Barefoot transitioning: Hoof Boot Q & A

Now that more and more people are reading my blog, I get a lot of feedback and requests from people about topics that they would like to see covered.  I’m definitely not running short on ideas anytime soon, which is great!

At any given time I’ve got at least a dozen or more posts in draft stage that I’m working on.  If you’d like to make a suggestion to see something covered, let me know.  Click on the link and email me, or let me know at a ride.

It goes without saying that I get a LOT of questions about hoof boots. Here are some from an email I got from a rider in the central region.

Q: How did you acclimate your horses to being able to do miles and miles of trotting with boots on?

A:  Start out slowly doing mostly trot and walk.  Gradually increase the distance and terrain types.  You’ll know after a few rides how the horse is doing with the boots.  Carefully check for interference marks and consider using splint or ankle boots if your horse is getting dinged.  There are two schools of thought with using protective leg boots.  One is that if a horse never learns that whacking himself hurts, he won’t try as hard to avoid doing it.  The other is that the boots protect the legs so using them prevents an unnecessary wound or injury.  I recommend only using the boots if your horse needs them or if you are riding on technical trails or in rough country.  Protective boots can also cause problems themselves on sensitive skinned horses or in high heat conditions.

After a few rides in your hoof boots build up your speed to faster trotting and a canter.  Give your horse at least a handful of rides in them before adding any fast speed.  This will give you time to get your boots broken in and tinker with any adjustments and fitting issues that you may have.

If you are going to be riding in endurance rides with hoof boots then plan on having a boot come off.  I’m not saying it will (odds are, it will tho), but to “plan” on it happening.  I like to do this in a controlled environment such as a nice solid round pen.  I also like to do this sans rider.  Some horses are more reactive than others so it’s always a good idea for them to learn that a boot coming off and being attached around the ankle isn’t going to eat him.  I don’t have a single horse that hasn’t had this happen at least once.  Pre planning by having your horse hobble broke ahead of time is always a plus.  Click here to see a previous post I did on hobbling.

It is never a good idea to put hoof boots on a horse for the first time and do an endurance ride.  Oh yeah, it’s been done.  It’s just not in your horses best interest.  There’s too much chance for something to go wrong and harm your horse.  It’s much better to be prepared and give your horse plenty of time to acclimate to using boots.  I recommend using four boots rather than two so that you can even out the break over.

A good rule to follow is to try and do the mileage you will be riding in an endurance ride during a week period prior to the actual endurance ride.  So, if you are going to be riding a 50 next month pick a week prior to that and ride enough with boots on so that you are covering a total of 50 miles during that week period.  That may not be practical for those doing 100′s or 5 day rides but you get the general idea.  Basically, that you aren’t doing something at a ride that you haven’t done at home before.

Q: Did they have any  trouble adapting to the increased bulk on their feet or the added weight?

A:  It varies by horse.  If the horse is young or just getting started then it may not just be the boots that is the problem.  It took Chief many, many months to get over being boot challenged.  He first had to learn how to carry himself and move without interfering and stepping all over himself.  The boots only exacerbated the problem.  I have had other horses adapt almost immediately to using boots.  There will be less chance of having a problem if you are starting with an already fit horse that has a properly trimmed natural hoof (assuming you are not using boots over shoes).

Q: Do you find that with boots on the horses tend to slip on surfaces such as large flat rocks or very slick grassy areas (where the grass is mowed very short and is dry & slick)?

A:  That also depends a lot on each horse and their experience level.  It can take a long time for a horse to learn how to go through various types of slippery terrain regardless of what type of hoof protection they are using.  Unfortunately it takes riding in slippery terrain for a horse to become proficient at it.  All you can do is slow down and proceed carefully and cautiously when approaching terrain that might be slick.  In some situations, it’s good to get off and lead through on foot.  If your horse does start to slip and slide, remain calm and try not to panic.  Some surfaces are going to be slippery no matter what.

For most of this season I always chose to ride Chief on any days where it rained or it looked like we might have muddy trails.  i did that because Chief has the most mud experience.  Over time, I gained confidence with Bo as he gradually gained more experience in the mud.  I rode him on the middle day at Bryce this year which was muddy in the morning.  It turned out to be a great learning experience for him.  Now I may have a harder time deciding which horse to take if the footing is going to be slippery.