Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The bad news: Riley loses both hind shoes

Sure there's bad news, but the good news is that I got a chance to use my Cavallo Sport Boots (hoof boots). I have the simple boots for Ri's front feet -- they stay on well but are perhaps  a tidge rounder than his actual hooves. They come in pairs for $99 (Valleyvet.com and Amazon.com).

I loved the look of the new sport-style boots, and their narrower shape was appealing too, given Ri's natural hoof shape. I ordered a pair during the height of Ri's shoe-losing phase last spring. They arrived, and ironically the shoe loss problem diminished/evaporated soon after.


Until last week. Don't ask  me how Ri lost BOTH hind shoes in one turnout. My barn manager speculates that Harv is stepping on Ri's new egg bar shoes as he chases Ri mercilessly, relentlessly, around the pasture.

Anyhoo, the boots worked great -- a little big for the hinds but I just put a few layers of vet-wrap and voila. They fit the fronts perfectly. If you feel the same you can Like Cavallo boots on Facebook !


3 comments:

  1. The Cavallos I have fit Tucker well too, except that I had problems with chafing near the coronet band. I got some gaitors to try with them, but he hasn't lost a shoe recently, so I don't know how they might work.

    Tuck's barefoot behind, so no problem there. Hard to figure out how Riley lost both hind shoes, but the "Harv Theory" seems to be a good one. I take it Riley is enjoying the fun. It's always hard to decide which is better--happy horses or shod horses. *G*

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  2. ever thought of putting bell boots on Riley's hinds....

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  3. East Bound -- tain't so easy as it sounds at a boarding barn. Ri already wears boots and bells on his front feet, and I think the workers are being indulgent with that. I've tried keeping bellboots on 24/7 but both his hind legs swelled up. Lately I've been coming out every night and pulling them up to his hocks (after notching them to give more room, but when I go on vacation i'll need to remove them.

    But yes, bells have been part of the picture since he started wearing shoes.

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