When I started endurance in the late 90s, there werent many brands of hoof boots around. I started with Easy Boots and then the Easy Boot Epics, and they work great for my horses- Ive done many 50s with them and they stay on. I did try Renegades for a bit but I had some issues with the velcro failing pretty quickly, and those rubber band keepers breaking, so the Epics just seemed lower maintenance (even though they are much more of a pain to put on and take off). I dont do much trail riding these days, so I havent bothered to try any of the new ones.
We got Easyboot Back Country for our two and so far I am very happy. My husband ordered the fit kit to help with sizing, but I just measured and ordered and had good luck. We will be using them in South Dakota at the end of the month. We used them on a rocky, hilly, muddy (sometimes greasy) trail system over Memorial weekend and didnāt have one problem. Iād like to try Scoot Boots or Renegades but our horses arenāt trimmed in a natural hoof trim at this time, so the Easyboots are more likely to fit our horses better.
@cloudy18 I had a barefoot trimmer assess my horsesā feet this week even tho they are currently shod. She didnāt say anything about being ābarefoot trimmedā just that to use the Scoots they have to have good heel bulbs. You might check if anybody you know has one you could just try it on your horse to see.
āto use the Scoots they have to have good heel bulbs.ā
Interesting comment, that. āGoodā heel bulbs are a reflection of the development of the digital cushion, the all important shock absorbing pad at the back of the foot. A foal starts out with a fatty pad, which becomes thick, tough and fibrous as the result of plenty of exercise, ācorrectā movement and plenty of āhoof mechanismā, which is the means by which blood is pumped efficiently through the microvessels within the hoof. A stalled horse that never gets out much will have flat, undeveloped digital cushions. They can be developed by giving the horse lots of good exercise, getting the frogs on the ground and getting those heels spread, which MAY require some informed barefoot work. The irony of the above comment is that Scoots may be precisely the thing needed to develop good heels, which in turn promote heel first landing (because of the internal cushioning), which promotes better blood circulation, in a fine upswing in hoof health. Please note Iām not a barefoot fanatic, Iāve just followed the conservative and apparently well researched methods and seen great results.
If youāre not squeamish about looking at hoof dissections, here is a link to a photo of two cadaver hoof dissections, one with a very poorly developed digital cushion (heel), and one with a robust digital cushion. Imagine each of these horses walking barefoot on gravel! https://www.horsejournals.com/horse-care/hoof-care/lameness/treating-navicular-disease-farriery
The renegade boots fit the shape of my horseās feet very nicely.
@dogpatch - interesting article. The horse I was referring to with not enough heel bulb - I guess the SB have a strap that goes between the heel bulbs, and this horse doesnāt have enough ābutt cheekā (LOL) to hold it in place. Horse in question is a halter bred Appy, even tho heās barefoot he lives in a small paddock, typical (halter)stock horse small feet big body. After reading the article and your comments, I can understand his feet better.
Thereās a lot we just donāt know.
āThereās a lot we just donāt know.ā
So very true! I owned a little Morgan gelding who was kept a stallion until he was three. He lived in a stall and his turnout was an occasional night in a 60x120 indoor arena. I got him shortly after he was gelded. He turned out to be a lifetime stumbler, which ultimately resulted in a fall that broke my neck. We were just walking in my outdoor arena when he went down. I did not know what I did not know at the time. He stumbled regardless of what was done to his feet. He was a chronic toe-first lander, which is the first sign of mischief in the heels. I believe the perpetual gloom and short range vision also affected his eyesight.
I started learning about this stuff in his later days and could easily see that he had absolutely no development of the digital cushion. Such a wasted life. I would never buy a stall-raised horse again!
I would love to try Renegades OR Scoots when I wear out the current Cavallos, as Iād love to get away from the over-the-hairline boot, but thatās likely to be some time, as the current boots arenāt getting that much wear!
