Hoof boots?? Help please

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Amyking89

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Hi all!

So my mare has bad feet; typical flat footed, no heel.
She was shod badly unfortunately by my previous farrier and one of her feet just fell apart completely, the heel was dragged right down and she went severely lame (couldn't weight bare). The vet removed all her shoes and told me she needed to be barefoot for a minimum of 8 weeks to allow the foot to re grow. She's on a multitude of supplements including a hardener to stop her feet just crumbling and breaking up.
When my new farrier came out to trim her, he seemed certain that with correct shoeing but my vet was adamant hoof boots or glue on shoes were the only way to go.

So firstly im down to the age old battle of who to go with - my vet or my farrier?
She is sound on grass, as ive been riding her just on our land, and every gait is perfect (including the excited bucking fit she had the second time after 8 weeks off!) and she's more than sound on the transition down from canter which I know with her is where it would show the most.

The glue on shoes my vet is suggesting are £200 per TWO. So £400 to shoe her all round.
We do ALOT of hacking and road work, galloping and jumping; so ideally she needs something on everything

Ive been looking into hoof boots - they've advanced a lot since I looked at them 10+ years ago!

Any first hand experiences? Similar problems?
I'm desperately arguing with myself; as I want to believe my farrier is right and she would be ok shod conventionally, but her foot does tear and crumble quite badly shod with nails.

Sorry for the ramble; it's a real catch 22 which is never easy with horses!
 
Someone with more barefoot experience will come along in a bit to answer your question more fully - to stay barefoot you will possibly need to make some management changes. But just to offer my recent experiences:

I've had a section D with appalling feet barefoot behind & booted - and her feet have improved dramatically. The boots have been easy to use and I've had a really positive experience.
I've also just had the shoes pulled from my cob x WB who has been shod all round for 12 years. Her fronts are run forward with rubbish heels and long toes - hinds not so bad, and I've bought some boots for her to transition with. I'm hoping she will grow better feet to support a soft tissue injury.

I've now got 3 pairs of different brands, all suit the feet they were bought for well ;) If you decide to boot, be sure to get some advice from an experienced shop before you buy them, as the right size & shape of boots is essential. The Hoof Boutique and the Saddlery Shop online have been really helpful to me.

Your farrier is always going to recommend shoes (unless a really pro-barefoot one, which seems rare)... sounds like your vet is thinking outside the box. You might decide to go back to shoes later on if the hooves improve - no decision has to be a permanent one :)
 
I'd start with hoof boots to be honest, what is she actually getting to eat, how is she managed, are there pictures?
Is she heel first landing, how long has this been going on etc.
The hoof will not have grown in 8 weeks from coronet band to sole, but you should be able to see an event line where the feed and the change in management have kicked in.
There is a lot of info on Rockley Farm site about feet, its all about feet.
 
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Hi guys. Thanks for the help.
He meant by the 8 week plan that the wall that had been nailed to was completely obliterated - it was shredded and in an awful state.
Id started working with her feet long before the shoes came off, and the line is about midway from some to wall. So o feel im doing okay?

She's on restricted grazing for a start as although she's thoroughbred she's got the brain of a native and just eats and eats.
She's given a veterinary hoof support powder (which contains biotin, gelatine, vitamins, amongst others) and already has made a great improvement although my vet did make it clear that 18 months was the usual time it would take to see better results.
She also gets micronised linseed oil and Was on Brewers yeast up until I ran out of it.
Apart from that she gets a handful of happy hoof. She gets no high starch/sugar/cereal anymore (was on competition mix due to being out eventing) as im aware this doesn't help with foot health.


I feel in my heart my vet definitely right, I never imagined she'd be sound barefoot full stop (all be it on soft ground) and he's been a vet longer than ive been alive (not saying younger vets wouldn't get it), but ive used him for around 10 years and he's always been good with the judgment call - it was also just hard not to get caught up in the idea she could be ok conventionally.
My vet didn't rule out being shod normally in the future, but a good 12-18 months in the future. Ive emailed hoof boutique to ask for help.

As above, she grows long in the toe, next to no heel, and she cracks quite easily. Although she is currently unsound due to sticking her leg through a fence and cutting it up - so she's having more relaxing time off. (Thanks!)
 
Her feet will improve dramatically if you keep her barefoot,but you need to be ready for ups and downs,the transition takes a while. Do lots of reading on appropriate feeds and management and stick with the hoof boots, it will work if you stick with it,I did.
 
My pony used to have terrible feet that would not hold shoes. He has been barefoot for 4 years now, his feet have improved no end, and I use boots on him as we do a lot of miles on stony tracks. I use Easyboot Epics and find them really good for him and don't have any problems with them coming off. Last week we did about 80 miles over rocky Lakeland fell tracks and the boots were brilliant and the grip on the steep rocks was really good.
btw part of the reason his feet broke up when he was shod was due to chronic white line disease. The infection was getting in through the nail holes. Fortunately that grew out after he was barefoot.
 
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£400 a set...? Yikes! How often!?

I took my horse barefoot last year, largely as I wanted him to have a break from shoes. Admittedly he had no foot problems, but bought some Cavallo Simples for hacking, which have been fab and very easy to use. He hasn't needed them now for months and months, and is now happy going xc barefoot and I can't see any reason to have him shod ever again, hopefully!
 
Boots are quite expensive, but they last a long time. There is a Facebook group where second hand boots are sold, and there are firms selling boots who will give you advice. Which boots suit which horses comes down to hoof shape and boot shape, so it is a bit of trial and error. But boots are very good for horse's feet, particularly if you put a pad inside which will give good support and help the foot develop correctly and be more comfortable for the horse. I have never had a boot come off.

My horse is sound barefoot, but I mostly ride in boots as there are lots of very gravelly roads - little sharp stones that really dig in to the sole if he steps on one.
 
Primitive Pony - if her feet were in good condition and took well - 6 weeks at a push? so £400 all round every 5-6 weeks, and although it would benefit the hoof wall due to no nails, im not sure what other benefits they provide, and she tracks up quite close behind so the risk (even with over reach boots on) she may still pull them off.

I would like to keep her barefoot, its difficult having the to and from between vet and farrier; I would like to think im sensible enough to consider all options, and I have to admit (without blowing my own trumpet!) i've always had the right gut instinct when it comes to her health and wellbeing.. so barefoot will be the way forward.
I have a lady from a company that do barefoot nutrition calling me today to discuss some options for her, and im also going to have my grazing and hay re tested for sugar and other levels. I know the grass doesnt have much goodness in it..its parkland grass and my vet has explained to me it holds next to no goodness when cut down (the top bits that have grown long hold the most sugar), and its regularly topped and maintained. every now and then shes allowed onto some longer grass, but mostly when the weathers poo.

I spoke to Liz from the boot boutique, and i've sent her photos and measurements for some boot suggestions.
We're currently looking at the Easy Transition boot, which seems to be good for horses transitioning from shoes to barefoot/boots, theyre suitable for hacking up to 25 miles a week, and can be used for turnout and poulticing (if the need ever arrised!) they also have the option to fit pads depending on their foot (so blue for very sore or newly bare feet, and black for feet that need a bit of extra protection, but already have good spread and contraction..im guessing we'll start with blue!
I'm hoping with the right care from my farrier,and a good set of boots she'll start to grow a good healthy foot and I can stop panicking!

Orangehorse - our private drive is all gravelly, apart from that the majority are good surfaced roads and grassy tracks, but i still feel boots are definitely the way forward for her.

Any other advice would be appreciated.. Hoof boutique do hire boots, so you pay full price plus hire charge but if they dont work for you, you can send them back..which i think is a good option,
Im perfectly willing to spend the money as long as i know she'll be sound and comfortable (and happy!). Im thinking of starting with the transition boots, and then going for something else once her feet have hardened and adjusted, and keeping the transition boots for turnout in the winter (hard ground) and anything else i may need, probably good to have a spare for when its wet and muddy and i need to hose and wash one pair? (Cavallo do some in pink and i have to admit this excites me ;)! ) lol. every cloud right.
 
If you are thingking of the plastic glue on shoes, all the vets and farriers I work with say they should not be ridden in as they offer very little traction and are like skating on ice for the horse-IME I agree with them, horses look like bambi on ice in them. also if you were doing road work you would be lucky to get 2 weeks out of them as they are designed for box rest on a bedded surface and to reduce concussion, therefore they wear really fast due to being fairly soft.
 
These weren't plastic. they were metal with a coated cushion and an acrylic polyflex adhesive to attach to the hoof wall :-) I can't remember the companies name, but they made a variety of shoes for all sorts of reasons and disciplines (they did do plastic shoes for lami's, box rest, etc) perhaps i didn't explain very clearly. I wouldn't ride a horse on the road in plastic shoes, for the reasons you said above, if she was on box rest i would have put them on if i thought theyd protect the foot.. i also found they weren't going to give enough protection from concussion (the same as a metal shoe just without the nails!)
I think the idea was more that it would stop us from having to nail them on, as I think mostly thats what her foot won't take. But boots seem to be the preferred option for her at the moment.
 
I'm getting some boots for one of mine. It's a minefield! He has quite long narrow front feet. My farrier actually recommend we take his shoes off and see how he coped. He then suggested boots for stony hacks and he thinks his feet are doing well without shoes.
 
have you emailed Liz at the Hoof Boutique?
Honestly I was drowning in boots, brands, styles, what shape my horses foot was, etc, and she's been super helpful!
I really hope eventually mine will be okay in a pair of cavallos, just because pink is a must have ;)! (only joking of course!)
I took measurements and photos of my horses feet and sent them to her, because i haven't the foggiest about what size she needed :-)
 
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