Rambo Fly Boots - How Do You Keep Them Up?

Does anyone have tips for keeping the Rambo fly boots up? They keep sliding down and bunching up. I have the Velcro fairly snug - is there something I’m missing?

Backstory:
I’ve used the Shoo Fly and similar style boots for several years with no major issues. I have a senior gelding (29) with some significant arthritis and he keeps getting manure in one hind boot, likely because he’s shifting his stance to be more comfortable. I bought the Rambo boots to see if the snugger style fixes that issue.

The good news is that part worked. The bad news is I cannot for the life of me get them to stay upright in his leg. They keep drooping down like a sock with worn out elastic :slight_smile:

They visually seem to fit but I did re-look at the size chart and it looks like he’s right between a cob and horse size. He’s a 15.1 Paint with a stocky build and lots of bone. I bought horse size boots - would a smaller cob size work better? For reference he wears a 78” Rambo blanket & flysheet and is horse size in almost everything.

The boots are this model - https://www.horseware.com/en-us/horseware-fly-boots-set-of-2?queryID=c563b011374edb5bb2d252098106b826&objectID=8975&indexName=liveen-us_products

Any tips or alternate fly boot suggestions?

Unfortunately I’ve had the same issues and just check my Shoofly boots as often as I can. I cannot get the Rambo’s to stay up :sob:

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Uggh. Glad to hear it’s not just me :slight_smile:

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My gelding occasionally poops in his hind Shoo-fly boots too. I remove his boots most days for grooming, hosing, etc. but if I don’t have time for that, I at least lift up the back ones a bit to see if there are any poop balls in them (and if there are, I removed and at least clear out the poop, smack the boot against a fence or wall a bit and replace with a mental note to hose them off when I have more time.

I’ve never been able to keep any other boots up. Shoo-flies for me…even with the poop issue.

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Is there any sort of stay in the Rambo boots? The shoo fly ones have a plastic rib (a couple of them? I’d have to go look…) and that’s what keeps them up. Maybe a stay could be added to the rambos?

I can’t get the Rambos to stay up either. Now I just use them to keep cuts clean on the accident-prone gelding. Lol.

I don’t know if you’re interested, but I’ve found these are a decent compromise between the Shooflys and the slouchers. They don’t have as much as a gap, so I don’t pick manure out of them as often as the Shooflys.
https://www.doversaddlery.com/majyk-fly-bye-boots-pack-of-4/p/X1-23414/

They will begin to slide eventually but it took mine three seasons on 24/7 to do that.

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There is no stay in the Rambo’s - just multiple Velcro strips.

Thanks for the suggestion! I am totally interested in trying anything that might work. Those look worth a shot.

Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll need to give up on the Rambo experiment based on everyone’s feedback.

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No experience with the Rambos but I use these on my horse and have had zero issues: https://www.chewy.com/kensington-protective-products-horse/dp/1748574?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21105599446&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21095536776&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V29INierWPNo-8TmXJigTmeR&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-NfDBhDyARIsAD-ILeBoyAfb4mah8zNLWbTuIJOKihOIiXxe6pB9b52wVmFAfTel69Z3wuoaAodkEALw_wcB

I have only used them on the fronts but they have never had an issue with slipping and they would take an accomplished pooper to fill the boot :slight_smile:

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Well, I thought this was just a “me” thing. Grundy poops in her hind boots, so I just decided to leave only fronts on her.

Now - she is wearing hand-me-downs that are a bit too big, contributing to the problem I am sure.

I’ve been using the Cashel fly boots and they seem to stay up. They don’t come up as high as the Rambo ones though. I get a couple of seasons out of mine.

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Thanks all!

I’ll try one of these recommended boots since the consensus seems to be thumbs down on the Rambos. I’m hoping something else will work because otherwise I’m pulling manure out twice a day and he’s a horse the flies love so I don’t want him going without a fly boot.

Have you tried Socks for Horses as an alternative ? Just an idea.
https://soxforhorses.com/

@Mardi1 - I looked at those, but it seemed like they needed to be washed every 24 hours? That’s a little more than I want to commit to for fly boots :slight_smile:

Let me know if I looked the wrong product.