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Message |
    
Fiona Powell
| | Posted on Tuesday, 9 September, 2008 - 1:41 pm: | |
Thanks, Alan! As an indoor and outdoor club event organiser I wouldn't have any issue with what you do... What's important is that the horse is sound anyway.
I wonder what "higher authorities" think?? |
Alan Hodges
| | Posted on Monday, 8 September, 2008 - 6:44 pm: | |
We don't have our pair shod at all and have competed indoors and out for some years. The young pony has never had shoes on of any kind and his feet are in fine fettle. The older one was shod for the first eight years of his competitive life and when his feet started to give trouble we used plastic glued on shoes but this was just too expensive to continue with.
We have to do hard surface work everyday and so bought some Swiss Horse Boots for his retirement but he was very happy with them so it was summer off for a rest and back to work for the next winter indoor season, from that point we have not had any of our ponies shod.
We tried most of the available boots but have always gone back to Swiss for preference, we use them every day and are pretty nippy at getting them on an off so it's no problem to warm up in a car park with boots on and whip them off to go indoors to compete.
Outdoors we have never been challenged and use the boots if the surface demands it, some events we don't use them at all but we are quite happy to do a marathon with them if conditions are stoney or include roads, they don’t slip off.
All this seems perfectly natural to us now after four years and if anyone did want to make a fuss they would need to know a lot more about it than we do to make it stick. One point though, our ponies are not barefoot and are not subjected to the sometimes rather strange trims which this can involve. They are simply unshod and trimmed to be in balance, it makes no difference to the trim if they are wearing their boots or not. |
Fiona Powell
| | Posted on Monday, 8 September, 2008 - 1:55 pm: | |
Annalie, as no-one else has answered, I thought I'd try!
You can use bandages, brushing boots and over-reach boots in cones and marathon outdoors and they are allowed in all phases indoors. (You may be asked to remove them by an official so that your horse can be inspected...)
Bandages and brushing boots are not allowed in dressage outdoors - 10 penalties if you wear them - (competition A in the rules) but I think you might be able to wear over-reach boots.
Not sure what you mean by hoof boots? If I am completely off-beam and you mean clip-on over shoes (?), then the rules say "any conventional type of shoe is permitted". If you are in any doubt, phone your local club secretary/organiser and ask specifically.
We always want more competitors and we'll be glad to help! |
Annalie Briden
| | Posted on Saturday, 6 September, 2008 - 7:14 pm: | |
can you use hoof boots when competing in indoor driving /and national competitions? |
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