Hoof Boots: least bulky & quickest to put on/take off-whats new?

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Fifty Bales of Hay

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I know its the best fitting boot for my horse that I need, but from the last time I looked at Hoof Boots - they seem to have come on a lot! And there are a lot more to choose from.

Which boots are the least bulkiest in look when fitted?

And which ones are the quickest and easiest to put on and take off?

Preferably in the lower end budget wise so no more than £100-£150 a pair.

What do you love about the hoof boots you use on your horse?
 
I'm just in process of upgrading my hoof boots to ones that are easier get on that the Old Macs I have (and don't use much because they're a fiddle to get on). I wanted Scoots but Liz from the Hoof Boutique doesn't think they'll the right shape for my mare's feet. I've ordered a fitting kit from Liz and have Easycare shells to try and she put a Scoot shell in too (probably to let me put the I want those thought to bed!).

I strongly recommend you contact Liz and she will guide you through what's available on the market to fit your horse and needs.
 
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If they fit I love my gloves, but they rely on good fit and getting them on is a bit of an art compared to many others. If I didn't have them I would have renegades.
 
I initially started out with Scoot boots and while they are lovely and light the straps that are permanently attached to the boot have disintegrated after two months. I only used them to protect his feet when they were sore and didn't use them to ride in at all so not overly impressed with the quality.

After a lot more research I have just had a shell kit for gloves and luckily they suit D's feet so will order two fronts. As he has one one foot half a size bigger than the other the gloves offer a bit more flexibility.
 
I've no personal experience of hoof boots but a friend has been using the Scoot boots on her connemara for a couple of months now and she's very pleased with them.
 
Love my Equine Fusion ones but they did take a bit of time to be able to get them on quickly :o, not helped by the fact I had to add wraps as they rubbed... However she hasn't lost one yet!

Tried the Easyboot Epics which were a doddle to get on but one was lost on the first canter, if you can get them on easily they will come off in my experience :D.

I was severely limited in choice as her feet were so poor, very long and narrow, but with a healthier shaped foot then I'd have liked to try gloves.
 
IMO, nothing on the market at the moment beats the Gloves when it comes to lack of bulk. I also find them one of the easiest boots to put on, though it does take a big of practice to learn the right technique to twist them on easily. Only one velcro to do up per boot. They have new gaiters now, which look like they might solve (or at least improve) some of the remaining rubbing issues that I've had with the Gloves. I haven't tried the new gaiters yet, but on the old I always had to open and flatten some seams, and attach an extra piece of neoprene to avoid rubs at the front of the pasterns.
I also have tried scoots, and they are definitely more bulky (add more width to the hoof at sole-level), and I found the straps more fiddly to put on (three per boot, and I needed to use a hoof pick to do them on, but that may get easier as they stretch a little). On the plus side, scoots are easier to clean - just dunk in a bucket of water. I haven't used them enough yet to see how they wear in the long term.

In the end though, choice may be limited by hoof shape anyway.
 
Following this thread as I'm looking to change from the Old Mac G5s my boy wears. I really struggle doing them up with my arthritic fingers. My bare foot trimmer suggested Cavallos. She didn't rate the Skoot Boots when I asked.
 
I’ve just bought my Shetland a pair of size 0 cavallos as he didn’t have any hoof to take off when the farrier came yesterday (and he refused point blank to ever shoe the little toad!). My retired boy has cavallo sports in front for in hand walks and my welsh D has the normal cavallos for when I remove his shoes over the winter. I tried to broaden my search and considered other boots when I purchased the shetland boots but for me the cavallo is the easiest boot out there to put on and just get on with, it may not be the most high performance but fine for what I need.
 
Cavallos are definitely easier to get on/less skill required than say gloves - which if they fit particularly tight a mallet does help :p although the pony will also 'walk' them on too.
However I wouldn't ride any sort of distance or speed in the cavallos, the breakovers are much further forwards than with a glove, they are a fair bit heavier and I have found they rub mine without socks.
Never had a rub from the glove, only just upgraded to the previous version of gaiters (with the inner neoprene) never had an issue with the previous I guess we might get the new ones in another 4 years if we need a new pair/F is still going then.

I don't use them very often anymore but they have just done a week (50+ miles) in a particularly boggy new forest and just lost one today (I do find once feet have got wet they are more inclined to come off and I do still prefer bare but been a busier week for the pony than usual!) I should try them with some athletic tape at some point but not sure if I would get them on and off then!

I think the scoot boots have had some teething troubles with the fastening across the front, and I don't like the straps over the heel bulbs compared to the set up with the glove.
 
Thank you so much everyone for all your thoughts and advice. I do like the look of the Scoot boots, but don't want to have to deal with their teething problems in a new boot. The Cavallo's and the Glove seem to be the better option. Perhaps I would be able to trial both of these makes and see which I get along with. Very good write up and informative about the breakover point, thank you Ester. This particular horse also has "under run heels" so working on his breakover is a very valid and important issue. And weight I hadn't even considered, so favouring the Glove due to this. Quite happy with the horse standing them on himself if I put them in the right place! Its the fiddly bits with straps and endless amounts of velcro in every direction I want to see if I can avoid this time with boots (had them years ago for a different pony).

I will put up another posting about under run heels and boots - as these might be different in our remedial stage to our interim stage of transition?
 
Frank is a bit unusual in that he did have under run heels but apart from that his feet have stayed the same size so we had size 2.5 gloves 4 years ago, assuming they would be temporary and we still have size 2.5 gloves now!
 
My sister has cavallos, easyboots (not sure why type), scoot boots, equine fusions...i swear the horse has more pairs of shoes than she does. To me the cavallos and easyboots are too clunky and not suited to fast work, the scoot boots i like but she has real problems with the fastenings, her fingers struggle with pushing the fastenings on in cold weather and it takes her up to 10 mins some days (til I go to the rescue with my iron fingers!), the fusions I liked the idea of but didn't love them in real life.

I however have had my set of renegade classics for 8 years and am just gearing up to but a new pair exactly the same. Once you have fiddled with the cableing to get the straps the right fit, you are good to go. Mine lasted 6 or 7 years til one of the cables finally wore thin and broke, then had a half hour swear fest replacing it, and was then good to go for the next year or two. The other cable is still going strong. mega easy boots to put on and take off, they look good, not too clunky, fine for canter work and through mud. i love them! And my sister has just bought a pair of the vipers!
 
Another vote for renegades if you're doing lots of fast work or long distance. They're a bit on the expensive side if you just plod around the block once a week though. Or if you're just starting to transition from shoes and the feet are likely to change shape.

I've had old macs, cavallo simples and cavallo treks. I also have experience with gloves, boas and equine fushion jogging boots. Out of all of those, cavallo treks would be my favourite as they are relatively cheap (about £110 a pair), easy to put on, and you can get a therapeutic pad in if necessary. The downside is that they can twist if the fit isn't quite right.

I agree with others that Liz at Hoof Bootique is brilliant she does a hire service, so you can try before you buy. Good luck!
 
Ester - did Frank have under run heels when you fitted him with the size 2.5 gloves? And still has the same size now? How are the shape of his feet 4 years later, are they a lot different, how long did it take to get a good shape on them?
 
So they weren't as bad as they started as I thought as we had managed to make them look superficially better in shoes.

548929_10151493879400438_365331735_n.jpg


I guess overall they likely haven't changed that much apart from losing the bullnosing - he had a flat pedal bone on xray, most of the improvements have been underneath for him (frogs/concavity/digital cushion). I don't actually have any totally current pics but as a comparison

10577180_10154568440040438_2358338103634546425_n.jpg
 
ester said:
Cavallos are definitely easier to get on/less skill required than say gloves - which if they fit particularly tight a mallet does help :p although the pony will also 'walk' them on too.
However I wouldn't ride any sort of distance or speed in the cavallos, the breakovers are much further forwards than with a glove, they are a fair bit heavier and I have found they rub mine without socks.
Never had a rub from the glove, only just upgraded to the previous version of gaiters (with the inner neoprene) never had an issue with the previous I guess we might get the new ones in another 4 years if we need a new pair/F is still going then.

I don't use them very often anymore but they have just done a week (50+ miles) in a particularly boggy new forest and just lost one today (I do find once feet have got wet they are more inclined to come off and I do still prefer bare but been a busier week for the pony than usual!) I should try them with some athletic tape at some point but not sure if I would get them on and off then!

I think the scoot boots have had some teething troubles with the fastening across the front, and I don't like the straps over the heel bulbs compared to the set up with the glove.
Click to expand...

I have been using the cavallo sport boots for the last year when horse got a cracked hoof and we wouldn't have got a shoe to stay on.
He's been doing well in them so have decided to leave him barefoot and just ride out in boots.
We only hack for about an hour 4-5 times a week. Mainly walk and trot
I'm not very clued up on horse anatomy. Could you explain what you mean about breakover being further forwards with these boots and what impact it could have?
 
So break over is the point at which the horse rolls the hoof off the ground.
The addition of any boot over the hoof will add bulk and delay break over.
The bulkier the boot the bigger the delay.
Cavallo sports/trek slims are better than the classic sole for this but having both are not as good at the gloves IMO.
cavallo_sportsole2.jpg


Gloves have a large wedge taken out of the front, not perfect still but IMO better.
13599942_10157256778905438_8329585628382420737_n.jpg


bringing the breakover further forwards whether that be with boots, or long toes/poor trimming increases the forces/strains on the internal structures of the foot/tendons/ligaments etc. Obviously the faster you are going the more the strain.
 
ester said:
So break over is the point at which the horse rolls the hoof off the ground.
The addition of any boot over the hoof will add bulk and delay break over.
The bulkier the boot the bigger the delay.
Cavallo sports/trek slims are better than the classic sole for this but having both are not as good at the gloves IMO.
cavallo_sportsole2.jpg


Gloves have a large wedge taken out of the front, not perfect still but IMO better.
13599942_10157256778905438_8329585628382420737_n.jpg


bringing the breakover further forwards whether that be with boots, or long toes/poor trimming increases the forces/strains on the internal structures of the foot/tendons/ligaments etc. Obviously the faster you are going the more the strain.
Click to expand...

this is the reason I would never use cavallos, old macs or any of the others with poor breakover. I use gloves in front and renegades behind. Gloves are slightly quicker to put on than renegades as only one fastening, however if they fit tight gloves are slightly harder to get on and need a mallet whereas the renegades open out to put the foot in. The fastenings on the renegades are slightly more fiddly pushing the strap through 2 loops. I find the renegades take around 5 seconds longer than the gloves to put on.
 
Been using the Scoot Boots for a couple of months. We've really liked them, as they are very lightweight and the pony can do fast work, jumping etc in them, hardly noticing they are on. I use a hoof pick to do up the straps and they get easier as they stretch a little, so find them very quick and easy to put on. In my opinion it also helps that there is no velcro to get muddy and worn, they are easy to clean... However we're finding they are wearing rather badly at the front, as pony lands rather toe first. To be fair though he did this with the Cavellos too.

Ester - are there any hoof boots which would help with toe first? He has been seen by both the Vet and the Farrier, as this seems to be more of an issue since he has been without shoes (though he did tend to wear his shoes in the same place, but to a lesser extent we think)
 
paddy how do the velcro straps on the renegades cope with getting very wet and muddy? I use powerstraps on my gloves these days which means I find them easier with a mallet. Sometimes the velcro on the gaiters doesn't cope the best with the real mud (they don't really make it for cob sized pasterns ;), I actually preferred the older style gaiter which had thicker velcro in some ways). I do find they are a bit of a pain when I have lost one, off a usually wet hoof, at canter (I guess he manages to pull it off with a hind) they don't stay on quite so well on the second putting on. But again I have been only using them recently as we did a lot of mileage last week while on holiday!

I should also say delaying breakover can increase risk of an over reach.

cappucino toe first is an indication of heel pain/issues, no thrush? or structure issues? Frank rapidly makes his Right and Left boots because he rolls off the outsides of his toes.
 
That's a really good point about the breakover, thanks. I had some Transitions which fell apart after 10 weeks, gone back under the warranty to be inspected but was thinking Cavallos as a replacement. Won't now, he needs a decent breakover
 
My renegade straps have never come off in wet muddy weather I don't think. After 8 years they are starting to get a little tired but still do the job. It's where the plastic at the heel meets the sole of the boot that's splitting now, hence me needing another pair.
 
It's not that they come off, it is more that the velcro becomes less sticky when wet? On the gloves I find having been through a lot of bog/water then the velcro can start to curl back on itself although the newest gaiter I have has tougher shiny outer. I guess that is perhaps where the bands come in to it too.
 
I use the Easyboot Trails on my welsh cob.

Extremely easy to put on and off. I think some people have issues with them coming off at speed though this hasn't happened to us.
 
That makes sense. Thank you for explaining. Farrier is coming tomorrow (been 6 weeks) and he has started clipping his boot with his hinds....

I was thinking about upgrading but I like how they are so easy to slip on!
 
that might partly be why, I have a pair from when I was poulticing of late and needed room to put a bag inside the boot so it lasted better which I couldn't with a glove. They were much easier to explain to my sharer how to get them on rather than well, it takes a bit of technique but... it's kind of like this so I can get why people like them, I just wouldn't want to d more than quiet shortish hacking in them. I think essentially there are reasons why endurance people use gloves/similar or renegades.
 
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