Why shoes and not boots then?

[Nudibranch]

As the owner of an older mare with both PPID and mild arthritis, I use hoof boots in front. The vet always comments about this and asks why I don't just shoe. Now personally I prefer my horses unshod, and given the arthritis and risk of low grade laminitis, I believe boots are a better option due to protection from concussion.

It seems to me boots are cheaper to use, and cause less (i.e. no damage) to feet and legs than shoes... so why are they not more popular? Genuine question! I appreciate they might not be ideal for x country, but then again a fit xc-er could well go barefoot with the right management anyway.

 

[stencilface]

Don't know, I think most leisure riders would be able to do this too. Currently misplaced my renegade boots and it's driving me crazy that I can't find them!

 

[Andalucian]

Two reasons spring to mind.
1. Shoes are easier, no faffing with them before and after riding.
2. Ignorance. If I knew what the application of 24/7 metal shoes did to the equine foot, my first horse would still be alive.

For me it's easy, boots are a pain to put on and off, plus washing and drying them in winter, but, my horses are older, sound and healthy, which my first horse wasn't. The heartache and expense I went through with her made the choice easy for me. Boots only change the foot function a bit and only for the amount of time they're worn, therefore feet remain healthy. I wouldn't want my feet bound 24/7, nor do my horses.

 

[DD265]

I agree with Andalucian.

Barefoot is not the easy road by any means in my experience but it would always be my choice if a horse could be managed for it.

 

[Goldenstar]

I don't like using boots although I sometimes will if I feel it's best for the horse in the situation We are in .
I tend to be working BF or shod .
I use boots for short term fixes .
I think they affect breakover and also narrowly missed having an awful fall on the road when a big moving horse stood on it's front boot with it's hind foot.
So I avoid them like the plague on the big movers now.
I don't have the issues with shoes that many BF supporters do if you have good farriers that you manage carefully ,shoe every five weeks on average and the horses have great diets and you watch breakover and keep on top of everything horses can have good lives with shoes in their life .
I am a huge believer in the benefits of shoe free periods in a horses life and of not shoeing them young but I don't think that precludes using shoes when it suits .

 

[Kat]

My farrier summed it up by saying "these boots are great aren't they? Just don't go telling everyone, they are rubbish for my bottom line!"

Most vets aren't really aware of the range of boots available. Mine was pretty amazed by my cheapo cavallo simples and kept asking me to show them to students.

 

[Minstrel_Ted]

I don't use boots as for a start I cannot buy a size big enough, and I did actually try all the biggest sizes for my old boy who had smaller feet then my current one, for stud holes as I show on grass and I do such a lot of roadwork I had to start shoeing my horse in the first place due to wear.

 

[maccachic]

I have boots and I find them fine to put on and off (easy boot epics). My road work is all on seal so I very rarely need them, I tend to use only for gravel.

 

[Orangehorse]

Because vets have been trained that way and haven't come across boots. For lots of vets it is simply a matter of not having shoes on, which means the horse is not in work (with the exception of ponies) or shod for work.

I have an oldish book written by Peter Grey, who is an expert horse vet, and he spent half a chapter on explaining why horses need shoes and cannot be expected to work without them. This was written before hoof boots had been invented, certainly in the UK.

 

[chestnut cob]

I am a huge believer in the benefits of shoe free periods in a horses life and of not shoeing them young but I don't think that precludes using shoes when it suits .

This.

What suits one horse won't suit another. Mine has his shoes off for a period of time in the winter. I don't give him a complete holiday but during that time, he might be ridden once during the week and at weekends. His work then is mainly schooling in the arena, with the odd short hack on smooth tarmac roads. This year when he came back into full work, I had front shoes put back on then he stayed unshod behind until maybe March/April time. A lot of our hacking is on very stony tracks, miles and miles of them. He events and because we don't have anywhere to do canter work, I need to do a lot of hill work to keep him fit. All of our hills are made from those stony tracks and the shoes went back on simply because he is more comfortable shod when doing a lot of work on that sort of surface.

He did his first BE80 this year without back shoes and TBH I would have been happier if he'd been shod behind and studded, as it was so wet and slippery. After the eventing season finishes I will take off his shoes again; last year he had 3 months without any shoes and a further 2-3 without hinds. It was great for his feet to have a break but TBH it makes my life much easier to shoe when I need to, and remove them whenever I can. I really don't want to fiddle around with boots, finding boots that fit and don't rub etc. I have a good farrier who is fully supportive of me taking off shoes, putting back on etc. Horse has good feet, doesn't *touch wood* lose shoes, is shod every 5 weeks in summer.

 

[Flame_]

I've had shoes off my horse and used boots for light hacking over a couple of winters for my horse and shoe though February to September. I wouldn't like trying to operate with the things while wanting to get on with stuff. The gaiters are soggy as soon as you go through a puddle. The traction is very hit and miss depending on surfaces and conditions. The gaiters rubbed my horse's pasterns until I took most of the padding out. If the horse treads on a front one with a back foot and pulls it off the hoof, the gaiter is still done up with the boot flapping around tripping the horse over whilst you pull up. They also take time getting on and off, getting cleaned up after use and then they're not alway dry enough to use the following day.

I think they've got their uses, but so far they're no where near as practical or safe as metal horse shoes with studs. Maybe one day they will be, but they aren't yet IMO.