Hoof boots

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SuperCat007

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Hi,

I've been doing some research into hoof boots for my horse who is happily barefoot. My problem this winter is that I have no school and only a tonne of road hacking around us and no transport to get him anywhere else to exercise, I'd rather not give him the winter off/only ride when his field is dry enough so I was trying to find a solution.

I've had a fairly rude reply from one company whose boots I thought looked really good, so I thought I'd see if anyone had any recommendations; because these are quite expensive and not only do I want to get the right thing, but it would be nice to know the company were willing to give advice etc as well.

Does anyone have any recommendations?
 
I only have recent experience of hoof boots for my ISH mare. I use a pair of cavallo simple boots which are well worn and given to me and I bought secondhand some Marquis boots which fit with a covered tension wire accross the front and they have an airbag at the heel which you pump up in situ to make a snug rub free fit. I like both makes of boot not least as they suit my mares foot shape and they do not come up high on the fetlock like the renegades which would be unsuitable as my mare has ringbone. I use thin rubber pads in the Marquis boots.
I use cavallo simple boots for my Falabella x too now daily. He is a chronic laminitis and has arthritis in a knee, the boots fitted with thick pads have been life changing for him on the hard ground. He wears them daily.
I used to use Boa boots on a previous horse and loved the closure system and fit of those. My strong advice would be to measure accurately after a fresh trim and see which boot shape suits best.
 
I don't know which company was so unhelpful, but Carolyn at Urban Horse is always happy to help and advise. Mine has boots for turn out and leading across the stony yard, and we have the Cavallo Treks, but they are a bit like boats so not sure I would ride in them. We also had the Easyboot Transitions because he was a recovering laminitic and needed boots and pads to wear in the paddock, but they were pricey and they split at the toe, although I did get a refund.
The secret for boots to ride in I would think is light and also well fitting so your measuring will be crucial, and the most suitable boots tend to vary depending on the shape of the hoof. Trim, measure then give Carolyn a call
 
Is there a reason you think you will need boots? We only have roads at home and haven't needed them for that yet, have sometimes used them on particularly stoney track rides etc but never on roads.

Otherwise, trim and take photos with a tape measure across and up and send to any of the nice boot shops we have these days as boot success depends mostly on fit. I do much prefer the lighter, low profile options if doing much in them though. Also some will do trials.
Options in no particular order!:
urban horse as above
cannock chase
equine podiatry supplies
hoof bootique
saddlery shop.
 
the most important thing with boots in winter is grip. If you go off the road at all, even on the grass verge, you will need grip on mud/slick wet grass.
The only boots I would use are renegades (classics or vipers depending of foot shape) easyboot gloves or (if I had a problem fitting a difficult foot) easyboot epics.

I don't know which company you contacted but Justine at equine podiatry supplies is very friendly as is Liz at Hoof boutique. I have also used urban horse and they were very helpful as well, took boots back when they didn't fit and even then tried to help. I know of many who have had help from the saddlery shop. Must be one of those could help you!

First thing is to measure your feet then you will have some idea as to what boots are going to fit.
 
I really rate Justine at Equine Podiatry Supplies, she's incredibly helpful and nothing is too much trouble.

I like Gloves, personally. If you can stick to tarmac however you could probably go without boots at all.
 
Thanks all, that certainly gives me a lot more to research.

He's become a bit prone to mud fever too, so I don't want anything too constricting around his fetlocks (if possible). He's only been barefoot for about two months, so maybe he will be able to hack without shoes, but we've only managed one short hack (about 20 minutes) and he went out ok and came back quite footsore and his hooves had already started cracking. I am persevering with it though and I've found a 10 minute route which we're aiming to do once a week to see if his hooves will keep hardening up. But I really would like to keep him going over the winter and it seems so silly to pay £70+ every 6-8 weeks for shoes on a pony who is perfectly happy without. He eats Dengie Happy Hoof and Farrier's Formula so I'm doing everything I can currently think of to keep him happy and healthy in the foot department.
 
Ah didn't realise he was a newby :) might need a bit of help. Tarmac is really good for feet/conditioning but with time they get better and better, little and often the best :).

healthy hooves (the dengie one) isn't ideal despite the name- mostly because of the molasses and most barefooters find that a good low iron all round supplement is better than FF and alike (forageplus, prohoof, equimins adv complete, equivita).
Personally I feed agrobs aspero (or alternative grass chaff with no coating, just my chap eats the agrobs better), non molassed beet in winter, micronised linseed and oats when I need them. There are other straw and grass chaff options that are good too :).

Also if newly bare and not doing much on road etc it is likely the cracking is just getting rid of excess length/it is below the nail holes so don't worry too much about that :).
 
For boots that won't aggravate sensitive skin, Renegades of some sort are probably your best bet if they fit, or you can make little wraps of polar fleece to go under Easyboot gaiters.
 
F did get a heel bulb rub from some cavallos when we were dealing with an abscess. never had a rub from an easyboot gaiter though even with the older old type, I think we are 3 types up now, we have only made it to version 2 ;)
 
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