My horse hates his hoof boots and wont pick his feet up!

Leo Walker

Leo Walker

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Flaming horses! you cant win! Bailey is being rehabed to being barefoot as he has TERRIBLE feet and navicular syndrome :( He has very narrow and long, typical navicular feet but I have managed to get a pair of Cavello Sport boots that seem a pretty good fit, esp with the pads in. I put them on him today and left them on while he was out and we were poo picking. Lead him up and down over the gravelly stony drive that normally has him gimping and flinching and he was striding out happy as larry, inc trotting along sound as a pound.

Then he refused to pick his feet up for me to take them off. I got them off with much pushing and shoving to get his feet up and left him out. Caught him up and had a HUGE fight to get him to pick his feet up to get them on. Then another massive fight to get them off. Hes such a polite horse normally, a touch of his leg and his foot is up, but he really wasnt having any of it! I had to get my OH to lean into him while I pushed behind his knee and dragged his leg forward.

I'm sounding like a complete novice now! I'm not, honestly! I have previously rehabbed project horses and taken on feral foals but I'm pretty wrecked now physically due to a hideous accident 18 months ago that shattered my spine. But thats not the issue really. Its just that a 600kg+ horse drops all his weight down one leg and just wont pick it up! I started with the usual hand down the back of the leg and "up" and progressed to nipping his leg while my OH shoved his shoulder. I even tried picking up the leg on the opposite side to me, and still not happening!

Bailey just says "NO" and I'd like to murder him! How the heck do you pick up a horses foot when its absolutely not cooperating? And is there any reason he would hate the boots?!?
 
FrankieCob said:
Flaming horses! you cant win! Bailey is being rehabed to being barefoot as he has TERRIBLE feet and navicular syndrome :( He has very narrow and long, typical navicular feet but I have managed to get a pair of Cavello Sport boots that seem a pretty good fit, esp with the pads in. I put them on him today and left them on while he was out and we were poo picking. Lead him up and down over the gravelly stony drive that normally has him gimping and flinching and he was striding out happy as larry, inc trotting along sound as a pound.

Then he refused to pick his feet up for me to take them off. I got them off with much pushing and shoving to get his feet up and left him out. Caught him up and had a HUGE fight to get him to pick his feet up to get them on. Then another massive fight to get them off. Hes such a polite horse normally, a touch of his leg and his foot is up, but he really wasnt having any of it! I had to get my OH to lean into him while I pushed behind his knee and dragged his leg forward.

I'm sounding like a complete novice now! I'm not, honestly! I have previously rehabbed project horses and taken on feral foals but I'm pretty wrecked now physically due to a hideous accident 18 months ago that shattered my spine. But thats not the issue really. Its just that a 600kg+ horse drops all his weight down one leg and just wont pick it up! I started with the usual hand down the back of the leg and "up" and progressed to nipping his leg while my OH shoved his shoulder. I even tried picking up the leg on the opposite side to me, and still not happening!

Bailey just says "NO" and I'd like to murder him! How the heck do you pick up a horses foot when its absolutely not cooperating? And is there any reason he would hate the boots?!?
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Heavens! This all sounds very dramatic. Before you murder him just ask him to step back and be ready to accept his foreleg as that foot leaves the ground. Then take the boot off/put boot on and gently release his foot. Then thank him for his help. BTW I can't work out why are you dragging his leg forward when you actually need his foot behind the leg.
 
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Because nothing on earth will make him pick his feet up :( No amount of stepping forward or back will get him to do that, but with a bit of pushing and shoving I can shove him behind his knee and lift them forward. I'm not going to murder him, I love the very bones of him :lol: But he really is making life very, very difficult!
 
I feel your pain! I bought a pair of Old Mac G2 boots for my chunky highland after a bad bout of thrush and some over enthusiastic trimming left him very sore. (He's been barefoot all his life and generally copes very well). Total waste of money!

We had exactly the same story. He was happy to have them on once and have a little potter round the yard and school to get used to them, but has since put up a huge fight to get them on a second time. When we succeeded, he flatly refused to move in them and stood rooted to the spot.

I think the bottom line is he just hates them, so I've given up the fight. He's now sound, thankfully, but my hoof boot experiment was a dismal failure. (If anyone wants a pair of G2s .... ?)
 
Greylegs said:
I feel your pain! I bought a pair of Old Mac G2 boots for my chunky highland after a bad bout of thrush and some over enthusiastic trimming left him very sore. (He's been barefoot all his life and generally copes very well). Total waste of money!

We had exactly the same story. He was happy to have them on once and have a little potter round the yard and school to get used to them, but has since put up a huge fight to get them on a second time. When we succeeded, he flatly refused to move in them and stood rooted to the spot.

I think the bottom line is he just hates them, so I've given up the fight. He's now sound, thankfully, but my hoof boot experiment was a dismal failure. (If anyone wants a pair of G2s .... ?)
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what size?
 
Possibly, but he picks them up fine any other time, it's just when I have the boots. I might try hiding them under my t shirt and see if I can do it that way
 
My old horse hated cavallos- personally I think they are quite clumpy and some horses may not appreciate the way they affect propioperception and/or breakover. He was fine in gloves though-would pick his feet up to have them on. It could also be pain as Tnavas said.
 
If you are certain that putting them on and off does not cause him pain (check his heels especially as hoof boots can really bruise them - I mean REALLY). If all is okay, then you could try squeezing his chestnuts. That never fails to encourage a horse to pick up their feet.
 
Have you got pads in them? Are they rubbing his heels/fetlock?

I tried mac g2s and cavallos and miy mare took two steps in the cavallos and refused to move yet seems quite happy in her macs :) Trial and error.
 
Are you sure they are not pressing on the bulb of his heels? If he has longish shaped feet that's quite a possibility. I've used hoof boots on many horses and find that it's so important- like fitting a metal shoe to get fit right- they hant be 'about right' for fit otherwise the soreness to the heel negates the benefit of the boot. Does he land heel first in them when he walks?
 
I don't really push or pull them on and off. They just kinda a slide on. He moves fine in them. Walks and trots happily over stones etc, much happier than without. He's landing heel first, without its occasionally heel first but sometimes flat.

He's got pads in. They aren't rubbing and he's only worn them for an hour in the field yesterday and a quick trot up on the drive, and then to come in and out. So 5 times in total so far.

He's just decided he doesn't want them on. Picked his feet up fine today because he couldn't see the boots. Even got the second one on without much of an issue. He then wouldn't pick his feet up to have them off :lol: He really doesn't seem uncomfortable or unhappy. In fact he was more bothered about being rude and trying to eat grass when I was trying to take them off
 
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