Hoof boots - the lowdown please.

[lindsayH]

I am considering using hoof boots as my horse's forefeet are not coping quite well enough with the amount of road work we do and for various reasons, I am reluctant to have him shod. I'd be greatful for any information about using hoof boots as I have no experience with them at all. I have heard they can cause some problems, including rubbing, is this true? How easy is it to measure up for them? They seem to come in an awful lot of sizes and I'm concerned it will be difficult to measure accurately. Are they easy to take on and off? Which ones are best? I've been looking online and the selection available seems bewildering! What have people's experiences been when using them? All information gratefully received!

 

[kerilli]

i had a pair of Marquis Supergrip ones on a big WB horse and was very impressed with them. the bit around the bulbs of the heel can be inflated with a small hand-pump (the horse was a spooky git but even he coped fine with this) to secure them, so there was never any rubbing. they'd turn a tiny bit occasionally if i hadn't done them firmly enough, but even then he was absolutely fine with them, never reacted.
he never wore through them, but if he had, various parts of them (flat part under foot etc) could be replaced iirc.
they stayed on fine through mud, at a canter, and even when he did an impromptu huge jump over a puddle (he wasn't supposed to jump at all), so i'd recommend them.

 

[lindsayH]

Thank you Kerilli, most useful!

 

[Zuzan]

I've found the best boots are Easyboot Gloves... good grip and conform well to hooves and really unclumpy (which is I think where most hoof boots to date fall down) .. There's a trick with gloves using athletic tape .. http://easycareinc.typepad.com/from_the_horses_mouth/2009/04/index.html This makes them very very secure..

You can buy the "shells" only which are sold as "glue-ons" and with the addition of power strap and tape I'm pretty certain they'd stay put as last time I tried this method I didn't do the gaitor bits up very securely and we went thro water .. a lot of it and deep glooppy muddy boggy bits ..

I don't need them very often only for a few weeks when the grass is at it's worst and I want to do some of our forestry tracks which are surfaced with granite chips so very very aggressive surface.. our terrain seems to be a combination of the worst extremes .. deep boggy gloopy muddy bits and ultra tough and rough ..

road work is what I use to keep Neets hooves trim... I reckon I need to do about 8 - 10 miles a week to keep her hooves self trimming.

If you do want to investigate the Gloves I would recommend you use the "Fit Kit" first ... basically a set of different sized shells that you use to find the right size for your horse's hooves.

 

[freckles22uk]

Some hoofboots on this link..

A freind help delevop them as she does endurance.. and couldnt find anything that stayed on

http://www.bitlessandbarefoot.com/

 

[Dab]

I used to use Easy Boot Bare on my last TB. He was a very sensitive sole and would get a rub at any opportunity, but the Easy Boots never rubbed. Each part of the boot could be replaced which was very handy. Really really easy to get on and off. The only problem i used to find was that if we went for a gallop across a field etc boots would fly off in varying directions, but he did like to throw his legs around!

But you could hire some before committing to buy, which is what i did from this place http://www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk

 

[ThePony]

A thumbs up for easy boot gloves from us. OH mare will get rubs if you so much as look at her, and unbelievably didn't get rubs in these!

To pick the right boots you need first of all to find a pair that is the same shape as your horses hoof - some are more round and others are longer than they are wide. I found thesaddleryshop ever so useful as they stock heaps of boots of different brands, have sizing charts and instructions on how to meaure, and if there is just too much choice then give them a call as they know their stuff inside out and will be able to advise.

If you find the easyboot gloves are the right shape for your horse, then get the fit kit out before buying. So glad we did as despite measuring very carefully, I was way out! Her front feet took different sizes and because you buy the boots individually it wasn't a problem. Never came close to wearing them out, but you can get spares for them if you use them enough.

 

[noblesteed]

I have had success with Boa boots on hind feet - horse has funny action and often throws shoes so he is only shod in front. I use the boa boots mainly for road work, however I can say they have worn fairly well, being used for longer hacks (2 + hours) regularly for 10 months and showing no signs of wearing out yet. They have stayed on when wading through knee-deep mud in the forest as well as while cantering through fields. They don't seem to rub particularly - my opinionated beastie would certainly let me know if they were uncomfortable and so they must be comfy for him. The downside is they are slippy on grassy slopes.

I had to get Boa boots for mine due to his hoof dimensions. I measured his feet very carefully over a period of time to make sure I bought the correct ones. Different types are shaped differently, and of course there are confusing sizes. I wanted easyboot gloves but they were the wrong dimensions for my horse. Overall I am happy with the Boas. I used the easycare website to find the right type and fit for my horse.

 

[coss]

I have a pair of mac boots and a pair of cavallo boots (different horses).
I think for horses that forge, the cavallo boots would be better as the fastening for macs is at the back and is quite a bulky buckle etc
Having said that, my pony does sometimes forge and has had no issue with macs so maybe with him being more confident in front he's taking bigger steps infront so not forging.

I find grip is good in both sets of boots but not good in snow - in snow, its soft enough to go with no boots and bare hooves have more grip.

I didn't like the pastern wraps that came with the cavallo boots so bought some pastern wraps from hyperdrug which looked the same as my old mac ones - this goes under the hoof keeping it in place and prevents rubbing.
I haven't done fast work in cavallos as only use for roadwork.
I have done fast work in macs (road work to get to field then didn't want to take boots off and have possible rubbing from wet mud under pastern wrap on way home) and they stayed very secure from walk through to gallop in a not so dry stubble field.
Only now after goodness knows how many miles (had the macs for 5 or 6 years at least) can you see some wear on the macs. And all it is really is as if a farrier has rolled the toe on the hoof - just smoothed and rounded a bit but still got a lot of life left in them.

Measurements:
Cavallo have a printable ruler on their website which has the sizes marked on. I printed this so i could mark on what size each foot was and then used that ruler with marked on sizes to look at other boots. Size 5 in cavallos is size 8 or 9 in macs so you do have to really look at sizes. Always go with whatever is bigger out of length/width although if your horse's foot is wider than longer boots will be hard to fit.
When looking for boots (2nd time around) - i found that the boa's were unusual in that the distance between sizes varied. i.e size 3, one horse could have hooves about 1.5inches smaller than another horse of size 3, yet size 4, the difference between the big and little feet was less than half an inch. This is what put me off the boa.

Macs were too expensive compared to when i first bought them and cavallo is basically and old mac with with the fastening at the front and no buckle - have had no trouble with them staying on so far but i'm not sure how well the velcro will last.

 

[lindsayH]

Thank you very much everyone, great stuff!

 

[Dexydoodle]

I've got easyboot epics for her fronts (bought these first) and cavallos for her hinds. wasn't going to get anything for hinds but when we do a lot of driving her hinds wear down a lot so she needs something for protection. My girl has very good feet so she only wears boots for driving - personally when her epics wear out i'm going to replace them with cavallos as I find them more secure and easier to put on - the epics have a little strap under the heel that you have to pull out using a cord supplied with the boots - all well and good in the yard but a bit of a pain if you get a problem and have to take them off and put them back on out and about