I’m working on an article for a Canadian magazine, about using hoof boots for trail riding. Anyone want to share their experiences? I would like to feature a few different perspectives. Doesn’t matter whether you have used them competitively or just for leisure riding. If you have a positive, or negative, impression to share, please PM me or e-mail ridexc at hotmail.com; I’ll likely send you a couple of quick follow-up questions. Thanks in advance, all! :yes:
I’ve gone through a full assortment of EasyCare products.
I ride rough stuff for extended distances. Not endurance ride, just long trail rides through wilderness areas.
EasyBoots came off too easy.
Epics broke too many cables and buckles. Once the buckle or cable was broke the boot came off and ripped the gaiter.
Bares did much better, But I have broken a couple of the bungies and the boots come off.
The Gloves are the best yet. There is nothing to break, but I find they will come off if I canter, or do any kind of quick laterial work ( such as cutting a cow). But for basic trail work they do the job.
I’ve never had any problems with sores or rubs on my horses.
I’ve learned how to put them on and take them off with out it being a big deal. Of course the gloves make that realy easy.
I usually take 4 or 5 horses out each ride. It’s a pain to go around and put boots on 4 horses before each ride. It has been my experience that I’m going to have one of the Epics or Bares come off sometime during the ride. I’ve lost or ripped a gaiter when that happens. It got to where it was costing me $20-$30 per ride in repair or lost boots. I switched out to Gloves and have tore a couple of gaiters. So they are much better on the maintenance.
I’ve pretty much come to the decision that I only use the boots on really rocky ground and only if I’m riding multiple days in a row. They do work and protect the hooves, But it cost me more financially to use boots ( because of repairs and lost boots) than it does to just get the horses shod.
My horses are doing well barefoot. I only use the boots 3-4 times a summer, The rest of the time the horses do it barefoot. I don’t ride down gentle paths. I think if you ride down reasonable trails and paths at a nice jog or trot, the boots work great. If you are prone to burst of speed, to lots of laterial movements, if you cross lots of rocks that can squeeze and pull on the boots. If you have to cross lots of deadfall trees where the horses scrape the front of the boots on the logs as they cross them, You will destroy or loose your share of boots.
Here are some photos of what I mean of trails that are hard on boots.
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/2008/SANY0038.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/2008/SANY0044.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/2009/LimeKiln7.jpg
Goodness gracious, Painted Horse, I can see why your boots would come off, in that kind of terrain! That looks awesome!
Easycare has a blog that talks about their boots. You can also do a search on almost any equine chat site that will have comments about them.
I feel like one of the few, but I rarely have problems with mine coming off. I do distance riding. I use the Epics and really like them. For a time I was using the regular Easyboot, and it would not even come off, even during “discussions” with Jake in the river.
A friend of mine swore off Easyboots altogether, because they would come off all the time.
I bought the Easyboot Edge boots last august b/c my horses hooves crumbled and he could not hold a metal shoe, but he was very footsore. The Easyboot Edge with the INSOLES that had to be bought separately, were wonderful. He was moving out and having a great time, he does great in them. i have him BF still, and he does ok on the trails i rtide on, but the other side of the state park has more rough terrain, so i use them when i go over there. the only thing i don’t love is when we cross water they stay wet in the gaiter( gaitor?) area. but it doesn’t cause any blisters or rubs, so that’s ok, too i guess.
I use Renegade Hoof Boots when I’m riding on rough terraine. No twisting, they stay on, no rubbing…and they come in wild colours.
I tried Easyboot Gloves on the hind feet. They came off one time too many so I am going back to shoes. These trails are pretty easy too.
First time they came off was a park that had some muddy areas so I thought that was it.
Last couple of rides have been DRY and hard and even with a wrap or two of vetwrap they still came off.
I may have purchased the wrong size. I have the 0.5. When I did the kit test fit I could not get the 0.0 on at all. When I got the actual boots they fit fine the first number of rides but seemed to have stretched so I no longer have an open V.
I do think they are worth having around since I have had to use them 3 times in the last shoeing cycle (5 weeks) for pulled shoes. I just turn him out for the night in them until my wonderful farrier gets out the next day.
(No the wonderful farrier is not being sarcastic- he is awesome about how fast he came out to replace the pulled shoes. He even arranged for another farrier to replace them the last time since he was most of the way across the country for the next week)
We are making some management and shoeing changes that hopefully we end the sudden pulling of shoes. He actually pulled the last pair on the same ride with bell boots on.
My now retired mare who has wider-than-long hooves has Old Macs Originals. They always stayed on well through all types of footing, but are very clunky and a pain to put on. My other mare has Boa boots for extremely rocky trails, she does great barefoot 90% of the time. The Boas are a bit easier to put on and stay on well, but she does get rubs from them even with gaiters if it is a long ride with mud/water crossings. Also they make an awful sloshing sound after going through mud/water. I found a fairly large stick stuck inside the heel of the boot after a ride, which must have gotten there towards the end of the ride, as she didn’t have any rubs there, but that could have definitely been a problem had it happened earlier in the ride… I am looking forward to trying the Gloves for my next set of boots, as I’ve read a lot of great reviews for them. It does sound like getting the right size is key though.
I have horses with great feet, but some of the trails around me are quite rocky so I have been exploring boots to protect them from stone bruises and the inevitable chippping that happens from going over rocks. For me, it makes no sense to shoe, based on the number of days/year the horses actually need (or could use) hoof protection.
A few years back and in another state, I used Hoofwings for a driving pony so we could do more roads. I also used them because I would constantly see things like glass bottles, scrap metal, nails, etc. out on some of the roadsides. I used to carry a trash bag and come home with all of it, but worried a lot about the pony being injured. My biggest problem with those was a hind boot would occasionally twist. They never came off. For some reason they rubbed her a little on the first outing, and never again. We wore her boots right through.
Last year I got the Gloves for two of my horses here. One was just transitioning to barefoot so at the time she needed something just for riding on the road. The other guy I just thought would be good for protection for the rocky sections. I did the fit kit - two different ones - and followed the instructions, made sure we had the little"V". Well. The Gloves are great, as long as they stay on. Some rides they do, some they don’t. It seems that late in the trim cycle (and I trim every 6 weeks, never more than 7) they are much harder to stay on. In fact, last time out I couldn’t even GET the hind boots on the mare, so she went without. Same ride, one of my gelding’s rear boots kept popping off. After the fifth dismount to fix it, I just took the rear boots off.
We have a third horse that I want to get boots for, and am hesitating about it. I don’t think I am going to go with more Gloves, so I’m looking at different brands.
I think the reason that people are having issues with the gloves coming off is lack of fit. They need to fit really tight. When my farrier/trimmer was fitting my horse I was really surprised–the ones I thought looked right weren’t even close, and the proper-fitting ones were a couple of sizes smaller than the sizing chart suggested. Also some horses won’t be able to use them–for my two only the one with the rounder foot was able to use them.
When I was having the problems with the gloves coming off it was late in the trim cycle.
I knew the fit was important but I couldn’t even get the one on that was one size smaller.
I don’t know if Finnegan’s foot shape changed too much from the when I first fit them to now.
When I fit them it was the first day he was barefoot in the back and this was back in early April. Maybe from being barefoot for the three months changed the foot shape enough that they no longer fit well.
I actually feel like they stretched a bit and that is why they no longer fit well.
I ride in similar terrain as Painted Horse. I used Easyboot Epics and had the same problems. Torn gaters, broken cables etc. When a horse is putting that much torc and pressure on a boot they are going to come off. Regardless of fit and manufacturer. In that terrain we even lose shoes. I also had problems with the boots coming off if my horse accidently stepped on herself. And when you are navigating difficult terrain on the trail this happens often. Bell boots and splint boots will not prevent this.
I had no problems through mud or water. I did find that when going through mud or water that I had a lot of build up of sand and mud in the shoe, which in turn weighted it down just enough for the fit to become compromised. I considered drilling holes in the bottom for better drainage. I understand the Renegades do not have this problem as water, mud, sand drain out the heel of the boot.
Amy
[QUOTE=Amymcree;4982102]
I understand the Renegades do not have this problem as water, mud, sand drain out the heel of the boot. [/QUOTE]
http://www.renegadehoofboots.com/
The Renegade boots are open in the back…everything drains out. They also go on easily. You undo the velcro and tilt the heel/bulb cradle down. You push the hoot into the front of the boot the way you’d slip on a pair of sadles. You then rotate the heel cradle and do it’s velcro. You tighten up the hoof velcro tightening everything up. No fuss or muss AND they stay on wonderfully. I’ve had 3 different horses at the barn borrow these for a rocky trail ride…no problems at all and we did fast work also.
I’ve now got a set of 4 of them for my mule for when his barefoot feet need protection from nasty rock footing (and to lend if need be). My farrier recommends them to his other clients after seeing how well they work on my guy.
I have a very good friend who rides endurance and they use the Renegades on their horses and love them. They only had one incident when a cable broke and scared the crap out of one of their greenies. But otherwise the shoes have held up great.
My mare has one club foot and after consulting with Renegade it was determined that she couldn’t wear renegades because of her heel height on that foot. The farrier and vet said that it was as low as it could go safely.
Amy
[QUOTE=kcmel;4981948]
I think the reason that people are having issues with the gloves coming off is lack of fit. They need to fit really tight. [/QUOTE]
I agree. When they are on right, they are a fantastic boot. I never have rubbing issues, the traction is good, nothing gets in them, horse moves well, and they’re not clunky at all.
But the margin of error on fit is SO narrow. I know I purchased the right fit size (smaller size would not go on, size I chose went on snugly and was incredibly difficult to remove). Late in the trim cycle I don’t think they ever “pop” on like they should. Perhaps if I had measured late in the trim cycle, it would be the opposite - they would be too loose early in the trim cycle. Either way, very tight and no room for error. I love the boot, really I do… but I would love them more if there was just a way to adjust them a smidgen so I could use them any day I wanted to.
Renegades work well for us
We like Renegades very much – two seconds to put them on, never need to worry about rubs, horse moves nicely in them, etc. Adjusting the cables when you first get them can be alittle fiddly (as in, it takes a minute or two), but I think this is nothing compared with other manufacturers’ products. I found the Renegades to be the best option for us. I wasn’t even going to deal with the ones that everyone agrees take fiddling and padding and adjusting and taping and require a rubber mallet to get on, and the Gloves didn’t work with my horse’s feet. And come on; can’t beat the Renegade colors. 
A barnmate schools in hers, and they stay on through stadium jumping, cross-country with some serious speed and height, etc.
But, I gotta say, if it does work for your horse to get his/her feet toughened up with Durasole or your hoof-hardener of choice, that just makes everything alot better. Fussing with even the easiest pair of boots is still one extra step, more things to remember to bring or to remember not to let get lost, etc.
[QUOTE=SharonA;4983275]
But, I gotta say, if it does work for your horse to get his/her feet toughened up with Durasole or your hoof-hardener of choice, that just makes everything alot better.[/QUOTE]
My mule has incredibly tough feet…but when the trails have a lot of sharp rocks and just plain tough footing, I’m glad to add to his comfort with the Renegades…the day-glo orange are a great colour too!
Murphy has original Old Macs for all four feet. The set I have are several years old. They work great on our hard rocky ground. They are rather ugly and alien looking, but I find them easy to put on and Murphy seems to like them. There is a huge difference in his stride on the trail when he is barefoot or when he is wearing the Old Macs. We did a 20 mile ride earlier this spring and he had no problems, no rubs. I’ll probably buy the newer version when I need a new set.
I used easy boots on my old QH mare. She liked them, but I had a hard time getting them on without a strap to pull them up. I also needed a screwdriver to lift the buckle up when taking them off. Don’t know how the newer design works.
A friend tried Boa boots. She said they went on easily, but she was constantly having to dismount and tighten them. The cap was hard to get back on too.
[QUOTE=Amymcree;4982776]
My mare has one club foot and after consulting with Renegade it was determined that she couldn’t wear renegades because of her heel height on that foot. The farrier and vet said that it was as low as it could go safely.
Amy[/QUOTE]
If anyone has either a phone number or an email address to contact Renegade I would appreciate having it. I’m pulling my mare’s shoes next week and I think I really want the Renegade boots but would like to consult with them to make sure my mare’s heels won’t be too high for the boots.
TIA
[QUOTE=Trakehner;4981532]
I use Renegade Hoof Boots when I’m riding on rough terraine. No twisting, they stay on, no rubbing…and they come in wild colours.[/QUOTE]
I wish those Boas came in larger sizes, I so want to try them. But I can’t say I’ve had any trouble with my easyboots either, never has one come off, when properly fitted. But yup, I love those colors boa has. But we need a size 4 easyboot and last I checked the Boas did not come that big.
I foxhunt in cavallo simple boots. In the past (different horse) I tried a variety of Easyboots and eventually they came off. I haven’t had any problem with the cavallos – they stay on and they don’t rub. They have drainage holes in the bottom so they don’t hold water.
Now my trails don’t look anything like the rocky one shown :eek:. But we do move fast, we jump and we go through mud & water.
I use them on all 4 when the trails are rocky (by my definition) and fronts only when it’s mostly grass or well groomed trails.
