EasyBoots Hoof Boots for Your Horse

Easyboot Epic Horse Boot

Hoof boots are often an important part of a management strategy for barefoot horses.

Horse hoof boots are a good horse shoeing choice in several circumstances:

• When temporary shoes are necessary for a barefoot horse (i.e. during an endurance ride)
• When transitioning a horse from being traditionally shod to being barefoot
• To protect an injured hoof
• To help protect the sole of a traditionally shod horse's foot or to help him gain more traction

The First Step in Getting the Best Boot: Measure Your Horse's Hoof Carefully

When buying hoof boots for your horse, the first and most important step is to accurately measure your horse's foot. Until you've gotten your horse's hoof measurements, it's not really possible to determine which make or model of boot will be suitable for your horse.

When measuring your horse's foot, it's important to follow the measuring instructions that are issued by the boot manufacturer. For example, if you're interested in buying Easyboots, you'll need to follow the measuring instructions provided by their manufacturer, EasyCare, Inc. It's important to follow the measuring instructions very carefully because a difference of just a few millimeters (one-tenth of an inch or so) can have a big impact when it comes to determining your horse's boot size.

Hoof Measuring Advice From the Experts

According to one of EasyCare, Inc.'s customer service representatives, there are a couple common mistakes that people make that often prevent their horse from getting a correctly fitted boot:

Mistake #1: Measuring hooves when they're long and "grown-out".

To ensure that your horse gets a good-fitting boot, it's important to measure the hoof right after it has been freshly trimmed.

Mistake #2 Measuring the wrong part of the horse's hoof

According to an EasyCare customer service representative, the most common mistake that people make is measuring the wrong parts of the horse's hoof. A specific example? Including the heel bulb of the horse's foot in the hoof measurement when measuring for EasyBoot brand boots as opposed to measuring only the weight-bearing portions of the hoof. Avoid this mistake by reading the manufacturer's hoof measuring instructions very carefully.

Selecting the Best Hoof Boot for Your Horse

• EasyBoot (EasyBoot Epic, Edge, Bare, etc.)
• StrideEquus (Marquis boot)
• Boa Horse Boot
• Old Mac's (G2 & Original)
• Rohner's Swiss Horse Boot (these need to be custom fitted and are not widely available in the United States )

When selecting the best hoof boot for your horse, first and foremost, you need to pick one that will fit him well. Once you've figured out which hoof boots will fit your horse, you'll need to determine what kind of riding you want to do in the boots, and what kind of terrain you'll be riding on.

Some boots, such as Old Mac's, are designed for shorter rides and lighter use than other boot models. The trade off? Boots intended for shorter rides are often easier to put on and take off than boots designed for long rides.

Here are some factors to consider when deciding which model of horse boot to buy

• The distance you will be riding in them, or whether or not you'll be riding in them at all (both in terms of ride length and miles per week).
• What kind of surface you will be riding on. Different boot models have different tread patterns to accommodate the specific types of footing that you anticipate encountering. Also, your riding surface, specifically how much brush, loose rock, etc. you will encounter, will affect the performance and longevity of boot buckling systems.
• Your horse's hoof shape and size. This can't be overstated!
• Ease of putting the boot on and taking it off. Some boot models are easy on, easy off. Others can be challenging to put on and remove, which can be a major source of frustration.

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