Hoof boots

J_sarahd

J_sarahd

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Nova had her shoes taken off at the vets in April and has been barefoot ever since. It wasn’t a problem whilst she was on box/field rest but as we are in our rehab, she’s quite footsore out hacking as a lot of our quick routes (she’s only allowed to do 30 mins walking atm) are on stony ground or concrete with small grass verges (walks like a dream on the grass). I was hoping my farrier would put shoes on her yesterday but he said he doesn’t think it’s the right thing for her as her feet aren’t great and she’s a chronic shoe-puller, which will just throw the balance out more.

I could do the rest of our rehab in the school but I’m reluctant to until we are doing more as 30 mins of walk in the school is boring for both of us and when Nova gets bored is when she starts throwing shapes. Plus I ideally want to keep everything as straight-line as possible.

So he has recommended we stay barefoot and get some hoof boots for hacking. The person he recommended to come out and fit them doesn’t have availability til August, which is just too long. I have contacted another fitter and asked for recommendations. But I ideally want them sooner rather than later so we can keep up her rehab.

I have her measurements so I can go ahead and buy some but I’m just overwhelmed with the different brands. Plus, is it okay to just buy them without having them professionally fitted? I’ve never used hoof boots before!
 
Another vote for urban horse, send them pictures of the hooves with a tape measure measuring the length and width, they come back quickly with advice. Ive used them many times
 
Hoof boutique are great too. It’s definitely worth getting in touch with either.

I wanted scoots and just from looking at Tali’s hoof photos she didn’t think they would suit but I tried the shells and right enough they wouldn’t work for her. I had other shells to try and found something that suited.
 
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Absolutely fine to get hoof boots without a fitter, contact one/several of the major shops (Hoof Boutique, Urban Horse, Hoof Boot Shop) with photos and measurements and they'll help. At this early stage and particularly if the feet arent too good, i'd recommend an all-over style like Old Mac or Cavallo as the hooves are likely to change shape quite a lot and they are far more forgiving, but it really does depend on the exact shape and angle of the foot, don't get set on one particular type.

It can sometimes be a bit of a trial getting the exact right type, but luckily for rehab work you're unlikely to ping them off so a super exact fit isn't so necessary. You may well find that after a few months of gentle work and movement her feet have changed and become healthy enough that you hardly need them at all.
 
J_sarahd said:
Nova had her shoes taken off at the vets in April and has been barefoot ever since. It wasn’t a problem whilst she was on box/field rest but as we are in our rehab, she’s quite footsore out hacking as a lot of our quick routes (she’s only allowed to do 30 mins walking atm) are on stony ground or concrete with small grass verges (walks like a dream on the grass). I was hoping my farrier would put shoes on her yesterday but he said he doesn’t think it’s the right thing for her as her feet aren’t great and she’s a chronic shoe-puller, which will just throw the balance out more.

I could do the rest of our rehab in the school but I’m reluctant to until we are doing more as 30 mins of walk in the school is boring for both of us and when Nova gets bored is when she starts throwing shapes. Plus I ideally want to keep everything as straight-line as possible.

So he has recommended we stay barefoot and get some hoof boots for hacking. The person he recommended to come out and fit them doesn’t have availability til August, which is just too long. I have contacted another fitter and asked for recommendations. But I ideally want them sooner rather than later so we can keep up her rehab.

I have her measurements so I can go ahead and buy some but I’m just overwhelmed with the different brands. Plus, is it okay to just buy them without having them professionally fitted? I’ve never used hoof boots before!
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I use scoot boots, but have found I always have to go up one more size than whet they advice.
 
I used to have Easy Boot Gloves on my TB and they were great, pain in the arse to get on but stuck like glue!
 
J_sarahd said:
Plus, is it okay to just buy them without having them professionally fitted? I’ve never used hoof boots before!
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I'm another boot user with a TB, and not one with years of barefoot knowledge behind me so I understand how you feel! I did get a fitter out (they have massses of test boots) but maybe wouldn't in future as I'm a bit more confident now. Try and buy second hand if you can (but be wary, very wary, of the scammers). Partly because if you need a 'pre August' solution, it means if they're not quite right you can resell without a massive loss. I have discovered that cavallos are very forgiving as 'starter boots' while you work our what on earth you're up to. (Avoid Sport for TBs, they don't seem to work with stick-leg designs!). But with both mine I quickly upgraded to flexhorse boots, both of the TBs and I preferred them.
I am not sure they'd be the solution for serious mileage, but they are easy to work with, don't seem to move a mm (even though I don't follow barefoot trimming rules to the letter) and seem less clumpy. I can canter, go through bogs and over boulders (aka local bridleways) and on the road quite happily. The 'professional' ones are more pricey, often harder to get on, and less forgiving of trim routine, but I suspect would fare a lot better for heavy use, faster work etc. In my experience the online people mentioned above are great at advice even if you don't buy new from them.
 

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I used Hoof Boutique for advice and fit kits when my TB was barefoot. He had Scoots, Renegade Vipers were the other one they suggested as his feet were wider than they were long. As it was the Scoots worked well. They also do an Enduro boot now which is more adjustable around the heel.
 
Just to add that Urban Horse have an offer in July where you get a free “Fly-Off” Horse and Rider set if you spend over £150. Love a freebie!
 
I'd agree on getting the bucket type boots to start with especially if just working in walk. If you get second hand ones you can resell without losing money if you need to move to different ones.
 
Absolutely get some hoof boots. Hoof boutique and urban horse are both great.

You can hire a fit kit but they can usually tell what is needed from photos.

If you've normal sized hooves (not tiny or huge) you should be able to find used on ebay, Facebook or the used bit on hoof boutique.
 
I’m sure hoof boots will be transformative, I’m a big fan. I only use cavallos and scoots as they fit my horses well so have never needed anything more extravagant. There is a healthy market in second hand boots on Facebook groups of you want to try things out inexpensively first? Lots of people only use them for transitioning so there are some bargains to be had if you can dodge the scammers!
 
I spoke to Urban Horse and they recommended cavallos with some pads and pastern wraps. (Thank you to everyone who recommended them and Hoof Boutique! So so helpful) Thankfully they’ll pay for themselves with the amount I’ll save on shoeing. Should hopefully come tomorrow, so really hoping I can find a 30 min dry spell to test them out!
 
J_sarahd said:
I spoke to Urban Horse and they recommended cavallos with some pads and pastern wraps. (Thank you to everyone who recommended them and Hoof Boutique! So so helpful) Thankfully they’ll pay for themselves with the amount I’ll save on shoeing. Should hopefully come tomorrow, so really hoping I can find a 30 min dry spell to test them out!
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Awesome, just an fyi, sometimes the cavello wraps ride up we found the easyboot gaiters a better fit if we need wraps in the cavellos
 
Cavallos come up big, so try them
On with food bags over the hooves and stood on a clean towel incase you need to exchange?
 
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