Barefoot and using hoof boots

silvershadow81

silvershadow81

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I wanted to pick your brains as I was thinking earlier about considering using hoof boots- but have absolutley NO idea what you need to consider, what are good brands, value for money, stay on, dont rub and anything else which needs to be considered?

My 25 year old is still very active and i believe this is due to her still being kept in work (although at a far lower level)

8 months ago she was very crippled, i thought it was the end, vet said to take off her shoes and she sprung back with a new lease of life. She is FAR happier without shoes now.

Since the ground has been lovely and soft i have been able to do a little more and with all the water in the roads it washes little stones into the road, which every now and then cause her to be footy for a stride or two.

It would only be for the odd 1-2 hour hack 3-4 times a week.

Any experience of these, links would be FAB!

Thanks xx
 
Equine fusions are brilliant. They are flexible so the hoof works as if it is barefoot. They stay on dont rub.nthey are pricey but worth it I think. I managed to get a dead cheap older version which are great but slightly diddly which the new ones aren't. You can trial them over at bitlessandbarefoot com.
 
I use cavallos. Much better on my ID who has round feet. My heinz 57 Llama cross's feet are longer than wider and he kept throwing them off in canter. (Just had hin shod)

Have used Easy boot trails, but their canvas uppers seemed to make them more prone to being taken off on over reaching. Cavallos are more solid and more likely to rub, so ease her into them. Both are dead easy to put on.
 
The type of hoof boots you need will depend on the shape of your horse's feet - not every type fits every type of horse. Cavallos are about the cheapest out there - you can get a pair for under £80. The Cavallo Simples fit round shaped hooves pretty well and the Cavallo Sport fit longer than wide hooves. You also need to look at the tread on the bottom and what you need them for - I use Cavallo Simples which are great on the tarmac roads until it gets wet and slippy and they also slip in mud, but I use them on my horse as they don't rotate round or come off at all.

As someone else has suggested, it might be worth trialling some first if you can to find out which ones suit your horse best....good luck - they're useful bits of kit to have :)
 
You need to measure her feet and establish what type would suit her. Then I'd keep an eye on eBay for second hand ones. I got cavallo simples for less than half price BNIB. I only use them occasionally when going on very stoney tracks.

Cavallos are a bit clumpy looking but they are idiot proof and easy to put on in my limited experience!
 
I used old Macs they were great on the front feet but more fiddly on the back. Used them for about a year before I had to shoe my horse as sponsored rides I could not jump in them. But they certainly were great for hacking and he was happier in them than barefoot.

Do some research into all the types and hopefully you will find what suits best
 
I like the cavallo's as they're very easy to fit.

I prefer the sports to the simple (i've get a set of each), as they are less clumpy, unfortunately I ordered the wrong size, so they're going on ebay very soon...
 
Love!!! My renegades. Expensive but great I can do everything I want all terrain and all paces. Amazing. Www.hoofbootique.co.uk liz there will help you will all your queries and you can even hire them for two weeks to see if you like the them. Good luck
 
I have a pair of old mac G2s that I se when my boy is feeling his feet but havent had to use them since the shoes came off in Aug :)

I would love a pair of renegades but is feet are too wide for them :(
 
I used the easyboot epics and bares on my mare (epics in front, bares behind - bares as they don't have a buckle on the front and as my mare moves a little close behind she sometimes caught herself with the buckle). The easyboots sit below the hairline, so have no way of rubbing. They also have built in gaiters which mean they have a really secure fit and I never had a boot slip. My boots lasted about 18 months with us doing 8-10 mile rides 2-3 times a week and shorter in between. The easyboots also have lots of spares available, although I never had anything break on them.

There is info on the easyboots here including foot shapes:

http://www.easycareinc.com/our_boots/easycare-hoof-boots.aspx#&panel1-1

There's also info on the old macs on that website too.

You can get easyboots from www.thesaddleryshop.com - which is based in the uk. They are really helpful :)

I had previously had old mac g2's - and found the easyboots waaaay easier to get on, but any of the boots do take a bit of learning the "knack" ;). They can be a bit fiddly when they're new and stiff, and you're not quite sure how's the best way to put them on - but persevere ;)
 
Thank you all SO much for all the helpful advice!

I had some birthday money, so went for the Renagades and am currently working with Liz from Hoof Bootique to see if Renegade will add some addtional length to some as they are still coming up a tad too short for my liking.

Ive also started applying Keratex to the soles to try and harden them, think a combination of standing in the arena for 1/2 day (limited winter turnout), roads and her hoof not growing as quick in winter are all causing her to feel the ground.

Thanks again! xxxx
 
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