Hoof boots

[enjoytheride]

I’m looking for hoof boots for my new horse. She’s got nice big round feet that have not had much hoof care. In addition she doesn’t grow much foot so it’s going to take my farrier some time to straighten her out. I’d like to keep her barefoot but until we get the flares under control she has some chipping I’d like to resolve by booting. I plan on keeping her barefoot for arena rides at home.

I measured her feet and she measures as 120mm by 120mm.

The easyboot fitting rep suggested Old Mac G2s, does anyone have any experience with how these fit and stay on during faster work?

We plan on trail riding 10 miles or less for now with walking trotting and some cantering. Currently we are going pretty slow as she does not have much trail experience. We are in Indiana so we can hit A LOT of mud as well as water crossings.

[Emilia]

Have you looked into Cavallo boots, especially their new Trek boot? Your horse would be about the size 2 in regular (for rounded hooves; they also have a slim option for oval shapes).

I am looking into them right now and have heard/read many good reviews. I spoke to their customer service and it was a very informative encounter.

Currently, I have Renegades. Many people are very satisfied with them, but I am finding out, gaiters do not work for us. Our horse sometimes pulls them off, mostly in rugged hilly terrain (where he really needs the boots), and I would rather, if he just pulled the boot off all the way, than have it hanging and/or trip over it (both already happened and it was quite spooky).

On the other hand, he never pulled them in the mud.

[GallopingGrape]

Renegades are excellent!

[BruBoy]

I have the Old Mac G2s. They are great for a meandering trail rides but I wouldn’t do fast work in them. They’re clunky. Easy to put on though.

[pdq]

An endurance friend of mine swears by the Renagades. Says they are phenomenal.

[Sempiternal]

I’ll put in another vote for the Renegades! Easy on and easy off. Plus, they stay on pretty darn well. My only issue was I bought used and had a hard enough time finding a reasonably priced pair in the size I needed. My girl could probably really use a cut back pair, but she hasn’t ripped them off yet. And that’s despite doing WTC over hills, through some pretty mature hay fields (it’s been WAY too wet), some slightly muddy areas etc.

[Bogie]

I’ve used the Cavallo Simple Boots with great success. I’ve been tempted by the Renegades but they have a lot of hardware and I’ve heard that people have issues with it breaking and have found repairs/replacement hard to come by.

[GreyDes]

For a round hoof, you will likely need the original Old Macs, not the G2s (unless they’ve changed their sizing since EZ Boot bought them). My Arabs have round feet, and I used to use the Old Macs, but switched to Renegades several years ago, and would not go back.

For comparison, I would get a year, max, out of the Old Macs. That was for moderate trail riding. I have Renegades that are going on 3-4 years, with the same type of riding, and are still in excellent shape.

I’ve never had issues with the hardware on Renegades, and they’ve stayed on over some pretty nasty footing. I have had them come off in deep mud, so be careful, depending on your footing.

I did the cut back option for my Arabs - it’s definitely the best way to fit a round hoof, and if you order directly from Renegade, there’s no extra charge.

[Appsolute]

Well, not first hand experience - as I am just now considering boots myself - BUT I have been talking to the endurance riders at my barn about what they use.

Renegades - popular, people say that they say on, and are easy to take on and off. I am not going this route - as my horse moves close in front and I worry that they are too bulky.

The other popular boot I see - Easyboot Gloves (the kind with the gaiter). Now, we do not have a lot of mud, but I know people that ride fast and hard with these - lots of miles, including galloping, and the boots stay ON.

The eastboot Glove comes in a “wide” version, for horses that are as wide as long in the hoof. Easyboot also has a fit kit - for $10 they will send you three sizes to try. Mine will arrive this Friday - can’t wait to size them, and get going with some new boots!

[Loves_to_ride]

I have both Renegades and Easyboot Gloves. I love the ease of the Renegades, but I was one of those whose horse kept snapping the cables.

I am now using Easyboot Gloves in front and I love them. Sadly, I can’t get any to fit his hinds as they twist or he politely removes them. Sigh.

Good luck!

[enjoytheride]

Do the gaiters help keep the boots on, and do you get bucked off when they come loose but stay attached?

[Posting_Trot]

I have used the Easy Boot Back Country boots on my mare that has very round hooves. They stay on quite well (I’ve never had them come off, even in deep mud), and aren’t as fussy to put on as the Gloves.

[SharonA]

I found the Gloves too fussy to fit and put on (this was when they first came out; they may have changed). I like our Renegades; super easy to put on and take off. The one time one came off (I had forgotten to attach the straps to the Velcro), horse just came to a stop and waited for me to attend to her footwear, but, she’s a smart Arab mare as well as a BTDT type.

[normandy_shores]

I also love the renegades. Didn’t find them bulky at all. In the past, I had boa boots, and found them bulky and hard to get on and off. The rens are easy!

[irish_horse]

[QUOTE=enjoytheride;8167644]
Do the gaiters help keep the boots on, and do you get bucked off when they come loose but stay attached?[/QUOTE]

This is always a concern with a boot with gaitors, but a good opportunity for some desensitizing! I would certainly train for this ahead of time in a controlled environment. I tested it in an arena with a loose boot, knowing my horse is pretty calm about weird stuff. He got a little wigged out then was fine, looking at me like “Please get this off, it’s weird”. He doesn’t even care any more, will just keep trotting along with it flapping around his leg. Good boy!

Karen Chaton had a great blog about training for boots:
http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2012/01/endurance-horse-basic-training-hoof-boots/

We use Renegades, they fit his foot shape best, but do have occasional boot loss especially when the boots have gotten wet and we power up a steep hill. Whatever brand you choose, just measure once and then again, fit them carefully, fit again, and keep up a good hoof trim.

[gothedistance]

Renegades - popular, people say that they say on, and are easy to take on and off. I am not going this route - as my horse moves close in front and I worry that they are too bulky.

I will now only use Renegades. They are FABULOUS and they are anything but clunky. AAMOF they are made to move with the foot and joints so they act as a fluid foot protection. I have found with my upcoming endurance horse that the Renegades actually improve his stride, unlike the Easyboot which is hard to get on and off and IS clunky and disappears off the foot too regularly no matter how much you tighten the cables. The Gloves I consider complete crap for endurance, or anything over a walk. They DO NOT STAY ON.

The other popular boot I see - Easyboot Gloves (the kind with the gaiter). Now, we do not have a lot of mud, but I know people that ride fast and hard with these - lots of miles, including galloping, and the boots stay ON.

I’ve invested way too much money in Gloves for just training purposes, and they are so thin and so floppy that they will wear out within miles, or come flying off at the most inopportune times. And will stretch out of shape after a few uses. Several times I’ve had the back screw pull through the shoe and the horse step between the hoof boot and the gaiter strap so that it becomes a bracelet flapping around the ankle and only a knife could take the d@#× thing off.

Now I will only use the Gloves for my driving ponies who do little more than happily meander down the road at a slow trot or walk.

[gothedistance]

[QUOTE=enjoytheride;8167644]
Do the gaiters help keep the boots on, and do you get bucked off when they come loose but stay attached?[/QUOTE]

Yes, any boot with a gaiter uses it to help stabilize the boot on the foot. But not all gaiters are made equal, and some do more harm then good and can actually be dangerous <cough Gloves cough> if they allow the boot to be caught around the ankle when their design is faulty and their connection points are flimsy or weak.

Any GOOD endurance horse worth it’s salt should never buck with any equipment failure. It may kick or stomp at a half cast boot but it should still keep its cool overall. None of mine, even the green ones, have ever been bothered when an easyboot goes wonky, even those stepped out of that are flopping all over at the trot.

The Renagades have never, ever come off, even when we power up mountains at a hard trot, ford steams with boulders, or gallop down roads. But I keep my straps tight, and keep the feet carefully trimmed to fit the boot perfectly.

[enjoytheride]

Do the Renegades stay on in mud? That is my biggest concern here in Indiana. I did 7 miles last month in nothing but mud. Not going back there, but still.

[gothedistance]

In my experience, yes, they do stay on. Tightly, and without shifting. The one time that I accidentally went through a thick deep life-sucking bog - and freaked myself out that we would emerge minus both boots (I only boot the back; shoe the fronts in aluminum and DuraShock pads) - my guy managed to flounder back into solid land with both boots still tightly attached to his hoofs. My nightmare of seeing $200 worth of boots swallowed up in prehistoric mid-cannon bone deep mud breezed away with my heart-restarting breath of relief.

BUT…I admit I pull all the straps tight, not slightly loose as the instructions indicate. I’ve found that as the horse goes into work the straps loosen just enough for the shoe’s independent parts to work perfectly without compromising the snug hoof-gripping fit. And this is on a horse that historically could NOT wear any boot without destroying it almost immediately, or twisting it off. The Renagades fit him like they were glued on. Saves me from having to shoe him behind and allows his EPM damaged back leg stride to become normal again, which is a godsend. His tripping and catching his toes (as he can’t feel his feet) cease 100%, and he can walk and trot and canter without missing a beat. Honestly, the Renegades are what have helped the most in returning him to competition.

Another tip - if you are going anywhere where there will be mud, secure both velco strap ends with a piece of duct, or electrical, tape where the velco ends. That way the tape will take the beating of the trail debris (dirt, mud, etc) and hold the velco end tightly. At the end of the day, simply cut the tape to access the end of the velco strap. Tape is more durable and holds better than the rubber bands the boots are equipped with for holding down the velco ends.

[Appsolute]

[QUOTE=gothedistance;8168558]
unlike the Easyboot which is hard to get on and off and IS clunky and disappears off the foot too regularly no matter how much you tighten the cables. The Gloves I consider complete crap for endurance, or anything over a walk. They DO NOT STAY ON.[/QUOTE]

Easy boot gloves do not have cables - maybe you were using an old version? I am still interested to try them - I am not doing hard core endurance, but up to 15 miles in steep terrain in a day. The other two people I ride with on occasion ride the same terrain - and at speeds that I do (lots of trot, some canter / gallop) and their easy boot gloves with power straps do stay on.

As for bulkiness - I am worried about the quarters (this is where my horse will brush).

Here are the easyboot gloves

And here are the Renegades - they look much wider at the quarters due to the hinge and cable structure - but perhaps they are not?