I have Section B Welsh ponies of varying heights, and so have tried all of the “endurance type” boots - Gloves, Renegades, and now Scoots. All come in the round “front hoof shape”, but both Scoot and Renegade have boots now for the hind hoof as well.
I use the regular round Scoots (as I got them before the slims came out) on the rear of my large Welsh (who is shod in front). He goes great in them, much better than he did in Renegades (which sadly kept twisting on one hind hoof no matter what I did to try to mitigate it). Yesterday we did a couple of deep mud crossing - the kind that make me pause first and ask if I think it is worth it (possibly losing a $100 boot in ankle deep muck) - yet those Scoots stayed on beautifully, much to my breath-holding relief. We also do some uphill cantering and lots of trotting on our rides, and the Scoots have always performed flawlessly. Stay on straight and tight. Not once (and I hope I don’t jink myself saying this!) have they ever fallen off his feet. Ever. And are SO easy to take off and put on. I’m frankly surprised at how well they are holding up to usage. When they finally start to wear, I’m going to invest in the Scoot slims designed for the narrower hind foot. But as of now they haven’t shown even the slighted sign of wear.
That said, a neighbor was so impressed by my guy’s Scoots that he got a pair of regular Scoots for his Thoroughbred (for the back hooves) but ended up returning them because they twisted. Fortunately, he used the new Scoot dealer who will ship you boots to actually use and try out first before you commit to buying a set. Unfortunately, he should have ordered the Scoot slims (for back hooves). So keep in mind what works for one might not for another.
I do like my Renegades, but now only use them on my Morab. Rear only as I keep her shod in front. But they are now sidelined while I have her back in nail-on shoes front and rear. Our workouts had gotten too strenuous as spring moved into summer, and the boots were having a hard time staying on. I got tired of backtracking to pick them back up, and having to do “boot checks” every other minute during my training rides. Plus the cables and the velcro are annoying. I’ve cut my finger on a frayed piece of cable, and had those cables break while in use. NOT a fan of wire in a boot!
That said, I wish Renegades came in smaller sizes for my medium Welsh. But only the Scoots and Easyboot do.
I’ve given up on the Easyboot Gloves. The old style ones did OK, but the new style ones have gaiters that seem to rip apart just looking at them. They simply don’t hold up in the long run, warp out of shape easily, the stitching comes out, the rubber on the gaiter tears, and the boots fly off too easily while in use. I now only use them for the paddocks (when I want to protect a bare foot at home) and for my Welsh pair for easy slow pleasure drives. I purchased a lot of the Gloves in various sizes for my wide range of hoof sized Welsh, but as the Gloves wear out (or get ripped and torn) I’m now tossing them in the trash and replacing them with Scoots instead. Yes, the Scoots are more expensive, but they are more reliable as well.
