Which boots for a fully feathered fella?

M

Mb23

New Member
Apr 6, 2008
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Hi,

The time has come to get some boots for my hw cob. He's been barefoot all his life but his front feet can't quite cope with the amount of work he's doing and I've decided to get him booted to see if that will fix the problem.

I am new to the barefoot business (only had my horse a couple of months, before then only had shoed horses) and have some very stupid basic questions I would really appreciate if someone could help me with :eek::

How do different boots fit over the hoof? My boy is fully feathered (so that you can't even see his feet as they are completely covered by hair) and I can't see how boots will fit him as his feathers come very low down and are very thick indeed. Do the boots go under the feathers or over? Please don't tell me that I need to shave his legs...:eek::(

Which boots are the easiest to put on? Since I've never dealt with hoof boots before and my boy is a bit worried about anything that happens with his feet (one of the reasons he's getting boots rather than shoes) I need boots that I can whip on and off easily and quickly.

Which boots are the best fit for big, cobby feet that are as wide as they are long? I need something that can cope with a fair bit of fast work and that don't come off in mud.

How often do boots need replacing? We do a lot of hacking on roads and stoney paths and I was going to boot him only for the hacking and leave him 'natural' for turn out, schooling in the manege etc.
 
Hi I use the MARQUIS Boots on my fell pony. She hasn't a lot of feather so not sure about that aspect., but the boots are really good.we ride on very stony tracks and through mud, and they have only come off once - when I hadn't put them on properly in the first place. They take a bit of practice to get on quickly, but my horse was also reluctant to let you touch her feet- she now holds her feet up for me to put the boots on :). The best thing about these boots are that you can buy all replacement parts, rather than having to replace the full boot. Well recommended. Visit their website for sizes.
 
Watching this thread with interest as thinking about this option for my feathered girl! But where on earth do the boots go? *lol* Under doesn't work and over makes the circumference HUGE!

legs.jpg
 
Yep - that could be my boy in the photo, he has very hairy legs! :) If I put the boots on over the feathers will they not rub the feathers off? Anyone?
 
Of the ones I've tried you're probably best off with something like a Boa or Old Mac (if the feet aren't too large for them). I don't see why you couldn't leave the feather over the boot, they fit closely to the hoof and don't really add that much bulk to it. Old Macs may be fiddly to do up if you're fighting to get through a load of feather though. Not used them but Cavallos might work too.
Boas aren't bad unless you do a lot of riding on mud and wet grass, they tend to be a bit slippery, and you also need to make sure the dial isn't causing a pressure point.

Easyboots with a gaiter probably wouldn't work though :D
 
Will the boots fit under the feather at the top of the hoof, though? His feathers grow quite low down over his coronary band and of the boots that I have looked at on various websites I can't see how the boot would fit under the feathers as they would be too high and come to the top of the coronary band. I haven't actually tried any on yet as there are no barefooters at my yard so have only looked on photos on websites so could well be wrong but are there any boots which would stop well before the coronary band to allow for the feathers?
 
Hmmm, not sure, if that's the case. The boots that fit below the coronet (easyboots etc) generally have a gaiter round the pastern, which the feathering might well also cause problems with. You can use easyboots without a gaiter but they don't tend to stay on very well like that.
 
I've put old mac G2s on a proepr chunky hairy cob before (not mine, she has tame little welsh coblet feathers which are no problem), some of the feathers went inside the boots and some outside. The furry bits that were below the top of the boot went in and I just moved the rest to the side to do the buckles and then let them flop back over the boots. They were a tighter fit than on the non-hairy types but the fluff was much less hassle to deal with than putting gaiters inside the boots on the less furry and thinner skinned types.
 
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