Mini boots

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Minimor

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I had a call from a friend this morning; she wanted to know what kind of boots I would recommend for her to buy--she's driving a lot on a gravel road now that the weather has turned dry & the ground is rock hard, her gelding is getting a bit tender footed. I told her I'm not much help because I've had no experience at all with the Mini boots on the market, nor have I heard much about any of them. she doesn't have a computer so I said I would post her question for her & let her know what I find out!

I know someone that uses the sabre sneakers, but only for driving short distances on gravel/pavement, then once she's on dirt she removes the sneakers. Will the sneakers hold up to a lot of road work, or are they too soft & will wear out quickly?

My friend was looking at the Bare Boot, the Easy boot and the Barrier Boot...which one will work the best for driving? The catalogue says the Bare Boot is harder to put on than the Easy Boot--how much harder? Is the Barrier Boot easy to put on? Which boot stays on the best? Which one is the most comfortable for the horse? Which one will wear the best/longest?

Please give me your reviews on these boots! (Do Old Mac's come in Mini size? I'm familiar with them, but only in large horse size.)
 
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Great post. I was about to post similar so I thought I would just add it here. I am also looking for what I should use for driving boots. I do not have a lot of flat space to drive on other than the road. Some of the road has a large grassy area on the side we can go on, but mostly not. My stallions love to drive. We have benefits of living in a community with a high population of Amish, so along with having some great friends and reliable people who can take care of the animals when I am gone, we also have a community that is already expecting to see horse carts on the road. In fact there is a horse and buggy next twelve miles warning sign across the street from our property as people enter that stretch of road.

So, I am also in the market for boots, and advice on them.
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Has anybody used them??? I just moved and I pretty much have to drive on roads. So they would be a great idea if they prevent them from getting sore on pavement. Just wondering if they work good.
 
I have had good luck with the Easy Boot w/ Gaitor, PONY size-which is their smallest; they do NOT make a 'Mini' boot, despite some advertising to the contrary(not by the Easy Boot people, but by some mini suppliers who are selling them!) This on a 38" mare, however.

I also have a pair of the 'original' Easy Boots in PONY size, that I had 'tweaked' a bit, and have used successfully 'on the road'- not under challenging conditions, such as sucking mud, however-- on a couple of my 34" horses. I had to move the heel strap to its 'frontmost' position, AND cut it off, so they could never be 'returned' to their original condition. I also cut some inserts--sort of like human 'orthotics'--which helped them to fit better. I used the pair on the horses' fronts; because the rear hooves are usually more oval, I don't think even all I did would really have worked well on this size horses, though.

I have NOT used these boots EXTENSIVELY, but have had pretty good luck in my limited use of them.

I have no personal experience with them, but have read good reports on "horsesneakers", made in AZ. They are pretty expensive, but can be sent back to be 're-soled'! If I had a serious need to use boots, I'd consider them myself.

The ones in the link included in another post, I would be leery of, as I think they would not stay in place...plus I don't think leather soles would last long on gravel or hard surfaces! JMO.

As far as I know, neither Boa nor Old Macs nor any of the other 'name' brands even make boots small enough for ANY minis, even large "B"s. Also, I *believe* that Barrier boots are for things like keeping medication in place, not really for wear while 'in use'...?

Margo
 
Thanks Margo for that info on Easy Boots--my friend is driving a 32" horse so it sounds like the Easy Boots would be too big for him. The Ozark catalogue gives the measurements so I'll have to tell her to measure his feet.

Horsesneakers--I'd forgotten about them! I'll have to do a search & get the info on them for her. Thank you for reminding me about them!!
 
Glad you brought this up. Haven't been driving Maggie as much this year because DH hasn't been able to work on my cart path this year and the gravel road can be a bit rough for even Maggie's hooves.

Thanks for letting us know about the "horsesneakers". They might be spendy..but I have a feeling they will be much cheaper in the long run, than trying to find a farrier that makes and can put on, mini horse shoes. (at least in this area)
 
It is very important that you measure your minis feet before purchasing any type of boots. A 30" mini can have bigger feet than a 36" mini. Most of the tack dealers give you measurements - not just the name of the size.

Any of the boots with gaiters will stay on better. Minis have such little feet that it is very difficult to keep boots on. The easyboots with gaiters will fit minis (again you have to measure) and also the Davis barrier boots are made for minis (You can use then to drive in - I have actually had to stuff with a little foam and they work great).

The Sabre Sneakers are not made to drive in - they have a flat non skid sole and seem to be the best for going into nursing homes and such.

I have used all of them and for driving I prefer the easyboot with gaiter - again some of my minis fit in it and some dont.

Ann
 
I was going to buy the EASYBOOT BARE OR EASYBOOT EPIC (an Easyboot with Gaiters) for my "B" MINI.

His feet measure 70mm x 70mm (2 3/4 x 2 3/4). Yes I know that sounds odd and I will talk to the farrier about it next visit.

ANYWAY, even if his toes are longer, he would still not fit into the EASYBOOTS. Their smallest size is W: 78-85mm (3 3/16" x 3 3/8")x L: 85-92mm (3 3/8" x 3 5/8").

He loves to drive and we do it on the roads so i really need to find something for him to wear. I may use the Sabre Sneakers even though they are not really for asphalt. Does anyone have a better suggestion or know of a manufacturer that makes a TRUE mini size boot?
 
I haven't checked these numbers yet but they may help: Sabre Sneakers can be reached at (203) 322-9002. Another small manufacturer of shoes and boots for miniature horses is Supreme Equine Designs. They can be reached at (800) 447-6053.
 
my friend has decided to try the buckle on "shoes" someone posted the link to above--$19.95. When she called she was told that she might have to use duct tape to hold them in place, but she thought they were worth a try anyway. I told her that I had to think that a horse trying to trot in those boots would be much like me trying to run in a pair of thongs (flappers we always called them when I was a kid)...and I can almost feel the pain of a sprained ankle just thinking of that.

goldensorrel, check out the Hoofwings site--they would be close to fitting your horseHoofwings or you could get a pair custom fit for a higher price. These are what I'm planning to buy next spring--can't afford them before then.
 
Wouldn't it be great if someone could figure out how to take the same rubber that is in our stall mats, put a nice snug leather upper on them that would stay in place and we would have a non slip shoe for our minis. They would be so springy also. Or maybe we could have a safe glue that we could use to glue them on instead of nail them and something that would then turn the glue into a nice hoof moisturizer treatment when we wanted to remove the shoe.

Sorry as with all things my mind can see it as clear as day but I couldn't draw it to save my life. If there were just a way to hook my brain to a harddrive or video recorder life would be awesome.
 
goldensorrel, check out the Hoofwings site--they would be close to fitting your horseHoofwings or you could get a pair custom fit for a higher price. These are what I'm planning to buy next spring--can't afford them before then.
Thanks Minimor, I will call them. Wow pricey but it will be worth it if I can get a good fit and they last. Looks like I might have to go custom but I will wait and talk to the farrier about his hoof shape first.... Thanks again.
 
HaHa Shortpig....my mind has been working overtime on how to take leather/rubber from boot soles, figure out a way to attach/hold it on the hoof (maybe lace it up like a boot?????).........so great minds must think along the same lines!!
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Now for the glue....something that holds about 3-5 hours and dissolves into a nice hoof conditioner, that would be great!
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