Hoof boots - please, I need some help . . .

NiceChristmasBaubles

NiceChristmasBaubles

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Just asking for some advice here from those who are experienced in this area . . .

Cam has been without shoes for a few months now and is doing well coming back into work. Currently only up to walking 30 mins per day in hand but happily travels over gravel etc. He has good concavity to his feet and hooves/soles are as hard as rock.

I am going away for 5-6 weeks over the summer and he will be staying with our trainer and doing lots of straight line/hill work as part of his rehab. I want to keep him unshod and have a fab farrier who is totally behind this. We are currently on a four week trimming programme and I will have my farrier visit every 2-3 weeks while I am away to review foot balance etc.

What I really need help on is hoof boots. Cam will be doing more road work than he is used to, plus his turn out there is more gritty/stony than at home. What brands would you advise? I am looking for a make that he can wear comfortably on the roads which provide grip on a steep hill, and also in the field should he need it. Something that is easy to put on correctly would be great as I will not be there, and also that doesn't rub as he is quite sensitive to that sort of thing. He is a connie x with typically connie slightly boxy feet if that helps as well.

Any opinions/advice would be appreciated. Thank you. :) xx
 
You need to measure his feet and see which ones will fit. For mine he was off the scale and I have to get Cavello Sports as they were the closest and pretty forgiving.
 
Most of the suppliers are quite good at advising I think, if you want him to poss wear them in field you will need something soft topped like the cavallo I think. I use easyboot gloves which wouldn't work for that - but their trails or back countrys probably would.

so equine podiatry supplies, hoof boutique, the saddlery shop. Take some measurements of trimmed foot and tell them what you need it for and see what they suggest. Easyboot also do a fit kit for theirs so you can usually hire the shells for a fiver or so to try the closest options on before you decide - they are also excellent for grip, it seems to be between them and renegades for most people. then their are equine fusions which are apparently softer all round and probably good grip for roads but unconvincing on wet grass.

Are you on the phoenix forum? they can be quite good on boots too and have a for sale section too :).

If they fitted you could have our gloves for a bit but they wouldn't be any good as somebody has pre worn where he likes his breakover to be :p.
 
Thanks Ester, I was hoping you would see this. That is all really helpful stuff. He was trimmed on Tuesday so I will get measuring so I can get them sorted as soon as possible. My biggest concern is making sure they are easy to put on properly and obviously don't rub etc. It would be easier if I wasn't going away as I could keep a better eye on them. I trust the people who will be looking after him but I don't want it to be a worry for them. If I get them now, at least we will have a few weeks at home and he can try them in the field etc.

I am not on the phoenix forum - I will take a look! (Do I need another forum in my life? ;) ) x
 
I had old Mac g2s and they were great if quite clumpy.

If I was able to afford I'd have a pair of renegades, if Kia hadn't transitioned so well and I'd needed boots I would have saved for a pair of these :D
 
I use cavallo trek boots on my mare as her feet are as wide as they are long. They are easy to put on and have never rubbed even when wet and sandy. I do find they are a bit clumpy tho and don't tend use them when schooling in an arena (mainly because mare is young and not very balanced). We have some very steep hills that horses with shoes slip going down but the hoof boots are very grippy and have never slipped even when road is wet. I've never used them for turnout as my mare doesn't need this but wouldn't think twice about this if it was needed. Hoof boots have turned my mare from walking with short slow strides to walking properly with enthusiasm and now she enjoys being ridden and I certainly wouldn't go back. 100% recommend them to anyone having tender feet issues.
 
I have cavallos and they are super easy to use (mine wasn't very good with her feet when we bought them so they had to be minimal faff). They have never rubbed although she is fine skinned and have never come off while riding at any speed. The grip on tarmac is brilliant but they aren't so good on mud or wet grass. I used to turn out on a sand surface in them and they stood up to lots of hooning around (only coming off once when DH had put them on a bit loosely). If he is already walking on gravel in hand I would have thought that he would be ok turned out and would only need them for riding.

I have also used renegades and they are easy to put on too, but the fit is less forgiving. They look much less bulky though. I found boa boots less easy and would not buy them unless they were the only thing that fitted.
 
I think those designed more for performance (gloves/renegades) used a lot in endurance so fair speeds for fair amount of time, when you don't want break over extended more than necessary are probably less forgiving with fit just because they need to be, whereas the others are more flexible and fine for general hacking and leisure work.
 
The cavallos are a good starting point - you can often get them cheaply on eBay, I also liked the equine fusion boots too, although they're a lot dearer, they have less of a tendency to rub.
 
Just a quick post to say 'thank you' so much for all the recommendations so far. I measured Cam up today and have photos of every which way of his feet (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.563605287111836.1073741911.253388098133558&type=1 if you want to see them - go gently please, I have already had some wonderful feedback which I am taking into account, but the pictures are there if you are interested). Next step is to contact a couple of the suppliers. :) x
 
Yup, so the point at which the hoof rolls forwards and leaves the floor - if toes are overly long then break over is delayed and more strain is put on other joints etc. Because boots fit around the hoof they can make it a bit bigger all round and slightly artificially extend it and delay break over from where the perfect point would be. I know the gloves to some point try and account for this by having a wedge taken out of the toe area so the hoof can roll over more easily.

you can sort of see it in this pic

lg-81760-64271-horse.jpg

breakover-660x361.png


couple of links with more :)

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/14185/the-basics-of-breakover
http://www.hoofrehab.com/breakover.htm
 
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