I’m looking for bell boots for my newly shod horse. Any brand/model suggestions? They don’t need to be used for turn-out, but they need to work for flat and jumping, both indoors and outdoors.
Are you looking to prevent pulled shoes, or more to protect the horse’s heels?
My horse lived in double thick pull on bell boots (cheap shoe-pulling insurance), but I would change them out for Professional’s Choice no-turns for XC schooling and competition. I knew one too many people who had a horse step on the back of a rubber bell boot jumping into water or deep footing and stumble. Day to day, he did fine with the heavy rubber pull ons, even when he had egg bar shoes in front.
I second the Professional’s Choice no-turns. While in dry climate my horse lived in the Professional’s Choice quick-wrap bell boots to prevent from pulling a shoe, but knock on wood he hasn’t pulled one in awhile, and now that we’re in muddy/wet VA I don’t like leaving boots on, even rubber ones, because he gets rubs very easily if they are wet.
The no-turns are fantastic. My horse is a doofus and has to wear bell boots and some sort of boots on his front legs or he knocks himself so hard he leaves marks. I can usually get a full year out of a pair, but they are definitely showing their age when I finally replace them.
I’m looking more for heel protection when she is in work right now. She seems to be ok in turn-out so far, but I’ll be keeping an eye on things. Thank you for the input. I was looking at the PC no turns.
Great, thank you!
My horse lives in his bell boots 24/7. He pulls off the thick rubber bell boots, shreds the thinner rubber bell boots, the plasticy Davis or Centaur bell boots gives him rubs. The no-turns turn. He would kill the velco on most brands. During the worst of last winter the mud would flip any of the pull on rubber ones inside out so was protecting his ankle not his heel. I was using a weird neoprene type that I could only get from the UK and they lasted okay but were a pain to replace and not that cheap.
I finally sucked it up and bough Woof Wear overeach boot that are not the no-turn. https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/woof-wear-pro-overreach-boots-18046?utm_source=cpc&utm_medium=google&utm_content=shopping&utm_campaign=nb_shopping_catch_all&utm_term=Shopping%20-%20Catch-All&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0ZSTm_vg3gIVlI-zCh2OJwgNEAQYASABEgK5FfD_BwE
They are pretty darn expensive at $60 a pair. But they are holding up really well in all the mud we have, stay on well and are not rubbing him. His shoes are staying on too. I have been using them for about 1.5 months. They also don’t make as much of a slapping sound as some other bell boots. (That noise drives me nuts)
Another vote for the Professional’s Choice no-turns. At this point I feel like I’ve tried them all and these are the only ones that hold up and do their job.
My mare wears pull ons 24/7 while shod. She could destroy the italian pull ons after a short amount of time, but honestly the best ones I’ve found for her are the fairly cheap nunn finer ones from Bit of Britain. I order several pairs at a time but they hardly ever rip or get lost, and for $15/pair I don’t get frustrated if we go through a few pairs a year.
https://www.bitofbritain.com/Long-Neck-Pull-On-Bell-Boots-p/0459.htm
No rubs, they’re long enough for her big feet and somehow are the sturdiest on her. One of those rare happy times when the cheaper version works better for her.
I also love the pro choice no turn bell boots. My mare is shod all around and I use them to protect her heels. I find they run small though, so whatever size you think you need I would go at least 1 size up.
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I second (third? fourth?) the Professional’s Choice ones. Keep in mind they run REALLY small. My TB with size 1 shoes wears an extra large in them.
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My horse hasn’t needed bell boots in turnout, but something about the footing in our indoor makes him more prone to catching and pulling a shoe in there, so I use the Centaur double-thick ones when I ride indoors. They are easy to pull on and off, and have done the job for me. https://marystack.com/double-thick-bottom-pull-on-rubber-bell-boots/
Thanks everyone! I opted for the Professional Choice no turns and so far, so good. My draft cross has almost draft sized hooves, so I went with their biggest size (3xl) and they just fit.
We use the Supra with the velcro and fleece top for heel protection, just when working, not for turn out. But the Velcro gets destroyed so fast. I’m always crazy gluing or even stitching them back together. New ones are cheap less than $20, but buying new ones every month is ridiculous. I’ll look into the professionals choice and hope they hold up better. Does anyone know if they hang long in comparison? My trainer always makes me trim the supras 1/2 inch shorter to make sure they don’t trip him…
The Pro Choice bells are definitely shorter than Supras. You shouldn’t have any issues with them being too long if you get the right size.
I love the old petal bell boots, getting hard to find now by fantastic and last forever. plus if your horse rips one then you just change out the petal instead of tossing the entire set and buying a new one. Easy for the wonky in between sizes as you can add or take out as needed.
and…I find the clacking they make to be rather helpful when trying to keep a nice steady pace on the gallops.
