Galop 4Caring for the horse
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Domestic lifeKnowledge
- 03Identifying a horseKnowledge
- 04The passportKnowledge
- 05Routine careCaring for the horse
- 06Vital signs and illnessCaring for the horse
- 07Needs and feedsKnowledge
- 08Feeds to avoidKnowledge
- 09How the canter worksKnowledge
- 10The aids, flexion and bendKnowledge
- 11Boots and legsCaring for the horse
- 12Snaffle bitsKnowledge
- 13The contactIn the saddle
- 14The jumping positionIn the saddle
- 15Position and strideIn the saddle
- 16Canter from walk, quarter turnsIn the saddle
- 17GroundworkOn foot
- 18Safety and hackingKnowledge
- 19Tests and revisionRevision
Work and travel boots; caring for the legs
The legs carry all of the horse’s work. In Galop 4 you learn to protect them, for work and for travelling, and to check them before and after every session.
In the exam programme
- Put on and take off work boots: fetlock boots, tendon boots and overreach boots.Specific part
- Put on and take off travelling boots.Common module A
- Check and care for the legs before and after work.Common module A
Work boots
Brushing and tendon boots
They cover the cannon and protect the tendons from knocks the horse gives himself with his other legs. They are mostly put on the forelegs. Open-fronted tendon boots, used for jumping, protect the back of the cannon.
Fetlock boots
Shorter, they usually go on the hind legs and protect the inside of the fetlock, which the opposite foot can strike.
Over-reach boots
Bell-shaped, they surround the bottom of the pastern and protect the coronet, the heels and the bulbs of the heel from knocks from the hind feet. They are either pull-on or open, with touch-close fastenings.
- The fastenings: on the outside, pointing backwards
- Fetlock boot: on the hind leg, round the fetlock
- Overreach boot: round the pastern, protecting the coronet and heels
- Brushing boot: on the cannon, protecting the tendons
- PrepareBrush the legs, which must be clean and dry. Check that the inside of the boots is clean: a grain of sand or a wisp of straw is enough to rub the skin.
- PositionPut the boot on a little too high, then slide it down into place, with the lie of the hair.
- FastenThe straps fasten on the outside of the leg, pointing backwards, so they do not catch on anything. Fasten a middle strap first, to hold the boot, then the others, all at the same tension: you should be able to slip a finger underneath.
- Put on a pull-on over-reach bootTurn it inside out, pick up the foot as if to pick it out, stretch the boot over the hoof onto the pastern, put the foot down and fold the boot back down.
- Take offUndo the straps, slide the boot off with the lie of the hair, run your hand down the leg to find any rubbing or heat, then clean the boot before putting it away.
Safety
While putting boots on, stay crouched beside the leg, never kneeling or sitting on the ground: you must be able to spring up at once. For a hind leg, stand close to the hip, facing the horse’s tail, with one hand on him.
Travel boots
In a trailer or a lorry, the horse has to keep his balance through bends and braking: he may knock himself, bang into a partition, rub his tail. So he is protected from head to tail.
- A headcollar, strong and well fitted, with its lead rope — nobody travels in a bridle — and if need be a poll guard fixed to the headpiece.
- Travel boots on all four legs, thick and tall, protecting from the knee or hock down to the coronet.
- Over-reach boots if the travel boots do not cover the coronet, and sometimes knee boots.
- A tail guard, which stops the tail rubbing against the ramp or the breeching bar.
- A rug or a cooler, depending on the temperature.
- Poll guard, on the headpiece
- Sheet or rug, as the weather requires
- Tail guard
- Travel boots, from the knee or hock down over the hoof
- A strong headcollar and lead rope
Kit the horse out calmly, tied up, then walk him a few steps before leading him to the vehicle: surprised by boots on their hind legs, some horses lift their feet very high or kick out. On arrival, the boots come off once the horse is unloaded and tied up. Loading and unloading a horse are taught in Galop 5.
Checking and caring for the legs
- Before work: look at, then run your hand down, each leg, from the knee or hock to the hoof. A sound leg is cool and tight, with no swelling or wound. Pick out the feet and check the shoes.
- After work: take off the boots, brush or hose the legs, then dry the pasterns to prevent cracked heels. Feel the legs again: any heat, swelling or tenderness that was not there before the session must be reported.
- For a small wound: clean it with clean water, apply the yard’s usual product and show it to your instructor. A deep wound, one near a joint, or any lameness is a job for the vet.
Remember
Fastenings on the outside, pointing backwards, even tension, clean legs underneath. And touch every leg before and after work: cool and tight is a good sign.