Hoof Boot Reviews? PLEASE!!

Hi !
We were considering getting a pair of hoof boots for Sam (the farrier helped us determine he is soft soled/tender footed) to protect his feet and keep him comfy and non-gimpy.

We were considering either;
The Easyboot Epic
Old Mac's G2
Cavallo Simple boot

I am in favor of the Cavallo boot, as it is cheaper, and I like it's design and the Old Mac's design better than the Easyboot, but the Old Mac's are more expensive.
I'd like to know what every one else's experiences with these three boots (one or the other) and what the pros and cons are.

Your input is most appreciated! Sam will be most happy to get boots!

I would personally steer clear of the Cavallos if you are going to be using the boots a lot. My barefoot trimmer (an endurance rider) told me they don't go the distance and tend to wear out pretty quick. A girl at my paddock has a pair, which she uses on occasion if the ground is really hard or her horse is tender after a trim, but she says she wouldn't get them if she had to ride in them all the time. I don't think the design is very good, and when she rides her horse in the Cavallos I can see them moving around on his foot.

Don't know much about the Old Mac's, ecept for the fact that my trimmer said she prefered the Easyboot range, but each to their own and I can't speak on personal experience. They do look better than the Cavallos though!

I have tried Easyboot Epics, not the ones with the buckle on the front, but an old proto-type that my trimmer loaned to me. They were great once you got the hang of getting them on, was a struggle the first few times, but definitely worth it for my horse's comfort.
I really like the design of the Easyboots, where they have the gaiter (sp?) that wraps around the pastern. I have heard that boots like the Old Mac's and such can rub the pastern, but again, can't speak from experience if that is true. Never had a problem with the Epics and I've had my horse in them all day at Pony Club.
I had to give the Epics back, and so bought myself a pair of the new Easyboot Edges. Havent' ridden in them yet, just got them in the post yesterday, but I will let you know how they go after my ride tommorrow.

Here are my 2 cents:

1. I have Easyboot Epic and Bare. Bare are easier to deal with (because of no adjustments), Epic is tighter around the hoof, but you have to deal with that wire on front to tight. Worked great for me in different conditions (mud, stream, rocks), didn't rub, didn't loose. And yes, that gaitor does wonder and keeps the boot in place. :)

2. Old Macs - VERY bulky and hard to put on (in my opinion)

3. Cavallo - got them and returned them back very next day. Bulky, and actually we were not even able to tight them around the leg on top, so they were very loose.

I was told by number of people to try new Easyboot Glove: they have no hardware on front. Need to measure them very, very good though. But I'm really thinking about trying.

BTW, the cheapest boots are at valleyvet.com (from what I could find). They also have free shipping and great service.

We have 9 barefoot Horses.

Have tried all three:

The Easyboot Epic ---- Hated Them, always getting hung on something and coming off, also oversteppers pull them off too.

Old Mac's G2 ----- This new style is very nice, only had them for 6 months, but so far a "Winner" -- PS, Original Old Macs were not great!

Cavallo Simple boot ------ If you do not trim the hooves ever 3 weeks or less they are Very difficult to get on, they lasted about a year with hard use and two years with the 2-3 times a month crew.


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Yeah, the person who told me they liked the Cavallo was someone who had ponies in the house - hence the boots. They weren't very happy with the Old Mac's (But they could have meant the old ones, too). And, the farrier at the barn swears by the Old Mac's.
But oh, I'm confused! The guy at the tack shop said that the Old Mac's wore out quicker. So, the Easyboot? Or Old Mac's?

So confusing....

Oh, and just FYI, Sam's feet are the type that need to be trimmed every three weeks in spring/summer. I might surf the web and see some other reviews.

But, if we only want the boots for protection, not traction, can the soles be worn down more?

I have the "old" old macs, had them for about 8 years now and they are still going strong. I mainly use them for trail riding if we know we are going on crummy trails. I have also used them for sporting events when I knew I was competing on crap grounds and I jump in them occasionally too!
I find them a little complicated to get on but my boys are patient and once they are on they are fine. I have only had one instance when one came off, I was cantering through mud and only one of four boots came off so I think it was my error in not doing it tight enough.

Pics here if you wanna see them in action, lots of people where rather curious when I wore them to the show...
pintopony
Jumping
pintopony


That's it for pics, I know I have trail pics but I don't know where they are :) but I can vouch for the "old" old mac boot and I trust that the company are still making a decent product :)

Well... I went riding in my new Edge boots today, and I thought they were great! Easy to get on and off thanks to the worm clamp/key system, good traction even though I rained yesterday and last night and the ground was slick and muddy, and really comfy for my horse as I put pads in them. They get a thumbs up from me!

I used to swear by Boa Boots but have learned to prefer the easyboot epics. Both those plus the old macs are made by the same company, just different styles. I find the epics are easiest to put on, rub/irritate the least (not at all - as opposed to boas which can rub) and the epics are all below the coronary band with any hard plastic to promote circulation whereas the old macs and boas go above.

I think I'll be going for them too. Are those clips are easy to deal with?

Absolutely! Much better than the old style buckle. You can loosen the boot right up, so it's easy to get on, then make it nice and tight again without having to wrestle with wire and clips.