Hoof boot help - update post 104, Scoots and Equine Fusion

Your horse’s feet look a lot like mine @fivestrideline. I’m curious what are your horse’s measurements? The hooves look round to me.

My horse’s front hoof measurements are 5 1/8" wide and long. He wears size 2 Cavallos with pastern wraps up front, except at the end of the trim cycle when he wears size 3. He could wear size 3 all the time without twisting or losing one. I also have size 2 regular Scoots for his front feet and slim 2s for his hind.

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Go on…buy the Enduros! I’d love to try them. There’s no velcro! I hate velcro.

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His fronts are 4.5” long and 5” wide (or 5 1/8”-5 1/2” wide until I took a rasp to them and rolled them). One back hoof is the same as his fronts, and the other is 4.75” long and 5” wide.

I expect that when/if we can get his heels back properly they’ll be dead round, 5” by 5” or so.

Currently he’s chipping the crap out of the front middle of his toes, and cracking a bit there, which is shortening his length measurement as well. I’ve just ordered some white lightning soaks to see if it’s thrushy weirdness (I expect there’s some in his frogs too). I’m also going to try Pete Ramey’s desitin/athletes foot cream stuff.

Do you like one brand over the other? Obviously fit is most important but I’m open to reviews :laughing:

As I understand it, all of the Enduros are designed for a more narrow, rather than round, hoof so the standard is a slim. But I’m not sure where that understanding came from, so you may want to confirm. :slight_smile:

My girl definitely has a narrow foot. I have some Cavallos for her in their slim and they were still too wide.

Just looked at my measurement photos and she’s a little more than 4 1/2" wide and about 5 1/4" long. Maybe a touch longer even.

Yes, my mare has got narrow feet. But with the original Scoots, even the slim was too “round”. I will certainly investigate when her current boots wear out.

When she was young (4-6yo) I put shoes on her but bottom line, she was a bitch to shoe. The nailing process really bothered her. Like every blow of the hammer went straight to her brain :exploding_head:. The boots have worked really well all this time (she is now 21). One more thing to do before riding but easier (and cheaper) than the farrier and tranquilizer.

Susan

Yes, this is correct.

I’d encourage people to check out the Heartland Scoot Boots FB page, run by Stacy Pratt. I’ve been using the regular Scoots on all 4 feet for 5+ years now and have always bought from Stacy. Even if you don’t buy from her, she has tons of free resources on fitting on her FB page, for both regular Scoots and Enduros. In my anecdotal experience, people have had more luck working with her virtual measurements & fitting than directly with the parent company.

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Yes this is who I will reach out to first if it looks like I will try Scoots!

Gotta get a fresh trim and pics first, so I’m just trawling the internet looking for ideas. I really don’t want to shoe this horse (he’s got body issues that distort his hooves + hooves that throw his body out of whack) and I want to be able to rasp his toes.

I do like the idea of a pad optional boot or one I could turn him out in since he’s out 24/7 and ouchy there too (on the drylot part, but he’s got access to the full pasture too). Still looking into that, but his short toes vs width is giving me trouble.

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I much prefer Treks. I find them easier to put on, even with pastern wraps. I have never lost one, and rarely had twist issues. I ride brushy, weedy trails in all conditions and the only Velcro issue I’ve had is the overstrap opening up when I let my skinflint nature keep me from putting new ones on (every boot comes with a spare). Cavallo does make buckle straps for the Treks.

I find Scoot boots less forgiving in fit over the trim cycle. I’ve had twist issues, rubs, pressure scurf from mud straps tightening as they stopped the boots twisting, and the endurance gaiters tend to shift. Some people have trouble putting the endurance gaiters on, but as they’re identical to the Boa gaiters I had for my Boa boots I have no issue there.

I have used both for turnout (full outdoor board) and the Scoots were the ones that rubbed holes through his hide after three days. I was able to wrap the rubs, put Treks over the bandages and do a 15 mile training endurance ride without making them worse, or making him sore. I have used them for turnout for a day or two without rubs since then. Scoots are better in hot weather as they hold less heat in the foot.

When I use Treks for turnout I swap his pastern wraps out for a dry pair daily. Treks are great for putting over poultice diapers. No duct tape required, just poultice, diaper, vetrap, Trek.

It gets very cold here and I find the Scoots harder to put on in the cold. I dislike having to use a tool to get my hoof boots on (hoofpick to hook front straps). We can get weeks of frozen mud before getting a decent snow cushion over it, so I am using boots in freezing conditions.

I also find my horse stubs his toes more in the Scoot boots than he does in the Treks. I haven’t tried trimming the boots to bring the breakover point back.

It really does come down to which boots fit your horse. I rode a friend’s horse this summer that had Easyboot Epics and Gloves. They were great for her horse, apart from the tools-required application and, for the Epics, removal. I’d tried Easyboots previously and found them useless for a horse that didn’t have the ideal proportions and angles. Both of my horses have done well in Treks (one even did 25 mile Endurance competition rides).

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Thank you so much! This is super helpful!!

@RedHorses I was going to PM you but I thought this might be helpful info for someone else.

I see that SP carries the Cavallo boots, so I’m thinking of ordering from them. Long story short the horse is sore still due (I think) to our concrete-hard ground. I’d like to get him some boots ASAP, even if we end up switching later.

Anyways, my horse has smaller measurements than yours but it looks like you sized down from the chart? I’m thinking of getting some pads and the pastern wraps to hedge our bets, so I am unsure if I should size up or down. He’s dead on the middle of two sizes. I’m fine with ordering both sizes, but I’d love to hear your opinion.

(Yes yes I should talk to a fitter but this is a Horse Mom Freak Out Moment and I want SOMETHING on his feet asap. Vet is coming out to do some X-rays to make sure this isn’t something worse than thin soles + hard ground, and farrier day isn’t until next month anyways).

I will confess to not using the size chart when I bought Simple boots the first time. Yes, I was very lucky that they fit. The Treks are built on exactly the same sole as Simple boots, so I just continued to buy size 2 when I switched.

If you’re halfway? through the cycle and right on the line between sizes you could go either way I’d be inclined to go up to accommodate pads as the smaller size might not have room for both pads and pastern wraps. I did use pads in the smaller size for a while - the were the foam type that squashed down to almost nothing under the hoof wall to give some sole/frog pressure.

I think your current measurement was wider than long, but you expected to have equal measurements once the heels got back to where they should be - was that you? If so, I think the larger size would be better. The larger size will also be easier on your horse during break in. You will likely need the pastern wraps to fill the extra space in the boots

I very strongly recommend the neoprene pastern wraps (as opposed to the knitted ones) if you’re going to use them for turnout as you won’t have the luxury of a slow break in period. I buy the size 3-4 pastern wraps because I find the 1-2 very tight to put on. I suggest buying two sets of wraps so you can swap them out if the worn set gets dirty or wet.

With any. boot there’s going to be a learning curve in putting them on. Let me know if you’re having issues with anything and I can tell you how I do it.

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Thank you so much! Yes he is wider than long. He measures 5”-5 1/8” wide which puts us solidly in size 3, but his toes have chipped up and heels need to come back so I feel like he will be 5” all the way around soon.

Looks like I’ll order both sizes (2s and 3s) but try the 3s first. I’m getting some pads and two sets of neoprene wraps, so I think the 3s will likely fit best. We shall see.

I just checked the size chart - my horse is at the larger end of size 3s but I use 2s most of the time. I thought he was at the bottom end of size 3. Before I bought 3s (for my other horse) I had to keep on top of the hoof trim to ensure the 2s fit. On a fresh trim the 2s go on really easily.

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Well, size 2 and 3 Cavallo ELBs ordered (Treks are just out of reach without knowing sizing, but the reviews on the ELBs are good as far as fit). I also ordered two sets of pastern wraps and one pair of the yellow comfort insoles.

All said and done, less than one set of shoes. And I can rasp him as needed. Fingers crossed (and fingers crossed that we aren’t dealing with anything worse).

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I’m late to this convo but a couple of years ago I did what you’re doing—an emergency Cavallo ELB order in 2 different sizes. I bought them through Smartpak. The smaller size didn’t fit, return was super easy, and Cavallo sent me free pads after I asked them for advice because the boots were a bit floppy for my flat-footed TB. I get no rubs on the pasterns, but with daily hours of wear in wet weather some rubbing on the heel bulbs. The boots don’t drain well when the pads are in because the pads cover up the drain holes. That said, my horse can run like a banshee in these boots in front, never trips, they don’t fall off or twist. They get heavy with moisture and pads, but my horse doesn’t seem to care. However they are too clunky for his back feet and he would trip behind. Your horses’ back feet look more upright than mine, so you may have better luck. But if they don’t work for backs, you may find that for what you’re doing, your horse can walk confidently in front boots to extent that it won’t need back boots.

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Cavallos are in - size 2 regulars are SNUG, like I can’t get them on without having him set the foot down and weight it. And I can’t get the pastern wraps to stay on. However - he’s at the end of a cycle, and despite me swiping at his hooves I think a trim will put him right in the size 2.

The 3s are MASSIVE even with pads and pastern wraps. But to my eye I think the 3 slims might actually be the answer - he measures a 3 regular but he doesn’t have a ton of heel height right now. I can see space on the sides of his feet but not the toe or heel.

I’m going to hang on to the 2s and exchange the 3s for 3 slims. FWIW he was licking and chewing after I put the 2s on and walked him down the aisleway. It could just be that he wanted to be moving but I’ll take it as a +1 for boots.

They do break in and shape to the horse’s feet! My horse needs a fresh trim to start breaking in new size 2s, but once broken in he can generally wear them until the next trim. You can help the break in by manipulating the boot uppers with your hands - squish, fold, wiggle, roll. If the ELBs are leather, put some conditioner on too.

Having your horse walk around in them for ten minutes at a time will also help.

Check this out. Those boots are exactly the same size.

CavalloBoots

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Oh interesting okay! So the 2s may actually fit. I’m returning the 3s like I said. No way I could get pads or pastern wraps in the 2s but he could almost walk out of the 3s!

Anyways I may exchange the 3s for 3 slims just to see, but I think the next trim will have us right in the 2s (especially if the heel bulbs break in).

If they are too snug for the pastern wraps while you are breaking them in, try a pair of the thin nylon knee high riding socks. That worked well for me.

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