Opinions on Boa Boots/Old Mac's etc

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Ska

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Hi All

My farrier has finally had to throw in the towel with my horses feet! My poor old geldings feet are terrible and I've always battled to get some decent gowth there for shoeing.

He is a TB, 20 years old, retired (new job as a yearling sitter!) is unshod behind, but we've tried to keep fronts on to keep him sound and comfortable. He has navicular too, and brittle, crumbly hooves with soft soles (great combination huh?!).

My farrier tried to shoe him today, but didn't have enough hoof to nail a shoe on to. He has suggested getting boots for his fronts with the hope of trying to harden up his hooves to go barefoot eventually. I need anyones advice on their experience with the Boa Boots or Old Macs and such like. Anyone have any good/bad experiences? Suggestions? Anything else out there on the market that is any good? He is regularly fed a hoof supplement btw.

Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks in advance.
 
I use Boa boots in summer on my Haflinger, she has never been shod. She has good but very flat short feet so needs the boots on hard gorund to avoid footiness.

I chose them because of the dial tightening mechanism which makes it very easy to make sure they are tight and arent going to come off, and even to tighten them in the field without risking flying hooves for longer than a second!

Theyve never let me down even galloping or in mud; I think theyre great.

Would also recommend keratex for direct hoof hardening on top of the supplement, its ££ but search around on the web and you can get it cheaper and it lasts a good while, easy to apply too.

good luck, the shoe removal should help the navicular too so he will thank you for it for sure. He will do a few ministry of funny walk steps when they are first on and then ignore the boots after that, I was amazed how quickly horses accept them.
 
Used to use Old macs on my horse in the sig. Flat footed TB type with brittle feet. They were excellent and although it says you shouldn't turn out in them I used to for about 8 hours a day.

I started to have problems when the YO got fed up of putting them on, basically she couldn't be arsed although I was paying for the service so to speak!
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She put them on badly one day and he got a really sore spot, result he went very foot sore and had to revert to normal shoes.
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If you fit them properly they shouldn't rub, I also used to use a little surgical spirit on his heels.

That said if you fit them correctly and give them the chance to break in they are excellent, did pleasure rides in them and all sorts with no problems
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How easy are Old Macs to put on? I've seen a demo of the Boa boots and they seemed very quick to put on! Are there different makes that suite different shaped feet?

I've been considering these for my mare as when the ground is really hard she is rather footie which means if it hasn't rained for a few days in the summer (it has to be said this doesn't happen often in Scotland!) we can't really go faster than a trot unless we're in the forestry area
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I would like to be able to canter in a stuble field without worrying about her brusing a foot.
 
Another vote for Boa boots - so easy to put on/take off, and stay on in all conditions. They have a comprehensive range of sizes - see www.hyperdrug.com for a sizing chart.

Aprt from riding in them, I have also used them for turn-out with an abscess and they were brilliant.
 
i've got the Marquis Supergrip boots... very very good. every part is replaceable (i.e. the soles, especially) so you never have to buy a new pair when one's worn out, you just replace that part. i have a pair for one of mine, they are excellent. you pump up little airbags at the heels to ensure a perfect snug fit. no rubbing at all.
 
I'm thinking the same thing, but one question regarding fitting.

-You size them I'm assuming when the horse has just been trimmed, what happens when the foot grows, ie 5 weeks later, will the boots still fit?

I've used the marquis before on a friends horse, we used to hack all over Dartmoor, but they did sometimes go flying when we went a bit too quick (round a corner in some mud). Having said that they were easy to put back on, whilst horse still very excited and holding another at the same time.
 
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good luck, the shoe removal should help the navicular too so he will thank you for it for sure.

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I second that. Taking the shoes off was the turning point for my horse with navicular, she came back to soundness, even competition. If your horse is retired then you have even less need for the shoes.

I have always used Old Macs on the advice of my EP. Once you have the knack they are quick and easy to put on, like a minute per foot. They might seem a fiddle at first while you get the hang of them and while they are still stiff and new.

They aren't so good in mud as the material does soak up mud and water. They are best for riding, especially over rough ground - they are excellent for that, great traction, and the horse doesn't feel a thing.

I've got a very old pair of size 6's going spare (free) if you wanted to try them out before buying a new pair. They are the old style though, the new G2 style is a better fit.
 
Hi - I use the Old Mac G2's for one of mine, they're really easy to fit and get easier the more you use them. My pony has his feet trimmed every 6 weeks and doesnt seem to have a problem with them not fitting him.
 
I used Boa boots. they take a bit of breaking in but after that they were fine (get the gaiter things that are made to go with them), only had one fly off once, while galloping along! Apart from that they they were surpisingly good at staying on!
 
One of mine is barefoot and has Boa Boots, they're very good. I dont put them on all the time obviously but turn him out in them all day sometimes and theyve never rubbed and pony loves them.

Supplement wise - farriers formula IMO is always the best.
 
Im another big fan of the old mac's, ive usd them for several different purporses and they are great (although did make me fall of once as my slightly foot sore horse got far too excited the first time he went out for a hack with them on!). I find they litereally take a second to chuck on.

To the person that asked about trimming, if i remember correctly your supposed to do it about 4 weeks after, so the horse has a bit of growth their...
 
Marquis supergrip boots are by far the best boots on the market in my opinion. All farriers i speak to agree as well. Go to equestrianselect.com and have a look. They are very helpful. These boots are that good that my pony, who hates hard ground, will jump 1.40m on rockhard ground as if he was on a surface. He finds them very comfy, easy to put on etc. He competes in them. You can even buy studs to put in them if the ground is slippery. They look much better than all of the other boots on the market as well. I couldn't recommend them more. Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
I used the Old macs G2;s on my mare -but have now changed to the Easyboot epic, which has a built in gaiter to help keep it in place. They are dead easy to put on - easier than the old macs in my opinion.

Good luck with it.
 
I started to use the original Old Mac's now known as G1's around 6 years ago and still have them!! They are really easy to put on, but can rub if you have the internal strap done up tight, you must have strap done up so that you can slip a finger easily all the way around.

I now keep my G1's as spares and have moved onto the Boa boots. I find these even better and the sizing of these matched my mares feet better.

If your horse has navicular the boots will be brilliant as you get much better cushioning and increased comfort.

If you are using them for turnout make sure you wash and dry the boots thoroughly every day.

I have found that using Athletes Foot powder a real benefit for extended wear. Coat your horses foot with the powder before putting the boot on, best to make sure hoof if clean and dry. Makes putting boot on easier too and keeps foot dryer (unless it is wet weather of course!) but it really helps to stop fungal infections from getting hold when using boots for turnout.

If you are going to keep your horse barefoot look for a good Equine Podiatrist in your area too, they can really help with navicular cases.
 
Thank you Ska and everyone on this thread. I have just been reading with interest. My boy was diagnosed with impar ligament navicular around 15 months ago. At long last on his last shoing he went to glued on aluminium shoes so the farrier could make his toe really short. Mont went so very well in them but then lost one a week and a half before the farrier was due back. At £85 for the fronts only and with them not staying on too well we have decided to try bare foot in front (shoes still on behind) and try some boots for hacking out. I have just ordered a pair of Old Macs G2 - hope we can still hack out Christmas day! Thanks you guys for a very informative and useful thread that helped me with my decision making :-)
 
I tried the Old Macs for a while but had problems with them turning on my mares feet. I tried the inserts and they didn't help much. She had slightly oval feet and the old macs seemed to be a very round shape so didn't suit her. i switched to the Marquis Supergrip and found them to be really good as I could adjust the fitting via the air bags. Sometimes the boots did rub a little but I sorted that out very effectively and cheaply by buying several "Tubigrips" (The strentchy tube you put on your ankle when you've strained it) from the chemist. Half a tubigrip was just the right size to double over and slip on over her feet - leaving a bit under the hoof and enough up the pastern to keep the boot from rubbing - she looked quite smart in her "ankle socks" and "trainers"! I have to say the service from the Marquis Supergrip supplier (Equestrian Select) was brilliant & you can get spare parts for these boots so you don't need to replace the whole boot if part of it wears out. I think you can also hire boots from them so you can see how well they suit your horse before you buy.
 
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