I have a miniature horse who is having to wear Soft Stride boots for laminitis. I have noticed reddened spots on her heels. I have been told it might get worse and develop in actual sores. Does anyone have any insight into what I can do to reduce the redness?
Soft ride? If you have measured correctly the right size boots do not rub. Call soft ride. They will call you back and get you the right size. I don’t know about soft stride, is that a brand?
Soft ride. Happened to a sweet soul I owned that needed them too. Vet told us try a sock over hoof before boot went on, didn’t really work, maybe mole skin? Could try a different size or switching to the cloud boots for same purpose. Equally if not more comfortable (from what I can tell) and both are veterinary recommended
Watch him walk carefully and see if you can tell what is causing the problem. You might have the wrong size. You might need to allow it to slip more easily, by putting a sock on the horse before the boot. Or you might need to make it more snug, by adding a maxi pad to the boot inside the heels.
Agree about the sizing. My mare has worn them on and off for at least a few years with no issues (for laminitis).
Follow their measuring guide exactly and if you are unsure what size then call them and they’ll help you.
I also use generic Gold Bond powder which helps a lot.
(I’m also assuming you mean Soft Ride)
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With anything that rubs just go to a human disability store selling orthodics and prosthetics and buy “stump socks”. I used them under an orthodic device for my retriever after he had front leg surgery as his orthodic clam shell device rubbed
but the right sized soft rides do not rub.
My gelding had to wear boots for an entire winter once due to laminitis. I found that when the boots were new, using knee-high nylons pulled up and then back down over the boot helped (although a mini’s legs might be too small). I learned that from an endurance website 
I was using Easy Boot Trail boots (cheaper and simpler than Soft Ride) and the Easy Boot people told me that moisture (even just the heat from the boot being on) would worsen rubs, so I also added Caldesene powder daily. It’s baby powder with zinc added to absorb the moisture. It really helped!
My pony lives in Soft Rides but needs to keep her feet warm so she’s also wearing wool socks, Whinny Warmers, and polo wraps. I didn’t have rubbing issues through our warm months but def don’t with several layers of clothes. If you’ve found the correct size and still have issues maybe try baby powder or Silver Whinnys.
I use nylons for myself to prevent boot rubs on long hikes,or foot marches, they work very well if the rubs are from a friction rub. They work less well if it’s a sore from a pressure point (I’d assume sizing is the only thing that would correct that for horse boots).
I had a pony that lived in soft rides for a year and to prevent rubs I wrapped his coronet band with vetwrap. I got the idea from my vet. Worked great!
If you’re talking about Soft Rides: IME with these boots (for years on different horses) rubs on heel bulbs mean the length of the boots (toe to heel) are not the right size; they are too short for the hoof = the back part of the boot isn’t roomy enough to accommodate the bulbs. Horses with underrun heels or long toes require a size L (long) in Soft Rides – not sure if Longs are available in mini sizes.
