The start of transition to barefoot... which hoof boots?

BigGinger

BigGinger

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Just looking for abit of advise really..

My horse is a prone shoe puller.. he has his shoes done every 6-7weeks and its common for him to pull a shoe at anytime, not just when he's due to be shod again. I have been thinking about taking the shoes off all together for a few months and always reading the threads on here..

He pulled a shoe after 3 weeks clean off in the field just over a week ago (he always wears pull over overreach boots as he pulls them off for fun otherwise). My farrier wasnt able to come up as he was away on his holidays so i was stuck with a foot sore horse.. a friend lent me a hoof boot so i was able to take him out for walks and he was great with it on..

I cant see any harm in taking the shoes off but thought i'd wait to ask my farrier, he said give it ago so removed his shoes and so i need to invest in some hoof boots... but which ones?

I am being realistic and want to go about it the right way so my boy is as comfortable as possible and realise this could take along time!

He is a 5yo TB and has a good low suger high fibre diet already as he has had ulcers in the past, his feet have been looking good (with shoes) but he is sensitive on uneven ground on his fronts and his foot has chipped away alot in the last week.(he has never had shoes on his backs) I managed to buy some second hand old mac g2's and he has been absolutley fine in them but i do think they could be a little big and i want to get him some perfect ones.

His foot shape is round and quite flat (typical tb), both fronts measure 120mm width and 130/133mm in length.

I was meaning to take pictures of his feet but i forgot tonight.. I like the look of the easy boot glove and i am tempted to get these but wouldlike an idea what may suit him best!

Thankyou if you got this far!!
 
I've got a TB mare with similar feet - I use Cavallo simple boots - I love them! But don't get the gaiters which go with them - they're rubbish and end up like Nora Batty stockings round the pastern - the Old Mac gaiters are much better and fit under the foot.
 
I would be tempted to get a pair professonally fitted by someone who specialises in barefoot.
Have a look here http://uknhcp.org.uk/uknhcpqualifiedpractitioners.html and you will see there are several farriers who specialise and one or two 'up north' as well as some excellent trimmers. I am sure your own farrier would be happy to have a fellow registered farrier help you out in this instance. He may even be interested in some the the CPD events the UKNHCP have to offer.
If boots do not fit well they can rub or twist.
 
We had old macs on my previous horse which were great! :D Also biotin is great for gradually strengthening hooves! My mare sounds like she has shoes on on roads! :p

Good Luck :)
 
Cavallos can be very useful for rehab if a few simple rules are followed.

Obvously they have to fit..........

For longer than wide feet they do a 'Sport' version which is even easier to put on than the 'Simple'. Lighter too as made of synthetics.

For thin soled horses consider using boot pads.

When using them initially I tend to put the horse into (human) tube socks - bed socks work well. They don't have to be pink, although I do sometimes try and persuade the innocent that they only work if they are pink with sparkles......... :-)

Talk to Justine at www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk - very helpful - best to call before 9.30 am though.
 
My tb was exactly the same before I went barefoot. He would pull a shoe off just about weekly so I spent half my life waiting for the farrier and not able to ride as he was crippled without shoes.

So I bought hoof boots for him for when he pulled shoes and the ones that fitted him then were Boas. I tried Cavallos and Old Macs but they didn't fit, those because they were what I managed to borrow.

They were fine, didn't move or rub and OK for this time of year but no grip in slippy mud.

They suited his flat round front feet with underun heel however When I first took his back shoes off I tried them on the back and they were awful and twisted and rubbed.

I say then because his feet changed shape so much that they would be totally wrong for him now and if I were to buy boots for his current feet I would go for a completely different brand.
 
BigGinger said:
Just looking for abit of advise really..

My horse is a prone shoe puller.. he has his shoes done every 6-7weeks and its common for him to pull a shoe at anytime, not just when he's due to be shod again. I have been thinking about taking the shoes off all together for a few months and always reading the threads on here..

He pulled a shoe after 3 weeks clean off in the field just over a week ago (he always wears pull over overreach boots as he pulls them off for fun otherwise). My farrier wasnt able to come up as he was away on his holidays so i was stuck with a foot sore horse.. a friend lent me a hoof boot so i was able to take him out for walks and he was great with it on..

I cant see any harm in taking the shoes off but thought i'd wait to ask my farrier, he said give it ago so removed his shoes and so i need to invest in some hoof boots... but which ones?

I am being realistic and want to go about it the right way so my boy is as comfortable as possible and realise this could take along time!

He is a 5yo TB and has a good low suger high fibre diet already as he has had ulcers in the past, his feet have been looking good (with shoes) but he is sensitive on uneven ground on his fronts and his foot has chipped away alot in the last week.(he has never had shoes on his backs) I managed to buy some second hand old mac g2's and he has been absolutley fine in them but i do think they could be a little big and i want to get him some perfect ones.

His foot shape is round and quite flat (typical tb), both fronts measure 120mm width and 130/133mm in length.

I was meaning to take pictures of his feet but i forgot tonight.. I like the look of the easy boot glove and i am tempted to get these but wouldlike an idea what may suit him best!

Thankyou if you got this far!!
Click to expand...

If the Old Macs are doing OK at the moment, stick with them as his hooves will change in size and shape over the next couple of months anyway.

Old Mac G2s and Cavellos are popular for your stage at the moment. The Gloves are very good boots but they work on being fitted exactly right - which you can't really do reliably at the moment. I would leave it a couple of months before investing in Gloves (unless you can pick up some second hand very cheap).
I am trying to start off a user's guide to boots here
http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/about1073.html
There are second hand boots here too
http://phoenixhorse.myfastforum.org/forum4.php

A temporary measure to make the current boots work is to use the socks as Lucy P suggested.

If you still have tenderness in a couple of weeks - then look into diet and getting some minerals on board.
The excessive wear is a temporary thing while the hoof hardens up. I am sure you will appreciate that BF hooves tend to be very short - so your horse may be getting rid of wall he doesn't want. Time and movement are the therapy at the moment. But if you are still getting wear after a couple of weeks - again look at the mineral input of the diet.
 
I've got my very un-tb like cob in easyboot epics on the front (bought these first) and cavallos on the back. Prefer the cavallos as they're easier to get on but no difference in terms of how she goes in them. I'd second the comment re getting the pads - my girl doesn't need them she transitioned really easily but a number of other people have used them to ease the transition.
 
Thankyou for all the replies. really appreciate it and great advice.. maybe i will stick with the old macs and buy some comfort pads and gaiters.
 
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