Hoof boots, your experiences?

Do you like hoof boots?

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somethingorother

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I know it's been done before but the farrier has said that my share's hooves are so bad that if he loses another shoe, he won't be able to put it back on. So he wants them to be stabled 22/23 hours a day. He currently lives out and is very happy this way. He might be coming in at nights over the winter now, but was planned to be out all day. Or visa versa.

Anyway, me and another girl have him 3 days per week each, pay half his costs and his half his shoes each. We both want to try hoof boots. I don't think his owner will because she's heard bad things.

Please tell me good and bad experiences so that i can have an idea of the success rate? I've done a fair amount of research into them, and know that different 'makes' fit different hooves etc.

I've tried to attach a poll but don't know if it will work! :rolleyes:
 
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I have very limited experience of hoof boots, one of mine wears the easyboot gloves on her hind feet when we hack, they are IMO very good. I have just ordered and easyboot grip for a front foot of an older horse (when he is turned out) who i believe has a corn. I like them and would probably use them if the need arose (like in your situation). Good luck
 
I have old Mac g2's for my pony who's prone to lami. They do the job i want them for... they dont rub even after a 25km endurance ride and going through water... i do have gaiters in mine which prob helps. :)
 
Yeah they are. I didnt like the look of the fastener on the boa boots, thats not saying they're not good. I'd also used them before at the trekking center i used to work at on a pony who had sensitive feet but couldn't be shod. They're easy to put on and off, and the buckle gives me piece of mind that they wont come off. have used them in all weathers, (great for when its snowing... )and also for jumping.
 
I have found them very good, and have tried a few. Using hoof boots is part of barefoot hoof care. For best results you would need to be thinking about the feet a lot, feeding, the barefoot trim and conditioning the feet.

You need to match the horses feet and the terrain. I need to hack on gravel tracks, and the boots are good for protecting their soles. Shoes just kept falling off in our "sucky" mud and were very fustrating.

Old Mac G2s are a bit "clumpy" but stay on, they will rub in the sea/water. They are a bit of a pain to clean and take ages to dry off after. They provide good grip and i have a couple of pairs used and abused for over two years, with very little wear, and still going strong.

Easyboot Gloves, my favourite and good if you are lucky to have a horse with the right shaped feet. Stayed put in very heavy mud, very easy to clean and quick to take on and off - when you have the "knack" but the gaiters dont last so long.

Easyboot Epics, bought these lately for my daughters pony who had the wrong shaped feet for gloves. Very good so far, not come off in mud, easy to clean and put on/take off.
 
that's interesting headpiece, i have read a lot of good things about easyboots and i do like the look of the gloves. How long have they lasted you? And what is the 'right' or 'wrong' shaped feet? He has quite wide feet for an arab, and not very upright. Sorry for all the questions, just want to know as much as i can about the different types. Have read all the websites but it's good to know the experience of those who have used them.
 
important to get right fit, various brands are suitable for different shapes of feet. I like and fit most of the EasyCare range, but don't like Old Macs, too difficult for cold and/or arthritic fingers.

Also fit and like Cavellos.
 
The gloves have lasted me 14 months or so. I use them on an Arab but he has tiny oval feet, which the gloves suit. The gaiters need replacing now but the boots are fine. I dont use them all the time, just when needed.

My daughter has a part Arab, but she has very round feet. The epics are a lovely fit on her, Ok so they are not as pretty but they are functional, and my daughter can get them on and off - she hasnt mastered the gloves yet.

Not quite sure what upright feet are, but if yours has poor feet ATM, it would be quite likely that the feet will change shape as they "develop". As Lucy says, fit is everything. Why not measure up and see what might be a possibility?

Also, hoof boots are pricey - not sure why really, but have a good secondhand value if you watch on e bay.
 
I have the Boa boots for my wonky-legged ID/X pet. He has a knee deviation which means that we can no longer get shoes on him and the bad leg has resulted in a foot which doesn't grow down on the outside and the foot is somewhat contracted.

He wears the boots to traverse the stony ground/concrete on the way out to the field and walks out like an athlete. Can't get them on him coming in at the minute though due to the mud etc., so he comes in like a cripple.

They have been a godsend though, and have extended his life for a couple of years. To the "kill 'em" brigade, don't worry, he will be PTS probably towards the end of this year, possibly next.
 
Thanks, Somethingorother. He's very happy in himself and only has to cross a short stretch of concrete etc. from the grass to his stable so we are just seeing how he goes and will do the right thing as and when. His main concerns in life at the moment are food and his willy (don't ask!)
 
somethingorother said:
2 people have said they are rubbish but not why... kind of hard to tell if it's an individual problem or specific brand problem or just something about the that's no good???
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The main thing they do for my chap is give him support. When he first went without shoes in the summer of 2007 they cushioned his foot from the hard ground and got him used to not wearing shoes. Now he is absolutely fine on grass/soft going and they give him support just when he needs it. Shoeing with extensions became too traumatic for him and us, but the boots do the trick. They can be difficult to get on when he is due for a trim and would rub if left on too long, but £150 spent in 2007 was money well spent in my and his book!
 
Rather like saddles: they're only as good as the fit! Some suit narrow feet, other wide round feet.

Most are easy to put on and off and the only prep needed is the foot picked out and sometimes hosed off. With practise they take literally a couple of minutes to put on a set of 4.

I've had most types over the years and would say the Gloves are by far to best boot - SOOO easy to use, stays on amazingly. And althought the are designed for narrower feet, they do work on wider feet - get the right length and the sides are flexible enough to take up any extra . Hire the fit kit from The Saddlery Shop to try them. My horses feet are no where near the ideal measurements (wider than long) but they work for him.
 
Ah, that's good to hear! That's the sort of feet i think we have, they are quite wide and not very long, not very arab like at all.

Would we need a rasp to take off any chips/ cracks as they appear? He's going to have some if we take the shoes off, his feet have chunks missing all the way around :( I'm thinking this might also help with the fit between trims? These shoes should last 6 weeks though hopefully so no particular mad rush since i've just paid for them...
 
I used hoof boots for a Level 2 Trec, terrible terrain on first day and obstacles the next.
Worked fine, no rubs, did not come off. Horse was used to wearing them, so like any new tack or eqipment their skin has to be accustomed to the gaiter.

Love them for road work. If people said anything I say he had his trainers on! And that it is the latest technology for horses. I think they were better than I believed as I can remember nervously having a gallop round a grass field, but all was well, those were EasyBoot Epics.

We live in a clay area and I found they were not so good off road, I tried Grips but didn't notice a great difference, and I found that he tended to loose his feet in the mud sometimes, but it might have been the same in metal shoes. I did some pleasure rides in them too with no problems. For dressage I used them for the journey and crossing the stoney car parks, but took them off for the test, which was a nuisance. I think you can get dispensation for hoof boots in dressage, but you have to apply.

They are a bit of a faff to get on and off, but I think the designs are improving all the time. If they were difficult to get on the hoof I put a tiny bit of vaseline around the hoof wall to help them slip on. They lasted quite a long time and give excellent all round protection.

There is a Mounted Police Force in the USA where the horses are barefoot, but have hoof boots on if they are going on any crowd control duties when there might be sharp objects thrown around.
 
Ah bum, we are in a clay area too. One of the reasons why his conventional shoes keep coming off :(

They would be mainly used for roadwork, but would need to stand up to some sucking mud too... so now i'm confused...
 
I love them! My horse kept losing shoes and getting abscesses from stepping on nails etc. It was a nightmare, but going barefoot was the best thing I ever did for him (and for my sanity and bank balance!) I use Cavallos and can't rate them enough. We've done all sorts in them. Hunt rides, galloping, going through deep mud, crossing rivers, road work etc, etc and they've never rubbed or caused any problems whatsoever. He loves them and is really confident in them. 3 months ago I thought he would have to be written off as a riding horse due to his hoof problems, but hoof boots have been his saviours! Get some!! :D
 
Hi, I use the Old Mac G2, but am waiting impatiently for the Eayboot Fat Boy to come out, this is the new wide foot boot, which I believe will be in Epic and Glove form. The G2's have been great - they never come off or twist, they don't rub, and I feel much happier going down steep tarmac hills on rubber than on steel! To reassure you too, I don't have a barefoot trimmer, I use the farrier I've had for years (fully qualified and up to date) and my lad has a basic paddock trim every six weeks! All our horses live out 24/7, and they have no concrete/stony areas, just an earth floor barn. We horse wears boots in front and goes bare behind.

Go onto the Easyboot website, they have a hoof boot calculator, you can enter your horses measurements to find which boots may suit. Have a look at Trelawne Equine too (both are on FB), they are the UK arm of Easyboot.
 
Ive had the OldMacs G2 they were good and stayed on, here it is very stoney, (no mud) horses didnt seem to slip in them, the only problem I found was that they were clumpy and though not difficult to put on, I found that I wouldnt ride as putting them on, put me off...

I have since sold the 2 pairs I had on ebay (one pair went to Holland) as I no longer needed them, (one horse I sold, and the other I hardly rode)

Now im looking for a pair of boots for my Stallion, all my horses are barefooted, and im thinking of the gloves, mainly due to the ease of putting them on, and how they dont look clumpy.

They are good value for money compared to shoes, as shoes are being worn down wether your riding or not, while boots only get worn down when being worn.
 
spot the risk- the G2s have been another popular brand by the sounds of it, although they do look rather bulky compared to easyboots. Although maybe they will also be harder wearing due to this? I also have a massive fear of slippy roads after being fallen on in the past. He has a couple of road nails in each shoe when the farrier remembers but still sometimes slips. When i think about it, steel has got to be one of the slippiest materials to use on worn concrete and steep roads :/
 
I have
Boas - easy to put on but I've never mastered the gaiters that go with them. They go up to larger sizes which is why I've used them.
Old Mac's - easy to put on, secure, gaiter also very easy to use. They've been brilliant on my two long-backed TB's but no use on the short-coupled Welsh cross - the buckle bit at the back stuck out too much for him. The other two have galloped and jumped in them with no problems.
Gloves - great once they're on, but I find them a bit of a faff to put on because they are so close-fitting. Harder to use pads in than the others.
For your horse, I would definitely look at having pads in the boots - they make a big difference to comfort. I've had several years of hard work out of every pair of boots so far, although can't comment on Gloves as haven't had them long.
I am planning to try the Cavallos - they look quite neat and easy to put on.
The fit is key to any boots - if you get it wrong, you'll be very frustrated!
 
soloequestrian said:
I have
but no use on the short-coupled Welsh cross - the buckle bit at the back stuck out too much for him. The other two have galloped and jumped in them with no problems.
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That's interesting, did the welshie over reach onto the buckles? Our lad has a short back and over tracks a lot, he does sometimes over reach when trotting on roads/lanes too so it sounds like he might catch the buckle :/

This has been really interesting, the things that have come up about different circumstances and examples has been really useful so far :)

Keep um coming! Big thanks to everyone who has responded so far :D
 
Would we need a rasp to take off any chips/ cracks as they appear? He's going to have some if we take the shoes off, his feet have chunks missing all the way around I'm thinking this might also help with the fit between trims? These shoes should last 6 weeks though hopefully so no particular mad rush since i've just paid for them...
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Yep, a rasp is always a useful thing to have around. He will have a lot of chipping and cracking whilst the old damaged hoof from the shoe nails grows down. Their feet usually look a right mess! It's all cosmetic though and the chipping is horn that needs to come off anyways.

You'll find that after a while he won't need hoof boots at all or maybe only for some very stoney rides. I rarely use mine and just let him pick his way on the softer bits if the stoney is very flinty. With a bit of thougth to your hacks you shoud be able to choose rides that don't need them.
 
Hm, unfortunately the terrain around us is mostly stoney hacking up hills etc. We get the odd boggy field to canter accross but we really only have road and stones for hacking. Which is why it would be important to have really well fitting boots. It would be nice to be able to hack around the block without them though but i guess you have to build up slowly. Also, he spends most of the winter stood/ walking on the large concrete field shelter where they have a bale to scoff all day. Would this make him footsore? He's a massive wimp, any slight discomfort and he thinks his leg will fall off lol

His feet would be hard pushed to look more of a mess than now... :(

I really hope we can find something that works, he was so grumpy when stabled all last winter, understandably.
 
I got the American Renegade hoof boots, great for stony tracks etc. They did slip when I cantered around a corner on wet grass, but i think he would have slipped without them too.
One of them also rotated on his foot when he was being a plonker one day, but i think that was my fault for not tightening properly. His foot fits the size very well, but he has very round feet. I found the velcro fastenings didn't really go short enough, he has a lot of excess strap with not a massive amount of velcro actually securing them.

I'm afraid I can't give you a much better review as I've only used them twice as my pony seems to cope so well without them! We are starting Trec next year tho so may get more use out of them.

In general I like the design, very easy to put on/take off, haven't rubbed even when it rotated (although wasn't like that for more than a minute or two). but i think if I was to get a new set and the sizing was right I would aim for the easyboot glove as there are no worries with fastenings etc.
 
We sort of graded up to the Renegade boots from equi boots, used them for 2 years now and cannot fault them, though like all makes correct fitting is important.

Through time, and correct trimming, exercise and diet, the hooves improve in shape and condition and the size of boot required will alter.
 
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