Talk to be about hoof boots

Gallop_Away

Gallop_Away

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OK so I'll be the first to admit I've not previously given these any thought. I assumed that they would be flimsy things that would fly off at the first boggy canter or you would find your horse suddenly turning into bambi on ice and slipping every few seconds....

My horses are shod. My mare hasn't the best feet. She has a full set every 6 weeks, my gelding has fronts.

Long story short, a lost shoe halfway round a Christmas fun ride, a friend had a spare boot to hand and by some miracle it fit my mare like a glove.

Thought I better take my time going back but mare felt fine and clearly wanted to go as this walking quietly business was far too boring for her. So we had some canters across various terrain, forestry dirt tracks, grass, and trotted over tarmac. I was amazed. No slipping, sliding, no boots flying off into the distance, and my mare felt perfectly sound.

So I'm now considering investing in some but I have some questions. My friend uses the Cavallo Trek boots. They seemed ideal for what I would use them for, hacking, hunting, fun rides etc, across forestry and mountain (we are in Wales so lots of them here) but open to other recommendations also? Something durable that won't break the bank to start.

Also I understand that there are different ones for front and back hooves. My friend said you would usually use the slim boots for the back feet and regular on the fronts is that right?

Also tips on transitioning from shod to unshod. I wouldn't just whip shoes off and crack on. Farrier is due this weekend so will obviously have a discussion with him about it also.
 
I ride on Dartmoor so probably pretty similar terrain. The only boots I would use, especially for the activities you want and the terrain you have, are renegade vipers. They are not the cheapest but IMHO by far the best.
Whatever boot you go for then traction is the most important thing. Your horse must be able to stay upright on slick downhill grass.
 
I have cavallo trek's on my TB's front feet (his back feet are fine without anything) - they were the first brand of boots I bought when i took him barefoot about 8 yrs ago and I only replaced them (like for like) 2 years ago so I def got my moneys worth from the first pair! - the type of riding I do now is harder on the boots though (far muddier, lots of stony tracks and much more roadwork so I doubt the second pair will last as long. In all that time I've only ever lost one boot on a particularly bog-like patch that took us both by surprise. What I would say is they dont give a massive amount of grip and we have to go VERY steady if we come across wet mud or icy patches so if theres any doubt in my mind about ground conditions I dont risk it. I got help and advice from the Hoof Bootique (sent pics and measurements) who were very helpful.
 
cavallo are a good starter boot as they are forgiving on sizing - some closer fitting boots are much more prone to rubbing if the fit is a tiny bit off. Some find them clumpy - I don't personally so have never moved on.

simples are round in shape and slim more oval - horses hooves are typically round in front and more long and thinner behind - just get the shape that fits the hoof shape

They can be bought second hand readily - so if you just want to try then second hand is ideal - I had a pair for £40 last 18 months - so very economical.

Winter is a good time to try them - as your mare will get used to barefoot in the field before the ground turns hard.

Transition - look at feed not feet ! but whip em off is not a bad approach if you then boot to ride.
Be aware your farrier may disagree becasue he'll be doing himself out of £££'s
 
The important think with hoof boot is to get the boot that fits your horse best, which may not be the one you initially want! I have one in Scoots and one in Cavellos. Hired a fit kit from Hoof Boutique and it was clear pretty much straight away that the scoots wouldn’t fit our BRP, while they fit my boy like a glove! They do need to get used to wearing them in the sense the Cavellos need breaking in like a pair of shoes, but we just took shoes off and got the boots. There is a possibility our mates feet could change shape and we may need new boots at some point. My NF has been in Scoots pretty much all his ridden life! Get in touch with Hoof Bootique and they will guide you ?
 
Also second what @Mrs G Said about slippery surfaces. You do need to be mindful and get used to how they perform on different surfaces . We have a particularly muddy track that is steep and my boy slides down so I now avoid it in winter. On the upside, we never slip on the roads and we have some steep hills.
 
Cavallos are fine for straightforward ground conditions. In fairness I never had any slips with them, even on wet going (I do a LOT of off road work on all kinds of terrain).
I now use Scoots as they are better in terms of breakover and lower profile. Cavallos are quite clunky. But as mentioned already, it completely depends on the shape of the hooves. Read one of the measurement guides, write down all the measurements and take photos if you're still not sure.
Some of the boots (Renegades, etc) are very, very precise in terms of fit so I've been lucky to have straightforward hooves that will fit Scoots.

I don't boot all the time as my Dales has great feet - only if I know its stony ground, forestry tracks or whatever. I've yet to wear a pair of boots out!
 
Polos Mum said:
cavallo are a good starter boot as they are forgiving on sizing - some closer fitting boots are much more prone to rubbing if the fit is a tiny bit off. Some find them clumpy - I don't personally so have never moved on.

simples are round in shape and slim more oval - horses hooves are typically round in front and more long and thinner behind - just get the shape that fits the hoof shape

They can be bought second hand readily - so if you just want to try then second hand is ideal - I had a pair for £40 last 18 months - so very economical.

Winter is a good time to try them - as your mare will get used to barefoot in the field before the ground turns hard.

Transition - look at feed not feet ! but whip em off is not a bad approach if you then boot to ride.
Be aware your farrier may disagree becasue he'll be doing himself out of £££'s
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This did cross my mind and something I will bare in mind when I speak to him.

Re feed, I have heard people say to feed as if they are laminitic? Currently my lot are on Spillers happy hoof chaff and Spillers speedimash. Also ad-lib hay. I'm open to suggestions. They are both welshies and very good dooers.
 
mustardsmum said:
Also second what @Mrs G Said about slippery surfaces. You do need to be mindful and get used to how they perform on different surfaces . We have a particularly muddy track that is steep and my boy slides down so I now avoid it in winter. On the upside, we never slip on the roads and we have some steep hills.
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Third this. We have a very steep muddy track to hack off the yard, followed by a very stony track. My mare has slipped so many times in Flex and Cavallos, it was scary.. but never had any issue on the roads and found the Flex very good.
 
Gallop_Away said:
So I'm now considering investing in some but I have some questions. My friend uses the Cavallo Trek boots. They seemed ideal for what I would use them for, hacking, hunting, fun rides etc
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I wouldn't hunt in hoof boots, personally, unless your hunting is more like a bit of a fun ride without jumping.

I second Renegades, they are the only boot on the market where every part of the boot that touches skin stays in one place and doesn't move, so can't rub.
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One of mine has dainty round feet and fits Viper Renegades perfectly. In all the years I’ve had them he’s only slipped once and they’ve come off in thick knee deep mud several times but it was so sticky metal shoes wouldn’t have stood much of a chance either. My Connie has straighter narrower feet and is in Cavallo Trek slims but I’m not a huge fan. I much prefer the Vipers as they don’t touch anything that can rub and aren’t clumpy but it’s what fits the foot.

As for diet low sugar and starch with vitamins and minerals. I add salt and pea protein especially in summer as they are grass free from April to October.
 
ycbm said:
I wouldn't hint in hoof boots, personally, unless your hunting is more like a bit of a fun ride without jumping.

I second Renegades, they are the only boot on the market where every part of the boot that touches skin stays in one place and doesn't move, so can't rub.
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The ground we hunt is typically mountains and forests so a bit of a varied terrain but generally a mix of dirt stoney tracks and grass. There isn't much jumping save the odd log and stone wall, but ground conditions can also be quite boggy places.
Hunting is the only thing I'm feeling a bit "meh" about and wondering if boots would stand up to that level of work, but as I say we are a Welsh hill pack so not as fast paced as some of the hunts across to the border where land is generally flatter and hunting quicker with more jumping etc.
 
I use Scoots with mud straps on the fronts and have no problems with them. Most of our riding is roads and tracks, short wet grass can be slippy but we've never slipped on the smoothest tarmac. I've also ridden the Lady Towneley Loop in hoof boots no problems.
Make sure you measure the feet when freshly trimmed and take sole and side shots to send to Hoof Boutique for advice as to best boots for you.
That said , las year I started using hoof armour instead of boots and only needed to boot for any particularly long Stony ride and that might just have been to stop me worrying rather than him needing them.
 
I used Cavallos because Beau had dinner plates for feet. They were literally for going to and from the field because the track is so stony and he bruised easily. Anything long term or for riding in, I’d talk to the Hoof boutique.
 
Gallop_Away said:
The ground we hunt is typically mountains and forests so a bit of a varied terrain but generally a mix of dirt stoney tracks and grass. There isn't much jumping save the odd log and stone wall, but ground conditions can also be quite boggy places.
Hunting is the only thing I'm feeling a bit "meh" about and wondering if boots would stand up to that level of work, but as I say we are a Welsh hill pack so not as fast paced as some of the hunts across to the border where land is generally flatter and hunting quicker with more jumping etc.
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do you mean this sort of work on mountains? (cougar rock taken from the renegade site)

renegades (vipers or classics) will stand up to the work. They stay on in bog and this morning they stayed on when the track collapsed under my horse. We have a lot of bits collapsing into clay and quicksand ATM due to the rain.

If you want to see which boots work look at what endurance riders use. I doubt you will find many in cavallos.
I did try scoots but firstly they damaged the back of 2 horses feet from the rigid straps ie gouged down to blood) other reason is they are no use for our boggy and muddy riding due to the fact they come off without mud straps. I tried mud straps but they were just too difficult to get on. Putting 4 mud straps on totally made a misery of any pleasure from riding.

I expect a boot to give as good grip as shoes. If I can't ride down a slippery slop they are not much use. I haven't found any boots to be good on ice and I don't ride on ice either barefoot or booted. I think the only thing that would give safe grip would be studs (although you can stud boots if you have ice for long enough)

cougar-rock-mid.jpg-nggid03218-ngg0dyn-225x150x100-00f0w010c011r110f110r010t010.jpg
 
I love my Renegade Vipers. Eventually they wore out and kind of exploded, but up until that point, they were brilliant.

I don't like galloping on mud with them, but he has never slipped on steep muddy tracks at walk.

Hermosa is doing fine barefoot on our baby hacks. If she needs boots, I am hoping Renegades fit her.
 
paddy555 said:
do you mean this sort of work on mountains? (cougar rock taken from the renegade site)

renegades (vipers or classics) will stand up to the work. They stay on in bog and this morning they stayed on when the track collapsed under my horse. We have a lot of bits collapsing into clay and quicksand ATM due to the rain.

If you want to see which boots work look at what endurance riders use. I doubt you will find many in cavallos.
I did try scoots but firstly they damaged the back of 2 horses feet from the rigid straps ie gouged down to blood) other reason is they are no use for our boggy and muddy riding due to the fact they come off without mud straps. I tried mud straps but they were just too difficult to get on. Putting 4 mud straps on totally made a misery of any pleasure from riding.

I expect a boot to give as good grip as shoes. If I can't ride down a slippery slop they are not much use. I haven't found any boots to be good on ice and I don't ride on ice either barefoot or booted. I think the only thing that would give safe grip would be studs (although you can stud boots if you have ice for long enough)

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?? our hunting ground is (sadly) nowhere near that epic ?
 
If you've found a pair that fit I'd start with them. I have 3 horses that I have tried to boot and it's been a nightmare. Scoots fit one but they can only go on dry hooves in dry weather or they rub. The pony has boxy feet and nothing fitted. The young cob has round feet but cavellos changed his breakover too much and he just wouldn't walk out in them.
 
My mare has cavellos as part of her rehab along with corrective trimming and they’ve been great, (hoof boutique are fab) was worried they’d fill with water or be too clunky but I haven’t noticed any issues and I’ve been through quite a bit of flooding/mud with them and 0 issues. She had to have a bit of her ankle closely clipped for nerve blocking and was worried they would rub but they haven’t at all

Only issue I’ve noticed is I don’t have an insulated tack room and they can take a wee while to dry so have to take them home.
 
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