I just bought an ottb mare, the owner thought it would be nice to pull her shoes and trim her the morning I picked her up from the track. The farrier trimmed her extremely short and she is very tender out in the pasture. I had my farrier out to see about putting a set of fronts back on but he thinks she needs to grow some more foot back first and suggested some hoof boots for turn out. Looking for recommendations on types that are good for turnout and also wondering is there something you can put on their feet to keep them from getting nasty inside the boots? She would ideally be wearing them from 7am-7pm outside, is that too long to be wearing them? she has been pretty quiet outside although maybe it’s just because she’s sore, and she is currently in an individual turn out beside my quiet old mini. Anything else I should know about using hoof boots, never used them before. Mostly I’m worried about the feet getting nasty inside lol. ETA more specifically I’m worried about the boots creating a soggy thrushy foot?
Hard to suggest without knowing how her feet are built. Not a big deal if they get gross, you just hose them off.
I have the easy boots, cloud boots, and scoot boots. Scoot boots are easier to get on and off imho.
Cloud boots are great for stall rest but won’t survive turnout for long periods of time.
You can always buy two pairs. Ka-ching! But that allows you to switch them out and have the spare pair air out and dry out. Also if she loses or tears one up you have another boot without having to wait on ordering another pair. I have one horse in turn out in boots. i do this because she is a master in tearing up boots. I always keep a spare pair. Just in case.
I have not tried Scoot Boots but I think they are plastic so they could be washed off and put back on without having to dry them out first.
Scoot boots are fantastic performance boots but they do need to be carefully fit and the horse can outgrow them in a trim cycle. I sometimes file between trims to keep my Scoots fitting.
Following Pete Ramey, the barefoot trimmer, he recommends Easy Boot Clouds I think for 24/7 turnout for horses rehabbing from laminitis. I think they can have sole pads. I’ve never used them.
Clouds ARE fantastic, but they won’t hold up (long) on a very active horse.
I would go more for a riding type boot, many of which can have pads of varying thicknesses and densities inserted. But you need to measure the feet now, and then look around to see what boot will work best for her size and shape. Some boots only work for round feet, some only work for oval feet. Some, like Cavallo (which are on the way to me now) have sizes for both rounder and more oval.
www.easycareinc.com has lots of models so it a nice place to start. Cavallo is another one with a few different models, and more size options.
The problem I have with my mare is that the boots turn on her feet. And no - a smaller boot will not fit on her foot. I have tried them all but the Old Macs II with the inside straps seem to stay on the best.
I also have Clouds for my Cushings pony but they fit weird. I don’t know if I got a pair of the defective boots but the hoof will not go down into the boot the way the boots are sewed so there is a bunch of boot flopping around in front of the hoof. Mostly they stay on but for an active horse in a large pasture they would never hold up.
Boots that are the wrong shape for a particular hoof will shift.
Agree, with rare exception, a boot that turns on a foot is a rounder boot on a more oval foot, OR, the boot was sized for the width of a round foot but it’s an oval shape to too long in the length.
Some horses just have too much disparity between width and length for almost any boot to fit well enough. I thought I remembered seeing a boot that had shims that could be used on the sides to get a rounder boot to better fit a more oval foot, but I couldn’t tell you if that was really true and if so, what boot it was
@JB the old Macs used to have those. I don’t know if they still do.
I use Cavallo Treks for 24/7 turnout when needed. My horse wears the wraps/gaiters or a diaper (if I’m poulticing). I do have two pairs alternating, but if yours is only out half the day you may find the horse’s feet dry out overnight.
I’m using regular Treks (not slim) size 2 on a 5 1/8" x 5 1/8" foot.
I did use Scoots for turnout back in the spring but both feet got rubbed where the back of the boot comes over the hair on the top of his heels/base of pastern. That was with the velcroed on pads, not bare plastic.
Medicated Gold Bond powder and wash the boots every day between uses.
- When my horse foundered in 2012, there weren’t any RX boots on the market, suitable for turnout.
In the beginning, I used EasyCare BOAs and really am sorry EasyCare stopped making them.
A good fitting pair of trail boots with medium grip on the soles would work.
I also love the Clouds but they are a bit on the clunky side. And I love the EasyCareRX boots, lol
I am sorry to be a naysayer on the scoot boots but my lameness vet took one look at a similarly made pair and told me to throw them in the garbage before I ruined my horse permanently, but we were also dealing with serious founder.
My horse’s hooves always have been more narrow than that “Pete Ramey round” and he did flip a Cloud boot one time. He must have corked himself because he only did it once.
- Keep the boots washed on the inside after every wearing. I used a kitchen scrub brush, hot water and Dawn dish soap, then turned them upside down on an old towel to dry out, on a remote corner of the kitchen counter.
Or, if you can afford to, buy two pair as another poster suggested.
I love my Scoots as performance boots on a horse that is borderline OK barefoot everywhere and just needs a little extra protection at times. I dont feel they are substantial enough for a therapeutic boot and I wouldn’t leave them on 24/7.
there is lots that goes into selecting a boot, definitely look at the manufacture’s description & see if the fit is even potentially an option.
Personally I like flexboots, they have worked well for my horses & they are easy to get on/off. I don’t have the hand strength to work with easy boots, and some of the others I feel are really clunky & heavy, which stresses soft tissue structures.
I have also used vettek sole guard to protect soles sometimes when I was keeping them barefoot. Might make her comfortable enough to get along until she gets enough foot to get a shoe on.
I’ve used hoof boots on my Ottb mare whenever she loses a front shoe. She’s worn a boot for as long as a week while waiting for the farrier. I’ve used the old style EZboot with the wire, a pain to get on / off but they stay put and I even rode her with it.
More recently I’ve used Old Macs, which are much easier to put on and take off.
To make sure the boot stays put I wrap the foot in vetrap or duct tape, but I wouldn’t leave them on for days on end without airing the hoof (my mare is stalled at night and only needed the boot for turnout).
I have successfully used these for years:
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/the-medicine-boot-1321
I drill drain holes in the bottom and add EasyBoot Cloud inserts. Once they are laced on (make sure you follow the not-so-easy instructions), I use one wrap of vet wrap to protect the velcro closure and then duct tape to protect the vet wrap. Both of those are strictly on the boot so don’t touch the horse’s skin. I have left these on for days at a time without issue, but will take them off and wipe them dry (all plastic so a paper towel does the trick) and then put them right back on. None of the horses I used these on had issues with rubs at the top either, although I did have one turn slightly on a horse with two different sized feet. But the pad stayed in the right place so I didn’t worry about it. I have two sets, sized 2 and 3 and the Cloud inserts are the same size.
I have an OTTB mare with the same issue. She has typical TB round feet with flat soles. The Old Mac G2 fits her well, and I put pads in the boot. I leave them on no more than 12 hours at a time. While they are off, I remove the pad, and shake some cornstarch into the boot to help it dry out. I have also used the Easy Boot Trail, but IMHO the Old Mac stays on and in place better. Internal strap is just a better design for security.
