New shoes

Renegade Viper
fitting shells

Boots boots boots boots boots boots boots!

I am a girl at heart and nothing excites me more than the thought of new shoes. Strangely this also transfers to excitement for new shoes for Sofie. I am not sure she shares my enthusiasm.

Since daring to go bare last Autumn we have been making do with second hand Renegades. I should point out that second hand Renegades is hardly 'making do' as these excellent boots still cost £100 per pair second hand. I didn't want to buy new boots until a) I was sure barefoot is the way forward with Sofie and b) her feet had settled down. In the first few months of going barefoot horses feet tend to change.

1st set of boots

Shoes affect how the feet work as they tend to restrict the flexion in the foot and stop the frog from weight baring. Normally when horses go barefoot their feet tend to get wider, a bit like peoples do if you walk around without shoes for a while. The angle of the feet also tends to change and the heals open up as they tend to be slightly contracted in metal shoes. Anyway I knew Sofies feet would change as she had one stump of a foot in Autumn due to continually ripping off her shoes. I was waiting for this foot to grow back which it thankfully has, we have gone up a size in renegades since last year.



2nd set of boots

Anyway last trim our trimmer finally gave me the green light to go shopping - hurray! Whilst my trimmer may have been happy for me to buy boots, friends, family and fiancé might be less impressed by their price. Saying that over time they may still work out to be economical. A set of shoes cost £80 every 5 weeks in Sofie's case (that is if they stayed on long enough). I think Sofie will need her feet trimmed every 10 weeks at a cost of £35 per visit. So every 10 weeks I will be saving £125. The boots should last several years, I think they will pay their way. I had tried to argue for the boots to be my birthday present but no-one seemed that enthused to give me horse shoes for my birthday. In the end I decided, sod it, I really want them, they are going to be my present to me. I think it is OK to indulge on occasion.

There is an excellent online shop called the hoof boutique which sells a wide range of boots. I have been pestering Liz, the very patient retailer, for a few weeks with my endless questions. Sofie's old boots did not have much traction in the mud, at times we resembled Bambi on ice. Of course this was exacerbated by Sofie desperately trying to avoid getting her princess feet muddy and walking at the top of banks and into trees only to slid back down. I think mainly it was because the renegade classics were old and the tread was wearing out. I asked Liz for her suggestions. It is possible to get the renegades studded but these studs are non-removable and not great for road work. She suggested the new Renegade Vipers which have improved tread and a closer fit. Last week Liz helped me pic out the range of possible boot fits (from the measurements and photos I sent her) and she has sent me fitting shells to try on. It is worth the faff as these boots are not cheap and should last us two years hopefully if I fit them right.

Sofie was uncharacteristically patient as I tried on all the different shells. Her feet were bigger than the measurements I took suggested - just as well I tried the fitting shells. Sofie is a terrible forger, but her renegade classics stand the test so I am confident that the new Viper boots will be fine.





Sofie having a Cinderella moment

The fit is fairly snug, but I like that these boots are not clumpy like a lot of hoof boots are. They also have very little contact with the horses skin so rubbing is minimal. Sofie rides as if they weren't there. She can gallop, jump and spin quiet happily in them.

Mr T in the rug and trainers of shame

I'm not saying all hoof boots are magic. When Mr T was in light work he had some Easy Treck boots. His giant dinner plate feet were too big for the renegades which were developed in USA for quarter horses. The 'Easy treck' boots were far from easy. They constantly fell off, I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time retrieving them from muddy puddles. They were also a bugger to clean. They also seemed to get in the way of his feet. To be fair to the boots though Mr T had very limited range of movement and twists his feet on the ground and forges. I'm not sure any boot would have worked.

So I am now eagerly awaiting the boots arrival. We have gone for black and 'Arizona Copper' for a smart subtle look that might still be spottable in the mud should any of the boots ever fall off. My God I am excited!