Tor & Sof hoof boot review - Easy treck, old mac, renegades and floating boots

My collection of boots!

I thought I would make a positive out of my terrible boot buying affliction and do a quick Tor&Sof review of hoof boots.

Easy trek trails

I used these on Tonto before he retired. My rating - pants!

Pros: Can put therapeutic pads in, they are easy enough to get on

Cons: Far too easy to get off. I spent most rides collecting these from puddles after they had disappeared off at speed, the Velcro was just not enough to hold them on, they also seemed to spin. They wore quickly and more than one pair broke on me. They also look ridiculous, Sof would not be caught dead in these! I did try these briefly on Sof and she trotted like she was in clown shoes, admittedly they were too big for her. The boots are affordable at least.

Tip: don't buy these

*I should however caveat that this review was based on my experience with T, who is very hard wearing on boots and has a poor gait (twists his feet on the ground and scrapes his toes). A friend of mine borrowed these for her mare and had no issues, baring internal boot wear.

Old Mac G2

Used very briefly on Tonto before he retired and fairly extensively with Sof. My rating -  great all rounder

Old macs on the font, classics on the back

Pros: Can put therapeutic pads in, not too fiddly to get on, the velcro stays reasonable clean despite the mud. They have never come off or moved on either horse! I have galloped and jumped Sof in these and they are fine, Tonto overreached badly in the school on the first trial and the boot stayed put. I use gaiters on Sofie and they have never rubbed her. We have yet to have major slipping issues, but have not done a lot of work in deep mud. Fairly forgiving in fit, can use throughout the trim cycle and can cope with some hoof deformation. With all the padding we can happily canter on concrete without fear of concussion issues.

Cons: They look ridiculous, Sofie knows these as the trainers of shame, they are a very clumpy boot and Sofie thunders along in them which is a bit alarming. I also noticed with Tonto and his ringbone the internal strap was a problem. It was not big enough to go round his fat cob ankles and he did not like the pressure over his deformed joints. These are expensive.

Tip: label these left and right I always put the wrong boot on first and have to switch over.

Floating boots

  

Used twice on Sofie. My rating -  not for us

boots with black setting and gaiters

Pros: they look quite cool, come in different colors. Not excessively clumpy. The grip is meant to be excellent though I have not tried this. They are meant to be reasonably forgiving in fit - though I have not experienced this. They are very easy to keep clean and there is no velcro to get clogged up with mud. On the breif trail Sof strided out in them so I think horses are fairly confident in their footing with these. My friends horse went for one hack in them and they did not budge.

 Yellow Floating on the front
renegades on the back

boots with black setting no gaiters

Cons: they fell off Sof :(. Not sure I had the fit right with Sofie, but they fell off within 2 mins of testing after she forged.  They were also fairly fiddly to put on, I imagine pulling at the rubber straps with frozen fingers would be hard. I got one stuck on after fastening it a bit too tight. Both Sofie and my friends horse who tried it on didn't seem to like the pressure on their heal bulbs - again I might have been putting the boot on wrong. The gaiters do not quite do up properly and rise above the front of the boot exposing the plastic strap to the skin. On the short trials this did not appear to cause any rubbing though. These are expensive.

Tip: get a specialist fitter if you want these.

Renegade Classics

Used extensively on Sofie. My rating - Great specialist boot - these are my favorite boots on the market.

Christmas boots

Pros: they look soo cool, I love all the colours and that they are so streamlined. The Gooche of the hoof boot world. The grip is fairly good in new boots, worn tread does make them treacherous. If you have the fit right they will not budge. If they break (rarely) you can easily replace parts at minimal cost. I have jumped and galloped and span Sofie in these and they were fab. They have never rubbed, and with so little of the boot in contact with the skin I find it hard to imagine how they could. These boots are hard wearing.

Cons: not very forgiving on fit or deformities. Sof tends to wear her toes to a point, and by the end of the trim cycle I notice the boots start to twist slightly as a result. It is also hard to put any padding in these, there just isn't the room and you would need to glue it in. Not a boot to transition with, these are for when your hoof shape has been established. I find them a bit fiddly to put on, you need to get the tension right either side of the front strap and need to get the heal captivator at the right height. The do tend to get muddy and with so much relying on velcro you have to clean them every time you use them in the winter. Twigs and grit have got stuck in the heal captivator on rides. The are pricey.

Tip: better to have the hoof captivator a little roomy, a tight fit will make the boots twist. 

Renegade Vipers

Used briefly on Sofie. My rating - Great boot but hard to fit

  

Vipers on the front
Classics on the back

Pros: similar to the classics, look great, even better grip, replace parts, no rubbing, hard wearing with the added benefit that twigs no longer get stuck in the heal captivator.

Cons: most of the same cons and the classics but even less forgiving on fit. Unless your horse has perfect match to the boot shape these will twist. They were great on Sofies round front feet until she out grew them. They just did not work on her oval feet behind. despite doing custom fit these boots still rely on a fairly symmetrical hoof. It is a shame as these are generally an improvement on the classics.

Tip: check your hoof dimensions before you buy.