Anyone else's hoof boots fill up with mud?

[Daisy2]

Its been a struggle this winter to do any riding due to the weather but what puts me off is the hoof boots that fill with mud and grit. I have had my horses barefoot for a few years now and found that they cannot cope without boots because their living environment is soft ground so they are not growing the hoof to cope with tarmac and stoney ground. So even through winter we have to put on the boots which just clog up with mud. There is no way round it other than avoid the mud which is difficult because its everywhere. How do you cope, I just worry its uncomfy for the horses. Kind of tempts me to put shoes back on in the winter. Today I wrapped the boots while on in tesco bags to allow them to be mud free once on the road, unfortunately the bags were not up for it.

 

[mightymammoth]

Which style of boots do you use?

 

[Daisy2]

Cavello -Marley has huge round feet, he is in the biggest size. The boot comes above the coronary band.

 

[Liath]

I had the same problem with mud and grit getting in the top of cavallos - buy some cheap and cheerful thick opaque tights, cut the legs and feet off, pull them on like leg warmers before you boot then pull them down over the boots to cover the top of the boots, leaving the rest of them above the boots like leg warmers! Hope that makes sense! It stooped mud, grit and school surface getting into mine!

Mind you, I still gave up and went back to shoes once he'd had a break from them and grown some decent horn!!

 

[Daisy2]

I had the same problem with mud and grit getting in the top of cavallos - buy some cheap and cheerful thick opaque tights, cut the legs and feet off, pull them on like leg warmers before you boot then pull them down over the boots to cover the top of the boots, leaving the rest of them above the boots like leg warmers! Hope that makes sense! It stooped mud, grit and school surface getting into mine!

Mind you, I still gave up and went back to shoes once he'd had a break from them and grown some decent horn!!

Thats a good idea, I was thinking of something like that but more of a sports sock, I will give it a go!

 

[LucyPriory]

Sports socks et al do work well in bucket boots, just watch that there isn't so much material around the pastern that it interferes with movement. But I'd also think a bit about the growth v wear issue. Mine have always lived on wet clay so I understand the environmental problems, but they've always managed a lot of unbooted roadwork.