Hoof boots, what do you do with your horse whilst wearing them?

mightymammoth

mightymammoth

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I was wondering if you were able to canter/gallop/hack as normal?

He will only be wearing them on the backs initially as will be still shod on his fronts for now (long story).

I'm worried that they may come off causing him to trip etc and wondered what others do whilst wearing them and if it causes and problems?

We are happy hacks and don't jump, but we go into a woods with a varied terain and as you can imagine with this weather it is very boggy and muddy in places.

Any feedback appreciated, thanks.
 
No problems cantering, just avoid really muddy ground as cleaning after is a pain! I use cavallo sports on back on 17hh warmblood who is a lively ride!
 
My Easyboots magically come off the moment my Welsh cob breaks into a canter....grrrr. He doesn't trip when this happens but it's bloody annoying and the farrier can't work out why. Otherwise they are fine for any terrain although wet/boggy ground isn't an issue here in Portugal for another 4/5 months :D
 
thanks. Unfortunately the first pair I had on a previous horse I rode came off while hacking but was due to me not putting them on tightly enough. I'm sure there are some people who use them to do cross country etcso they must be ok.
 
Does he need boots? My mare's not had back shoes on for years and never had a problem so might be worth trying if you haven't already.
 
Miss L Toe said:
Why not wait till the shoes are off before purchase, as he may be OK, horses are more sensitive on the fronts.
But you can start the diet, hi fibre low sugars, with mins and vits.
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thanks. One shoe is off (pulled again) and am going to get the other taken off this week. I have tried to have him unshod on the backs before but this didn't work out, he was extrememly footsore out of the field and I didn't have any boots.

I think I'm there with the diet...fast fibre,pure feeds fibre balance, micronised linseed, pro hoof supplement, and a multi vit.
 
Tiffany said:
Does he need boots? My mare's not had back shoes on for years and never had a problem so might be worth trying if you haven't already.
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He does for now unfortunately, came to me in oct shod having only been seen by the farrier twice. You can imagine the state they were in and with him being my first horse...learning curve is not the word.

Has been crippled lame on the fronts several times until I changed to a new farrier who is trying to sort his feet and get them to a normal shape etc. Xray revealed he has thin soles so I'm assueming the backs will be the same.

I tried the backs off before but he couldn't hardly walk on anything other than grass. Farrier saw them and couldnt belive how much they had worn down. I had to have them back on then.
 
I have Cavallos - originally all round but now I only need them in front. We can W/T/C and even gallop through as much mud as you would dare to gallop through. I can go through water, do roadwork and pop some small jumps in a field (dont need them for school work).

They dont twist, they dont move, I've never lost one yet :D (oh, and they are cheap!)
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
My horse wears Old Mac G2's, they don't shift, we hack on all terrein, at all speeds, I think they're great boots if a little clumpy...
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^5 this I had old macs for my gelding , the only time he lost one it was old and worn and the strap broke which made it come half off.

The only reason I shod him is because I wanted to to do sponsored rides with him and you cannot jump in old macs and the trim he had before my farrier took over. :)
 
With my Renegades I have galloped a heavy going stubble field no problem, but I much prefer the gloves which I have generally hacked, jumped, hunted and done quite a few flat out TB gallops! (only once did one come off)
 
That video made me cringe... Do those boots have properties which negate the concussive forces resulting from cantering on what looks like tarmac??
 
Think of them like running shoes, on as much as they protect us, the hoof can still contract and retract within but I protected, I think the name leans to that:)
 
I was thinking more about their legs and joints ;) Every runner I've met who runs on roads has got dodgy knees, despite their trainers....
 
Probably the long term answer but I don't suppose a little of fast work now and then would be ok although I wonder if just barefoot would not be best as I thought I might have heard that said about human runners?
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
I was thinking more about their legs and joints ;) Every runner I've met who runs on roads has got dodgy knees, despite their trainers....
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Quite - hence why allowing the hoof to function as it's meant to and use hydraulics via fluid dissipation of force with blood flow and expansion and contraction of the hoof wall along with engaging the caudal hoof...allows excellent suspension for the joints, tendons and ligaments.

The increased proprioception allows feedback for the horse and he will alert you if he feels the ground is not safe for him.

It's up to those owners to regulate the speed on the ground. I'm not going to fret about it - I just like watching her trying to slow the Arab down :D.
 
BBH, you cannot compare the damage done to a human knee and the effects of cantering a barefoot horse on the road.
Hooves are designed to take the impact and suffer no ill effect, unless we 'improve' things by putting a metal shoe on.
Look at some of the work on impact and shock absorbing effect on the barefoot and shod horse.
The slow motion filming is fascinating.
 
Bbh. Which bit did you not understand, I was trying to say some fast road work with boots now and then is probably fine but I would imagine barefoot would be ok too as human barefoot runners also have less injury then ones with trainers or so I heard. Anyway pale rider and Oberon have said it all a bit better. Lol
 
I haven't read all of this thread because I am supposed to be organising the chaos called my diary.

But - I once went to a specialist foot person to have my feet balanced (yes really) MASSIVE mistake. Never suffered so much pain in hips and back, knees you name it ever.

Find most comfort in running around in cheapo plimsolls (very 70's) although I do draw on them so I am not blinded by the brilliant white. I'd go bare but there is just too much glass and animal waste around.

Re hoof boots for horses.

Fast work no problem so long as they fit well. A bare hoof with a decent caudal structure finds hard ground little or no problem. My ex horse much preferred fast work on tarmac/concrete to a soft surface - she had great caudal development.

Re jumping - I'd not recommend jumping in a boot, although some shift no more than shoes these days. Some jump in glue ons both with/without studs, but I'm not a desperate fan of these, except for very short periods.
 
My pony has Gloves at the moment. He rarely wears them; really only when we're on a ride where I expect rocky terrain, or when we're preparing for such a ride and I want to see how well they're staying on.

I find that for a regular hack with normal working trot/canter, they stay on quite fine, even in mud. Very boggy ground is more problematic. On an endurance ride, where much more of the work is in extended paces, the Gloves have a tendency to twist or fly off, especially on the RF. Last time I used them on a ride, I put several rounds of athletic tape underneath. I found that the boots stayed on, although the RF did twist. At that time, his feet were a pretty funny shape, so hard to keep a boot on.

This past week, I did the same (athletic tape and boots) on a fast hack in preparation for a ride. I also added some Power Straps. His feet are now a much better shape, and I found the boots stayed on so tightly that I could barely get them off at all, and there was no twisting. I hope they behave like this for the ride itself! :)
 
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