Every December we pull our shoes off the horses and ride barefoot. If we don't get much snow like this year we ride in Easy Boots. It protects the hoof from wear and tear caused by the limestone trails in our area. We use them until April when we put regular shoes on again.
If put on properly Easy Boots rarely come off. On a trail ride we do check every 1/2 hour for boots so we do not have far to ride back to look for one that came off. In the approximately 150 hours we ride in that 4 month period we may have to look for 1 or 2 lost Easy Boots. If you do not carefully follow the directions that come with Easy Boots you may find they come off more often.
Inside the Easy Boot is a band across the back of the hoof that must be behind the hoof before buckling the boot. The boots come with a strap for the purpose of pulling up the strap that may be under the hoof when putting them on. If the horse is standing on the strap when you tighten the buckle you are not securing the boot to the hoof. The buckle must be hard to close to keep the boot in place. There are several positions to adjust the wires to ensure this.
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Easy Boots with optional ice
studs can make winter riding safer. |
To loosen wires for boot removalinsert a
screwdriver into side of boot and
gently pry away from hoof. |
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(Click Images
to Enlarge) |
Another possible cause of Easy Boots coming off is failure to buy the right size. The hoof is measured at the widest point to determine the Easy Boot size for your horse. That measurement may fall into two boot sizes on the chart. You want the smallest boot your hoof size fits into. Boots that are too large stick out the back of the hoof making it easy for the hind foot to step on the front boot and pull it off. A big opening also collects a lot of mud and stones. Most horses will take one size smaller on the hind than the front.
Taking Easy Boots off can be frustrating the first time. For easy removal insert a screwdriver under the buckle and pop open. Then insert the screwdriver into each side of the boot ( while horse is standing ) and push boot away from hoof wall. This will loosen all the wires. When you pick up hoof and pry boot off with a screwdriver the boot will pop off in one simple move. Once you have the hang of them they are quite easy to put on and take off.
When the trails get icy in winter we use the optional ice studs in our boots for safe riding. When the trails thaw out the studs can be easily removed.
In summer months we found it handy to carry an Easy Boot in the saddle bags in case we lose a shoe on trail. They are especially wise to carry when riding in rocky places like Shawnee National Forest. We have found that catalogs sell Easy Boots for about $30.00 per boot. We get about four years use out of boots that we use four months per year.
Easy Boots come in black or red. We like the red because they are easier to see when covered in mud. If we get hopelessly lost on trail we just have our horses click their red heels together and repeat “There is no place like home. There is no place like home.” Supposedly, the horses know their way home after that.
Using Easy Boots allows the hoof to grow out and wear to a horse’s natural
angle. When you put shoes back on in spring you won’t have old nail holes
close to new nails that can encourage split hooves. If your horse looses
a shoe next summer and your shoer can’t come out for a week you’ll be
saying “So what! I’ll ride in my Easy Boot. Lets ride!”
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