fornema
Well-Known Member
Talk to me about hoof boots. My old lady is not coping so well with the constant change in weather with her feet this year and would like to know what’s out there, what works best before I purchase some.
Hoof Boots
- Thread starter fornema
- Start date
Lucky Snowball
Well-Known Member
In my experience, the best boots are those which fit well. Measure carefully and look at measurement charts online and shape, angles etc. I use Boa which are very easy to fit and also Renegade.
fornema
Well-Known Member
Have had them before so aware of the fitting, but this was 15 years ago when there was mainly only Boa boots available and no doubt there is more on the market - would be good to know which have best longevity and are good at actually staying on. This is a pony that loves going at top speed so nothing that will fling off.
Jambarissa
Well-Known Member
Try hoof boutique or urban horse, send them pics and they'll tell you your choices.
Personally I like scoot boots, all my horses have feather so it's much easier to have something that just fits round the hoof. They've added narrower options and you can also get shims to adjust fit.
Look into buying used, urban horse has a section or just ebay/Facebook.
Personally I like scoot boots, all my horses have feather so it's much easier to have something that just fits round the hoof. They've added narrower options and you can also get shims to adjust fit.
Look into buying used, urban horse has a section or just ebay/Facebook.
GypsGal1718
Well-Known Member
Hoof boutique will help u for free
meleeka
Well-Known Member
Urban Horse helped me with this exact problem. They'll recommend which boot will do the job and if you send them photos of the feet with measurements they'll advise which size.
FitzyFitz
Well-Known Member
Different brands work well for different hoof shapes, ive got 6 booted horses and use a mix of renegades, flex and explora magic. All are pretty close fitting and work at speed over most terrain without rubbing. Explora are most adjustable but come in smallest range of sizes, Renegades have a huge range and are fine once you've done the fiddly cable adjustment. Renegades are hardest wearing, flex are least hardwearing and tend to stretch a bit. Weirdly never had much luck with scoots although they are pretty popular! Only ever been able to get them to fit with extra gaiters/straps and then they get a bit fiddly to put on. Figure they're just not right for my lot.
Best to speak to one of the sellers that carries multiple brands and send hoof photos, they'll help you find a good place to start. You may need to try a few and make some adjustments before getting a perfect fit. I like to contact the boot manufacturers directly for finetuning once i've narrowed it down as well. Had a really weird issue with one of my ponies front boots and Explora were super helpful and we're absolutely fine now.
Best to speak to one of the sellers that carries multiple brands and send hoof photos, they'll help you find a good place to start. You may need to try a few and make some adjustments before getting a perfect fit. I like to contact the boot manufacturers directly for finetuning once i've narrowed it down as well. Had a really weird issue with one of my ponies front boots and Explora were super helpful and we're absolutely fine now.
Gloi
Too little time, too much to read.
I've moved from using boots to using Hoof Armour on mine and now only put boots on for any unusually long or rough rides. I do about 10 hours roadwork a week normally. When I use boots I put Scoots on and find them fine with mud straps on the front.
Tarragon
Well-Known Member
Try The hoofboot Shop - they will send out a fitter to your horse, and then try on a whole range of makes and sizes. A bit like taking your child to the Clarke's Shoe shop, where they have their feet measured and you end up surrounded by a sea of opened shoe-boxes and a short list of 3 that actually fit! You pay for the visit, about £50, but then get 10% off your order.
I have used scoots in the past, and really rated them, but am now trialling Explora Magic and think they are perfect.
But like others have said, different boots suit different types of hooves and riding activities, so best to just find some that suit you and your horse.
I have used scoots in the past, and really rated them, but am now trialling Explora Magic and think they are perfect.
But like others have said, different boots suit different types of hooves and riding activities, so best to just find some that suit you and your horse.
Fieldlife
Well-Known Member
There are also broadly two boot options
Performance boots and bucket boots.
Bucket boots are bulkier, more cushioning, and more forgiving in fit, and dont have as good a breakover. Often a good starting point if feet arent an ideal shape. Easy to put pads in which can make horse more comfortable. Forgiving in can generally have trimmed every 5 weeks and not need to self trim in between.
e.g. Equine Fusion, Cavallo trek
Performance boots - close fitting, better breakover, harder to put pads in, less forgiving of shape changes between trims, may need to self trim a few times between farrier visits to keep fitting.
e.g. explorer magic, evo
Performance boots and bucket boots.
Bucket boots are bulkier, more cushioning, and more forgiving in fit, and dont have as good a breakover. Often a good starting point if feet arent an ideal shape. Easy to put pads in which can make horse more comfortable. Forgiving in can generally have trimmed every 5 weeks and not need to self trim in between.
e.g. Equine Fusion, Cavallo trek
Performance boots - close fitting, better breakover, harder to put pads in, less forgiving of shape changes between trims, may need to self trim a few times between farrier visits to keep fitting.
e.g. explorer magic, evo