WARNING - One thing you need to watch for in the Gloves is the screw pin in the back that holds the gaiter to the boot. If it comes loose, the boot can get flipped up over the hoof and end up being an “ankle bracelet” - in which case you will need a knife to saw through the rubber gaiter to get the boot off from around the ankle.
Thanks GTD, I’m hoping mine come today, and your warning will make sense. Is it prone to coming lose? Or just something you need to check periodically?
mzpeepers – you’ll get to test out yours before I get to test mine (can’t ride this weekend :no:, not time). I’m looking forward to your report!
I’m not sure if you would consider the screw “prone to coming loose”. I think it does get stressed if the boot comes off while riding and gets stepped upon before you notice it is off the hoof. I had taken two endurance friends up the mountain – I had the Gloves on the back of my guy. One slipped off once; I put it back on. As we were walking (!!) through a nice grassy field on a downslope, the screw in the back gave way. That left only the two screws at the side which acted like a lever and allowed the Glove to be flipped off resulting in the whole unit ending up around my guy’s ankle. It only took a second to happen – and long precious minutes trying to maneuver that boot back over the hoof. But I couldn’t stretch it enough to get it back over and off the hoof… and all the yanking and pulling was not only hurting my horse, it was pissing him off – and he’s a pretty stoic creature to begin with. He started kicking out with that foot, which pissed me off big time.
It was NOT a good scenario.
I ended up taking my portable tree saw (which I carry with me at all times) and sawing through the rubber strap that holds the gaiter onto the boot. That was the ONLY way I could get that boot off his ankle since I hadn’t brought along a screwdriver to remove either of the side screws. (BIG HINT TO CARRY BOTH A KNIFE AND A PHILLIPS HEAD SCREWDRIVER IN YOUR SADDLE PACK.)
I have the boot sitting here on a table next to me. The open slit at the front ripped as well – which I’ve found happened to three of the other Gloves (which is why the mfr now have that little connecting piece they sell separately). The gaiter is trash, so I’m keeping the boot only to use as a glue-on…unless I happen to trash yet another boot but still have a decent gaiter to replace the one I cut apart.
They are VERY soft, they do NOT have the rigid “go through fire and come out looking just as tough as the day they came out of the box” construction as the traditional ski-clasp Easyboot. The rubber tends to tear at the slit in the front, so I would suggest you get the strap that is fixed across the front of the boot.
Despite my problems and issued with the Gloves on my endurance pony, they work just fine on the driving ponies (less stress, slow speed, easy roads) and I love the ease of putting them on/taking them off. I’ve let a friend borrow a pair for her driving pony, and she loved them. I just purchased another pair for the driving ponies, plus a replacement for the one I had to cut apart, from Valley Vet.
Good to know. Were they a good fit for your horse, a little snug, a little loose? I’m sure they’re not quite the perfect fit for every horse, it would be interesting to know if that played a part. I always carry a knife and one of those multi-utility tool things – I’ll need to check to be sure that the utility tool will work for the screws.
I’m guessing that you ride a little more seriously than we do. We’re trail riders – ride 2-4 hours one to three times a week. Hopefully that means they’ll hold up well for us (if they work out). But I’ll be prepared. This is our first try with boots. So it will be a learning experience…
Yes, they were an excellent fit. That’s what miffed me the most. I think the problem was my guy’s strong push-off - it produced too much dynamic force (or whatever) and “forced” the boot off at least once every time I used them. As a result of being “offed” and stepped on, the boot tore (at the slit) which made the excellent fit weaker. I stopped using them on him (went back to using the standard easy boot which actually stay on!) but I didn’t have my guy shod in the back when I took my friends up the mountain, so I decided I just wanted to try the Gloves on him one last time.
For the one boot I had to cut off, it turned out to truly be “the last time”! :lol:
I love them for my driving ponies who pretty much mimic what a casual pleasure horse does - easy hacks down the road/trail. I think you’ll like them overall.
BTW - Keep in mind that I do my own shoeing, so putting on a set of shoes for any on mine costs me only the price of the shoes – the time to trim and nail them on is “technically” free, so that also frees me from having to chose boots over shoes, or visa-versa. My guys all wear shoes when they are in constant hard work; but go barefoot when they are off work or only doing minimal work. Thus, the boots are for light recreational use, not competition or training. 
The boots are FAR more expensive than shoes, require effort to put on every time you want to use your animal, plus their breakover is pitiful, but boots will last and last and last.
Well, after reading this I ordered a pair of gloves for my three year old filly that I ride about once a week. Her feet are really sore on gravel but I hate to put shoes on her for as little as I ride her. I want to be able to let her feet grow.
Ordered a pair of power straps too.
Hard to measure her foot as it was pretty broken on the sides. I guess we’ll see how they fit.
I also ordered from Valley Vet. Needed some Co-flex bandages too and some Nolvalsan so it was good timing.
GTD, one of my clients has had problems with the screw that holds the gaiter pulling through the boot in the Glove. With their horse, it happens on the hinds. Easycare said they had fixed the problem and sent out new boots. Clients are still having a problem with it and suggested Easycare add another screw. This idea was turned down.
She also said Easycare has noted that the Gloves tend to expand a bit when used, so they are now recommending an even tighter fit.
Otherwise, they love the Gloves.
Keep in mind this is all second hand. I’m not a boot dealer. I haven’t really found any that I like well enough to want to sell. I do like boots, but I think they need to keep working on the designs.
Thanks, m. When I got home from the mountain ride I had the chance to really inspect the destroyed boot, and noticed that it wouldn’t take much stress to pull that back screw through the boot. It really needs a washer on both sides, but the short screw construction won’t allow it. The plastic was molded with only a tiny “seat” for a washer – one so small that it could easily pull through.
I like your friend’s suggestion of two screws – that sounds much safer. I may try using a rivet with two thin but wide washers and see how that holds up.
I don’t think a tighter fit would work. I tried that with my youngest (14.1h) – and I really had to fight to seat the boots on. Well, they stretched during the ride and now that stretch is permanent. They did fit two of the other ponies (13.1) before – but now don’t.
:sigh:
I had to get a new set for the other two ponies, and will use the stretched set as a spare as they are now warped at the slit in front.
All said and done – I’m finding that they work great for some uses, and not for others. I would certainly recommend them to the casual rider, but not to someone doing training or competition.
Oh, before I forget: The soles of the Gloves are also rather soft. If anyone is buying the Glove for a tender barefooted horse, they might want to put a thin shoeing pad inside the boot as extra protection. I’ve found that a DuraShock pad works great - ponies can’t feel the gravel through the padded boot, yet it doesn’t raise their foot up in the boot more than a tiny fraction.
I suspect that in the effort to make a softer boot that will conform to the hoof, they lost some of the rigidity necessary for hardware attachments. Also, apparently, for sole protection. They sound almost like moccasins. They are lighter, though, which is something that has been needed.
You could try sending the damaged boot(s) to Easy Care and see if they’ll send you a replacement.
Don’t know what to do about the stretching problem, since you have to get them on the first time. I’m sure they’ll work out the kinks–it’s like buying a first or second model-year car. They listen to the complaints from users and modify as necessary. The power strap probably helps.
Maybe I’ll wait until next year to buy a pair. 
I’ve got other clients who absolutely love their Gloves. They are more pleasure riders than the clients who have had issues. The ones with issues ride hard for hours at a time. And swim their horses.
mine are backordered
Ordered EasyBoot Gloves size 0.5 and mine are backordered until August 2nd. My baby is pretty sore barefoot. Will have to wait.
Well…Sunday morning I strapped the Gloves onto horsie and we went for a three hours ride over rocky terrain, up and down steep hills, you name it. The boots are awesome! Horsie didn’t show any sign of discomfort whatsoever, the boots fit perfectly, there was no slippage of any kind.
Horsie marched on, swinging back, relaxed and happy the whole way. We alternated walk and some pretty sustained trot throughout the ride and, again, no discomfort and horsie was going perfectly straight, no crookedness at all. Other horsie has been wearing Old Macs G2 and shows some crookedness as well as a bit of discomfort on long rides. I’m ordering the Gloves for him as well today. Definitely a superior boot, at least compared to the Old Macs.:yes:
Great to hear mzpeepers! Mine came today :D. I’m hoping to mosey on down to the barn in a little bit to try them on him. I won’t be able to take him out on a trail ride until this weekend though. I’ve got to work the rest of the week. Darn job gets in the way of things.
So I tried them on him – and the left hind boot (#1) fit like a glove. The right hind (#1.5) had just a little more room in it than the other (but the #1 is too small). Is the space something to worry about? He wasn’t too sure about them at first, but when we took a walk out on our gravel driveway he settled in and seemed to notice that his back feet weren’t ouchy. I’m worried that the gators will rub him (and he’s the type of horse who won’t let me know), but since no one has mentioned that I’ll cross my fingers and check him regularly.
It’s very tempting to try to pull them off and on by the gator. I’ll have to watch that, I guess.
GTD - there are washers on the inside for the screws. Is that the same as yours?
Looking forward to trying them out this weekend!
This must be the “fix” my clients told me about. Let us know how it goes!
Here’s my belated report out – Luke absolutely LOVES them. We had one light ride last week, and then a long ride this weekend with some friends that really was a good test.
They were easy to get on, even in the tall grass parking area we were in. I was a little unsure I had them on right, but when he stepped down into it you could see the fit was good. Tightening the gator was hard at the start out point since they’re new. I got off after about an hour and tightened them a bit more.
It took Luke about 15 minutes to figure out that he didn’t need to try to avoid the rocks, and the second hill to kick it into four wheel drive with power he hasn’t shown since he was four shoe shod. By the end of our 3 hour ride he was motering along happily over everything, not a care in the world. Made me feel bad for not getting them sooner (remember we pulled off his back shoes to help resolve contracted heel issues).
I got off twice on the ride to check the fit and for rubbing. No problems with either. The one that was a little bit big seemed to hold the hoof well. I was paranoid about losing them, so hubby rode behind me to keep an eye on things.
I’m happy to report that not only did his gaits remain true but he was way more willing to go, go, go. What I thought was him being a bit out of shape on the hills I now realize was more likely just being ouchy (his heels have healed, but he’s still a tender foot, with one foot being particularly flat).
Double checked him the day after to be sure he was raw or tender on his heels. No problems.
I love that they’re easy to get on and off, and are so fitted that nothing can get inside. They are lighter than I expected. It will be interesting to see how they hold up over the next year.
That’s about it. I’m sold on them, just seeing how much happier Luke is.
Well, I got my Easyboot Gloves on 7/22, and Luke has ridden in them once or twice a week since then (so just over two months). We’re not hard riders, just walk, flat walk, running walk folks. No cantering or galloping, and the trails we ride are not overly rocky.
Yesterday we got back to the trailer after a two hour ride, and his back right boot had a tear along the front point of his hoof :no:. They fit correctly, we followed the instructions (reread them last night to be sure), and he was not wearing them over shoes. :sigh:
I’m within the 90 day warrantee so I’m calling them tonight, but I’m just so bummed. I really, really liked these boots and how easy they were to get on and off. And Luke liked them.
Now lets see how easy Easyboots’ customer service is.
i have been using the EDGE boots( plus 12mm insoles) for a few months and have had no problems whatsoever. i love them, they never come off, they don’t rub, my horse can do anything he did before, with regular changing of the insoles when they get to squished. Good luck i hope you find something you like.
[QUOTE=jazzrider;4419464]
Well, I got my Easyboot Gloves on 7/22, and Luke has ridden in them once or twice a week since then (so just over two months). We’re not hard riders, just walk, flat walk, running walk folks. No cantering or galloping, and the trails we ride are not overly rocky.
Yesterday we got back to the trailer after a two hour ride, and his back right boot had a tear along the front point of his hoof :no:. They fit correctly, we followed the instructions (reread them last night to be sure), and he was not wearing them over shoes. :sigh:
I’m within the 90 day warrantee so I’m calling them tonight, but I’m just so bummed. I really, really liked these boots and how easy they were to get on and off. And Luke liked them.
Now lets see how easy Easyboots’ customer service is.[/QUOTE]
He’s most likely dragging his toe on that particular leg. The Gloves are lightweight and thin, and unfortunately the older design did not allow for any extra wear and tear on the toe. The good news is that Easycare has since improved the design by adding reinforcement to the toe area of the boot. These reinforced Gloves are shipping out now, the reinforced Glue-ons wont ship out until all the stock has been sent out.
Contact Easycare and they should send you a new pair of reinforced boots. They should last much longer. If it keeps happening, you may want to have your horse evaluated by a vet to see if the toe dragging is secondary to a hock or stifle issue, or if it’s just how your horse moves. It could also be wearing out if the horse is interfering with his front feet (forging). I hope you are able to get this resolved! They really are a great boot.
The horse I talked about has them on her hinds because she was dragging her toes and wearing them too much. The Gloves have worked well for her.
I’m wondering if individual boots can be defective. Also, I’m wondering if the material is a bit too soft for the job–softness is good to promote fit, but bad when you put it between a hard surface (hoof), and an abrasive surface (the ground).
Keep us posted on how it goes with customer service!
I took a closer look at the damage yesterday after really cleaning them up (they have to be cleaned to be returned). The rip is actually about 1/4 inch above the point of the toe, rather than on the bend. 
Eddy’s Mom – I had to order a new one this week because he needs one for this weekend (I’m still going to return the damaged one through their process). I hope it’s one of the newer ones with the more reinforced toe! Wish I had checked in here before I did the order. Shoot.
I actually think it may be more an issue of him forging than dragging his toe – if that’s the issue. But I still think it’s too soon to see wear and tear from that – since it’s not a huge issue for him.
I’ll keep you posted on their customer service. I only found my receipt last night – so I’m going to call when I get home from work today. I’m not ready to give up on the boot yet – since we both liked them so much. Hopefully customer service won’t change that for me!
