My Warrior boots are holding up well to 24/7 turnout. I had a similar experience with Shoo Fly - something changed and they stopped holding up for me.
I’m actually both happy and unhappy to read this. My year one boots were also fine (so fine that someone took them to be their own ), but year two, not so much! I wasn’t sure if it was just me experiencing this.
I don’t know what happened to the quality of shoo fly boots
I bought a pair on the recommendation of a fellow boarder whose opinion is usually right on.
My horse is extremely easy on everything and is very quiet in turnout.
The shoo fly boots fell apart in under two weeks.
I went on amazon and purchased a cheap set of Harrison Howard Fly boots.
They fit great and have held up very well. I’m super happy with them.
I tried these this season as I also found Shoo Fly boots poor quality:
Figured for $30, what could I lose? Same basic design. So far, so good 1 month in…
Shoo Fly are still working for me as well as any other year.
Do they have a velcro strip from top to bottom like shoo fly?
Yes, they’re basically identical to Shoo Fly boots.
Thanks for the info!
The Warrior boot velcro makes me want to die when theyre new (so strong!) but have proven to be very durable.
The Harrison Howard ones hold up ok but the velcro is annoying - I prefer the single strip.
Me too. They wear like iron in my experience. I get new ones each season just because they do look a bit beat up and less “crisp and tall” by the end of the season, but I always keep the previous year’s set as back-ups just in case I need them since they technically still work.
I use the blue ones. My gelding finds them to be the most dignified color offered.
I bought some too and was surprised at how cheaply they are made. The Velcro tab started to separate the first time I tugged on it.
Plus, horse looks like he’s on a road crew.
Fellow high vis horse owner here . I actually go out of my way to make his things as bright as possible to make my daily scavenger hunt of all the gear his brother removes and scatters a little easier.
I have been using the super cheap Amazon sets, they actually work ok for my TB because he doesn’t mess with his own gear, but less than a day on my mustang. Just ordered both of them Shoo Flys, if they last the rest of the season I would be impressed.
I’ve been shocked at how nice these fly leggings I got from TEMU are! I have 2 sets and they are wearing very well (on different horses). I’m going to buy more, because they are under $10 for 4 and even if I have some casualties it’s not a big deal.
Adding my 2025 updates:
Shoo-Fly: no problems with them, they last me 1-3 seasons depending on the horse, haven’t bought them in years since their price spiked plus other cheaper copycats came on the market.
Stomp Stompers: my donkey lives in a custom set and they are great and last several seasons; I’m of mixed opinion on the horse sized ones. They are really well made and last at least a season or two, the failure point has mainly been the velcro at the bottom losing its hold.
Harrison Howard: I think quality control is sus because some have lasted all season and others the velcro wears out or rips off before the season is over. My mare who is easy on boots can make them last all season and then some, my other horses are harder on boots and kill them. For less than $30, I can’t really complain.
CareMaster: Their logo is an “H” and appear to be made in the same factory as Harrison Howard. But they seem to hold up ever so slightly better for about the same price point. (Sometimes they are cheaper than the HH ones, sometimes they are a couple dollars more) I’m obsessed with their obnoxious patterns and color combos, they make me smile.
Chicks Rugged Ride Stay Up Boots: I just put a set of these on my confirmed boot destroyer. If they survive the rest of the summer, that will say a lot for them! So far no complaints but I haven’t been using them very long.
No-Name $15 boots from Amazon: at first they seemed “fine.” The material was sturdy and the velcro was strong. But in less than a month, the plastic stays poked through the bottom on every single boot. I tried to fix them, but it wasn’t long until the stays just fell out, rendering them useless.
I have to say that Shoo-fly, to me, has degraded in quality over the last several years. I used a new pair this year and the velcro on the bottom has to be gently peeled apart because the velcro is ready to pull off of the boot. I used to be able to use then for over one season but now I get 1 season at most out of them.
I get blue, it looks like the horse is wearing blue jeans.
I may be revisiting this thread next year…
To update: Slightly rowdy gelding’s shoo flys are functionally useless. The velcro at the bottom of two boots has ripped off so that you can’t really close them, and generally all 4 boots scrunch down. I ordered him the leopard print teal Fly Frees because that color combo is amazing… and he will go in those this week.
I’ll report back for part 2 of this super scientific study.
I have now decided that I am a fan of Gatsby boots. Big fat velcro running vertically to the ground, as opposed to my former boots, which had velcro that ran around the leg. These are holding up really well
I am really bummed I bought the Warrior boots. Yes they held up but they rubbed a sore on the front of my sensitive-skin mare’s coronet band. And that sore took months to heal and now she has a permanent hoof defect stemming from where the sore was. Now it is not that bad and she has extremely sensitive skin but I wish I had stuck with the Shoo Fly’s that have a softer bottom edging. So if you have a horse in wet grass - carefully monitor those boots so you do not get a sore from rubbing!
This year I have not used boots. For some reason my fly population has been extremely small despite having a broken fly system and lots of rain. I just don’t have all the biting flies like in seasons past. So no need to use boots if a danger of rubbing is there.
I did like the Stomp Stoppers product. Good quality and they held up pretty well.
My experience with their customer service wasn’t great. They seem to make to order, even for standard sizes and I had to follow up a few times to get them shipped.
I don’t really use the boots when it’s wet, but morning dew is unavoidable at times. I also have to make sure I put them on after my horse has dried from hosing. Last year mine got some coronary band funk/fungus from the Shoo Fly boots. Would’ve likely happened in other boots too though.
Always good to watch for rubbing with any of the boots. I can bet very few get fungus like mine did due to them holding in just enough dampness, but something to consider when it comes to the wetness factor.