My new youngster is the Bell Boot Terminator. He’s ripped his first pair of Smartpak bells to shreds in under a month. They are clearly needed (he also removed the same shoe twice).
KL Select pull ons are really durable. They’re super thick at the bottom and don’t rub at all.
They do run a little large. When my horse needed bellboots, he always wore a large in other brands but needed a medium with the KL.
I have had KL select pull on boots on my bell boot murdering mare for 2 months now and they are holding up great. They are also pretty easy to get on and off for shows.
I swear by Davis pvc bell boots for turnout
Depending on what part of the boot your horse nukes, I’ve had great luck with the Centaur ribbed velcro-on boots from Dover. They’re not expensive; the bell boot rubber lasts forever; and the Velcro is pretty sound. My horse undoes his own Velcro straps so that’s the real point of wear for him. I get 3-4 months out of a single pair and usually lose them to “he took them off in the field and no one can find them,” not outright destruction.
Thanks guys, I definitely would prefer a Velcro boot.
The pair he shredded have half-moon shaped chunks out of them in multiple places. Obviously he’s stomping on them with the opposite hoof…the Velcro is fine. I’d prefer removable boots because I don’t want to leave them on him in his stall/paddock, and I use a different pair for riding,
i wondered about the Davis boots…maybe the PVC is tougher than rubber?
I would also recommend the Davis boots. I have a gelding with an overstep…he has to wear bells 24/7, even in his stall. This is the only brand that he doesn’t destroy in a week. And, believe me, I’ve tried them all. The Davis boots come with Velcro…you wouldn’t be able to get them on otherwise. Ropers and barrel racers use them…that says it all.
Another vote for Davis boots
A trick for horses who pull shoes even with bell boots on:
Use 2 pairs in different sizes:
- Put on smaller size first, then turn them upwards
- Put on larger size bell boot
- Turn the smaller bell boot down over the top of the larger one
This keeps the bell boots down over the bulbs of the heels at all phases of each stride. If you look at each part of the stride in slow motion, you can see that the bell boot slides up just as the front hoof begins to touch down – which is when the back foot starts forward. – Result – the boots are not in place at the most important part of the stride.
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This is SO interesting - what a creative idea! My newly shod going on 6 year old mare wears bells on all four during T/O and riding - she is shod “full” so this is just precautionary. She hasn’t messed with them at all yet (thankfully!) and they are holding up well, but this is a fantastic idea “just in case” - thanks for sharing!
Hmmm, and you get double bell boot protection. That’s probably most valuable for my guy. Except we get supremely hot weather here in the summer and I was already unhappy at the thought of cooking his feet.
My horse has killed the Davis boot is less than a week. And he has gone through 3.5 pairs of Centaur and 1 pair of pull on rubber ones- they lasted less than a week. What is holding up best so far is USG over reach boots. The problem is they are $22 and I can only get them from the UK so they take forever to get here. I have 2 sets on their way. The funny thing is I ordered the USG fleece lined front boots and they shipped the over reach boots in error. They weren’t worth returning and a week later we decided to use bell boots. 3 months later they are still doing well. I guess it was meant to be.
Here is where I ordered them from
http://www.universal-textiles.com/UK-UT/uttl1275.php
I like the ballistic material boots like the Professional Choice No-Turn Bell Boots. Those have become my favorites and last a lot longer than my old go-to of the rubber pull-on style. Though with those you really get what you pay for. I tried a lot of different brands, and only the expensive ones that were double thickness at the bottom ever held up. But eventually the pain in the butt horses would start taking chunks out of the bottom and occasionally out of the top.
Davis rubbed the ever-loving crap out of my mare. I swear by Pro Choice Quick Wraps - the floppy neoprene kind. My mare is majorly destructo with her boots but these work the best for us as long as I reinforce them with additional velcro.
Reference my guest blog post at http://hunkyhanoverian.com/guest-blogger-joanne/diy-salvaging-bell-boots/
My mare destroys the velcro on the Davis boots within days. The boot material itself is practically indestructible - I don’t have a single pair (my gelding wears them also) with tears in the PVC.
The velcro boots that seem to work best are the Eskadron brand. Haven’t had a problem with their velcro. They do eventually get chunks taken out of the bottom tho.
My horse wears Centaur bell boots in front and is turned out 24/7 in his own pasture. He can get animated when neighbors leave for riding or whatever (even though the ring is about 20 feet from his pasture and he can see them fully) and without these bell boots he’d pull his front shoes. My farrier shoes him to accommodate this fact- we’ve gone through the learning curve with his stride and shoes. These boots cover his hooves well and saves us pulled shoes and bulb scrapes.
For us, Centaurs only last about 4-8 weeks. The velcro usually comes off. But at $8.99/pair, I am very happy to keep multiple pairs and replace often. They don’t rub at all on my horse.
Good luck!
