Hoof Boots Review

I have a horse who has had laminitis in the past, and has very sensitive feet.  Straight after a hoof trim she is too sensitive to ride without shoes.  A couple of weeks after a trim, she is right to ride on our paddocks except in summer when our high clay soil becomes rock hard.  I ride around 3-4 times a week about 10km per ride.  It costs around $70 to get a set of traditional horse shoes fitted by a farrier, which need to be replaced every 6 weeks or so. So about 7 years ago, I was looking for a cost-effective alternative when I became aware of the Old Mac boots by Easy Care,  (which have now been updated to New Mac boots)

I looked up all the information, and found they were invented by an Australian – a big plus for me, as I like to support Aussies.  I also discovered a lot of information about the problems caused by traditional metal horse shoes which can be damaging for a healthy hoof, let alone a hoof that is already compromised by laminitis.

So  I decided I would give the boots a go, and if they lasted me a year, I would still be way ahead financially.  Well they lasted me 7 years, and I decided to buy another pair last month, because although the actual tread and boots did not wear out, the strapping did, and I wasn’t prepared to risk the nick in the strapping becoming totally worn through, and I felt I had definitely got my money’s worth.  Now the old macs have been updated with New Macs but I was able to buy some old stock and got the identical pair again.

When I bought my first pair,  I went to my local saddlery who just happened to have the size boots I needed.  I had measured my horse’s feet, and checked the chart, so i knew what size i needed.  The chart was spot on, and i strongly recommend you measure straight after a trim as the manufacturer instructs you to do.  The pair i bought fitted two of my horses,  although only one horse needed them.

I found that one horse did get some chafing around the pastern on one leg, whilst the other horse did not.  At the time I thought the pastern wraps or gators (which came with the boots) would be too much trouble so I didn’t bother with those and threw them out. I now believe the gators would have helped that horse with the chafing. I only need front shoes, as my horse only has sensitive laminae in the front soles and I ride mostly on pastured ground. These boots are sold in pairs.

This time around,I have been using the gators/pastern wraps that came with the boots, and they seem to have stopped some of the looseness that I had experienced in one boot, and there has been no chafing.  The gators also keep out a lot of the grass as I ride in long pasture areas.

The manufacturer says the boots are only suitable for 25 miles per week, which is roughly what I do, and for my purposes they are fine.