Suited And Booted: Overreach Boots

Overreach Boots 

These are one of the most common pairs of boots used for equines, ultimately they protect against damage to the horse's heals, caused by the horse's hind hooves over stepping and catching on the front heels. There are many types of overreach boots on the market along with a huge variety of colours, patterns and designs! I'm a huge fan of matchy-matchy sets so it's vital I can find a matching pair of overeach boots!

The Best Material?

Neoprene

The neoprene boots which are on the market seem to be a favourite among a lot of people, i'm not sure whether its the variation in colours, the fact most are branded which makes them fashionable or because they are soft and flexible. I do like this material and style of boot however there I find that they hold water, therefore they will become heavier and possibly uncomfortable in wet weather, or if the horse has to go through any water or wear for extended periods of time. I live in Great Britain, rain is not uncommon! Like any fabric it can rip and become worn, it can also hold onto small grains of sand or dirt, for a daily use basis this can be a problem, especially as in GB the weather can be fairly cold, during colder months it will take longer for the boots to dry. The ones I have used in the past have taken a few days to dry fully in cold/bad weather and I have been forced to use them still sodden from the day before. This is not only a horrible experience for me to take them off/put them on (Wet boots clinging onto sand feels pretty nasty!) but I question what it must feel like for my horse. Another major issue I found is that the stitching can come un-done/break, if this happens you are doomed as the boots I used literally just fell apart in my hands! These are the most expensive type I have used and cost around £10-£25.

Rubber

Rubber overreach boots used to be one of my personal favourites, they are super soft, you can get different colours and they are super flexible. However because the rubber is soft, it's very easy to pull the velcro off! If the velcro is strong when done up, as you try to unfasten the velcro itself the stitching holding the velcro tabs onto the rubber can pull through. Once this happens the boots are pretty useless as there is no way of doing them up properly. You can get ones that pull over the hoof however I strongly advise you not to, they are the worst things in the world, EVER! Just don't even bother going there, waste of time, effort and money! Another variation of the rubber sort is the type made from individual tabs, I personally love the little clappy noise they make and thought i would try them with intentions of replacing broken tabs as and when I needed, the rubber holding the tabs onto the straps broke on pretty much every tab, yet again i'm left with another useless pair of boots, or in this case should I say straps? The other added bonus of these is if you jump into water they move, allowing the water between the flaps, so unlike fixed bell-boots they wont get pushed up with water pressure. The worst thing with rubber boots is that they just aren't strong, they break very easily, horse overreaches once and that's a chunk gone! These are in the middle and cost roughly £7-£10.

Plastic

Plastic varieties are very durable, these are what I use most often, they are cheap and mine last ages, I tend to buy new ones with new colour sets or when I use my white ones I get a new pair maybe once a year, This is only because I use white for shows so they must stay clean, the new ones go onto my show only pile and the old ones go in my everyday draw, I have a lot of white pairs... With anything that is white they stain, you can scrub them clean if you want but they are very cheap so I swap them for everyday riding with certain sets of tack that I don't have matching ball boots for! The boots themselves don't suffer much damage when they get stepped on, maybe a small papercut like slit but that's all, nothing that affects the use of the boot. Chunks may come off as they get older but none of mine have! The worst killer for this type of boot is that the velcro comes off, same way as the rubber type. Its fixed a lot better as the plastic is stronger but you do have to show them some level of respect. Personally these are my favourite type of boot. Some makes are too rough for Gigi, Roma is one of these, they just don't have a nice finish around the top rim which causes G to get sores, but Bridleway (the make I swear by) are so soft and supple, they have never done this. It is worth checking when purchasing a pair of boots, just run your fingers round and check for ant hard plastic or sharp/rough edges. They are so easy to clean, dry really fast and mud wipes straight off! The best part of these boots is I never pay more than £5 for a pair! 

Fluffy Tops?

Personally this is a no-no for me, they are just so impractical. Gigi lives on a working farm, in other words there is a lot of mud! Mud + Fluff = Disaster. I have used these at work too, the sand at work is black with black rubber, this just stains the boots and makes them sooo nasty! Nope, not for me thank you! Fair enough if your horse is super sensitive and none of the above materials work, but personally i'd rather not!