# ADVICE ON Weighted Training tendon and fetlock Boots  !



## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

ADVICE ON Weighted Training tendon and fetlock Boots!

Does anybody use these ? Do u just hack school ect in them?
Do they actually help strengthen muscles in the horse's lower leg and fetlocks? 
I cant find anywhere how much they actually weigh any ideas?


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## Nic (13 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]

Do they actually help strengthen muscles in the horse's lower leg and fetlocks? 

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There aren't any, so no.


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## samp (13 March 2007)

I used the fetlock boots for a horse that had muscle wastage on his quarters from a sacro-iliac injury. I can not say they acheived that much that hill work etc wouldn't. However I beleive they are meant to be quite good on horses that tend to be a bit lazy? As they have to work that bit harder


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

Ow rite that is whot is says in description for boots on derby house  !
http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/ProductDetai...goryID=Exercise

Weighted Training Fetlock Boots  - 440-0339 
High quality leather fetlock boots with weighted inserts to help strengthen muscles in the horse's lower leg and fetlocks.


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

i see any idea how much they weigh ? is it like 1/2 lb ?xx


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## Rambo (13 March 2007)

The idea of them (as i understand it) is to jump the horse in them in the warm-up causing the horse to have to exert more effort because of their increased weight, and then remove them just before you enter the ring in the hope the horse will continue to use as much energy over the fences as if they were still on


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## samp (13 March 2007)

I honestly can not remember the weight of them I bought them aboout 8 years ago


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

Ow i see you always have very good advice rambo!


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## dieseldog (13 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
The idea of them (as i understand it) is to jump the horse in them in the warm-up causing the horse to have to exert more effort because of their increased weight, and then remove them just before you enter the ring in the hope the horse will continue to use as much energy over the fences as if they were still on 
	
	
		
		
	


	





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Sorry no,  you put them on for the last jump in the warm up and wear them in the ring, don't know how they work but they do especially good on eventers that don't do showjumping


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## Ginn (13 March 2007)

First point, to my knowledge there are no muscles in the lower limb of a horse - there are however many tendons and ligaments. I therefore struggle to see how it would "strengthen muscles in the lower limb".

Second point, although there may be a time and place for weighted products as part of an animals "training" I personally would not want to put weight on a horses leg. The way I see it if you take Newtons second law, Force is equal to mass x acceleration, by upping the mass you are upping the forces placed on the limb, so it begs the question why would you increase the loading/forces on the leg and what could be the potential consequences of this? Yes you could argue that with training the leg would become stronger but that wouldn't, as far as I can see, encourage a horse to snap its legs up more when going over a fence. BUT it will, until the limb has adapted to the extra load, put undue strain on the leg and my concern would be for injury! Put it this way - you wouldn't canter through a bog due to the strain it puts on the tendons etc in teh leg and imo a weighted boot has a similar effect.

Now there are possible hypotheses for why the boots may encourage a horse to pick up its legs when jumping and I *think* beanyowner is the person to ask about it, but I don't think it is anything that careful training, patience and time couldn't also achieve but in a different way.


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

OK IM CONFUSED NOW! i dont know whether you where them in the ring or not i would have thought you practise with them on then take them off ! it is the other way around surely they would weigh the legs dwn or would they pick them up more i dont know !


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## Rambo (13 March 2007)

Either way....from the video you posted of your horse the other week, i'm not sure you really need them 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 He went very well from memory....


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## dieseldog (13 March 2007)

Weighted boots are good for horse that are careless,  everything else works - ie you get to the fence right, nice speed etc, just that they don't pick their feet up because they don't have to.  If you've got issues with your horse knocking poles because he's not trained properly don't use them, they are good for the older wiser horse who just doesn't care about hitting fences.


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

Considering that the boots weigh less that a horse shoe i do not think these are going to cause any damage u dont think twice about putting shoes on your horses so why not this please i think you maybe looking at this from the wrong point of view i would never do anythink to my horse that would put its legs in danger also would they be so widely available on the market if this is whot they did ?


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

He had three down ! he doesnt care about nocking poles and i would never resort to wrapping or anythink like that so it was just an idea !


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## Rambo (13 March 2007)

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He had three down ! he doesnt care about nocking poles and i would never resort to wrapping or anythink like that so it was just an idea ! 

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, perhaps i was thinking of a different video then 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 As DD said though, only consider them if you are 100% certain that everything else is right....i.e your approach, your canter, your position etc.....


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

thanku most of the time i think it is prob those factors to blame not him been lazy !


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## Kelly1982 (13 March 2007)

Thats the reason my friend uses them but she uses them how Rambo suggested and they seem to hav worked wonders for her horse.


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## Ginn (13 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
Considering that the boots weigh less that a horse shoe i do not think these are going to cause any damage u dont think twice about putting shoes on your horses so why not this please i think you maybe looking at this from the wrong point of view i would never do anythink to my horse that would put its legs in danger also would they be so widely available on the market if this is whot they did ? 

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If they are that light then I really struggle to see how they would have a significant effect anyway and huge apologies if I gave the impression that you may do something to hurt your horse - it really was not meant that way I was just trying to explain my understanding of the mechanical effects they may have on the legs as a way of aiding jumping. You are right in that they wouldn't be used/sold if they had significant risks involved in using them - I really don't know much about the weighted boots on the market at the moment but was trying to explain the possible effects of strapping "weights" (I was thinking heavier tbh) to a leg.


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## amage (13 March 2007)

they are performance enhancing boots most commonly seen on horses that are a bit careless behind when jumping. they are usually put on for last fence before going into thering and then worn in the ring. you should be very careful using them though in the wrong hands its very easy to scare a horse eg if you miss and horse is jumping more careful anyway you can run into all sorts of problems with them jumping so big they scare themselves. they are not allowed in 4/5yr old performance classes and generally shouldn't be used on younger horses anyway.


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## custard (13 March 2007)

I freely admit I know v.little about jumping but they just sound like yet another way of getting us horsey folks to spend more money and strain the horses limbs into the bargain!


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

thanku for ur advice seems to be lots of views on these boots xx thanku xx i think i will wait and see make sure i have evrthink else correct before using these boots x


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## Beanyowner (13 March 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
 I *think* beanyowner is the person to ask about it 

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Why thank you hunni...but definetly not the gospel on this subject quite yet! lol

 [ QUOTE ]
 Force is equal to mass x acceleration, by upping the mass you are upping the forces placed on the limb, so it begs the question why would you increase the loading/forces on the leg and what could be the potential consequences of this? 

[/ QUOTE ] 

Some studies have found no effect on stride length, stride duration, stance duration or swing duration when using weighted boots, shoes or toe weights (Willemen et al., 1994; Balch et al., 1996; Stevens, 2002). However conflicting studies have found a reduction in stride length with increasing load (Johnston et al., 1999). But yes Ginn you are definetly right in terms of the Force=massXacceleration equation. By adding mass greater force WILL be put down the the horses leg...whether or not this will have an effect on the actual gait of the horse is arguable. It does very much depend on the amount of weight used which varies considerably dependant on the make of the weighted boot. Also a consideration has to be WHERE you place the weight on the limb. The lower the weight is placed on the limb the more of a pendulum effect will occur therefore increasing inertia and momentum of the limb. If this occurs then greater force will be needed in order to slow the limb down before it hits the ground again for the next stride.

In regards to the use of equine shoes:

Singleton et al., (2000) identified changes in net joint movement and powers necessary to overcome the increased inertia associated with shoe weight. Balch et al. (1996) found that when normal weighted shoes (average of 382g) and double weighted shoes (average of 796g) were used on six horses which were filmed at 60 fields/second at 3.8 metres/second the maximum height of the swing phase was increased by 2.9cm when the double weighted shoes were applied. This occurred because the double weighted shoes increased the flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joint (Fetlock joint) and increased the height of the hoof flight arc in the swing phase although no figures were published.

In human research the use of ankle weights when running has been found to stop athletes reaching their maximum running speed due to the increased energy consumption needed to lift the added weight (Martin and Cavanagh, 1990). 

Sorry if thats a bit heavy going...took a few bits out of my work and then tried to explain it a bit better for you all. Any questions feel free to ask...you might actual help me out and make me think of things in a different way!  
	
	
		
		
	


	





Claire x


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## Thistle (13 March 2007)

So I'm stll not sure, do you put them on th epractice or when you go in the ring?
Seem to be conflicting ideas on this.


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## PLAYBOY (13 March 2007)

dnt knw totally confused ! xx


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## Rambo (13 March 2007)

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So I'm stll not sure, do you put them on th epractice or when you go in the ring?
Seem to be conflicting ideas on this. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you do what works for you


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## Beanyowner (13 March 2007)

If you put them on in warm up then remove them immedietly before your class then they are suppose to increase limb flexion and therefore clear the fences higher...if you put them on whilst in the class then I am assuming you will be assuming greater limb flexion by using a cutaneous reflex. There are arguments to say why these ideas won't work...

Start with the latter...a cutaneous reflex is basically using the added mass of the boot to put pressure on a sensitive bit of skin just above the fetlock on the front...think of your horse wearing travel boots...they walk funny when you first put them on and snap up the limbs (increased flexion)...whether or not this effect will last beyond the walk into the ring let alone to get over 12 fences or so is VERY questionable.
The first option has more of a chance...although still arguable. You will have to warm the horse up with weighted boots on and then take them off just before going into the ring...you will be assuming that the horse will increase its flexion of the limb due to the feeling of a 'light' leg...however, this response will be rather quick to dissipate as well.

Alternatively...don't use weighted boots...just do some schooling. Trot poles etc are a very good way of increasing the quality of gait and therefore limb flexion.


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