I’m looking at getting Cavallo mini boots for my little pony. She recently suffered a laminitis episode and after a diet change is doing much better. Vet recommended boots for the future.
My question is are the Cavallo boots enough for a pony with hoof issues or should I keep looking for a used pair of clouds/softrides?
I got a pair and at first I loved them. Then I rode with them down trail for over an hour (just walking) and they wore a hole in my horse’s coronary band. They sell the “socks”, but I don’t know how much those would help. I went back to using the Renegades which have never rubbed.
We used the cavallo boots - also got rubs. I bought the socks. They were worthless. I used the woof medical boots. They don’t hold up that well but I really like them.
Soft rides are better for laminitis, as that is what they were made for. However, they are not to be used in turnout as they are not fitted as such. Cavellos are more for riding and not as padded inside. I’ve used them in turnout for my horse during a laminitis episode. The challenge is finding a padding that works without compromising the fit. My horse has very large hooves, so this was rather difficult.
If your having a difficult time finding soft rides though, I’d buy the Cavellos now, so you can immediately provide your horse with more comfort. You can alway look for softrides in the future and sell your cavellos after.
and just a suggestion on additional things that have helped with laminitis (in case you were interested).
One really big thing that helped my horse was taking Iron out of his diet and balancing copper and Zinc. My horse has had probably 3 mild laminitis episodes over the span of 7 years and this is what my current farrier had suggested. With exception to better quality in hoof trimming, the diet really made a huge difference in growth rate and white line connection the last two times. Copper is usually in low supply in the diet or impeded by excessive iron supply which is often more available and not shed as easily in horses. Iron has also been associated with insulin resistance. Here is one of many articles suggesting that:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23156707
Copper is needed for that strong white line connection and zinc is needed for hoof strength. They should be at a 1Cu to 4 Zn ratio or 100mg of Cu to 400mg of Zinc. Otherwise, copper will not be efficiently used! Laminitis stretches the white line connection and you need to grow that out. With my horse, I could physically see the difference when my horse was and was not fed enough copper. A year (period it takes for growing a hoof out) after changing his diet, my flat footed horse surprisingly had some concavity, something we have NEVER been able to accomplish. My farrier has a picture of a horse who went on and off the supplement during winter. This horse had horizontal lines showing strong connection, then weak connection of the hoof wall, which was not due to laminitis.
Another thing that has helped my horse (besides boots and diet of course) has been magic cushion on days he was sore.
I have used Cavallo boots when I drive my minis depending on footing. For your situation I’d go with the Clouds or Softrides. The Cavallos rub, and they wear out super fast. Also, their toe has a hard tab type thing right in the center that makes breakover weird causing a tendency for tripping. My minis seemed happier in the mini version of the EasyBoots.
Rosewatt, very interesting post. What do you feed? Thank you!
I have gone through several pairs of Cavallo boots. They have all fallen apart with minimal use. The soles just cracked off and I was left with basically what looked like bell boots!
I have an OTTB that is going through hoof issues since he has been off the track. I wanted to get him Scoot Boots, but the company said he was not going to be able to wear them at this time due to a bit of a hoof flare. A barefoot farrier recommended that I use Old Mac G2s for now and try to switch when his foot improves. So far, so good with the G2s. But definitely I recommend you not get Cavallos. (There are a few pics of the last pair of Cavallos on my blog listed below. These still have the sole, but the front tabs cracked off and they were just starting to disconnect from the sole. It is the entry titled Surge Settled In, I think!.)
No problem 
I feed a Horsetech custom vitamin/ mineral supplement that complements the hay we have, but I used to just feed their HIgh point Grass/ Mixed hay vitamin mineral with timothy/ alfalfa cubes and also Animed remission (1 scoop).I also added a bit more copper from horsetech to balance the remission, which has an addition 100mg of zinc. This has worked well for my horse as he is naturally a air fern. It lasted about 3 months with 2 scoops per day (For a large horse). It was the most cost effective accessible option I could find, but there are certainly similar supplements out there with added benefits.
The other thing to keep in mind is the iron in the red mineral blocks. I only feed the white ones now.
Thank you! I just ordered the High Point for grass, along w the Quiessence and Lin Pro. He likes the Quiessence, thankfully, but the other two…not so much. He’s eating the Q quite well now, so maybe I can gradually add in the other two. Thanks for the tip about red salt as well. He won’t touch that either, but it’s a great thing to be aware of. If you have any tips re: palatability, I’m wide open to suggestions. Thank you, again.
Thanks for the responses. Back in January we took her off all grain. She gets supplements that have both copper and zinc plus per vet instructions we soak her hay now. She is a pasture puff who lives in a padded stall and paddock. No work.
The EasyCare minis are too small for her, 9cmx9cm. I have a chance to buy used Clouds but they are longer than they are wide and I’m not sure if it would be possible to pad them to make them fit her.
If you don’t find boots that fit your mini, buy a pair of cheap flip/flop sandals, trace and trim to size, tape on with duct tape…it’s what I used for my hinny when he had lami, and it worked out really well. Garden kneeling pads cut to fit will also work.
I had Cavallos for my large pony (not for laminitis–just a lot of gravel on the road). He absolutely hated them. He didn’t misbehave, but every time I asked him to stand, he shifted his weight on his feet. He looked like he was tapdancing, and just looked unhappy. So I gave up and sold them to someone who used to be on this forum. I know she was happy with them at first, but I don’t know how well they wore as we lost touch.
Rebecca
