Hoof boots and why I don't use them(!)

Someone emailed me recently asking what sort of hoof boots and pads I use for rehabilitation and I am afraid the answer is none :-)

Before I go further, I should say that I have nothing against (proper!) hoof boots, and there are of course situations when they are very useful BUT I think they need to be used with care and (as with everything) with awareness of their drawbacks, and thats the reason for this post.

When not to use boots

When rehabilitating a horse who has had long term lameness, I need to know precisely what that horse's feet are capable of.  If I simply slap a pair of boots on a horse with weak feet it would be easy to over-estimate how sound they are and therefore over-estimate what work is appropriate.  Without boots I can see and feel if a horse is genuinely comfortable and landing correctly or not, and adjust what we are doing accordingly.

There are also several practical reasons behind my dislike of boots.  They don't always fit terribly well - and some of the ones which DO fit well are difficult to get on and off.  Boots have a tendency to twist on horses who don't move perfectly straight and can rub if they aren't a good design and a close fit.  Some designs, particularly the older ones, have poor traction and can be downright dangerous on the sort of wet, slippery ground which is common with us.

With rehab horses particularly, their feet often have angle changes and wall deviations which are not factored into the design of the average boot.  Most boots are made with a symmetrical hoof in mind but many rehab horses simply do not have this type of hoof, making well-fitting boots nearly impossible.

There are physiological drawbacks too, as working horses in boots results in less stimulation to the hoof.  Stimulus is essential for strengthening the feet so working without boots will tend to result in a stronger hoof.  Its essential with rehab horses for the frog and caudal hoof to remain as strong as possible and roadwork without boots is a good way to ensure this.

Last but not least, boots (in both horses and humans) reduce proprioception but actually do not provide much additional shock absorption.  Without awareness of a hard surface (ie: proprioception) stride length increases and so does concussion.   Using boots on a hard surface can therefore increase concussion without increasing shock absorption - trotting on tarmac is not necessarily a better idea just because your horse has boots on.

When boots can be a good idea

By using the tracks and surfaces here, I can usually ensure that horses can move comfortably even when they have weak feet and I don't need to work them on tougher surfaces until they are ready.  However if you have no choice but to work on tough surfaces but you have a horse whose feet aren't able to cope with that, then booting is a better option than not working at all.

Similarly, if you have a horse with hooves which are weak because of circumstances outside your control (for instance a metabolic problem or illness or simply being on a yard where there is too much grass) then boots are a good way of boosting what that horse's feet are capable of even when you can't improve the overall health of the hoof.