# boots on fronts but not on rears?



## teakwood (Aug 20, 2014)

How many of you just boot front hooves and not backs?


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## Rainaisabelle (Jan 2, 2015)

I do  I use equine fusion jogging shoes for my boy.


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## Bondre (Jun 14, 2013)

Me too. I use Easyboots on her fronts as she has thin soles and needs protection, whereas her hinds hooves are fine.

Generally front hooves need more protection as they carry more weight than the hinds (65:35), and when moving are subject to much greater stresses and concussion from ground impact than the hinds hooves. Which of course is why horses generally show chronic lameness(founder and navicular) up front.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

On my little guy who was foundered when I got him, I use a pair of Boas on the front only. It makes all the difference when he has to carry a rider on the gravel. I've never seen him act like he had any concerns about the rears. A horse carries something like 70% of his weight on the front legs.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I cannot keep Renegades on the back feet, so I only use them on the front. So body needs to make boots triangular for the rear, lol!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

If a horse is flat-footed, they may need boots on the back as well.

The horse in my avatar was flat footed and would sore up on his hinds before his fronts, if I tried to keep him barefoot. We did a lot of riding in the rocks and shale at that time and back then boots were too new for me to be spending experimental money on them and they might not last, or stay on.

I kept shoes on him all the way around. I would imagine the same principle applies with boots, if the horse is flat-footed


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## Eole (Apr 19, 2013)

I boot in front only. Rarely, I boot all four when I do a very rocky long ride. Using Renegade-Vipers-EB Gloves, depending on the horse.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

My old horse has one odd shaped front, so depending on where we are in the trim cycle, I'll use easy boot trails. Love how easy they are to use.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

My guy has sensitive rear feet. I've seen it with shoes and I've seen it with boots. Put 'em on the front makes only a small difference to his soundness and willingness over gravel, but protect the rears and he has a whole new way of going.

So, while many horses just need front protection, there are some that need rear protection. All you can do is experiment a little and see what your horse prefers. For my guy, I don't bother with fronts only, because it makes little difference. He's either completely bare or protected all the way around. I've considered booting just the rears, but that seems a little weird, and if I'm gonna do something, all four just makes mores sense to me.


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Miss Lacy only needs boots on the front and Sonny boy and Mister Jack only get front boots.....GF rides her horses with all four.....so I guess it depends on the horse?:runninghorse2:


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## apachetears (Oct 27, 2014)

teakwood said:


> How many of you just boot front hooves and not backs?


I use easyboots just on the front.
I've used them on all four but it seems the fronts are the ones that help most.
I ride sometimes on gravel roads and that's where you need them, if it's large chunk gravel I'd put on all four.


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

Just like shoes, some horses only need them on front, some all around. We ride on mostly gravel, some of it very large, and both my mare and my partner's mule do better in front boots. In general they don't show any tenderness on the hinds and will trot out on gravel just fine.


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## saddlebred99 (Feb 19, 2015)

I put polo wraps on his front legs and boots on his back legs. When I first got my boy he knocked his back legs together and had swollen fetlocks for a while so I've kept boots on his back legs ever since on account of vet recommendation.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

saddlebred99 said:


> I put polo wraps on his front legs and boots on his back legs. When I first got my boy he knocked his back legs together and had swollen fetlocks for a while so I've kept boots on his back legs ever since on account of vet recommendation.


I think you may be thinking of brushing boots, not hoof boots


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## saddlebred99 (Feb 19, 2015)

Ohh, that would make a bit more sense, haha. Thanks!


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