Equine fusion hoof boots. Can anyone recommend?

Nickles1973

Nickles1973

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 April 2009
Messages
540
Visit site
Hiya,
I have the need to buy some hoof boots for my horse to aid his transition to barefoot. And tbh I'm struggling. I have had an interesting conversation with the nice lady at Equine podiatry supplies and she has recommended I try the Equine fusion jogging ultra boot.
In principle they sound great and quite possibly the best option for fitting my horses hooves. But, I am reluctant to spend £160+ without further investigation.
Can anyone recommend them? Or if not, what problems did you encounter?
Thanks everso.
N :D
 
Will be interested in peoples opinions in these boots as my podiatrist has just shown me a pair for my boy as he is sensitive over chippings.

Gulped when he told me how much!!
 
Missmac,
Could I ask what your thoughts were off the boots please? (Quality, materials, fittings etc) Other than the eye watering price lol!
Did you try them on your horse and if so what was the fit like?
Thank you.
N.
 
Tallyho,
They are £162 plus delivery for a pair. I know that compares reasonably well with some of the more expensive Easy brand boots but, as I am short on choice of boots that will likely fit my horse I would want to know a bit more about them before parting with money.
They look perfect for the job I want to do with them but it would be good to know of others experiences.
N. :D
 
these boots were discussed on the phoenix barefoot forum recently. There seemed to be no one who had actually tried them. The fears were whether they had sufficient traction in mud and on sllick wet grass. If you compare the tread of the fusion and say the renegade or glove you will see the considerable difference. Another point is how well they would wear with a lot of road work. The gloves/epics/edges wear very well with a lot of road work, the renegades slightly less well but still good.


I think there are many people who would love to try them (I certainly would) but are put off by the price tag. If they were brilliant it would be acceptable but it is too big a financial risk if they don't perform well.

I think most people stick to gloves/epics/renegades as they have been tested for so long and especially in endurance events.

What were the reasons for equine podiatry supplies recomending them over other boots? did they have references etc of people who had used them for considerable mileage?



But I would love to hear from an endurance rider who has really tested the fusions over all surfaces at speed.
 
They were recommended because George has hooves virtually as wide as they are long. Unfortunatley this really limits the hoof boot he can wear.
I tried cavallos in the size he should need by his measurements and walked as though wearing buckets on his feet. (They were too big around the top of his hoof and couldn't be fitted tight enough)
This is compounded by the fact that he has vettec shoes at the moment and the boots are needed to give him traction on the road and to stop the vettec wearing out too quickly.
Tbh I am hoping that after his period in vettec shoes I will only need the boots for some of our stoney tracks that we hack out on.
 
I have just purchased 2 pairs of these - (yes i have more money than sense apparentley!) for my ex racer whom i am in the process of taking barefoot (Gulp!). I have just hinds off atm and the fronts are coming off at next scheduled shoeing in 3 weeks or sooner if he decides to help them off!. Hinds have been off 2 weeks now and i have lunged in the school several times with the fusions on. They fit well, dont rub and stayed on through wall of death galloping, nice sensible cantering and a good amount of trotting. I deliberated for ages over which ones to get him and like you OP my boy has feet nearly as wide as they are long. They are really soft and flexible and Atlantic Equine have them for £135.99 + P&P and they are really helpful. I hope they are as good for his fronts when they come off.
 
Nickles1973 - Have you had a look at the Easyboot Glove Wide? Measurements might be suitable for your horse :)

I too would love to hear about experiences with the Fusion boot. My worry is that it would be sucked off if I rode through a muddy patch on a bridleway :rolleyes:
 
I was in two minds over them. The materials felt nice and soft so I wouldnt have any worries about rubs from breaking them in and I liked tht the sole was flexible but I did think that the fastening didnt look like it would take much to pull them off.

I didnt try them on as the only pair he had on him were size 14 and way to big for my New Forest!

My boy, although having excellent little feet in terms of depth of sole, horn quality etc can get terribly footy over chippings. He was trimmed today and when trotted up down our lane after was much better so im hoping he wont need them but I think I will give them a go if he continues to be sore. Will just have to tap my family up for some birthday/christmas money a bit early this year!!
 
The original old macs (not the g2's) are for wide hooves.

My gelding has some old mac g2's which are now about 5 years old and still going strong

I have a pair of size 7's which you are welcome to try for size if they are the size you need
 
Hi all, sorry for posting late on this but thought I'd add my recent experience (my boy is a 7 year old welsh cob with hooves as wide as they are long).

Having taken off his shoes on my farrier's advice (silly weather had resulted in his hooves softening and him losing shoes too frequently, causing damage to his hooves) and hoping to keep him barefoot long term, I was concerned about him being footsore on gravel and stones during the transition period of up to a year (he has only ever been shod on his fronts anyway and only for a year so I've no concerns with his back feet). He loves to get out and paddock work bores him silly so I needed to do something!
I looked at lots of hoofboots on the net and in shops and was drawn towards the Easyboot Glove as they seemed to fit more precisely and didn't look too cumbersome. The problem was measuring and fitting as I've read so much about the glove not fitting 'wide' feet. My boy's feet measure 14cm length and 13.8cm width so officially I should buy the size 3 wide (very hard to come by). Instead, having read a case study on the easycare site...

(http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/bootlegging/do-easyboot-gloves-work-for-horses-with-wide-feet)

I decided to take a risk, use only the length measurement against the chart and ordered the standard size 3s. Perfect (snug) fit. (Thank heavens!!!) It took a little persuasion but no rubber mallet as warned on the net, and my horse loved them! He even walked over a few drains which he shied at before and going downhill on the driveway (cotswold stone - usually slippy) he had perfect grip. I will be testing out the boots on longer hacks this week but I just wanted to share this as people with horses who have wide hooves might be put off buying the Easyboot Glove, as I was before I read this case study. I think the measurements are misleading as people seem to be using those power straps to narrow the boot...says it all really! The standard boots ARE suitable for wide hooves in my experience, I hope this helps someone!;)
 
Just looking at these boots, would they be suitable for turnout? I can't see that they have any drainage built in? Or are they a more snug fit so unlikely to get full of water?

Also, are they quite easy to put on?

Thanks x
 
I don't use the Easyboot Glove for turnout - I use them for riding out on roads and gravel / stone tracks. I keep him barefoot now in the paddock and for work on grass. The Easyboots do fill with a little water when we go through streams etc but don't take long to dry, I always soak them in a bucket when we get back to thoroughly clean them and they're dry for the next day. They are hard rubber and neoprene (Wetsuit material) so ideal for wet conditions. I'm very happy with them!:D
 
there is a long walk to the field and back which is over stoney ground, and my horse is on livery so I'm not the one turning out / bringing in, which is why the boots stay on in the field.

Before anyone says I should be doing lots of roadwork to condition etc, my mare is 31, and having hoof boots has really helped her, I just need some that are good with the wet fields we have at the moment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top