Does anyone use hoof boots for hunting?

[rosie-ellie]

I was wondering if anyone uses hoof boots for hunting? i'm going for the first time this year and my mares barefoot, i just dont want her to get foot sore when we were out, because i was told we'd be going on top of the mountain sometimes which is very stoney in places. If you do, do you have ones for the front and backs and which boots do you use? I have a pair of old macs at the moment but was considering buying renegades for the front because they are lighter but dont know what they'll be like in the mud!!!

Opinions appreciated.

 

[Fiagai]

RE - Not too sure about using hoof boots for hunting. During winter the danger would be the amount of mud/water/debris that could get caught up in them and wearing them over a whole day? What kind of country will you be hunting over?

 

[A1fie]

Hi I had boa boots for my old lad when he was unshod. I didn't hunt him with boots on but I did take him on a sponsored ride with them and one fell off when we were going fast. Luckily I could retrieve it, but I think I would have struggled out hunting. I think you'd be more likely to lose them as well if it was muddy or deep going.

 

[cptrayes]

I hunt a barefoot horse. You would be absolutely nuts to use hoof boots to hunt in, trust me!

If you do not lose them in a stream or a bog, which is more than likely, you will get so much muck down them that they will rub her raw even with gaiters on.

What you need to do is what I am doing right now. Get your mare out regularly on stones. Walk her round and round them in hand if you have to. She needs a gradual increasing exposure to stones between now and when you start, and she'll be fine.

Then you can play "how many horses have come home with fewer shoes than they went out with" and smile when you hunt

 

[rosie-ellie]

Thanks guys.

My husband said she would be fine because shes been barefoot for 2 years and i just worry, dont like the thought of her being in pain. She fine on roads and we're out for up to 3 hours so think i'll just build up her sensitivity to bigger stones.

Fiagai - it'll be open fields, woods and the mountain thats where i get a bit worried. But i suppose i can gradually build her feet up these next few months so fingers crossed she'll be fine.

Thanks again!!

 

[Orangehorse]

I agree that it would be nuts. I have used hoof boots for hacking, trec, but the thought of galloping and jumping in them - no. Although they are less slippy than you think they are going to be.
When you are hunting the terrain varies, so although some parts are stoney it is not all the time.

Just build up the work gradually for speed and terrain. Look at the Rockly Farm website for some videos of horses hunting barefoot on Exmoor over very rough ground.

 

[rosie-ellie]

Look at the Rockly Farm website for some videos of horses hunting barefoot on Exmoor over very rough ground.

Thanks I will

 

[Tim M]

I suppose it's a question of what terrain and conditions you hunt in. The boots are so much better in my opinion than are shoes. Here's my guy on a recent hunt.

 

[Clava]

Interesting as I was wondering about hunting in hoofboots today. I gallop my TB flat out in her Easyboot Gloves with no problems. I wasn't thinking of hunting my TB, but my haflinger. I hope to improve her hooves between now and then but I'm doubtful they will cope by then with the largely flint tracks around us.

 

[cptrayes]

I suppose it's a question of what terrain and conditions you hunt in. The boots are so much better in my opinion than are shoes. Here's my guy on a recent hunt.

Not quite the kind of hunting we are talking about Tim

An English hunt Master would die of shock if you turned up with your horse like that and a rifle in its holster

We gallop around (without guns, following a pack of hounds) all winter in 6 inches of mud. No hoof boot would survive and if it was on for more than half an hour the rubbing from mud inside the boot would be horrific.

It's a complete no-no in this country Clava, don't even think about it unless you have no mud at all in your area. If you get your Haffie's diet right and condition it to stones from now for two months, you should be fine to hunt on flint. I regularly gallop up hundreds of yards of broken brick and concrete on my boy.

Tim why can't your horse go bootless in nice dry country like that?

 

[Tim M]

Not quite the kind of hunting we are talking about Tim

An English hunt Master would die of shock if you turned up with your horse like that and a rifle in its holster

We gallop around (without guns, following a pack of hounds) all winter in 6 inches of mud. No hoof boot would survive and if it was on for more than half an hour the rubbing from mud inside the boot would be horrific.

It's a complete no-no in this country Clava, don't even think about it unless you have no mud at all in your area. If you get your Haffie's diet right and condition it to stones from now for two months, you should be fine to hunt on flint. I regularly gallop up hundreds of yards of broken brick and concrete on my boy.

Tim why can't your horse go bootless in nice dry country like that?

Because the road there has very sharp rocks and in that spot you can't leave the road due to all that cholla cactus you see. It's very spiny and painful and to touch a branch of these cacti causes them to launch off and stick to you.
People and horses that come in contact with these cacti go through what we would call a "personal rodeo." And those create the kind of stories we tell over and over should we survive the ordeal.

When we are off the road and down in the sandy wash or even going cross country, I take his boots off.

 

[Tim M]

Not quite the kind of hunting we are talking about Tim

An English hunt Master would die of shock if you turned up with your horse like that and a rifle in its holster

We gallop around (without guns, following a pack of hounds) all winter in 6 inches of mud. No hoof boot would survive and if it was on for more than half an hour the rubbing from mud inside the boot would be horrific.

It's a complete no-no in this country Clava, don't even think about it unless you have no mud at all in your area. If you get your Haffie's diet right and condition it to stones from now for two months, you should be fine to hunt on flint. I regularly gallop up hundreds of yards of broken brick and concrete on my boy.

Tim why can't your horse go bootless in nice dry country like that?

Mud will certainly suck off most hoof boots.
Maybe you can see the cactus in this pic. It's also called teddy bear cactus, but you wouldn't want to hug it. It's the brown clumpy cactus.

The tall green cactus are Sahuaros and can grow 70' tall and live several hundred years.

 

[cptrayes]

Looks like a scene from a Wild West movie

I get to pick blackthorns out of my horse every week, and sometimes out of me too. Not as bad as your cuddly cacti though.

 

[Clava]

Not quite the kind of hunting we are talking about Tim

An English hunt Master would die of shock if you turned up with your horse like that and a rifle in its holster

We gallop around (without guns, following a pack of hounds) all winter in 6 inches of mud. No hoof boot would survive and if it was on for more than half an hour the rubbing from mud inside the boot would be horrific.

It's a complete no-no in this country Clava, don't even think about it unless you have no mud at all in your area. If you get your Haffie's diet right and condition it to stones from now for two months, you should be fine to hunt on flint. I regularly gallop up hundreds of yards of broken brick and concrete on my boy.

Tim why can't your horse go bootless in nice dry country like that?

Thanks, you're right and that is what I was thinking. I haven't managed to get completely on top of her diet yet and the grass is more lush than ever (she is restricted or muzzled), oh well, we'll see how she goes. She was only backed in March so we haven't had long to build up to working hard on her hooves yet and she was rescued last September with terrible hooves. It might just be too soon for her hooves if not for her ridden progress.

 

[cptrayes]

You might find that she will suddenly come right when the grass dies off, but she wouldn't be the first Haffie I have heard of who finds grass difficult. I think they were bred to live in a harsh enviroment? They seem very unsuited to richer pasture. I have a very sensitive warmblood of my own and he is in during the day AND muzzled at night, on unfertilised hill meadow too. It's a real nightmare to own a sensitive one, I sympathise.

You don't feed her alfalfa products do you? I know of lots that have trouble with alfalfa. Too many carrots can do it too, I wouldn't feed any. BUt DO feed 20g of magnesium oxide or calmag (much cheaper, from farm supplies stores in 25kg sacks for under a tenner)

I hope you get her out hunting, you'll have such fun!

 

[Tim M]

Here's another scene from an old west movie. The wife taking a cow skull home we found on a ride. Meant to bring boots for the old gal (the QH) but forgot them.

 

[Clava]

You might find that she will suddenly come right when the grass dies off, but she wouldn't be the first Haffie I have heard of who finds grass difficult. I think they were bred to live in a harsh enviroment? They seem very unsuited to richer pasture. I have a very sensitive warmblood of my own and he is in during the day AND muzzled at night, on unfertilised hill meadow too. It's a real nightmare to own a sensitive one, I sympathise.

You don't feed her alfalfa products do you? I know of lots that have trouble with alfalfa. Too many carrots can do it too, I wouldn't feed any. BUt DO feed 20g of magnesium oxide or calmag (much cheaper, from farm supplies stores in 25kg sacks for under a tenner)

I hope you get her out hunting, you'll have such fun!

She gets a small amount of Fast Fast to feed her 20gms of magox (I can't find a supply of calmag locally) and a big spoonful of brewers yeast. No carrots, but my field is clover and rye grass.

 

[Enfys]

Not quite the kind of hunting we are talking about Tim

An English hunt Master would die of shock if you turned up with your horse like that and a rifle in its holster

I can think of a few Hunt staff that would love to be able to hunt in western gear Sans the rifle. Mind, we are talking about mountain packs here rather than jumping packs, imagine Ledbury country in a western saddle

 

[cptrayes]

I'm having some success with charcoal with my sensitive one Clava, you could try it maybe. Happy Tummy (!!) it's called.

Enfys wouldn't you just love to see one like it at a meet I can't quite imagine a bloke jumping any good size hedge with that pommel though!

 

[Denzalwood]

dont like the thought of her being in pain.
Thanks again!!

Basically i only ever use on horse what they need, some of my horses need shoes, others don't, My Farrier is also excellent in advising me if one of my Boys/girls is wearing a bit low and we will subsequently shoe him (weve had this farrier for some 20+ years btw) A one off Hunt should be fine but ongoing road work will really wear those Hooves down.

 

[spookypony]

I second cptrayes on the mud-sucking-off-boots thing. Made that mistake once, at a show. Boot got sucked off and was flopping around his ankle by its gaiter, pony panicked and deposited me in neat somersault right in front of judge on my back. Swearing ensued.

I find they tend to come off sporadically when galloping (I use Gloves), so I do without if I think we're going fast. Only been hunting once, but he coped fine barefoot, and copes fine at endurance on most rides.

 

[Clava]

I'm having some success with charcoal with my sensitive one Clava, you could try it maybe. Happy Tummy (!!) it's called.

Enfys wouldn't you just love to see one like it at a meet I can't quite imagine a bloke jumping any good size hedge with that pommel though!

Thanks, I've not tried charcoal before, but I'll give it a go

 

[Tim M]

I'm having some success with charcoal with my sensitive one Clava, you could try it maybe. Happy Tummy (!!) it's called.

Enfys wouldn't you just love to see one like it at a meet I can't quite imagine a bloke jumping any good size hedge with that pommel though!

Sounds like pommel envy for sure....

 

[nicbarker]

I'm another that would say a massive NO to boots for hunting, for all the reasons others have mentioned - just not worth the risk.

OP, if your horse is used to the sort of ground she will hunt over she should be fine. I'm about to start my 8th season hunting barefoot horses (we start in August - yippee!!) and several of my horses do 600-800 miles per season.

 

[rosie-ellie]

Thanks guys for your advice and i will not be using her boots for hunting!

Ive now changed her feed to a non starch, high fibre diet. I'm also conditioning her feet to the type of areas where we might hunt. She currently has a split in her bulb which isnt helping matters but vet/farrier believe with the correct care it should be healed up by October. I hope with the change of feed it'll do the job....

Thanks again!

 

[Clava]

Just as a little update, it is possible to hunt in hoofboots (which I needed not have worried about coming off as it took me ages to get them off when I got home!, I had put oxide tape around the hoof and it really helps them stick on.)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=490607

... the going was, however, very dry but over 5 hrs in with them on and not a single mark or rub on any part of the hooves or leg.

 

[Orangehorse]

That is good news, in fact your horse was probably more comfortable than the shod ones on this ground! I think you would find them slippy on wet grass though.

LOVE the plait.