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Horse Care and Comfort

Cavallo hoof boots

Hello! 100 lessons completed

I have a horse I am training and his front feet are sore. Which Cavallo boots would work best. Been wet here (Alberta) but now dry. The feet probably got softer from all the moisture.

vicci - UK (North Wales)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed

Hi Stephen, I have little knowledge of boots generally as I've never used them. I'm sure many others here will help but I wonder if you could just give a bit more info. How old is he, what's his story? Is he shod or barefoot? Has he been shod and is now barefoot, if so how long have shoes been off? When you say 'sore', in what way, too touch, lame, ...or? What's the training regime and on what surface? Are there any other underlying conditions whereby this might be a symptom rather than the main issue?

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

I have tried the ankle velcrose strap boots, and the trial riding boots designed for riding out but neither are as good as they are advertised to be and neither are suitable for leaving on your horse when free. The trial riding boots seemed better for my purposes i. e. for the occasional ride out on a gravel road when shoeing proves to expensive or for a ride when a shoe has come off and you need to wait for a farrier. I have also tried the higher stripped on boot and the clamp on boot designed for injuries but neither are very suitable for more than a few days as they rub the hoof and do not allow sufficient air into the hoof so the hoof becomes even softer. Pity I don't have photos. I could take some for you but in my opinion none are much good. Vicci has asked a number of questions which would help us with our advice so look forward to your answers to those. The best I can suggest is to have a good farrier/ or vet check his hooves so that you can identify the problem - he may have some infection in his hoof from all the damp e.g. Seedy toe, mud thrush or mud fever, and to try to keep him out of the mud as much as possible - drier paddock, sand yard or stable - until his hoof recovers and/or grows. I currently have one with seedy toe for the same reason as it is very wet and muddy here. The farrier has cut the hoof away to expose the infection to air and I am rubbing methylated spirits on it or Benadine twice a day with a tooth brush to try to kill the infection. The farrier says NO boot or bandage as that will just help the infection to grow. I had been pushing cotton wool soaked in Benadine up it and secured with Duc Tape as that is what a vet has told me to do in previous cases. Quite a difference between vet advice and that of an experienced highly qualified professional farrier. Good luck with it and look forward to seeing your answers to Vicci's questions.

beryl
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Hi Stephen, I tried 2 different types of boots on my mare, but neither worked for her; both twisted round & rubbed, one pair, after trying 2 different sizes after A 1 HOUR RIDE HAD RUBBED A HUGE AREA OF THE BULBS OF HER HEELS AWAY, (sorry hit caps lock.)
I would never use boots again, i personally think they are dangerous as they're very likely to come off at a faster pace which could turn you both over!
Without knowing your answers to vicci's questions it's difficult to say more.
It may be that you are just doing too much too soon & not giving your horses feet a chance to adapt to barefoot work or the amount of work asked; the feet will gradually adapt & produce more growth to keep up with the work, but it will take time.
If this is the case, you need to start off by working on softer ground such as grass or a school then add a few minutes on the road, you may need to just lead on the road to start with & gradually build this up until you work at a consistent level.
You are right about the feet getting soft in the wet weather & on wet ground, but if the horse is used to working barefoot, & you don't ask for too much, he should be fine.
In any case, you need to stop working him until his feet are no longer sore.

JoHewittVINTA
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Hi. I have barefoot ponies. I do not use boots & none of mine have ever been shod. However, my old horse (of 24 years) was shod. During those 24 years we had many dry summers where the ground cracked & many horses went lame due to concussion. In 1970 my then farrier gave me a tip to grow heathy hoof quicker. I have refined the mix. Melt either beef dripping or lard & as soon as it is liquid add 20 o/o vegetable oil & 10 mils tea tree oil. This will cool to be the consistency of spreadable butter. It can be applied as often as you like but not when the farrier is visiting - too slippery! It has worked on many horses and even helped one who the farrier described as 'trying to nail into sponge'.

beryl
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The only things i use on my laminitic barefoot mare (works barefoot)if occasionally Naf Hoof Moist, which is a water based gel to prevent the hoof drying out too much in very dry conditions & the other thing is Leucillin to treat Thrush, which unfortunately, both of mine are prone to, Ebony more than Libby.
Oils covering the walls do stop the feet from breathing.
To encourage growth, i believe, it's best to keep the coronary band soft & supple as thats where the majority of the wall grows from. The wall once it's grown cannot change significantly, so you can only really affect the new growth.
The most significant thing you can do to produce GOOD new growth is to make sure the horses nutritional needs are correctly met either with a good feed balancer or vit / min supplement.

vicci - UK (North Wales)
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Excellent point Beryl!

JoHewittVINTA
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The tea tree oil clears up and prevents thrush and the mix keeps the coronet band supple. Hoof growth is healthier and faster - as are my nails from applying by hand.

JoHewittVINTA
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The tea tree oil clears up and prevents thrush and the mix keeps the coronet band supple. Hoof growth is healthier and faster - as are my nails from applying by hand.

Tiggy, Tears
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Beryl, my old farrier told me to mix stockholm tar & salt for thrush, it does work, been using it on mates horse in the cleft of his frog, every other day, it dried up within a week of doing.
Stephen, I tried the Boa boots on my boy in front when we couldn't get shoes on him, you do need the pattern wraps as they rubbed his coronary band above his toe! I was not impressed & that was after a couple of times on.

stephen
Hello! 100 lessons completed

I ended up ordering some simple boots from Cavallo. I talked to the lady and she said they helped her horses on gravel. This horse is a 3 yr old that I am training for a client. He was not sore when he came so I think it was the moisture/ mud in his pen. It was super wet and now it is dry. he is doing somewhat better. I can feel a softer spot on his foot. I did ride him on the gravel along the edge of the road before he got sore. He only has about 25-30 rides. Hopefully the boots will work. Thanks everyone for your help and comments.

Becky C
Hello!

For anyone else that reads this thread, I cannot recommend the renegade hoof boots highly enough. They are extremely hard wearing and fit nicely without hindering the movement and I think out of a lot of boots they look good too. A few people round my area hunt in them also across ploughed fields etc and like them

jane
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Who knows about which hooves to place the simple boots on? Front rear? The roads that I will be riding on are very rocky and slippery....Mud in the winter..I am doing light weight trail riding...

slowpaddlesharon
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I have used the Cavallo brand for 8 yrs and never had a rub. I put them on fronts only.The rears don't seem to need them but do watch for chips at the hoof edges if it's very rocky. In all that time I have only lost 1 boot and that was in a thick, gooy bog and the boot was old. Started out with the Simple and now use the Trek because these will go either right or left. also check whether you need a reg. or slim which they now make and my Paso has very small feet so these are a blessing! Tread seems to be the same type on all and they drain well. Good luck and try e-bay for used ones before you commit to the expensive ones! Sharon