I have one horse that we keep without shoes, most of the footing around here is sandy so it is all good.
I am taking this horse to the mountains next month, last( some rocky trails)
Last year I put shoes on her for the Mt trip but she lost one on the second day.
I would like to find some boots for her, right now I have some easyboot gloves , they are OK but she has managed to lose them trotting and cantering.
She is a big girl with pretty good sized feet if that helps.
I do not use a barefoot trimmer because I have 4 shod horses so my farrier does her trims.
I have used Renegades and Scoots. For both, fit is essential to staying on. Renegades will shift if the boot is too tight and Scoots will shift if the boot is too loose. Both work best on a barefoot trim meaning the toes and heels are short and there is no flare to the hoof. Neither work their best on under run or contracted heels. Obviously you don’t need to hire a barefoot trimmer to get a good trim, but some crap farriers are responsible for terrible trims that let the heels run forward.
Both brands of boots are easy enough to get on and off.
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Yep, I have Scoots on the front and Renegades on the back for mine, never lost either but the fit is crucial. They are on the tighter side on the back so they don’t interfere. The scoots wouldn’t work as well on fit fo the back so that’s why I went with Renegades.
They’re often mutually exclusive (easy on and off vs staying on). Not always, but that often depends on the footing and what the horse has to do on it.
I have Scoots and Cavallos. The Cavallos are easiest to put on and take off, and I never had a problem with them coming off. Like Scribbler said, Scoots require a more precise fit. You can get Scoots skins to try on for fit before you buy at some retailers. I like both Scoots and Cavallos, but for different reasons. Scoots are lighter, easier to clean, but harder to get the fit right. Cavallos are easier to put on and take off, but harder to clean and sometimes rub.
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I’ve also had good luck with Renegades and a mixed experience with Scoots.
Like human shoes, the fit for the hoof shape is important. I’ve had good experiences fitting Renegade Vipers on multiple horses. They come in a wide variety of length/width options. The regular Renegades work well with an oval hoof and can work with a relatively round hoof if you do the cut-back option.
I like the simplicity of the Scoots, but had the screws that hold the pastern strap come off with very light use. This was several years ago, and they may have improved the design since then.
It depends on your horse. I have one going best in Gloves (which aren’t my favortie, but whatever works). Scoots stay on really well, on the right horse. Renegades just frustrated me because of fiddling with and the breakage of wires, but I have friends who use them very successfully.
It looks like I am going to have to get more educated about boots!
The skins look interesting,anybody use those?
The boots that will work best are the ones that fit your horse! Each boot is designed for a different type of hoof. I use renegades, because they fit my horse. But if I was leaving in a month for tough mountain trails, and didn’t want to fiddle around with boot fit, I’d probably shoe for that adventure. Sometimes it takes awhile to figure out what works, and you don’t want to do that on your trip. Best of luck!
Check out Flex Hoof Boots. I just got a pair so I can’t give a full endorsement yet but they are easy to get on, seem to fit a wide variety of feet shapes, and don’t look like they’ll rub. Gloves and Scoots didn’t fit this guy- he has pretty flat feet. They also have a variety of pad options.
I have been using renegades on my horse for about 2 years. My farrier fit them for me (2 on L and 2W on R) and gave me a lesson in putting them on. I am comfortable cantering anywhere I would canter if shod. I only have them on the front. I ride over gravel roads on occasion.
