Do you use them? Recommend them? Before I spend the money…
I recently tried Shoo Fly Leggins. The design is odd. Amazingly, they really work. They make a world of difference for my horse and makes it possible for me to do necessary older horse dental hygiene. The flies are horrendous here ( understatement ). I paid $47.30 from Jeffer’s ( price matching Stateline Tack.) . Prices do vary.
9 Likes
YES. Worth every penny. I’ve used Kensingtons for years with no issue. I have multiple sets so I can switch out for clean ones as needed. Mine get used basically 24/7 - removed and checked every am and pm.
My horse(s) are significantly happier when they wear them. No stomping.
A lot of people recommend the Shoo Fly brand - I’ve never tried them as my Kensingtons last for a long time but people have great things to say about them.
So yes they work.
3 Likes
Yes, just tried the shoo fly and they are amazing. No rubs, no issues, no stomping for the flies. They have been on 24/7 for months now - still look brand new!
5 Likes
I bought Shoo Fly boots this May. They work great and the horses have had no trouble wearing them 24/7. However, about half of them have worn out already. The soft stuff at the bottom of the boot has worn through, allowing the stays to poke out. The last set I bought had different material at the bottom - black nylon instead of white fuzzy stuff. That set seems fine.
3 Likes
Yes! They have been a game changer. Horses whose hooves would have been destroyed by summer stomping now live out comfortably with nary a chip or crack.
But all fly boots aren’t created equally; don’t bother messing around with cheaper options, as they almost always rub, slip down badly, or come off. Shoo Fly Leggins are phenomenal. Kensington’s were my “go to” until Shoo Fly Leggins were introduced to me. Most everything else has been worthless for me.
7 Likes
Another vote for Shoofly Leggins. I’ve also had the Amigo fly boots, which are a more fitted style that velcro on, but they tended to slide down unless they were put on very tightly.
The Shoofly Leggins I got are on season 2 and they work amazingly well. I like that they allow airflow to the legs so they don’t get hot, and all stomping has completely stopped.
3 Likes
Game changer for my boy–he would be pacing at the gate, begging to come in. Now he ignores the people who come out to get him, keeps grazing away.
2 Likes
Wow thanks, that’s a clear yes!
Love love love shoofly leggings. I have a horse that was throwing shoes almost every other week from stomping at flies. He has terrible feet in general. He’s completely content in the shoofly boots. I used to use SmartPak Deluxe fly boots, but they are very warm, slide down a bit, and even twist on the leg (when they shouldn’t). If it rains, they stay wet. I don’t have any of those problems with the shoofly boots. They’re designed to freely spin on the leg. The only contact point is down by the cornet band. They’re light weight and breathable. If they get wet, they don’t stay wet.
2 Likes
Another vote for Shoo Fly leggings. Got them this spring on the advice from this forum, and they work great.
2 Likes
Alright, all of you Shoo Fly leggings people - is the band at the bottom of the boots black nylon or white fluffy looking stuff? The boots that have worn out quickly have all had the white fluffy stuff on the bottom. It’s really disappointing that they have worn out already, as they work great and seem really comfortable for the horses. I can’t buy a new set every 6 weeks, though.
2 Likes
They are fantastic. I was a doubter, but they are amazing. I watch the horses to see if anybody’s picking up feet and it’s just not the old stomp and pound that they were doing. The shoofly have the stays sewn in so they can’t SAG and I think that is probably the biggest difference between them and anything else. I spoke to someone at one of the suppliers and they told me that they think everybody’s going to have the stays in there for next year. That ought to help the pricing to become more competitive
1 Like
I have white fluffy-bottomed ones from last year (maybe middle of summer?). They lasted fine on my husband’s horse, but on mine by the end of last fly season the stays were sticking out at the bottom as mentioned above. Also where they creased while she wore them some plastic coating wore off the fiber mesh, but that doesn’t really affect function (just makes them look “used”). So I think durability is affected by a horse’s conformation and behavior.
I just - a week or 2 ago - sewed reinforcement under the stays (approx. 2" squares from old jeans wrapped around bottoms) and then a new layer of fleece (strips from an old long-retired acrylic electric blanket) around the whole bottoms right over the old fleece & the denim patches. I just put them on for the first time today - our fly season is short but vicious - and we’ll see how that holds up. We haven’t had many stable flies yet but the black flies (which attack the horses all summer, they don’t just have a spring/early summer season like elsewhere) have chewed up the back of her pasterns and these protect from that also.
I also ordered a new pair that’s supposed to come in stock and be shipped next week, so I’m curious to see what the bottom band looks like.
2 Likes
The BO purchased Shoo fly leggings for his horse 2 years ago, now 6 of us use them. I use them on the front legs, which my horse stomps the most. My band is black nylon. One pair lasted all season last year, and I suspect the the other two will last all fly season this year. My horse is out 24/7 (they all are at this barn) and the horses wear them 24/7. I can’t recommend them enough. My horse’s shed-mate’s owner tried velcro fly leggings last year (don’t know brand) but they frequently came off. She has Shoo Fly this year and is pretty happy with them.
2 Likes
Another Shoofly user here. Mine could stand to be replaced, but I’m still using them in their worn-out condition and they’re working fine…no rubs and still protecting against flies. I’ll probably get new ones in the next month.
I think they are reasonably priced. At around $50 for a set of four, that’s fair even if I have to replace them every season. Sure beats the consequences of stomping without them.
1 Like
The newer version has the black nylon bottom from what I read on a website. Mine have the white fleecy bottoms and I just saw one of them is starting to wear a small hole through. The stays are all in place though.
2 Likes
My Shoo Fly Leggins all have the white fuzzy lining at the bottom. I bought 1 set in 2018, another 3 sets in 2019. The ones from 2018 are threadbare and probably won’t make it through the season. The others are well worn, too. But at $50 for a set of four, if they make it through one season, I feel like I got my money’s worth! Anything beyond that is bonus to me.
Kensingtons have always had plastic stays. I’m pretty sure other brands do, too. But the big difference is the away-from-the-leg design of Shoo Fly allows for a better style of stay than you can use with flush against the leg boots.
1 Like
When shopping for them, I saw a bunch that look like these: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/a…boots/E006391/ which do not appear to have stays.
I have the cashel ones. They are decent but my TB doesn’t love them. They sometimes twist around and itch him. I will be trying the shoo fly ones next. I’ve only heard great things.
