# Boots vs Shoes?



## Meister

Alrighty, my equstrian brethren, I have a question for you all:

If one is to train for endurance, should I prep my horse with shoes or boots?
A woman I work with says that shoes are better since boots can slip off in mud and can get filled with water that moistens up the hoof wall.
My mom says that boots are better since we don't risk cracking my horse's hoof wall, and we don't have to pay for new shoes.

I'm just very unsure, and I don't know which one would be best. I just want other peoples' opinions, as I understand that most people here are more experienced. 

What do you think?


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## Celeste

You will find the forum to be equally divided on this subject. I say it is no contest. Shoes are way better than boots. You will find others with the opposite opinion. 

When they wear shoes, their feet are always protected. It doesn't take you a bunch of time to put the boots on. You just saddle up and go. There is no wearing on the fetlock from boots. 

The reason that boots are preferred by many people is that the cost of shoes is so great. The way that I look at it, shoes are cheaper. If my horse is sound, then I have something to ride. If I cheap out and don't use shoes, then I have a horse that I can't ride because he is lame or has a chipped hoof. 

Now I will get attacked by the barefoot Nazis. 

The true question is not whether shoes are better than boots; it is what do the winning competitors do. I suspect they use shoes.


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## SorrelHorse

^ Agreed 100%


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## Falicity

I am divided due to lack of knowledge... i personally use boots on my mare, for:
a) yes, the cost
b) ive been told that shoes weaken the hoof wall
c) she has good feet, although small, and just needs the protection they offer her sole on rocky surfaces. 

however, I may end up shoeing as a more permanant option... also, it would allow me to put in studs for traction when we do jumping or cross country on grass or slippery ground

So basically I was no help at all


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## trailhorserider

I don't endurance ride, but I do ride 5+ hour trail rides in the mountains.

I use Easyboot Epics. I use them because I think my horses feet are healthier barefoot. No contraction, overgrown hooves or crappy farriers to worry about. (Not saying all farriers are crappy of course, I learned from farriers and used to shoe my horses myself). But some of the farriers *I've used* have done a crappy job. And I have enough knowledge to realize when they have done a crappy job! 

I have never lost a boot in the mud and I feel they give BETTER traction over solid rocks and pavement. (Loose gravel not so much though.) And you are actually less likely to get stone bruises because the entire sole is covered. I've never had heel rubs in the Epics either.

To me it comes down to the effort the owner wants to put in. You have to decide if the benefit of boots outweigh the labor involved in fooling around with taking them on and off. I have a friend whose horses are shod. She just gets on and rides and never worries about feet. Unless she looses a shoe. They she is stuck waiting for the farrier. I never have to worry about that. :lol: 

On the other hand, I have to decide at the beginning of a ride whether I want to boot my horse or not based on the terrain. Some rides we go completely barefoot. Some rides I boot before the ride if I know the terrain is rocky. Some rides I carry the boots with me and put them on if I think we are encountering too many rocks. It can be a pain in the butt sometimes I must admit! But I normally only have to boot the fronts. And some rides we don't have to boot at all. And my friends are patient if I need to take a break to put on the boots. 

It works out well for me because I do my own trimming and just totally take care of their feet myself. I look at boots like my own tennis shoes. When I am at home (or the horse is at home) we can go barefoot. If the terrain is fair, the horse can go barefoot. But my horse will be riding in rocks for a prolonged period I put his tennis shoes on. :lol:

Many endurance riders DO use boots. Mostly glue-ons (like the Easyboot shells without the "gaiters." ) Go to Easycare's website and you can learn more about that. 

Mainly it is labor intensive. Shoes are easy. The farrier does all the work. But some people feel the benefits of boots outweigh the hassle. To me the main benefit is keeping my horses barefoot 99% of the time to keep their hooves well maintained and healthy.....which fortunately I am able to do myself. But I admit shoes are easier and if I had to boot all four feet everytime I rode I would probably go back to shoes. If I had to hire a farrier for trims I would probably go back to shoes. But I DO know my horses have wider, less contracted feet barefoot.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with shoes. But I do think there are a lot of owners that don't know their farrier is less-than-great. But if you don't want to hassle with boots *(and it does take a patient person)* then shoes would be the way to go.


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## Celeste

I agree that you can do it either way. I just don't want to do the labor intensive boots. I can take that same effort and put it into my work, take the money, and pay the farrier. 

I do think that the newer boots are probably a lot better than the ones that I tried years ago.


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## Skyseternalangel

Celeste said:


> The reason that boots are preferred by many people is that the cost of shoes is so great. The way that I look at it, shoes are cheaper. If my horse is sound, then I have something to ride. If I cheap out and don't use shoes, then I have a horse that I can't ride because he is lame or has a chipped hoof.


Well cost doesn't matter to me; I chose boots because my horse is doing fabulous barefoot. Though in the 2 months I had been gone at the time he was neglected and his feet got really bad with trimmings, thrush, and he even abscessed. I think putting on a shoe for that case wouldn't have been the best thing. With boots, we can treat it directly and protect when ridden.

Now if all that clears up and the farrier thinks we should get shoes, then I'd do what's best for my horse.


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## its lbs not miles

For the feet a boot is better. It allows the hoof to expand on impact so it's not constricted. You'll have a healthier foot. You also don't have the hoof being degraded by nails, so it will be more sound.

Of course my experience has been that the year I spend getting the hoof hard enough to not need a boot has served me best, but not everyone is going to do that, so boots are the next best thing.


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## Celeste

As a veterinarian, I have seen problems with both ideas.

Shoes can cause contracted heels if they are left on too long.
If shoes are put on at a bad angle, then they can promote navicular lameness.
Either using a bad farrier or leaving the shoes on too long between resets causes a lot of problems.

Barefoot horses can get bruises, abscesses, splits, and excessive wear.

For my horses, in my environment, shoes work best. I have rocks that damage hooves even out in the pasture. Riding barefoot tears their feet up. I'm sure boots would help, but they are also a lot of trouble.

If I lived 25 miles south of here where all the area is sand with no rocks, I would save my shoe money and use it to treat all the sand colics............

I think that there are multiple decisions that we can make and they can be correct. I have a great farrier that does a great job shoeing my horses. 
If my farrier were to retire, I might consider other options.

My husband saw me pay the farrier Friday and I thought he was going to faint............


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## SorrelHorse

I think it's going to depend on the horse too. My mom had an appendix mare named Annie, and Annie couldn't walk over a slightly indented blade of grass barefoot without going lame...She had to have shoes with pads 100% of the time.

However, Rebel has rock hard feet. He can go over the rockiest terrain barefoot withut getting sore if I asked him (Though I normally don't ask him). He did an endurance ride last summer totally barefoot, and the only horse in the race who was. 

Selena gets slightly sore without shoes and HATES boots. We tried our set on her once and she pitched herself a fit. Plus we are riding her strictly in the arena. She gets shoes.


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## Painted Horse

My horses went barefoot for 5 years. Two of my horses had never been shod. So they were around 8 when they got their first shoes. They could travel ANY trail for a day. But I could not ride them multiple days in row. So as long as I was riding Wednesday nights and Saturday, Everything was fine. 

But when I went on multiday pack trips, During hunting season or if we camped out and rode several days in a row, They would get sore. 

I've used most of the boots. I find Boots are more expensive than just getting the horse shod. You pay $100+ per pair. They last for summer if you are lucky. I have ripped gaiters, broken cables and buckles and ultimately lost boots.

I usually bring four hroses. Since I'm the owner, I'm the one usually putting the boots on and removing them. So I spend 30-40 minutes before a ride putting boots on. And usually one stop during the ride to fix a boot that has pulled of or twisted. As long as the rides are walks, They do OK, But if we start cantering, any kind of laterial work, like chasing cows, They twist or come off.

For me, I keep my horses barefoot 9 months of the year now and put shoes on for the heavy riding season when we are out camping and hunting.

I find barefoot horses slip less on granite than horses wearing steel shoes. But the barefoot horse slips more on sandstone, Since the steel shoe and nails seem to bite into that softer rock.

These were new boots that I used for 3 days at Bryce Canyon, Pretty chewed up for 3 days of wear. I just can't afford to replace boots every ride and my horses just can't go barefoot where I ride them

















Sand grit and rocks just really wear on the boots









If they get wet, they trap the sand and it wears on them


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## SorrelHorse

^ I never get tired of seeing your fabulous pictures  If I ever return to Utah, I demand you take me riding. lol


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## Painted Horse

I hope I'm not boring folks, like showing the neighbors my vacation slides.
Hopefully, I'm illustrated the point I try to make.

Last year at Bryce Canyon for Memorial day, My horses rode trails like these the first day and didn't show any soreness..









The second day on trails like this, They just didn't want to move forward. They were done with being barefoot.









If I had given them a day off they usually are fine, But we just can't do 20 miles a day on rocks.


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## Skyseternalangel

So can we agree that it depends on the work and the horse? 

Both are good, in different ways.

Yeah?


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## SorrelHorse

^ Agreed


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## Joidigm

I would like to recommend PLASTIC horse shoes. They are increasingly popular. They can be epoxyed on, or nailed on like a normal shoe. They grip because they have tread, and they flex with the hoof.

I've seen them on two horses in my barn back home, on a Quarter Horse and an American Saddlebred, and both did extremely well. They last too, and can be reused with new trims. And I can say they last through some wear and tear. The QH is a retrained hunter jumper and was used in lessons VERY often. The Saddlebred was recovering from hoof issues, and traveled very well with them on, which I mention particularly because this horse was incredibly sensitive and metal shoes were heavy enough to make her trip up and travel awkwardly.

I'll post the brand as soon as I find out from my instructor.


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## Celeste

Paintedhorse, nobody ever gets tired of your pictures.


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## Painted Horse

I showed you the red rock above. here are some in the granite rock
These horses are all bareboot and did great on this 22 mile ride, but again, I had to boot the second day.


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## ggriffin924

Joidigm said:


> I would like to recommend PLASTIC horse shoes. They are increasingly popular. They can be epoxyed on, or nailed on like a normal shoe. They grip because they have tread, and they flex with the hoof.
> 
> I've seen them on two horses in my barn back home, on a Quarter Horse and an American Saddlebred, and both did extremely well.
> I'll post the brand as soon as I find out from my instructor.


I'd like to find out more about the plastic shoes for my horse, sounds like they might be a good compromise between the boots and metal shoes.


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## Joe4d

I dont see how plastic shoes could hold up. I have worn steel shoes completely down past the nail heads till they fell off in less than four weeks. This was on pea gravel and crush and run.


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## Painted Horse

Joe, Surprisingly, The plastic shoes actually last as long or longer than the steel shoes. They are usually made from the same stuff as Skate Board Wheels. They seems to tolerate the abrasions that wear the steels shoes into knife edges.

My concern with the plastic shoes has been that they still flex slightly, Which is why folks like them. But that flexing allows the nails ( if nailed on) to flex and move, which enlarges the nail hole in the hoof wall. Maybe glueing along with nailing would solve this problem. Something I would have to explore more if I were to try to use plastic shoes.


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## Celeste

It sounds like something that would cost more. I spend enough on steel shoes.


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## Joidigm

The Hoof It's cost between $16 and $24 for a set of two plastic shoes (a pair), depending on the size and where you buy them from. Link to the website > Hoof Care and Farrier Supplies I think the price evens out, because they don't wear as quickly, and you should be able to reuse them for a second shoeing. My instructor does with her hunter jumpers.

As far as I know, the people I know who use these shoes for their horses have had no issues with nails moving with these shoes.










And a quick video.

Shaping the HOOF-it Composite Shoe - YouTube


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## SorrelHorse

I'm very interested in the plastic shoes for my gelding since we only do the one long distance ride. I might consider them.


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## Celeste

I was surprised to find out that steel shoes are about $5 a piece, at least where I found them. So the plastic shoes are about twice the price. I suppose that both could be obtained at better prices in quantity, etc.

Diamond Horseshoes Classic Plain 1 | Anvil Brand horseshoeing supplies


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## livestoride

I think it depends on your horse and the terrain. I have done all my endurance rides compeltely barefoot and my mare's rock hard feet have never chipped, cracked or been sore. We generally take my hubbys gelding and ride either the day before the race or the day after depending on schedule and she has never been sore from the back to back rides. I ahve gotten lectured, stared at and argued with over it since there have been shoes or boots on the other horses at the rides. 

If she was ever sore I would switch to shoes. boots don't seem that much cheaper and seem a lot more work.


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## Joe4d

any links to studies that back up the mileage claims ? Specifically on rocky terrain?


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## its lbs not miles

Joe4d said:


> any links to studies that back up the mileage claims ? Specifically on rocky terrain?


Gordon Naysmith's unshod ride of over 10,000 miles from southern Africa to central Europe back in the 70's. Not sure of the actuall distance, but remember that it was way beyond 10,000 miles. Just not sure how many hundreds/thousands more. (ok, I'm lazy and not going to dig it up :lol

That's a lot of miles and there's certainly a lot of rough terrain just in the Mid East and southern Europe not including Africa. I believe he used a boot or some form of temporary hoof cover once when crossing an area that consisted of jagged volcanic rock. I believe that one case was in Africa, but I'm not positive. It's been a long time since I read his story of the trip, but you might find it on Amazon. 
Gordon Naysmith is a Scottsman who was (and might still be if he's alive) a bit of an adventurer :lol:. Not sure what else he might have been involved in, but he is associated with Britains Geographical Society (whatever it's official name is) so I'm sure he was involved in things other than just that epic ride.


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## its lbs not miles

Ok, I won't be completely lazy, since the internet is so easy to use. I googled it and got this from the Long Riders Guild. 20,000 kilometers (or 12,000 miles). I'd still recommend finding what he wrote (if you're into all the ordeals of an equine adventure that large). Reading it made me question his sanity at times. :lol:

This was the link I got the distance he rode. It had his comments on riding undshod and the results. Wish I'd have this to show to my vet about 38 years ago.

The Long Riders' Guild - Horse Shoes and Hoof care 2


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## Joe4d

a brief scan, those guys were getting steel shoes put on every 2 weeks. I was looking for studies on the plastic, vs steel mileage claims. I know what steel shoes can do.


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## Joidigm

Hoof it's on my instructors warmblood school master, shoed with a high nail. They're lighter, don't wear (according to every day schooling and arena use), are reusable, nail holes don't widen, and she says they run a size small. This horse is a very floaty mover with a lot of extension. While I have not yet seen him in these shoes (I have requested video), he was wearing steelies on all four feet, and I can imagine him flying with the lightweight plastic.


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## Joidigm

Alright, update and correction on my previous post.

The Hoof - it's that horse is wearing in the above post, were previously worn by a hunter jumper mare for 6 months. The mare was sold, the shoes reused. So the shoes have 6 months of constant wear and tear on them. They are still very thick and show little to no wear and tear on the tread. They have been used on all sorts of terrains, but mostly sand, clay, dirt, grass. And I know the activity level of that mare was high, she was a popular and often ridden schooling and show horse, so it's not like the shoes were parked in a stall all of the time. The shoes don't slip in grass either (which I find surprising, but wonderful).

So hopefully that gives you some idea of the wear capability of the Hoof-it's.


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## its lbs not miles

I've seen nothing on plastic shoes vs steel shoes.
But I would like to see where you read Gordon's horses were shod ever two weeks, if at all.
There are large areas of Africa (and the world) that getting a horse shod isn't possible locally and he wasn't going to load down with the extra weight to carry shoes. That was why he elected to make the trip with unshod horses.
Make sure your reading about Gordon's ride, not some other.
From the linked page:
" 
*An Important Alternative View !* ​Late in 1970 I departed on a 20,000 kilometer horse trip that was to take me from Lesotho, Africa to Austria and take nearly two years. A great problem was that of horseshoes. Going North from southern Africa there is a long ride before reaching Kenya, where shoes are available. Carry enough shoes? Ouch! Much discussion arose, with the vast majority saying that the shoes were needed. Then I thought of all the wild horses and wondered how they got on without a Smithy to visit. Made up my mind to forego the shoes, with the riding fraternity calling me mad, stupid, and worse. But, no shoes for the horses! The decision taken, I went and bought horses in Lesotho where the vast majority are unshod. I looked for horses with black hooves (ed. note - because of their legendary hardness). Eventually took one with a white hoof but it was soon relegated to carrying a light pack. The drill was to start the trip slowly and give the hooves time to get to their hardest. At the end of each day a mark was made on the hoof with a file, one inch up from the front of the hoof. To start with the marks were in the wrong direction as the hoof wore faster than it grew. In two months the hoof was strong enough for us to ride for eight hours on a daily basis. At one point in the north of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) we used strap-on shoes to protect the hooves where the ridge tops were broken volcanic rock. These (emergency) shoes would have been better if they were made with cloth ties instead of straps. But they did the job for the one day they were required. 
It may be of interest that after arriving in Germany, the horses were retired to a farm. The new owner insisted they should be shod and called in the smith. The blacksmith was unable to make any marks on the hooves with his rasp. In fact the horses were not shod for more than a year, until such time as the hoof had grown softer. After that, to keep the horse's hooves in shape the farrier used a grinder on the hard hooves. For the new owner could not afford the time to ride the horses enough to keep the hooves worn down. 
*Gordon Naysmith* "


His book on the ride is interesting. It's mainly about the ride and things that happened to him during the trip and you could come away questioning his sanity. Not about the saddle, shoes, etc...., but about the where he elected to ride, because of some of the things that happened riding through dangerous areas (there's always some form of tribal war going on in Afirca or bandits, etc....).


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## usdivers

trailhorserider said:


> I don't endurance ride, but I do ride 5+ hour trail rides in the mountains.
> 
> I use Easyboot Epics. I use them because I think my horses feet are healthier barefoot. No contraction, overgrown hooves or crappy farriers to worry about. (Not saying all farriers are crappy of course, I learned from farriers and used to shoe my horses myself). But some of the farriers *I've used* have done a crappy job. And I have enough knowledge to realize when they have done a crappy job!
> 
> I have never lost a boot in the mud and I feel they give BETTER traction over solid rocks and pavement. (Loose gravel not so much though.) And you are actually less likely to get stone bruises because the entire sole is covered. I've never had heel rubs in the Epics either.
> 
> To me it comes down to the effort the owner wants to put in. You have to decide if the benefit of boots outweigh the labor involved in fooling around with taking them on and off. I have a friend whose horses are shod. She just gets on and rides and never worries about feet. Unless she looses a shoe. They she is stuck waiting for the farrier. I never have to worry about that. :lol:
> 
> On the other hand, I have to decide at the beginning of a ride whether I want to boot my horse or not based on the terrain. Some rides we go completely barefoot. Some rides I boot before the ride if I know the terrain is rocky. Some rides I carry the boots with me and put them on if I think we are encountering too many rocks. It can be a pain in the butt sometimes I must admit! But I normally only have to boot the fronts. And some rides we don't have to boot at all. And my friends are patient if I need to take a break to put on the boots.
> 
> It works out well for me because I do my own trimming and just totally take care of their feet myself. I look at boots like my own tennis shoes. When I am at home (or the horse is at home) we can go barefoot. If the terrain is fair, the horse can go barefoot. But my horse will be riding in rocks for a prolonged period I put his tennis shoes on. :lol:
> 
> Many endurance riders DO use boots. Mostly glue-ons (like the Easyboot shells without the "gaiters." ) Go to Easycare's website and you can learn more about that.
> 
> Mainly it is labor intensive. Shoes are easy. The farrier does all the work. But some people feel the benefits of boots outweigh the hassle. To me the main benefit is keeping my horses barefoot 99% of the time to keep their hooves well maintained and healthy.....which fortunately I am able to do myself. But I admit shoes are easier and if I had to boot all four feet everytime I rode I would probably go back to shoes. If I had to hire a farrier for trims I would probably go back to shoes. But I DO know my horses have wider, less contracted feet barefoot.
> 
> I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with shoes. But I do think there are a lot of owners that don't know their farrier is less-than-great. But if you don't want to hassle with boots *(and it does take a patient person)* then shoes would be the way to go.


 
I agree with you 100%...I use to have shoes...but went to the renegade boots when training, and on race day use their glue ons, never had any rubbing problems, but I agree on gravel you need to be careful, although I think you can now get boots with studs to fix that problem.

I never really had any problem with shoes, except for the occasional stone bruise from underneath, I must admit since booting I have not had that problem.

The main reason I went barefoot was to get the feet more healthy.

But I admit, if you look at a lot of the winning endurance horses over here, they are all booted. I am hoping to be one of the first booted HWT riders ...will see.


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