Horses transitioning to bare feet benefit greatly from wearing hoof boots. There are a dizzying array of types available for all kinds of feet and requirements. Some of the brands include:
Sabre Sneakers http://www.sabresneaker.com/ 
Marquis http://www.strideequus.com/ 
Easyboots, Old Macs, Boas, Epics http://www.easycareinc.com/
Old Macs
Epic 
Boa 
Bare 
Cavallo http://www.cavallo-inc.com/horseboots.html 
Used boots may be sold and bought at this site: http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/boot_swap.htm
Or from the classified section at http://www.endurance.net
The September 2006 issue of The Horse Journal has a review of the various booots on the market. You can order and download it here:
http://www.horse-journal.com/issues/13_10/features/996-1.html
We invite readers to share their experiences and feedback on hoofboots.
October 3, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Author : Linda
Comment:
I’ve got a 7 yr old OTTB (reasonable feet, barefoot about a year now, I do ride in boots) and a 24 yr old ex-eventer Appaloosa who had all types of issues and is now very happily barefoot for the past 4 years. The TB has decent sized feet, although loves to try to stay run-under on the right front, has platter type feet and has worn the Old Macs and Boas. The Appaloosa has crappy feet, upright pasterns, basically tea-cups for feet and wears Boas quite nicely. They are both very happy with their boots.
I’ve used the original Old Macs, the Boas and the new Old Mac G2’s. I love both versions of the Old Macs however they are a pain to put on. The Boas are much easier!
I’ve found that the shape of the hoof makes a huge difference as to the type of boot that works for each of my horses. The type of riding that I do is trail riding (nothing severe), ring work, riding in fields and jumping. So far, I’ve been slightly more comfortable jumping in the Boas, only because they seem slightly less clunky than the Old Mac’s.
The Marquis boot looks quite interesting but I don’t have $300+ to shell out on a pair. Love the idea of fully replaceable parts though.
I’ve found that the biggest factors to finding boots that I’m satisfied with is proper fit and correct shape for that horses hoof.
The boots that I use are the kinds that go over the top of the hoof. Someone recently mentioned the new Easyboot Bares which look quite intriguing as they do not go over the top of the hoof which, in theory, I think I like the idea of.
I only use boots in front on the horses. SO far, they’ve managed to seem fine barefoot behind and it’s nice to save on shoeing bills!
October 3, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Author marta
my mare has been barefoot for approximately 5 years now. during that time i had an opportunity to try various hoof boots and here are some of my impressions.
Old Mac boots (the old style) - these boots seemed v. clunky on my little mare’s hooves. the straps rubbed her pastern and the flopping sound they made while we were cantering made me think that it couldn’t feel good to her either.
Boa Boots - i next tried boa boots. they were a much better fit for my mare. she kept them on well (although she did manage to pull it off once or twice). they were easy to put on and easy to tighten.
EZ boots - i really liked the ez boots EXCEPT we didn’t always keep them on. in fact, i painted my black boots with orange spray paint, so they’d be easier to find on a trail when they came off. i know people use them successfully and there are ways to keep them on, such as wrapping with duct tape but with the epics by easy care hitting the market, i decided to switch.
Epics by Easy Care - i really liked these boots but she’d pull them off once in a while and i couldn’t figure out why since my friend’s used them successfully. turned out later, after i got rid of them, that they were too large for her. i cut the heel straps out of them and drilled a drain hole in the middle. the adjustments are just like those on an ez boot. they work well. the gaitors on the new model have a rolled edge to prevent any rubbing. they have a nice grip to them, too.
Bare boots by Easy Care - these are the boots i’m currently using and they’re my favorite by far. you adjust them once and then you don’t have to adjust unless your horse’s hooves change shape. i cut the heel straps out b/c i found them impossible to pull up and she ended up actually standing on them. i use a rubber mallet to get them. it makes the job much easier. they’ve never come off! we’ve been riding in them since june over all types of terrain, jumping, mud, grass, sand and we’ve had no problems. the sole of the boot is shaped more like a natural shape of the hoof. i actually think that my only complaint about the boot is that it can be a bit slippery when galloping on turns in wet grass. i don’t know if the other boots experience the same problem since they didn’t stay on well enough for me to try galloping like a lunatic
i rinse the boots after each use and flip the gaitors down so they dry in that position making it easier to get on the next time.
EZ Care Comfort Pads - this product is my favorite. these comfort pads are made of some kind of rubber-like material. you cut them down to size depending what kind of boot and what size you use. the provide cushion for the horse. in my case, my mare had a bout of laminitis in april and she’s still a little sensitive on v. hard or rocky terrain. the boots themselves don’t resolve the problem. but with the comfort pads we can trot or canter on any terrain. it’s a great way for her to get the activity she needs during the recovery process.
i hope you find these comments helpful. i also realize that this has been my experience with just my horse. she’s a small mare who had terribly contracted feet when i got her. her feet have expanded tremendously during the last 5 years but they are still not perfectly round. i think some of these boots fit certain types of hooves better than others.
another good source for used hoof boots is the classified section on the endurance.net website.
marta
October 3, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Author : Vickey H.
I would like to leave feedback on the Old Mac G2 boots. I have used these boots for some months now with tremendous success. My mare was victim of poor hoof form combined with suffering from Equine Metabolic Syndrome and often became laminitic and very sore on anything except the softest footing.
The G2s have been a life saver for her and I both. Hoof form and diet have been addressed, but I feel that her feet will always be flat to some degree due to 10 years of improper foot care. That’s where the boots come in. They come with a pair of pastern wraps, which are essential for preventing rubs and irritation. There is a slight learning curve to using the boots, but you quickly figure out the easiest way to get them on. I do fairly intensive trail riding over varried terrain (mud, rocks, hills, water, grass, woods), and the boots have never failed. They offer superior traction and tread and my mare has never slipped or stumbled while wearing the boots. We have traveled at full out gallop through fields many times and my mare always felt very safe in the boots. Some users will file the tread down a bit, because it is so agressive. I never found a reason to though.
The boots are extremely long wearing, and a garden hose and stiff brush is all that’s required to get them looking almost new again.
It seems that the G2s are very round in shape, and would tend to fit the horse with a round foot. If your horse has long toes which are run far forward, you may have a hard time fitting these boots. The breakover of the boots is very fast, and my mare still lands solidly heel first while wearing them. It does not seem that they interfere with her proper way of going at all.
I can’t say enough positive about these boots. They have been fantastic and I would highly recommend them to anyone.
October 4, 2006 at 12:36 am
In general, boots that come above the hairline (Old Macs, Boas) are easier to put on but do not stay put as well as those that come to below the hairline (Easyboots, Easyboot Epics & Bares).
I have walked/trotted/cantered/jumped in both Boas and Easyboot Bares. I had some problems with the Boas moving around, even with gaiters. I have also turned my horse out in Boas (though usually only overnight and he was kept in/ barefoot during the day). They were easy to use and never broke on me
However, I mainly use the Easyboot Bares and I really like them, because they stay put REALLY well, even running and jumping. I have schooled cross country in the Bares and they did not budge.
I decided on the Bares with the encouragement of my farrier, who also fits other Easycare boots. The Bares are her favorites because they flex with the foot, and the bungee system that keeps them on is a firm but elastic hold on the hoof. She fits them quite tight for added security. These reasons were compelling to me so I decided to go for it. The other boot I would have considered is the Epic (the gaiters make a big difference in stability, I think), but it does not flex like the hoof. It also is not as attractive and low-profile as the Bare, in my opinion. The Bare is also shaped kind of like the bottom of a hoof but that wasn’t as important to me as having something that was protective and sleeker-looking.
Unlike original Easyboots and Easyboot Epics, Bares do not have cleats. The Easyboots now come with optional cleat covers. You could also buy them seprately for $1 a pair from Easycare http://www.easycareinc.com/Other_Pro…cessories.aspx . The Easyboot Epics have a “permanent” cleat cover that actually can be removed, but it takes tools and a more complicated process.
The Epics and the Bares are very similar except for the treads on the bottom and the fastening system (the Bares have an elastic bungee across the front of the hoof to keep them snug; the Epics have the familiar cable and buckle system). I also think that the sole of the Bare flexes more than the original Easyboot and Epic, but I haven’t compared them myself.
I have had quite a positive experience with the Bares, considering my initial worries over whether I would be able to put them on. The Bares definitely have a learning curve for putting them on. My farrier gave me a tutorial on how to do it and then I did it in front of her. Basically, when the boot is very new it is hard to keep the gaiter out of the way as you put it on (this gets better as they break in). You work it over the widest part of the hoof and then let the horse stand on it to push the hoof in. Then I usually use a rubber mallet ($5 at Lowe’s) to tap it home into the right place. It has become easy.
Traction has generally been at least as good as with metal shoes. I did one XC school in them quite easily. Then we went to a schooling event with some really slick footing and some sharp turns, and my horse’s hind end went out from under him on one of the turns. I do not know if he would have been able to recover had he been barefoot, but I do know that both shod and barefoot horses slipped around a lot on that course and of two horses that nearly fell around the same turn where we fell. Recently I did some trot sets in them and then galloped for a minute, and my horse was very comfortable. When I dismounted the boots were, as usual, still in the same place they were when I put them on.
Oh, and one other thing about the Bares: they come in a silver cookie tin with a picture of a hoof on it. No joke!
The Bares were not reviewed in the Horse Journal article of September 2006. I wrote to the editor and she said that they did not come out in time to be tested for the article. The article liked the Easyboot Epics the best—I wonder if they would also have rated the Bares highly, since they also stay on well and do not rub.
Also, the Horse Journal article does not recommend any boots for jumping– I am not sure why. I called Easycare and asked them about jumping in boots and basically they said, “we won’t tell you you can jump in them, but we also won’t tell you that you can’t.” I guess they do not want to be liable for anythiing.
Whatever you wind up getting, you can order some Comfort Pads from Easycare to put inside the boots and make your horse more comfortable while he transitions. I have used the half-thickness (6mm) Comfort Pads in my Bares before.
October 5, 2006 at 10:39 am
Hated the original easycare. Didn’t like the clips, didn’t stay on , etc.
Loved my original Old Macs, but I wrecked them by loaning too many times to others where the fit wasn’t right. It worked ( replacement for pulled shoes), but both right side boots are messed up. They were a bit clunky but stayed on well and were easy to use.
Love the epics. No rubbing, easy on and off after work off the original stiffness,stay in place.
Will try the bares when I need another pair.
Have a couple pairs of almost new epics for sale as young OTTB feet grew fast once shoes pulled and turned out.
October 12, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Just wanted to add that I love the Sabre Sneakers. I used them for a mare that had a series of unfortunate abscesses.
They were easy to use, stayed put and held up very well even while galloping and cavorting in the field. THey saved me from having to keep this mare stalled for several weeks by protecting her soles and giving her some support on her bar tootsies.
I would say that they fit a “round” type hoof better than a more “oblong” type of shape.
October 22, 2006 at 9:01 pm
I got my horse 5 years ago when he was 10 years old. He was barefoot when I got him but his feet looked awful. My farrier at the time put shoes on him and he held them well for a couple years. After that he just kept throwing shoes, and his feet were breaking, and they were hardly growing at all. He was lame all the time. I was just about to the point where I was really close to giving up(Arthur was 14)when I meet my current farrier. She has totally rehabed my horse, and his feet are doing great.
The Marquis Boots are what saved him(well, besides my farrier). I love the Marquis. I’ve been using them for a little over a year now and I haven’t had a single problem with them. They are a little expensive, but I think they’re worth it. I love that each individual part of the boot is replaceable. They have great traction and if you need more, you can get studs for them. I also like that they have a little pad right under the frog. The air chamber, which is what holds the boot onto the foot, takes some testing to get it right for your horse. The boots come with a pump and you just have to keep trying till you get them so they don’t come off, and so they are comfy for your horse.
The only issue that I have had(and its really not a problem at all) is that my horse overtracks so much from behind that he sometimes clips the air bubbles. I just got a pair of really big bells boots and put them over the Marquis, so now he catches the bells instead. He only wears them when I ride, and we are getting really close to starting to ride without any boots at all. I have been very happy with the Marquis.
December 4, 2006 at 4:38 am
I’ll try to make a long story short, but like Christina, I think it’s important to tell the story.
Next month it will be 18 years since I purchased my mare. The one note made on her PPE was that she had thin hoof walls and she needed to be kept shod. Okey, dokey.
At the barn we were at for the first six years, the arena was dirt/manure and very soft on the hoofs, so I pulled her shoes every winter to let them grow out some. If I tried riding her out of the barn, her hoofs would break apart.
The next place we moved had sand footing. I discovered I couldn’t keep her feet healthy barefoot even in the winter. The sand was too hard on them, so for the next 11 years, she was constantly shod.
In the meantime, I’m studying nutrition and slowly developing a better diet for her and my farrier made mention that her walls were getting thicker and stronger, but she was still in shoes. The one thing I’d always heard is that although most horses needed shoes, they were always better off barefoot if they could get away with it.
1997, my mare came up lame and was diagnosed with ‘caudal heel syndrome’ on the right front only. After three years of very expensive shoeing, xrays, drugs and lots of TLC, the vet says he finally found something. A very minor bruised spot on her coffin bone. He advised a neurectomy on the right front, which was accomplished without further problems. It helped.
By now I’m on my fourth farrier, having recently fired a two-time world champion CJF and changed to a part-time farrier, full time journeyman machinist who knows geometry and angles like the back of his hand.
Next I noticed my mare’s right hoof (the nerved one) was longer than the left. I pointed this out to my farrier, who immediately went to work re-balancing the hoofs. Immediate relief and improvement in my mare. A friend of mine is a neurologist and she told me that this can happen when a hoof is trying to repair itself after injury.
My mare has officially been diagnosed as hyper responsive. To clarify what that means - one time when Tom (farrier) was trimming, he inadvertantly trimmed the right 1/16″ shorter than the left. He noticed right away and we decided to leave it alone rather than try to fix it, for fear of making it worse. My mare went 3-legged lame for THREE WEEKS till that grew out. This is not an easy horse to shoe.
Fast forward to 2004. We’ve moved again, my mare now gets daily turn out with a group of mares, but BO wants her hind shoes pulled. After 11 years, we pulled her hind shoes. She was ouchy at first, but she adjusted. Last winter (2005/06) we pulled the fronts and it was a disaster. Went extremely lame, did not want to leave her stall. Shoes went back on.
August 2006 - purchased Old Mac G2’s (after discussion with farrier). My mare is now 23 years old. We pulled the fronts again, with the plan that if the boots didn’t work, we’d put the shoes right back on.
She LOVED the boots. Now I had a new problem, my geriatric mare running around like a 3 year old in these boots. Anyhow, got past that.
Since pulling the shoes, I’ve been treating her soles with Keratex Hoof Hardner and painting Thrush X on her frogs. She was very ouchy in turnout on the sand without the boots initially, but her hoofs have been healing day by day. Her soles are concave, her frogs are strong and recovering from their shriveled up state, her heels are opening back up.
I turned out her today barefoot after walking her on the driveway. For the first time in 18 years, she SOUND without shoes or boots on hard surfaces and in the sand and her hoofs don’t have a single nick, they’re tough as rock.
I have front and back boots for her, plus I’ve ordered the pads for the boots. I will continue to use them when I ride her.
Our knowledge and the resources available to keep our horses sound has grown tremendously in a short period of time. The boots have been an absolute god-send. I would like to remind anyone reading this that there are still a lot of old-timers in our world who insist that horses can’t heal from ‘degenerative’ hoof disease. They are telling the truth as they know it from decades of past experience. We’re are truely blessed that we’re now able to resolve what used to be a death sentence to our horses.
January 28, 2007 at 1:17 pm
I have used Old Macs and Boas over the last 3 1/2 years while trying to bring one of my ’selenium toxicity’ boys back to sound. He sloughed his front hooves 4X, as some will remember, and is now sound except for when on hard/frozen/lumpy ground.
I have been using the Cavallos for the past month, though. They are marvelous, in my opinion. Drummer loves them too, which is more to the point. They are easy to get on/remove,
there is no or virtually no rubbing without pastern wraps, the drain holes work well (my horses live out and have access to swamp),the
soles don’t clump up,there aren’t any fancy buttons to get lost, nothing superfluous to requirement, as it were. They are soft, but firm, and sturdy. And the price is really right.
Lorna
Kingston,Ontario
February 24, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I used Hoofwings Hoof Boots on my 1,000 mile horseback trip from the California coast to the Texas/New Mexico state line, mid-March to mid-June ‘06. I was extremely pleased with their performance.
My horse, Cisco, wore them for less than 50% of the ride time. The remainder of the time he was barefoot.
He showed no signs of rubbing from the Hoofwings, except for minor hair loss around the back of the pastern joints - this after many hours of wear.
The Hoofwings did not turn on his very round, low heeled hooves, either. He
had incredible traction on rock and pavement. They are very easy to put on and take off, using a hoof pick, if your fingers are not strong.
We went to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the Hoofwings, a very challenging trial. We were under the scrutiny of the Havasupai Indian guides, who were completly surprised by the Hoofwings’ outstanding performance.
I loved how confident Cisco felt, and I was able to enjoy almost 500 miles of carefree riding. The Hoofwings are still servicable.
Hoofwings makers Frank Orza and Mary Winn are very knowledgeable and kind people. They truly have hearts for the horse.
(See Hoofwings at http://www.hoofwings.com.)
March 31, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I bought a pair of just the regular Easyboots, with no gaiter. Since these are my first ‘try’ with hoof boots, I wanted something inexpensive and with the least chance of rubbing. Without a gaiter, these boots really can’t rub unless they are somehow applied wrong or perhaps the wrong size.
They were surprisingly easy to learn how to get on and off, although there was a bit of a learning curve. My first attempt at getting them on took about 20 minutes. Now, after some practice, it’s usually around 5 minutes to pick out the feet, put the boot on, tighten cable, and close the buckle. They’re also not too horrible to get off, either. I don’t even need a screwdriver, just occasionally use the hoofpick to help get them off.
As for their actual use, I’m pleasantly surprised how well they’ve stayed on so far. I’ve only ridden on gravel, as that’s what I bought them for, but have done all 3 gaits as well as a few acrobatic maneuvers thanks to miss drama mare! They haven’t BUDGED, not once. I think folks who complain these boots come off aren’t tightening them enough, as I do have to use my boot to get the buckle down. If I can get it down with my hand, I think it is too loose.
Maresie is very comfortable in them, and can’t even really trot comfortably on gravel without them. With them, she’s totally confident and MOVES OUT, it’s great! The breakover on them I’m still wondering a bit about, if it needs to be brought further back or not. If I decide it does, I may ask my farrier to file them a bit for me or something. But we’ll see!
Overall, best $70 (with shipping and all) I’ve spent on my horse. I’m kicking myself for not trying these sooner!!!
April 15, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I no longer shoe my horse Kub because after 10 miles of trail riding he was pulling his shoe off (he has arthritis in his hocks so his back legs tend = to go straighter when tracking). I tried a few things (easyboot - it’s not easy!!! And the easyboot bare/epic (can’t remember which) - with 3 people trying to get this boot on, forget it). I spoke to someone who does long distance trail rides and has used Old Macs and Cavallos. He actually liked the Cavallos better (less parts to break off). So I tried them and have been using them for 2 years now. I love them. My guy goes barefoot in his fields but I put the Cavallos on for trail riding, lunging etc. We go for 15+ mile trail rides (plus hunter paces) with them, never have to worry about muddy areas(how many people look down to see if their horses lost a shoe after going through a muddy section) and he jumps well with them on (last fall we did quite a few 3 footers in Dover MA.). Their web site is http://www.cavallo-inc.com/horseboots.html but you can get them through Dover Saddlery or (without having to pay for shipping or taxes) through KV Vet or Valley Vet. A pair run $119.
You can put them on when the horse has shoes on but you do want to talk to them about it since you’re supposed to do something (put something between the shoe and the hoof boot). Since I don’t ride that way… I’m not sure how it goes.
These hoof boots are really easy to put on. All the straps etc are Velco. No tools needed. They are awesome (especially when you have a horse that kept pulling shoes off, it was really nice to find something that I didn’t have to worry about).
April 17, 2008 at 3:50 am
I’ve used Cavallo boots (sold by Valley Vet or the Cavallo website) very successfully for two years. I think they are sooooo easy to put on and my horse loves them. The only things I didn’t like were that they are made more for a round hoof and my mare’s hoof is more oval in shape (longer than it is wide) so there is a little slop in the fit and that they don’t have great traction on wet grass. The loose fit isn’t a problem except when cantering and doing sharp turns where it just worries me, but she’s never had a problem with them. I want a higher
performance boot that I can go XC in this year that has the option of adding studs for wet grass, so I’m switching her to Marquis boots, but they are very pricey. The good thing about them is that when they’re worn out, all you have to do is unscrew the sole plate and replace that
for $20/a piece instead of buying totally new boots.
June 21, 2008 at 7:45 am
Ah - the quest for the perfect hoof boot! I have a pony can’t keep metal shoes on so I got some Old Mac G1s and these have served well - they have never come off and as long as I use the pastern wraps they don’t rub. The main problem I have with them is riding through mud - my pony panics now as the boots make it hard for him to get his feet out and they get in a real state. I now remove them for the muddy bits but it’s a bit of a fiddle. I have galloped in them but one did break and although I have had it repaired I now remove them before fast work as that’s always on grass.
I did try the Marquis boots but hated them! I think this is mainly because my pony has very round hooves and however hard I pumped them up they weren’t going to fit properly. I lost the fiddly valve caps almost immediately and had to carry the pump everywhere - not for me!
Has anyone any experience of the Renegade boots - or any recommendations for boots that are good in wet and muddy conditions?(I’m in the UK - so mud is a constant problem!)