Hoof boot help - yes again

[fivestrideline]

I’ve done a search and have some ideas but I’m hoping for a little specific guidance.

I’m moving my horse closer to my house, and the place has good hacking space but a lot of it is rocky/straight up gravel. This horse is in the hand walking stage of back to work/rehab and does best barefoot, so I’m looking to get him some boots to protect his feet, both front and back.

Because we are just going to be handwalking for a while, I’m looking for a boot that is relatively easy to put on - if I have to fight with them just to have him wear them for 20 minutes, I will stay in the grass (boring!) and won’t use them. He also has extremely round feet, to the point that when he was in shoes the farrier put front shoes on his hinds because they are so round. Lastly, I’d like the ability to put pads in them if possible, since he’s still growing out some bad trimming and could use the cushion.

His feet have come a long way and are much closer to ideal, but they aren’t perfect. I am rasping his toes in between trims, so I can stay on top of that part to help a boot fit across the cycle. So, is there a boot that isn’t a WWE match to put on, fits a round foot, and might accommodate a pad? What brands should I look for, or avoid?

[ElementFarm]

I’m new to the hoofboot bandwagon, and people who I respect and that ride seriously all recommend Scoot Boots. I purchased my first pair about 5 months ago, and so far, I’m impressed.

They are easy to put on, have a decent range of size and width options, and are very well fitting and stable. I might not jump with them, but they are fine for w/t/c over terrain. I use them on a mare who I foxhunt (but who doesn’t jump anymore) that I usually put front shoes on during hunt season. This year I plan to hunt her in her Scoot Boots, and don’t anticipate any problems with that. There are pads you can purchase for them for horses with special needs.

[stb]

I have found Cavallo boots to be the easiest to put on and take off, and I also find them relatively easy to fit. Cavallo’s standard boot fits a round foot. They also make a slim model, but it sounds like you won’t need that.

Boots can be hard to fit and mistakes can be expensive. In that vein I will tell you what I have used in the past so that you can pick for yourself.

Easyboot Gloves - hard to fit, hard to get on and off (I use a rubber mallet to put them on), and require a precise fit and a short trim cycle. If you can get them right and get them on they are great to ride in. Probably best for higher mileage riding.

Easyboot Trail - More forgiving fit than the gloves, allow a less stringent trim cycle, and are easier to put on/take off than the gloves, but they fasten in the back so I find them harder to deal with than the Cavallo boots.

Easyboot Back Country - Similar to the Trail model, but they are a bit more sleek. Nice boots, but still not as easy on/off as Cavallos due to the fastening behind the hoof.

Renegades - fussy to fit. Easy on/off. I didn’t like the cables. Also you can’t really pad them - not sure if you want to use pads or not.

I’m like you, I find that if boots are too much trouble to get on and off then I tend not to use them. Cavallo boots are really the only boot that I personally don’t mind dealing with - especially if you are going to just pop them on for short periods of time. They do need a bit of break in time when they are new, but not a lot, and once broken in I have had no issues with rubbing. The easiest way to fit them is to take pictures of your horse’s hooves and send them to Cavallo. They have instructions on the website.

[Scribbler]

Scoots are easy on easy off, and don’t have cables.

There are folks out there who put on leg protection even polos every time they ride. Scoots are easy in comparison.

[fivestrideline]

@Scribbler

There are folks out there who put on leg protection even polos every time they ride. Scoots are easy in comparison.

Couldn’t be me bare feet and bare legs unless they really seem to need it.

ETA I’ve been heavily eyeing the scoot boots. My current barn owner knows how to measure for them accurately so I am certainly leaning towards them but I’ve never put boots on besides some rehab type boots for a pulled shoe.

[FjordBCRF]

Scoot boots are super easy on and off. I use them when we hit the trails. I also tried renegade’s and wasn’t a fan. Not a great fit; the captivators wouldn’t stay up and they were really fussy with the cables. AND I had someone that actively uses them for endurance riding help with them.

With that said, the boot needs to fit the hoof shape. Scoots are perfect for us in that regard. They make a new narrow model now too so that’s nice.

[Kyrabee]

There is also Flex Boots (flexbootsusa.com). They are super easy to get on/off. They do flex and you might want pads in them (very doable). They fit my horses hinds but are a little short on the fronts but she has a longer narrow-ish foot. She wears Renegades on the fronts. When the flex boots wear out, I will go back to the Renegades on both ends.

It all depends of what fits the horse. The only ones I know that are real buggers to get on/off are the old Easyboots.

[cayuse]

My welsh pony has very round feet and the Cavallo boots fit him well, easy to take on and off too. I also have Easy Boot Gloves for him and he REALLY likes them except they are a tad roomy for him in the pastern closure and no smaller size is available. They do require a bit of muscle to get on and off. I use mine for turnout and in-hand work, not riding so I can’t comment on how they would hold up for that.

[fivestrideline]

@stb

I have found Cavallo boots to be the easiest to put on and take off, and I also find them relatively easy to fit. Cavallo’s standard boot fits a round foot.

This is great! I’ve heard a lot of people like them, only occasionally that they don’t stay on through “extreme sports” - not our game at this time.

[cayuse]

I have used pads in both my Cavallo boots and the EB Golves.

[RMJacobs]

I had a pair of Cavallo boots for one of my driving ponies. They were very easy to put on and take off, far better than the cable type that I used with another pony. The only problem is that this pony hated wearing boots. I wouldn’t have posted about this except that I sold the Cavallos to another COTH member, and she absolutely loved them on her pony and he went well in them. I have a feeling that no matter what I’d put on that particular pony of mine, he would have hated them. He was kind of a delicate flower, even though he was built like a brick outhouse.

I would never recommend the cable type. I can’t think of the brand name, but the ones I had for my Hackney pony constantly came loose, and I’d be getting down from the cart to tighten them all the time. It made driving difficult. The only reason I bought those is that they were the only boot that came in a small enough size at the time, and I was tired of paying for shoes for him.

Rebecca

[cilla1]

The Cavallo Boots are really easy to put on and they also stay on quite well, I’ve used them for hacking (the Trek model) . They have cushions you can put inside if needed.

Now for our round footed haflinger we skipped to Explora Magic Boots, they are quite easy to put on but way better for riding (lighter and less bulky).

For my appendix I use Floating Boots, very easy to put on, very good for riding but they fit better a not so round foot

[RedHorses]

Scoot boots are not very forgiving in size, or designed for pads.

I’ve been using Cavallos for fifteen years or so. Started with the Simple boot, then moved to the Trek (exactly the same footbed, different uppers). The Trek upper is more durable than the Simple uppers. The new Trek Pro uppers are supposed to be even more durable.

In all our miles of trails, mud, ups, downs, jumps, gallops, splashing about in wild water, turnout, etc I have never lost a Cavallo boot. I do use the pastern wraps because my horse has a scar that boots rub.

Other than the Easy-boot original and Glove (which require additional tools to put on and sometimes take off) ease of application cones from learning how to put the specific boots on your horse. They’re all a bit fiddly when you start using them. Once you learn how to hold them, where to apply the force, and what they look like when on correctly, they’re easy.

Cavallo also makes the ELB - Entry Level Boot as a lower cost, intro to boots.

If you decide to try Cavallos, there’s always a discount code popping up on Facebook for direct purchases.

[Scribbler]

With both Scoots and Renegades I worked out a routine with my mare where I get the boot on half way then she steps down into the boot and settles it on her hoof.

[Pico_Banana]

If you decide to try the Scoots, use their option to send in photos and measurements. They told me my mare’s hooves were too upright for Scoots and saved me some $ trying them.

[masConfetti]

My hony mare has odd hoof sizes, her width measurements are much larger than her length.
I tried EasyCare boots, they came off at the walk because even with added pads they were just too long. I ended up with Renegades because after chatting with them I learned they could cut down the length on her 2WW size boots. They take a minute to put on and my mare (who hates boots) never cared they were on. Haven’t had an issue with them (mostly light hacking, small jumps, and ring work). Have had them for over a year and just last week put new straps on (which an extra pair came with the boots).

[rulex]

Personally I would not feel comfortable ordering Scoots without a fitter coming out with a fit kit to determine fit and size. They really need to fit right or else you will have issues with rubs or twisting. They are not super adjustable either so they either work for your horse’s feet or they don’t.

That said if the fit works, and the amount of support they offer is what the horse needs, they work well. I like how open they are, and they don’t hold sand or water. I do believe you can get pads for them, but that would affect the fit. I wouldn’t think of them as boots you can play around with the pads though.

If you want to be able to play around with pads, I would look at Equine Fusions. They have a really forgiving fit, I ordered mine based off measurements and have had zero issues with rubs or twisting. I’ve used them with various pads and combinations of pads. They can be used for riding as well as turnout. Right now they are my go to for heading out on the trails as they offer more cushioning and support than the Scoots, especially if pads are added. In the arena I do find they tend to accumulate sand. They also hold water if you are crossing rivers as I didn’t drill drain holes into mine.

[SLW]

I use Equine Fusion hood boots. No parts or pieces to loose and there are excellent sizing options.

https://www.eqfusion.com/

[fivestrideline]

Thanks everyone!

For those of y’all saying the Scoot boots won’t accommodate a pad - what about the pads from the manufacturer? I would think those would work, or is it more the fit is so specific that you’d have to fit the boots with the pads in (aka hard to do without a fitter and sample boots)?

I’m happy to learn and fiddle with things until I know how they work, but I won’t lie that that boots with cables and/or gaiters and 14 moving parts are more than I’d like to have to deal with on the daily. The idea is to save some money and keep the horse better balanced by having him barefoot (vs the $300 every 4 weeks setup he takes for shoes), but if they’re a pain to use at a certain point I just… won’t. I’m not riding for hours over rough terrain at this point.

[Scribbler]

Scoot says that if you need a pad you might need to size up your boot.

Boots already effectively have a pad/ sole protection so unless you are dealing with major pathology or founder recovery (needing actual soft pads) few horses need a pad inside the boots.

Apparently the Scoot online fitting instructions lead people astray, so try to get a dealer to fit you IRL.

The Scoots are easy to put on, especially if you teach your horse to step down into the boot. Like all boots they get snug towards the end of the trim cycle. For my mare that’s about 6 weeks, for my friends horse that’s about 4 weeks. At that point you can get your trimmer out, you can learn to rasp back the toe, or you can try riding barefoot. Typically a healthy horse in boots gets to the point where they are just on the edge of not needing boots, or may not need them at all at certain times of the year.

Also if you go barefoot you may start to see natural wear patterns and small chipping once the feet get later into the trim cycle. This is perfectly fine, don’t panic. Healthy horses don’t lose more foot than they need. And in an ideal situation horses can even maintain their own hoof length (though human intervention is good for balance).