Hoof Boots

I'm looking into getting some hoof boots for Soda. He's always been a little ouchy on gravel, but since moving him to my parent's place it's gotten a lot worse. It's to the point where he's constantly ditch diving on the shoulders which isn't safe because of glass/trash/holes/etc in the grass.

I'd rather not shoe him, mostly because of the expense and the difficulty of finding (and keeping) a decent farrier. Unfortunately I'm not able to change the environment he's in currently so I won't be able to toughen him up by putting gravel/rocks in the paddock. The ground is all soft dirt, grass, and mud so he's basically adapted to his main surface. Unfortunately it doesn't work for trail riding....

24/7 pasture turnout, free choice hay, minimal grain, and a hoof supplement that was started 3 months ago. The supplement may help a bit, but I'm not pinning my hopes on it. He's been barefoot for at least 4 yrs now and probably his entire life so it isn't an issue of acclimating from being shod. Just tender hooves/feet.

Soooo.... Any recommendations? They'd be used for trail riding on surfaces ranging from gravel to grass. Generally flat but occaisionally some hills. I'm not worried about it for arena or competative work as he doesn't have any problems in dirt/sand. It would be nice to go for a good gallop down the gravel roads without fighting to keep him out of the ditch.

I had the best results with Easyboot Edge and Bare.

You can do some search on easyboot here at the forum - you'll find bunch of threads similar to yours so you can read more opinions there on all kinds of boots.

I've heard great things about cavallo. They have a website you can check out, just google it. Best of luck!

*face palm* I knew I should've searched. Never fails when I don't search there's a bunch of threads out there. Probably a really recent one too!

I'll check those out, thanks guys!

Cavallo were the worst I tried. I returned them back to the store after just one try. Old Macs are very bulky and take forever to put on. I've heard Renegades are very nice too, but you have to measure really good for that one. Same with Easyboot Gloves - they are great but have to be very good fit.

Really? Well go with kittenval's suggestion since have only heard through the grapevine!

The problem with cavallos they were not tight enough around the leg, so they moved (while Easyboot uses gators to keep the boot in place). BUT it definitely depends on horse, on shape of the hoof and on preference. I know some people use cavallos all the time.

Tigerstripes, you really have to look at the shape of the hoof. Easyboot (Edge, Bare, Epics, Gloves) more designed towards the oval hoof, Cavallos - towards round. I have a feeling Renegades are also good for round, but I may be wrong.

He definitely has more oval shaped hooves. I should post a pic on here. Thanks for your help!

The Cavallo's have been the best I've tried, and believe me I've tried them all. I had the same issue with both of my Quarter horses. They had healthy feet and were fine in pasture or riding in the arena but on trails where the terrain wasn't what they were used to they were ouchy and wanted to pick their way to the softest part of the trail....which is usually in the trees or in the ditch! The Cavallo boots have been the easiest to use and the most comfortable for my horses, and I have never lost a boot!! A problem I had regularly with the Easyboots. If your horse has oval shaped hooves then the new Cavallo Sport boots would be great for him! Check out their website at www.cavallo-inc.com.