Hoof boots slippery - trying an experiment. :)

[Huntertwo]

I ride with Cavallo sport boots on the small rocky portions of our trails, but find them quite slippery on trails even slightly muddy, grassy, or pavement.

In fact, my mare fell on me about a month ago on a grassy sloping area.

They are brand new boots, and the tread isn’t worn.

Here is my experiment…
I ordered http://www.herculiner.com/ off Amazon the other day and plan on putting it on the bottom of the hoof boots. Might even sprinkle a little sand on the Herculiner before it dries.

Opinions??? Bad - good?

[AlfalfaGirl]

It shows using it for the floor of a horse trailer. My hubby had something like this in a truck years ago and it eventually had wear but lasted a long time. It might work but you also might have to reapply as it gets worn going over rocks and other debris on the trail. Let us know how it goes.

[Bogie]

Hmm, I had two immediate thoughts.

1. I’ve been using Cavallos for the last 2 1/2 years to foxhunt and my horse hasn’t slipped once. Why is your horse slipping? We gallop hard on all kinds of terrain. Have you tried a different boot?

2. Would the coating add too much resistance and torque the horse’s legs? I know that if you have borium studs you run that risk if you ride on ground that isn’t slippery.

[monicabee]

Agree with Bogie’s comment, that while the coating might improve the grippiness, it could have adverse effects too.

That might depend on your riding pace. At the walk, it probably wouldn’t create much torque, and if you are going up and down hills a lot, less slip might actually protect legs from strain.

If you are moving with speed, however, that same grippiness might be a negative. Toe grabs at the racetrack, touted to improve traction, were found to increase catastrophic injuries:

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/horse-health/2010/may/15/some-farriers-say-toe-grabs-are-needed-academic-studies-show-they-can-be-lethal.aspx.

That is obviously an extreme of speed, but even the small stuff can add up if you ride a lot of miles.

I’d consider running the idea by the hoofboot maker first - they might have already experimented in this area.

[PRS]

Absolutely agree that some slippiness is important. If the hoof doesn’t turn when the leg does you run the risk of broken bones! I remember well my dad breaking his leg that way. He picked up a coil of cable and went to turn around…he turned but his foot didn’t. He was in a cast for 6 weeks. Such a thing would not end as well for a horse.

[PRS]

Absolutely agree that some slippiness is important. If the hoof doesn’t turn when the leg does you run the risk of broken bones! I remember well my dad breaking his leg that way. He picked up a coil of cable and went to turn around…he turned but his foot didn’t. He was in a cast for 6 weeks. Such a thing would not end as well for a horse.

[Guilherme]

My immediate thought? Use a set of proper horseshoes.

G.

[katyb]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;6147070]
My immediate thought? Use a set of proper horseshoes.

G.[/QUOTE]

Proper horseshoes are pretty darn slippery. Ride a parade route and watch the typically shod horses slip and slide all over, while the barefoot horses proceed without issue. The OP asked about boots, because she wants to use boots, obviously.

I have found Gloves to be almost as grippy as bare hooves and far grippier than Cavallos or Boas.

[Foxyrab]

They make studs to be used with those boots: http://www.cavallo-inc.com/us/Hoof-Boot-Studs

I’ve never used them, just know that they exist.

[Ridge_Runner]

I was going to suggest Gloves also. We’ve trail ridden in them with much success and no slipping. On rocks and pavement, they are much better than steel shoes. I love the Epona shoes also for the same reason and they also can come tapped for studs if needed.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=katyb;6147547]
Proper horseshoes are pretty darn slippery. Ride a parade route and watch the typically shod horses slip and slide all over, while the barefoot horses proceed without issue. The OP asked about boots, because she wants to use boots, obviously.

I have found Gloves to be almost as grippy as bare hooves and far grippier than Cavallos or Boas.[/QUOTE]

I guess those folks never heard of DrillTek or borium.

Shoes can be slippery, but they don’t need to be.

We often have discussions around here about the allegation of people using “safety equipment” as a justification (or maybe just a motivation) to take unreasonable risks. Would trying to make a boot (or a shoe) more “grippy” so a rider could ride in more “challenging” footing be one of those situations? Horses have a remarkable cabability to take on demanding terrain but there are limits. Is this one of them? If so, is exceeding that limit wise?

G.

[katyb]

Well, the same could be said of using Driltek or borium.

My problem with those substances is that they transfer any “slip” to the horse’s joints. I think you need enough grab so as to avoid falls, but not so much that you transfer any undue stress to the structure of the horse.

[QUOTE=Guilherme;6148120]
I guess those folks never heard of DrillTek or borium.

Shoes can be slippery, but they don’t need to be.

We often have discussions around here about the allegation of people using “safety equipment” as a justification (or maybe just a motivation) to take unreasonable risks. Would trying to make a boot (or a shoe) more “grippy” so a rider could ride in more “challenging” footing be one of those situations? Horses have a remarkable cabability to take on demanding terrain but there are limits. Is this one of them? If so, is exceeding that limit wise?

G.[/QUOTE]

[Huntertwo]

@Bogie;6146626

Hmm, I had two immediate thoughts.

1. I’ve been using Cavallos for the last 2 1/2 years to foxhunt and my horse hasn’t slipped once. Why is your horse slipping? We gallop hard on all kinds of terrain. Have you tried a different boot?

2. Would the coating add too much resistance and torque the horse’s legs? I know that if you have borium studs you run that risk if you ride on ground that isn’t slippery.

Our trail riding only consists of walking and a very slight bit of trotting if the terrain doesn’t have rocks. No loping or hard riding.

Without the boots she is fine. No slipping. Though, there are certain times when she needs to wear them.

Most of the slipping is on slick, muddy trails. Around here there are a lot of hills and manuevering while out there.

And due to our mild winter, there is morning frost/dew which wets the grass and dirt trails by late morning.

[quote=PRS;6146789]Absolutely agree that some slippiness is important. If the hoof doesn’t turn when the leg does you run the risk of broken bones! I remember well my dad breaking his leg that way. He picked up a coil of cable and went to turn around…he turned but his foot didn’t. He was in a cast for 6 weeks. Such a thing would not end as well for a horse.
[/quote]

PRS,
That is the reason I would never use studs on shoes, for my use anyway.

But couldn’t this be the same scenario for a barefoot horse?
Not studs, but hoof boots with a bit of grip? She is very sure footed when barefoot, but needs the boots on certain parts of the trails where the rocks are tiny. I often dismount when they are not needed and carry them on my saddle.

I guess I’m saying, couldn’t a barefoot stay put and the leg move causing the same effect as your dad?

Just going to put one coat of Hurculiner on and see what happens. I planned on leaving the bottom grooves of the boot alone.

[quote=Guilherme;6147070]My immediate thought? Use a set of proper horseshoes.

G.
[/quote]

G. I tried shoes with pads on the front last year and she tore them off before I even had a chance to ride… They were torn off within a week while she was playing around in the pasture. :sigh:

[quote=katyb;6147547]Proper horseshoes are pretty darn slippery. Ride a parade route and watch the typically shod horses slip and slide all over, while the barefoot horses proceed without issue. The OP asked about boots, because she wants to use boots, obviously.

I have found Gloves to be almost as grippy as bare hooves and far grippier than Cavallos or Boas.
[/quote]

Katyb,
I had the Glove “kit” sent for sizing and one size seemed too small (yet stayed on) and the other flew off while I hand trotted her.

A question about the Gloves though:
The one that seemed too small - What happens when the hoof grows until the next trim cycle? It did stay on snuggly, but I was concerned when the hoof grows…

Again, she is a POA and it is hard to find boots for the petite equine…

Thanks everyone…Any more ideas or input is appreciated…

[gothedistance]

HunterTwo - Go with the studs. We foxhunters use them all the time in the same conditions you are riding in, and they are a very great advantage to prevent slipping.

Never yet seen a horse break its leg from using studs, but I have seen some terrifying falls - both horses and riders - from horses without studs slipping on bad footing. It certainly is hair raising when you are hand galloping along on a muddy path and witness the slipping and sliding first hand.

I’m not sure that truck bed coating will work as well as you’d like on slippery ground. You do need something to dig in for a little “bite” - and studs will do that perfectly.

I won’t use the Gloves except on my driving ponies. I find they come off, or twist, too easily on a ridden horse. And the material used in the Glove will stretch over time or if put on a larger foot - and doesn’t spring back afterwards. So if you put it on a bigger foot, it won’t shrink back down to fit on a lesser foot afterwards.

[katyb]

Katyb,
I had the Glove “kit” sent for sizing and one size seemed too small (yet stayed on) and the other flew off while I hand trotted her.

A question about the Gloves though:
The one that seemed too small - What happens when the hoof grows until the next trim cycle? It did stay on snuggly, but I was concerned when the hoof grows…

Again, she is a POA and it is hard to find boots for the petite equine…

I don’t know - I went with the larger size and use powerstraps, so they stay on great, even with a good gallop. They aren’t the easiest to fit. I only have one that needs boots, ever, and they work great for her.

[PRS]

@Huntertwo;6148509

PRS,
That is the reason I would never use studs on shoes, for my use anyway.

But couldn’t this be the same scenario for a barefoot horse?
Not studs, but hoof boots with a bit of grip? She is very sure footed when barefoot, but needs the boots on certain parts of the trails where the rocks are tiny. I often dismount when they are not needed and carry them on my saddle.

I guess I’m saying, couldn’t a barefoot stay put and the leg move causing the same effect as your dad?

I guess a bare hoof could stick to the ground but it’s not as likely. The bare hoof is what the horse is designed to use, after all. My whole approach with my horses is to allow them to live as close to natural as I can accomodate. Therefore my horses are barefoot most of the time. I do use hoof boots when I’m riding in rocky or unknown terrain. I’ve never had a problem with the boots being more slippery than a bare hoof though. I use Old Macs, they have quite an aggressive tread pattern and I’ve always been more concerned with torque than slipperyness.