Best hoof boots for hacking?

[Akkalia1]

Recommendations needed!

I'm planning to do some gentle riding on my retired 25 yo TB mare. I've not really ridden her properly for years due to arthritis although the vet has always said riding at walk is fine. So she has been sporadically ridden. However she's not been out for a while since moving to her new home and she is lacking muscle in her back end. I've noticed over the last year or so that getting up is more difficult than it used to be for her and suspect the lack of muscle is not helping. So I thought some hacks in walk may be beneficial to her as long as she is happy to do it and copes with it, also for helping any stiffness.

But she's not shod behind and I'd like to keep it that way as although she will have shoes on the back, it's a bit more tricky at her advanced age and with arthritic hocks to hold her legs up for long periods of time. As she is not good on stony ground without shoes, some hoof boots would be just the ticket.

Anybody use these for hacking and which do you recommend? I have one Old Mac which I've used for keeping abscess poultices on so could get another of those. But I know there's lots of brands on the market these days and maybe some are better than others?

 

[ester]

It depends very much on your mare's hoof shape, and things have also progressed quite quickly. renegades and easyboots have the best treads but have noted recently that equine fusion have also brought out a better tread.

Take some measurements of her hind feet post trim and have a chat with the people at http://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/ and http://www.hoofbootique.co.uk/ or thesaddleryshop.co.uk (the latter two also do hire so you can try first.)

 

[webble]

A good intro boot is the Cavello, I used them for about two years over all sorts of terrain and jumped in them with no problems. They slipped a bit on long wet grass but I think that would be the case with most boots

 

[booandellie]

I liked the cavello ones as i found them the easiest to put on but as ester says different boots suit different shaped feet. I also used mine for gentle hacking on an arthritic mare

 

[respectedpony driver]

Hi,Old Mac boots are the best as they have an extra strap to keep them on.I drove my pony in them and they are non slip.

 

[benz]

We have cavallo sport which trimmer recommended but they come off in deep mud and at fast paces. They are easy to put on and off though. We now have equine fusion jogging shoes which stay on through everything but a bit of a faff getting on and off although horse doesn't have to hold up feet for long. The cavallos are much cheaper.

 

[paddy555]

for the hind feet of a horse with arthritis I would be looking at the lightest boot and also the one with the breakover well back to make it easier for her to breakover. The old macs would be bottom of my list. Depending on the feet gloves or renegades would be top of the list.
Have you considered supplementing with good quantities of vit E oil if she is lacking muscle.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I wouldn't have anything except renegades now. They are easy to put on and the best for traction as well. Not cheap but get some second hand and you can sell them on if you don't need them.

 

[Akkalia1]

Thanks very much for those links ester and to everyone for the recommendations. Renegades look funky, never heard of those before! They are fairly pricy and seem to be a high performance boot which may be overkill for our walks but that said the point about getting the lightest boot possible is a good one and they do look light. Paddy - no I hadn't thought of vitamin E, will go and investigate, thanks.

 

[Dexydoodle]

Ive used both easyboot epics and cavallos. As pps have said though - depends on the shape of your mares feet. You can get hold of them second hand which might be good to try out. Will send you a PM

 

[ester]

Fwiw I use easyboot gloves, very light, easy to use with just a little practice but they do rely on a good fit. I got one new and one just tried on for half the price on ebay and they are still going 3 years later, although they probably only got used for one of those properly. If I was booting for full on hacking currently I would want to try some renegades .

 

[criso]

I've been using Equine Fusions as a temporary measure on my tb and was pleasantly surprised that he had better grip than I expected on muddy surfaces.
What was useful for me was that the fit is fairly forgiving. The horse has differently shaped left and right and the feet (evening out now) and they are also changing as he has been brought back into work and his feet are getting conditioned. I find them quite quick to put on, just have to do the velcro and the back strap.

The bottom doesn't seem as rigid as some so may not offer quite as much protection but that works for me as I only need them for a couple of especially stony tracks and will eventually do without them.

There are some good fb groups for selling and buying secondhand boots so you can experiment at a lower cost and then sell on.

 

[ester]

yup I think the all terrains are interesting, was it the standard base you had on yours criso?
http://www.eqfu.no/all-terrain.html

 

[criso]

yup I think the all terrains are interesting, was it the standard base you had on yours criso?
http://www.eqfu.no/all-terrain.html

Just the Ultra I had tried gloves, bares and epics (borrowed or bought and sold on) but his feet were changing so quickly that I needed something more forgiving fit wise.

It looks like the all terrain has a thicker sole so would offer more protection, they still feel a bit through the ultras but I actually prefer that as I want to use the minimum I can get away with as I do want some stimulation too.


I don't use or like boots on grass especially wet and at speed. I only need them for the really stony paths however these can go from stony to muddy and I was surprised how well he coped as it was the sort of mud they slip a bit on shod, bare or booted.

 

[ester]

Yup that's interesting thanks . I don't think anything except studs does wet grass on hard ground too well, I was lucky as although his feet did change a lot the gloves fitted at the start and end of transition.

 

[supsup]

Actually, I think the Easyboot Trail might also be a good option in this particular case. I know there are some reports that they don't stay on terribly well and don't last as long as some of the other models. But the fit is very forgiving, they are dead easy to put on (which may be good if the horse struggles to lift the hind legs). They have a decent sole (same as old macs), and sizing would be exactly the same as old macs, so should be easy to pick the right size first time around. I would imagine they would serve well for just walking around. Not too pricey either, and do show up second hand on FB every now and then.

 

[Akkalia1]

Thanks all. I had seen the easyboot trail and wondered if they might be a good bet for our gentle walking (barring the inevitable spooks and occasional jig-jogging that even at 25 she has not grown out of ).

Shall look at fusions too although I think a pretty rigid sole would be required for her.

 

[BlackRider]

I like the equine fusion ultimates - they're much easier to get on / off than the earlier models.

 

[Suechoccy]

Get a ruler or one of those expanding rigid tape measures,hold up each hoof and place measure across its width (photo 1), length (photo 2), then a side-on (photo 3) and front-on (photo 4) of both feet on the ground. Email the 4 photos to Liz Hapgood at Hoof Boutique together with some detail onthe horse and what sort of work/pace you'll be doing, and she will advise you on what boots will be best fit for your horse. You can then hire boots from Liz for £40 for a fortnight so you can try them and if no good, can try others instead. She stocks all the makes mentioned here so far.

 

[HelenS]

I'm another one with Easyboot Trails. I've had no problems with them coming off, and they seem to be lasting well. I find they are really easy to put on as well.