What is the purpose of bellboots

Question

Just curious as to whether or not I should purchase them for my horse. A lot of people at my barn have them...I'm just not sure as to why exactly. Thanks!

Answer 1

They keep your horses front feet from injury if he were to overreach and clip himself with his back feet.

Answer 2

The purpose of bell boots is to prevent over reaching.

Should your horse have a tendency to over reach and clip himself in front, bells help prevent injury and reduce the tendency to pull shoes.

Answer 3

they are mostly used when a horse jumps. They are to prevent from the back feet from injuring the front feet upon landing.

Answer 4

to prevent the horse's back feet from banging up the front heels and potentially pulling off their shoes. whether your horse needs them or not, it's always good to use them just in case.  

Answer 5

It's so that your horse doesnt clip its front feet with its back feet when your riding it or you can use them when there out in pasture. If they clip there front legs it will either hurt them or take off their shoes expecially if they have egg bars or some shoe like that. I suggest if you get them be careful because they can rub on your horses ankles so I'd get the fabric kind which are padded nicely Otherwise you just have to keep a good eye on your horses legs

Answer 6

to protect them from stepping on themselves.....cheapest insurance you can buy...they are worth every penny....one of my horses has ripped them off busting the Velcro cause he steps on him self so bad...can you imagine the damage if he didnt have them on.....i also use splint boots....for extra protection....hope i helped...

edit...all the time.team roper and sometimes barrel racer

Answer 7

For things like reining, barrel racing, and jumping many people use them to protect the horses hooves. Also some horses overreach with their hindquarters and will sometimes chip their front hooves. If you aren't doing any special events your horse shouldn't need them. If your horse does have a problem with clipping his front hooves, you can ask your farrier for suggestions. The horse I'm leasing had a problem with overreaching. The farrier came out and watched him work and then trimmed his feet differently and he doesn't chip his front hooves anymore.

Answer 8

A lot of horses have a tendency to overreach. This is when the back foot comes too far forward and hits the back of the front leg - usually in the pastern area. This can be a result of conformation or low fitness level but it also tends to happen a lot in competitive jumping. Sometimes these injuries can be quite serious or the horse can actually rip it's own front shoes off ( causing a nasty fall ) Bell boots are used to protect the back of the front feet.

So if your horse tends to do this ( or you may hear a click as he catches his shoes together) then yes, you want to buy some. If you are going to do fast/high jumping then yes, buy some.

If you are a trouble free trail rider then you probably don't need them.

Answer 9

The purpose of bell boots is to protect the coronet band on the hoof (the line were the hoof horn transitions into the hair) from injury, as can happen when horses jump. So bell boots are supposed to be on the horse when it is moving. For horses that "overreach", that is touch the back of the front hooves with the tips of the back hooves, especially at speed, bell boots can also help to keep shoes on. Since the back of the shoes sticks out a bit behind the hoof, the hind feet can sometimes catch onto this bit and loosen shoes, this is what bell boots are supposed to prevent.

Usually, you should not have to worry about riding in bell boots. The only time I could imagine this being a problem is when the boots are not designed to rip off in the event they get caught (such as riding through woods on a trail-ride and the bell boot getting caught on undergrowth) or if the boots are too tight around the fetlock and may chafe the foot. In the latter case, those bell boots should also not be on the horse in the pasture, since they don't fit!

So, depending on the riding you are doing, and if you think the bell boots fit well and can rip off in an emergency without injuring the horse, you should be fine.

Hope this helps!