Hoof Boots... Marquis, Equine Fusion etc..

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JHC

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I had barefoot trimmer out to my mare yesterday and she recommended using hoof boots for hacking.

She did recommend the Equine Fusion boots, but can't find any opinions on them?

Also, I've also seen the Marquis Suregrip boots and they look like something that could be worth considering, but again I can't find much info/opinions on them.

The mare has round front feed, with both the length and width being just under 5inches.

So what do you recommend?
 
unfortunately its a case of trying different ones. I found the cavallos ok for walk only-he didn't like them, easyboot gloves twisted (my boy has round feet and also dishes a little) and so finally ended up with easyboot back country which were fab. the saddlery shop give very good advice, excellent customer service and do a hire scheme-but don't think they offer the boots you mentioned.
 
Ideally I'd have used Gloves but they don't come big enough for my boy. I used Old Mac G2s for several years and found them fine in everything but thick mud - but then nothing's going to give decent traction in thick mud! They are a bit clumpy and a bit of a faff to put on but they are sturdy, long lasting and quite forgiving on the fit.
 
My mare had perfect round hooves and she goes GREAT in my renegades.
I love them all paces, all speed on all surfaces. Today we went up a big hill gallop. Very slippery and wet, no problems what so ever, she was very sure footed with them.
Have a look at this site, they hire different sorts out so you can try them!
Www.hoofbootique.co.uk
 
I have the equine fusions and they are quite generous when it comes to sizing. I really like them because they are lightweight and easy to take on and off you just have to make sure that the Velcro joins up properly or they twist. They stay on though and despite my girl never having worn boots before she walked out in them as if she was born with them on her feet. I've not had issues with rubbing despite putting them on wet. If you go over to bitlessandbarefoot.com then you can trial them and they've just bought out the new performance model which is suppose to be even better. I would also take a look at the used section which is what I did. I got my pair for fifty quid and they have tonnes of wear left n them. If you do go down that route and you don't get n with them then you'd be able to sell them on for the same price.
 
Derby house had cheap easyboots and easyboot epics last week. My mare has round feet and they look like they will be an excellent fit. Not tried them yet, hopefully will tomorrow!
 
I've had Easyboot Gloves on my pony for several years, and while they generally stay on fine for relaxed hacking, I've had trouble with twisting on fast rides/rough or deep terrain (he has a somewhat unorthodox foot shape). A few winds of athletic tape inside have helped, but not perfectly.

I'm just trialling a pair of Renegades. First hack in them tomorrow, and plan to do a pleasure ride in them next week. Will let you know how it goes!
 
JHC said:
Let me know how you get on with them as I read somewhere that Easyboots aren't great for round feet.
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Well the cut outs of her feet fit in perfectly so I can't see how they won't fit due to the roundness, they may be slightly small as I bought them for her to grow into (she has about a cm of old hoof, new hoof is much tighter), time will tell!
 
My mare has round feet and I love the Cavallo Simple boots (and even more importantly, so does the horse!). I don't think I would want to canter in them, but for walk and trot on the road, they're great. Easy to put on and take off - two fronts take me about 30 seconds to put on.
 
I have the new Equine Fusion boots, they seem to be good and did the trick to get us out on the roads comfortably (although I only used them 3 times as my mare no longer needs them.....so a bit expensive :rolleyes: )
They fit very nicely and didn't move, although I thought they seemed to make her a bit trippy, I wouldn't have been happy 'off road'. Oh they're a total pain to put on/off :(.
 
Thanks everyone.

I've really confused myself as to what boots are best now!

I will need some that are suitable for road work as well as tracks/mud/stones in walk, trot and canter.

Anyone have any recommendations?
 
Cavallos will not give you enough grip off road. I found them fine until I started cantering and doing fast work, then they rubbed. They did not at any time come off, through deep bog or fast cantering. I did not like them on mud and ice, where they do not come close to a bare foot for grip.

Do you need them for every hack? What is the reason for the trimmer saying to get them? I found I only used them a few times when I had increased her workload quickly.

My experience is you will need to try one sort then that helps you decide on the next kind, especially if the horse is newly barefoot.
 
I need them for most hacks. The horse hasnt got the best hooves caused by diet, shoes and low grade laminitis and struggles with hacks after about a mile. (She's only getting light hacking/ inhand walks at the moment but Im hoping by the summer well.be doing a lot more.)
 
Well, we did our first hack in the Renegades today. Hills, much of it stony tracks, some mud. Mostly fast walk, with some trot and canter. They didn't budge. He slipped a bit coming down a steep hill on a muddy track, but might just as well have slipped if bare.

They were almost worryingly easy to put on (for the Gloves, I need a mallet!).

I'll try some fast work in them next, and report back! :)
 
spookypony said:
Well, we did our first hack in the Renegades today. Hills, much of it stony tracks, some mud. Mostly fast walk, with some trot and canter. They didn't budge. He slipped a bit coming down a steep hill on a muddy track, but might just as well have slipped if bare.

They were almost worryingly easy to put on (for the Gloves, I need a mallet!).

I'll try some fast work in them next, and report back! :)
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Oh god, I want some!:o
 
JHC said:
I need them for most hacks. The horse hasnt got the best hooves caused by diet, shoes and low grade laminitis and struggles with hacks after about a mile. (She's only getting light hacking/ inhand walks at the moment but Im hoping by the summer well.be doing a lot more.)
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Ok well I would say, not that I am an expert! That cavallo simples would be a good start, you can pick them up cheap on eBay second hand, they are easy to put on and forgiving on fit and good for adding pads. (I got mine second hand never worn for 45!) At the moment you are restricted to a mile and light hacking anyway so think of them as a short term solution to get her moving more and improve her feet. If you find, when she is much improved and you are ready to do more, they aren't up to it, flog them on eBay probably losing nothing and move onto something like renegades or easy boots (or whatever).
 
FfionWinnie said:
Ok well I would say, not that I am an expert! That cavallo simples would be a good start, you can pick them up cheap on eBay second hand, they are easy to put on and forgiving on fit and good for adding pads. (I got mine second hand never worn for 45!) At the moment you are restricted to a mile and light hacking anyway so think of them as a short term solution to get her moving more and improve her feet. If you find, when she is much improved and you are ready to do more, they aren't up to it, flog them on eBay probably losing nothing and move onto something like renegades or easy boots (or whatever).
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Thankyou. Out of interest, which Easyboots do you recommend? They all seem to be very similar in the blurb, but with different fastenings.

***off to seach ebay!***
 
JHC said:
Thankyou. Out of interest, which Easyboots do you recommend? They all seem to be very similar in the blurb, but with different fastenings.

***off to seach ebay!***
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Well as I said in my other post I just bought some easyboots as they were cheap (they are just the easyboots no gaiter). They are the same as the easyboot epic and you can attach a gaiter to make them epics.

However check out Derby house...

http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/Shop+by+Brand/Effol/Easy+Boot+Epic_440-0320.htm
 
JHC said:
I need them for most hacks. The horse hasnt got the best hooves caused by diet, shoes and low grade laminitis and struggles with hacks after about a mile. (She's only getting light hacking/ inhand walks at the moment but Im hoping by the summer well.be doing a lot more.)
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the most important part is grip. Your horse has to remain upright in mud. IMHO, having many years of experience of boots, the only ones with adequate grip, especially for muddy tracks trotting and cantering, are the glove and epic which share the same sole pattern and renegades.

You comment about low grade laminitis so I suspect you would want to be able to put a pad in the boots. This limits the choice probably to the epic as being the boot that you are able to put the best thickness pad in.

Renegades are good but not that good for padding. They are also expensive and I have usually only got about half the wear on road work out of renegades as I have from the glove/epic.

So my choice would be the epic. It has grip, can be padded, is relatively easy to put on (especially if you change the buckle to the "up buckle") and the fit is far more forgiving than say the glove .

Be careful if you see epics for sale cheaply. The tread pattern altered fairly recently. If you are riding in mud you need the new sole tread pattern.
 
The trial Renegades have now stood up to some fast canters and a 2-hour "all-terrain" hack. Haven't budged so far. Next step is a proper endurance ride.
 
Really interested in this thread because my highland has round (and quite big!) feet. Have just invested in a pair of Old Mac G2 boots for him, but tbh he really hates them. He won't be persuaded to even trot in them, just clumps about looking offended!! I think they fit ok as far as I can tell.

This may be because he's never had anything on his feet before, but find them a pain to put on and am beginning to wish I hadn't bothered.

Hey ho, you live and learn I suppose.

Good luck with your quest for the perfect boot.
 
My equine fusions arrived today and me and my boy couldn't be happier. He's walking like he was born in them, took me a while (and the help of the lovely Caol ila) to get my head round the straps but then we were flying. Love them.
 
My mare's front shoes came off 3 weeks ago and we've now had 3 rides in Easyboot Gloves - my only prior experience some years ago was with Old Mac G2s so these are seriously impressive by comparison. Grip is good, easy to fit, no twist although we've only had a few short canters so far as fitness has gone for a burton, and she's happy clopping on roads, track and up and down farm tracks in them. Such a relief - I thought the process of sourcing and trying boots might be a nightmare but hoof boutique made it very easy.
 
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