What to wear for a large animal ride-along?

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MouseWrangler

Ohio State c/o 2019
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Hi Everyone!

I'm going on my first ride-along this week with a large animal/equine vet. What is appropriate to wear? Are a nice pair of jeans ok, or do I need to go get a pair of khakis? It's going to be warmer this week (like in the 40's - heat wave!!) so is a Carhartt's zip up hoodie appropriate or should I consider some other type of jacket? Also, I have heard a lot of conflicting ideas on steel toes. I wear them every day for work, but do I need to wear something else for large animal?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!
 
I think for the first one it's better to be a tad overdressed than under. I agree with the khakis and polo mentioned by shortnsweet. If you get there and the vet is in jeans, you can always wear something different the next time. I wouldn't necessarily say steel toes are required...I just wear regular boots, but If you're comfortable in steel toed boots those are fine.
 
This is optional, but if you have a bag or space or whatever, I'd bring a change of clothes with maybe a pair of jeans/scrub top if you end up doing a surgery in the field. And yeah, steel toed aren't required but hard toe are. Make sure they're semi-comfortable, and seriously wear a belt -- there will be a lot of squatting, and no one wants to see that. I feel like that goes without saying, but it was the number one complaint about attire of other people with every large animal vet I've worked with haha.
 
I've never owned a pair of steel toed boots myself (although I am considering it). My horse expert friend is against the steel toe because it still can cave in, trap your foot/crush your foot and injure you more than just a hoof stepping on you might. I'm not sure if she was referring to a specific brand or style, but that was the warning she gave me. When I got stepped on by a heifer, my the toe of my rain boot actually held up pretty well...

Edit: Can anyone comment about the potential danger of wearing steel toed?

And definitely wear a shirt that covers your lower back when you squat if a belt won't do the trick. It's embarrassing for both you and the clients if you bend over and the moon comes out!
 
I've never owned a pair of steel toed boots myself (although I am considering it). My horse expert friend is against the steel toe because it still can cave in, trap your foot/crush your foot and injure you more than just a hoof stepping on you might. I'm not sure if she was referring to a specific brand or style, but that was the warning she gave me. When I got stepped on by a heifer, my the toe of my rain boot actually held up pretty well...

Edit: Can anyone comment about the potential danger of wearing steel toed?

And definitely wear a shirt that covers your lower back when you squat if a belt won't do the trick. It's embarrassing for both you and the clients if you bend over and the moon comes out!
if' you're wearing any boot and come across that kind of crushing power, it's unlikely to matter. I personally prefer stiff-toes shoes not steel toes. But the majority of issues seem to be more urban legend than anything else
 
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I've never owned a pair of steel toed boots myself (although I am considering it). My horse expert friend is against the steel toe because it still can cave in, trap your foot/crush your foot and injure you more than just a hoof stepping on you might. I'm not sure if she was referring to a specific brand or style, but that was the warning she gave me. When I got stepped on by a heifer, my the toe of my rain boot actually held up pretty well...

Edit: Can anyone comment about the potential danger of wearing steel toed?

And definitely wear a shirt that covers your lower back when you squat if a belt won't do the trick. It's embarrassing for both you and the clients if you bend over and the moon comes out!
Mythbusters actually did a thing on this. Here's the recap: http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/11/episode_42_steel_toe_amputatio.html
TL;DR: unless there is a shearing blade attached to the weight coming down on your foot, a steel-toed boot will offer superior crushing protection than a regular boot.
 
Shrug...a hiking boot or a riding boot would suffice. I usually wear my paddock boots. Have still gotten stepped on and it hurts like a beast, but it comes with the territory really.
 
Before vet school when doing a ride-along, I wore jeans & thermals along with shirt, hoodie & jacket. I bought a pair of cheap rubber boots from Tractor Supply that are easy to clean/hose down & disinfect after every barn we went to on the trip. Now, I'd wear similar things and add coveralls 😉 (Which I need to acquire another pair....apparently it's good to have 1-2 changes of coveralls in addition to the one you start with :laugh:)
 
Thank you, everyone for all of the responses! I had a great time on the ride-along and I learned a ton! I wore my steel toes but I brought along other boots in case. I think I might be in the market for some rubber boots to hose off between patients - the vet I was with did this and it seemed really professional.
 
Honestly, I think the best advice to this question is always: "Call the person you're riding with and ask them."

People always come on here asking what they should wear to shadow, to ride along, to whatever ... and I'm always a little puzzled why they just don't call the person they'll be with and say "What's appropriate for me to wear?" They understand that you might not know..... and as a sneaky little aside, the fact that you call and ask will suggest to them that you care enough to want to look appropriate and are willing to take the time to ask.
 
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