Hoof boots that stay put!

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saddlesore

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I know this has been done but the usual suspects are proving no use. I've tried cavello treks and easyboot trails. Horse is a heavy weight cob with a slightly wider than long hoof. We do a fair amount of 'off roading' and in the west of Scotland that equates to we ride through a lot of heavy mud! Any suggestions gratefully revieved!
 
I have a pair of Old Mac's G2s for my Highland which seem to stay put pretty well. Admittedly, I don't actually use them much, because they're a bit of a fiddle to put on, and Mr H has a terrible habit of not paying attention to his feet and hence tripping himself up if his breakover point isn't where he expects it to be (doesn't matter much for us because he has very hard hooves; so he just goes fully barefoot most of the time).

I don't know if they'd be any good for you, but it might be worth looking them up?
 
Can't help I'm afraid but I feel your pain! Have had to shoe now as we had so many problems with losing the boots or boots getting ruined. Last weekend 3 out of 4 boots gone, we only have to walk through one 20m stretch of deep
Mud, the rest is concrete! The only ones that stay on are the equine fusion but don't think they're suitable for wider than long. They also got completely ruined within a couple of months and horse is only ridden at weekend! Old mac g2 went on first ride! £170 down the drain :( since May we have lost 5 boots and had 4 replaced under warranty! The horse's feet have definitely improved but would have loved to persevere as I feel we are only about a quarter of the way to where we could have gotten, unfortunately cannot afford to keep replacing these boots :( good luck OP, hope you fair better than us!
 
I've got Equine Fusion Jogging Shoes on my boy and they are fab - don't rub, twist or move at all :D Never lost one yet, despite some pretty fast hacks over muddier-than-I-expected ground. They're very flexible so can accommodate tricky hoof shapes, and I've been using mine about 5 times a week for 8 weeks and after a spin in the washing machine, they look as good as new so I'm really pleased with how hard wearing they are.

My pony is a whizz-ball and we mostly trot roads and canter off road so they are getting proper use, not just dawdling about in walk.
 
I've got some renegades which have never moved except my cob is so big moving she has occasionally pulled one off. Don't need them now, they are 4W ;). I could have rasped some off and cured the issue but like I say they aren't needed now anyway.
 
After trying to be shoeless for many years and going through every boot on the market including custom made renegades shipped over from USA I gave up! There's nothing more annoying than losing a boot 10+ times on a ride if you want to go out of trot.
I've just had my one mares shoes removed for winter and she's back in boots but yesterday was a painful reminder why I shod her.
The ones I found stay on the most are cavellos but fast canters etc they do still come off.
 
I found that the fabricky ones like easyboot back country and equine fusion got too heavy & flicked off when they were wet and muddy - they've been my problem boots & I have tried lots now :D

I'm hacking daily at the moment as my recently barefoot horse (shoes off in May) is rehabbing a soft tissue injury, and we can not avoid wet mud. Cavallo treks are coping in front, but I've now got renegades behind and OH MY GOD the difference is amazing. They don't budge and they don't absorb water or dirt.
I can't wait until her front feet settle and it's worth spending out on another pair.
 
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I bought Boa for my lad when I was told I could ride him in walk after 5 years 'retired'. I never got to use them much as he got laminitis, but once I started to use them they were fine for hacking on the road in walk. However when I turned him out in one (he got an abscess) they had no grip on any mud (despite being new) and I wouldn't like to try riding in muddy conditions. I ended up putting shoes on him after 5 years. X-Rays had shown what thin soles he had and he seems to be so much happier on hard ground now he is shod - in some ways I feel mean I have had him unshod all this time.
 
I've never lost a glove, in fact he broke the gaiter on one rather than pull the shell off. They do depend on good fit though. I would ditto spookypony and chat to Liz, as a lot of us will find something that works and stick with it so someone with knowledge about all of the options is probably good :).
 
ester said:
I've never lost a glove, in fact he broke the gaiter on one rather than pull the shell off. They do depend on good fit though. I would ditto spookypony and chat to Liz, as a lot of us will find something that works and stick with it so someone with knowledge about all of the options is probably good :).
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Lol, the gloves are the only ones I've tried where I've lost them both at once :lol: Horse did a weird spook buck and somehow trod on both hind feet.
I'd have tried again with power straps but I was crossing a footpath *on our own land* so left them in situ and when I came back some charming person had pinched them. Basically brand new, I was really really cross! Gave up and bought black countries second hand which were OK but did pop off when wet ;)

ETA, yes, Hoof Bootique very helpful, I've also had good advice from Cannock Chase Equine who supplied my renegades :)
 
Thanks everyone, my preference would be to stick with boots as he's 100% sound, just don't want the hoof wearing away too much when I go on longer rides. He doesmt need anything for school work or shorter hacks. I love the look of the renegades but wasn't sure how the heel cage thingy would work on feathers?
 
I'd only boot if comfort was an issue, if he isn't footy go without, I'd love for my lad to actually get round to doing some hoof wearing ;).
 
My boy seems to like his Gloves for grip. I don't have issues with them but tbf we're only walking - albeit the bridleway is pretty trashed at the minute.
 
Really wouldn't worry, what have you got to lose by giving it a go?

My daughter's pony is ridden very sporadically in the winter due to school and weather and she's fine too. She's never had boots actually and was shod (and crippled when they came off) when I bought her 16 months ago.
 
Try having a tb that now on the whole doesn't need boots but would rather not get his feet muddy or walk through puddles without wellies.

Back to the original question, I found that fit was absolutely crucial so my Equine Fusions stayed put through everything but when he needed trimming and had a bit of flare on one side, they twisted constantly, so the right fit for that horse may help.

Having said that in your position I might try not using the boots on more hacks if your horse is comfortable without especially at this time of the year when the ground is softer. Maybe do one of your longer rides unbooted and see how you go.
 
I have some Swiss Horse Boots for my cob. His feet are slightly wider than long and he dishes, he became footy one spring after breaking out onto good grass and I had a nightmare finding anything that would stay put reliably. The swiss boots are heat fitted, so although the sizing was a little small and not wide enough the fitter was able to stretch them. They are a bit of a nightmare to get on and off though.

I used boas when I first took his shoes off which were fine then, but that was mostly slow hacks on roads with thick pads in. They were very "clunky" feeling.
 
saddlesore said:
I had wondered that but I'm really only riding at weekends just now so there's little consistency in terms of workload on them :-/
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Do you think he will get sore though? I think many uncomplicated ones with well transitioned feet can cope with the issues winter brings with regards to workload variation.
I don't do 5/6 hours on mine very often, about once a month/6 weeks when they hunt close enough to us to hack. Rarely he can be a little footy the next day depending on the terrain we have covered and at what speed but generally speaking you wouldn't know and I still have to trim the ****** afterwards!
 
I've had Cavello's for about 3 years and they have never come off, rubbed or twisted on my TB. He has xc schooled in them and sj'd

I'm thinking about replacing them and will probably get the same again. I think fit is crucial to whether they stay on or not.
 
I have some equine fusion boots (15) that are excellent but no longer needed...happy to let them go for a song despite only being used twice.
 
saddlesore said:
Honest answer is I don't Know! He does have white hooves though which in believe are softer and more prone to wear?
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try telling my cob his white hooves should be softer than black ones.
he does miles on roads and tracks and still needs 3 weekly trims to stop flares, which the rasp just bounces off his hooves
 
White hooves are not softer than black ones! I wish they were, we only have 2 and getting the nippers through them is, well frankly ridiculous.
It did cause amusement when the vet put the hoof testers on them though :D
 
Boa boots must be the worst boots ever, no grip at all on mud and either rubbed or came off at any opportunity, glad to get shut of them!
I have Epics on mine now and have only had them come off twice in 3 years, both times when he's stood on them with the other foot. If I know I'll be doing a ride in bad conditions I put some wire through the hole in the clip so it can't come open by the boot going into the soil and pushing the clip up.
 
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