Talk To Me Of Hoof Boots

[RoyalRain42]

I have been looking into getting a pair for my main two saddle horses. The ones i use to go up in the back country to hunt come fall. Normally both get alternated on who packs and who rides on these trips.

So my grandma used a pair of Cavallo boots for her older mare who was always rock tender. Used them any time she rode. Well, it seemed she always had nasty cheet grass, and other plants stuck inside them by the end of the ride and that alone would cause sores on occasion. That kinda puts me off those… but maybe it was just a fluke at the time. IT has been a few years.

In general i would only need them for fronts. So i would not need 4 boots.

Now, in general once my busy season starts up, 20 miles a day, 5 days a week would be my minimum. Could be more, could be less. But lets just say from Oct. 1st to the end of Jan I dont stop riding. Be it our own hunting trips, or us being hired to pack hunters in and out to camp. Busy work.

The terrain varies, but rocks are normal along with snow and ice. Remembering the Cavallos my grandma had, the rubber seemed like it would not grip snow or ice very well. Like it would slide easily. But in general, climbing cliffs and snow banks becomes very regular.

Simple may be better, in case someone has to help me put them on. But as long as they are easy to explain we should be okay. Both horses have pretty average feet, no strange shapes or abnormalities.

There is a lot out there, and I feel like with my work load endurance boots would be best? I just have no idea what ones would be most practical for my needs.

[CERT]

I like the Renegades and use their Viper model on my Arab gelding. They even offer boots with studs.

They aren’t as bulky as some (though not quite as slim as scoot boots) and are fairly easy to slide and strap on. I’ve never had one come off, even if a strap failed (my guy brushes just a little in the boots when he walks), but with the snow you can get them in a bright, orange so they can be easier to find. They are also a rubbery plastic throughout and shouldn’t collect stickers and seedheads.

I found the (Old/new) Macs a bit clunky and a lot of straps to operate. If your horse stands wide it isn’t much of an issue, but for one that swings a little narrow they can be a tripping hazard.

I’m sure you will get a lot of other good info here too.

[katyb]

I’ve tried several kinds - most are okay, but I am happiest now with my Renegades.

[RoyalRain42]

@katyb

I’ve tried several kinds - most are okay, but I am happiest now with my Renegades.

I have been looking into the Renegades, but it seems like your horse needs to have been going on very natural barefoot trim cycle for a while to use them. My horses do not have high heels, but they also do not have this perfect mustang roll they say the hoof needs to have. They do not have sharp edges, but are not that perfect roll either and that makes me worry that the boots may not work.

[katyb]

I’d suggest you send photos to Renegade. Their customer service is fantastic.

[Scribbler]

In practice there is a bit more tolerance in the fit on imperfect hooves than Renegade says.

On the other hand, my mare has a good barefoot trim, but I find I need to rasp her between trims because once the Renegade boots get too tight on her, they have a tendency to pop off. Sometimes they pop off and hang by the pastern strap and sometimes they go flying. But on the other hand, sometimes the pastern straps come loose and the boot stays on just fine. All of the pop offs have been at speed, fast trot or mostly canter.

Other folks don’t have this problem, so it might be special to my mare.

[Mukluk]

I have the renegades and I love that they are so easy to put on and remove. And they stay on better than other boots I have tried. Even at speed. Plus I love the jade green!

[RoyalRain42]

Well, my horses do tend to grow on the slower side in my experience (7 week cycle.) So Scribbler that does help! They are due next week, maybe ill snag pictures and measurements and send them in to see what they say.

I really like the idea of bright red, for in the snow. But that green is pretty! That leaves me torn.

I see they have the originals, and and the vipers. Sounds like the vipers have more tread? I would probably be ordering mine with studs.

The only other pair i had been looking at, were the Easyboot Back countries. They had seen decent at the time but I am liking the sound of the Renegades more and more.

The only other kind a friend mentioned in discussion were Scoot Boots? They look really simple, anyone worked with those?

[SharonA]

For any Scoot Boot users out there, any clarifications on sizing? In one place on the company’s sizing advice web page, it says that if the hoof is in between sizes, " Always select the smaller boot size if you are in between measurements. "

But a few bullet points down, it says, “If one hoof is in between sizes, select the boot size that matches the largest hoof. Our Scoot Boots are designed to allow for growth between trims.”

Which is correct?

I have loved my Renegades, but new fella’s feet are just alittle too weird for them. If Scoots are slightly more flexible, we should be okay.

Easyboot Trails do the job, but they’re clunky and hot and I feel like fella is actually more comfortable without them, for most terrain around here.

[LookmaNohands]

Renegades are great on fit and wear but a huge pain in the you-know-what to adjust!!! I recently spent 1 1/2 hours changing the cables on two boots then had to replace one of the things the cable pivots around. They can be ridiculously hard to deal with!

[gothedistance]

@SharonA

For any Scoot Boot users out there, any clarifications on sizing? In one place on the company’s sizing advice web page, it says that if the hoof is in between sizes, " Always select the smaller boot size if you are in between measurements. "

But a few bullet points down, it says, “If one hoof is in between sizes, select the boot size that matches the largest hoof. Our Scoot Boots are designed to allow for growth between trims.”

Which is correct?

I have loved my Renegades, but new fella’s feet are just alittle too weird for them. If Scoots are slightly more flexible, we should be okay.

Easyboot Trails do the job, but they’re clunky and hot and I feel like fella is actually more comfortable without them, for most terrain around here.

I would go with smaller. And I’d also go with the new Scoot boot distributor who will send you boots to try BEFORE you commit to buying a a pair.

I actually like my Scoots better than my Renegades for the one horse that I have booted behind. They stay on REALLY well, better than the Renegades. I’m going to see if the Scoots fit my endurance horse - hopefully, they will so that I can try them on her. I’d like to use them for conditioning her up this spring before I get back into the shoeing cycle. I may even try out a pair of glue-on Scoot Skins.

[paintedtrails]

Definitely send pics with your measurments to whoever you buy the scoots from, or you won’t get any support on returns.

http://tryscootboots.com/ is definitely a great option!

[Painted_Horse]

I went Barefoot for 5 years on two young horses just coming under saddle that had never had shoes. I found that I could ride anywhere for a day or two. But extended rides of multiple days, I needed boots. After 5 years of buying and using boots, I gave up. I decided if the horses couldn’t go barefoot 100%, I was putting shoes on for the heavy riding season.

I had several reasons. 1st. I almost always brought 3-4 horses. My young daughters were not proficient at putting the boots on. So I ended up putting boots on 4 horses and removing them after the ride. 5 minutes a horse putting boots on isn’t a big deal, but times that by 4 horses and I was spending 20 minutes each ride getting ready and 10 minutes after the ride pulling boots. Plus when I got home, I spent time cleaning the boots and usually fixing something. Cables, screws heads, gaiters etc. You can’t have 4 horses bushwacking thru the forest and not tear something up.

2nd was the ongoing cost to constantly be fixing the boots. 3 days of riding in Bryce Canyon country and I wouldn’t have a screw head left. They’d all be ground off smooth from the abrasive sand and rock. 3 days gathering cows in the fall, chasing cows through creek bottom and deadfalls and the gaiters would be shredded. Between the cost to fix and the occasionally lost boot, They were just too expensive.

But boots did work just fine to protect the horse’s feet. At least as long as I was just walking/trotting down trails. Any speed work or lateral work, ( such as chasing cows) the boots flew off. often becoming lost.

You will have to evaluate how you use your horses. Riding down a trail from the trailhead to a remote camp. They will work fine. Bushwacking through blowdowns, willows in creek bottoms or anything that requires lateral work especially if any speed is involved and they are not the right solution. For me, I decided it was just easier to put shoes on from Easter to Halloween and leave the horses barefoot for the snowy months. I spend an hour putting shoes on a horse every 6-7 weeks vs 20 minutes every ride. And shoes cost $10 for 4 vs $60 per boot