Boots on horses: limb protection or hyperflexion training aids in the showjumping horse.

The research study focuses on the common practices used by horse riders to control the horse’s jump stride kinematics (JSK) in showjumping and whether performance enhancing (PE) boots are effective in improving equine JSK or merely cause hyperflexion of the hind limbs.

Introduction

The study seeks to understand the effectiveness of various schooling strategies employed by riders in teaching horses how to jump. These methods range from plyometric training regimes with fences and gymnastic grids to the use of performance enhancing (PE) boots.

Plyometric Training and Gymnastic Grids

• The researchers reveal that plyometric training regimes involve setting up fences of different heights and widths at specific distances for horses to jump over.
• Furthermore, the use of gymnastic grids aims to train the horse to jump cleanly. This practice is seen as a viable method of teaching horses how to properly jump over fences.

Performance Enhancing (PE) Boots

• In recent times, the application of PE boots on the distal hind limbs of horses to alter equine JSK has gained traction among riders. These boots supposedly facilitate clean jumps.
• There are two broad categories of these boots: weighted and pressure. Weighted boots are worn on the horse’s hind limbs during training and competition to improve the jump stride, while pressure boots appear to be a variation of this technique.

Hyperflexion of the Hind Limbs

• According to the research, PE boots may cause hyperflexion of the horse’s hind limbs while jumping. This phenomenon could explain why horses wearing these boots tend to jump fences more cleanly than those without.
• However, the researchers conclude that some scrutiny is needed, as there is no scientific evidence to confirm whether these boots are truly beneficial training aids or if they’re merely causing hyperflexion of the horse’s hind limbs.

In this way, the study poses a crucial question to the showjumping community. It urges further research into the impacts and effectiveness of PE boots in horse training, particularly focusing on their potential influence on hind limb hyperflexion.