Hoof boots.. which ones?

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LMR

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My mare has flat feet and when I turn her out I have to take her up quite a stony track. She has had bruised soles twice and 2 abscessed and we think this is the problem. (At my previous yard never had bruised soles or abscesses and her feet were worse then). I have since changed farrier and changed her diet which is helping but will obviously take some time. Farrier and vet has suggested some boots just to take her out over the stones then take them off when shes in the field.

Can anyone recommend me some boots?
 
If you aren't planning to ride her in them (but it sounds like she needs them for ridden work, if she's bruising just going to the field!), I would go for Cavallos, just because they're a doddle to get on and off quickly and you can put pads inside, no trouble. That said, they never came off in ridden work for me, they were just too big for my pony. for ridden work, I would look at the forum posted by Clava and also hoofbootique, which has a lot of info on the boots they sell (and do a hire scheme). Haven't used them personally, but clearly run by someone who has unshod horses. You really need to get the right boot for your horse. It's worse than clothes shopping for us, trust me!!
 
Fransurrey said:
If you aren't planning to ride her in them (but it sounds like she needs them for ridden work, if she's bruising just going to the field!), I would go for Cavallos, just because they're a doddle to get on and off quickly and you can put pads inside, no trouble. That said, they never came off in ridden work for me, they were just too big for my pony. for ridden work, I would look at the forum posted by Clava and also hoofbootique, which has a lot of info on the boots they sell (and do a hire scheme). Haven't used them personally, but clearly run by someone who has unshod horses. You really need to get the right boot for your horse. It's worse than clothes shopping for us, trust me!!
Click to expand...

I have ordered replacement gaiters from Hoofboutique and I wasimpressed with their fast service and prices including postage.
 
I recently was in a similar position as you. I went through tons of threads on different forums and the ones I went for were the Easyboot Epic and I use 6mm pad inside.

I am hugely impressed by them. I did buy secondhand just in case I didn't get on with them.

They are a little tricky to get off, but at least I know they won't fall off easily!
 
Over the years, I have used boas and old mac G2's mainly (both for riding) and in the last couple of years I've also used Cavallos. I dabbled with easyboot epics but found they came off on my first ride so I sold them there and then! Haven't tried any other makes/models.

My suggestion for what you want, which seems to be a boot just for walking to and from the field, would definitely be the cavallo. I'd suggest the same for anyone wanting a hoof boot for a laminitic pony. They are so easy to pop on and off - no fiddly fastenings to mess about with in bad weather or poor light; they just do up with velcro. No need to use any force to sit the foot in the boot to start with - the boot just opens up around the foot, so you can pop the toe-end of the hoof in, and the rest of the foot just follows. So especially if the horse is either in foot discomfort or is impatient, the popping on and off is incredibly quick, easy and involves no effort at all.

Boas and G2s which I use for riding:
- boas I sometimes have to ask the pony to put its weight into the boot to get it on fully, and there's a fiddly dial to turn to tighten the boot up. Not bad, but if it's just for a few minutes I'd stick with cavallos every time. When I had a pony with acute laminitis, she found it too uncomfortable to stand on 3 legs long enough for me to pull the boot on.
- G2s I used for riding in more slippery condition as their grip is better than the boas, but they are a faff to put on and take off as there is an internal strap to do up first, and then there's a buckle to do up on the outside. They are easy for the pony to put its feet into, so no force involved, but the fastenings would be a faff especially for just a few minutes.

The other advantage of cavallos is that they are CHEAP! :)

Sarah
 
.... oh, and I'd also recommend the link that clava put up, particularly if you are thinking of riding your horse in hoof boots. If you're going to ride with them, you need to consider grip and how well they'll stay on, as well as tendency to rub on longer distances, ability to use pads in them, all that kind of thing. That link has got lots of individuals' experiences of different boots with different types of horses so really useful.
 
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