any good mother would, Bella removed the boots daily to pick out his feet and to make sure they weren't rubbing or causing any irritation. But the boots stayed perfectly in place and after a period of time resting and taking it slow, Rudy was able to begin training again.
Not long after his recovery, Bella and Rudy rode at a local show. Although it's not regulation, the judge allowed Rudy to wear his Scoot Boots for extra support because the footing was harder than usual. Bella and Rudy ended up winning!
Preventative care is our main focus, but if your horse comes up lame or suffers a soft tissue injury while barefoot, don't panic and throw on a pair of metal shoes. Bella used our boots as a protective tool and as a rehabilitation tool for Rudy’s soft tissue injury. The versatility of the boots is incredible, and it’s exciting to see them used for so many different reasons! They are indeed one-of-a-kind.
It’s not uncommon for horse health experts to recommend metal shoes, but it doesn't mean us barefoot enthusiasts have to do it. There are many ways we can help our horses heal, starting with the common rehab techniques we all know so well. But when the inevitable happens, and your horse needs a little extra support in their hoof, try Scoot Boots.
The last thing we want is for you to feel like you have to put metal shoes on your horse, especially if you’ve been working for months to get them to a place where shoes are no longer required.
There are lots of reasons to have a pair of Scoot Boots on hand and rehabilitation is a big one.
Building a Supportive Barefoot Community
The team at Scoot Boot believe passionately in the barefoot horse and strive to build a supportive community of barefoot horse lovers.
Find more information about using Scoot Boots here.