Hoof protection boots for barefoot horse?

[davisn]

Has anyone had any experience of these? Are they effective? What makes are best value?

A friend at the stables has a 21 year old cob, who has foot problems & can't be shod. He is very overweight & needs to do some work to reduce his waistline, which in turn will help his feet/intermittent lameness problems.

 

[kirstyfk]

Old Mac boots are very good. Although quite expensive they are worth their money.

 

[kerilli]

i've got the Marquis supergrip ones, that have the inflatable chamber in the heel area to adjust the fit. every part is replaceable, so they don't wear out. (e.g. new soles are about £8 each.) my big WB (who is turned out nannying the youngsters, so i don't want shoes on him!) wears them for hacking out, and they're brilliant. not cheap, but well worth the dosh.

 

[Tamski]

I use Old Macs- great! Well worth it.

 

[custard]

Old Macs used and recommended, not as heavy as the marquis

 

[cobden99]

Ive tried Old macs and the Marquis, and I have to say I prefer the Old macs ..

 

[MagicMelon]

Boa's are brilliant. They're like trainers. Fit really well, dont rub and dont spin round when being ridden (if ridden in them). Only problem Ive had is the dial covers come off and Ive had to trump round the field 3 times finding them again!

 

[Serephin]

Old Macs are excellent

 

[brightmount]

Old Macs are great and can be fitted in seconds once you have the knack. I would recommend only getting one pair for the front to start with as he probably won't need them all round.

 

[Alibear]

I'm waiting on a pair of old mac's to arrive however they aren't sure they're going to work as my horses feet are about the same length as width which is no good for any hoof boot apparently.

 

[Chunky_Monkey]

Hi, I have Old Macs G2 for my boy's fronts (he's barefoot). We have been through the deepest of mud and over the roughest of tracks and he's been fine through them all. They've never slipped, twisted or come off, and we've used them in walk trot and canter.

I think you really need to find somewhere that'll let you try-before-you-buy, as they all seem to fit/suit different hoof shapes differently. There is an online store that does a hire scheme on several makes of hoof boots (it's something like The Saddlery Store...sorry, not much help!).

Tracey x

 

[davisn]

Thanks everyone. I will pass this onto my friend & hopefully horse will be out burning the calories very soon!

 

[conniegirl]

i use boas on mine, weve done 5 hour rides through all sorts of conditions (water, knee deep mud, fast gallops up fields, roads, stoney tracks, limestone slippy drives, cobbles), they have never rubbed, never slipped and ive not lost a cap yet. they are also very grippy and whilst every thing else (including some cars) slides thier way down a local limestone driveway (part of a bridle path) my pony happily wandered down it with out slideing at all!

 

[ISHmad]

We use Easyboot Bares and find them fantastic. They never slip, rub or come off and have pretty good traction as well. Someone else has recommended The Saddlery Shop and I would echo that. They are very experienced with hoof boots and will be able to help you get the right type for your horse, as there as different makes catering for different shaped hooves.