Use of plastic boots instead of shoes - advice and help please!!

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honeybee123

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We have a hunter with chronic sidebone plyus navicular changes :-( He's been shod with shoes with a heel, plus wedges, and it makes enough difference to keep him sound in the field. Unfortunately, when he feels sound he's a bit of a numpty and gallops and leaps about until he pulls his front shoes off - at which point he goes lame again... (who'd have horses!)

We're accepting that he's probably not going to be sound enough to ride again, but want to try and keep him sound enough to be happy in the field.

As the farrier's bills are fairly hefty (inevitablty we cannot find the shoes he pulls so have to have new ones made), we're weighing up alternatives!

My OH is wondering if we could get some of the plastic boots and adapt those to contain wedges - does anyone have any experience of these/ suggestions?

Thank you!!
 
I'd have a serious think about the wedges, they might take some pressure off in the short term but long term they're likely to cause him more problems than they solve.
If you search on here for navicular you'll find loads of info. :-)
 
I would definitely NOT recommend boots in the field. It is asking for some nasty rubs and if he pulls off shoes he will pull off boots too.

Ditto The search advice.
 
Doncella would you recommend turnout in boots? I've heard of some very nasty injuries after a few hours turned out in a field in boots. It isn't something I would do.
 
Unless you're puting laods of nappies and padding inside the boots, they can't be used for turn out for more than a couple of hours. I have used hoof boots basically 24/7 but it was for a lamnintic pony and he had layers of bandaging and nappies which stopped the rubbing.
 
Wow - thanks for all the advice!!

Am I right in thinking that some of you are suggesting he may be ok barefoot?? He's currently not sound at all without a shoe (and by that i don't just mean a bit sore - he's proper head nodding lame!) - would it ever be possible to build up enough heel to go without shoes entirely?

Re the boots - very good advice, as they're not cheap and as he's out all day every day, the rubbing sounds like it could be a big problem for him.

BTW - he has changes to the navicular, but not navicular disease - apparently he's grown sort of spurs on the back of the bone, which is affecting the tendon running over the back of the joint. Raising his heels is taking the pressure off the back of the foot and allowing everything to move freely.

I must admit, I've never seen anything like it before - he goes from probably 1 or 2 tenths lame to crippled without the wedges on.

Unfortunately, I suspect the final outcome is that he will have to be PTS :-( He's only 9 and a really sweet person, but when sound chases everything else around and when lame is totally miserable. Why is it always the nice ones who have the problems? :-(
 
I've turned horses out in the Easyboot Gloves with no problems - it's a temporary thing only but for a few days not an issue. The Glue Ons might work for you - I personally prefer the use of them just for a few days at a time but I know someone who is using them permanently like shoes and taking them off every five/six weeks. They've had great success so far.

The reason barefoot works is that the hoof is allowed to grow how it needs to grow to compensate for any conformational issues or injuries/disease. Really sorry your lad has such big issues, and you're right it always seems to happen to the sweetest ones. If you want to learn more about the Easyboot Glue ons head over to the Easycare website.
 
We've been using the easyboot glue-ons. We're two months into them now and I am so impressed. Normal shoeing interval is 4 weeks for us, so we've had the glue-ons on for three and a half weeks and then taken them off ourselves to give the feet a few days breather before the farrier comes. No sign of thrush or anything, and the feet are in better nick than when we used to use shoes with pads. The last set did 120km worth of organised rides plus the training at home.

The best bit is how well Spud goes in them - he's a sensitive soul and although he's never been lame as such on hard ground, he's always backed off a bit on harder tracks, both barefoot and shod. Well that's all changed as we now have the Nike effect and he's absolutely stonking.

A big thumbs up from us.
 
Before I took mine barefoot I used to turn out in boots over shoes as he pulled a front shoe off about every fortnight.
It worked for the summer, at that point the boa boots fitted his foot shape really well and didn't rub. He did pull them off maybe three times over the whole summer but didn't come to any harm.

However come autumn they were just too slippery to use in the wet grass and mud but I found the following combination worked.
Pair of neoprene no turn overreach boots fitted quite snug, then over the top traditional rubber overreach boots about 2 sizes too big.

Incidentally mine is a TB who used to go crippled lame when he lost a shoe to the point that I had another set of boots one size smaller to help him cope till the farrier could put it back on. He had damage to the tendons and ligaments in the back of the foot and I was close to thinking about having to have him pts in Feb. However with the right rehab we've managed to get him right and happy barefoot. I can actually turn him out and he comes in from the field sound!

Shouldn't have said that as I just know he will get himself kicked or something tonight.
 
cptrayes said:
Doncella would you recommend turnout in boots? I've heard of some very nasty injuries after a few hours turned out in a field in boots. It isn't something I would do.
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Whoa there, I've had enough problems with pulled shoes and nail bind over the last few months to know that I can turn out in boots. Horse needed to be poulticed but also needed to be out, ergo boots 24/7, in a herd with his buddies. Horse now sound and barefoot.
 
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