Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Dead Boa Boots


I am pretty disappointed. Clinton Anderson "endorsed" these boots, they looked cool, they were easy to put on....."sigh." It was too good to be true. It took only four rides for the Boa Boots to break, both on the same ride. As we were crossing the creek, I lost the first one and went back to look for it. I saw it bobbing in the water, the wires broken. An hour later, I see a black thing whiz off to the side of me and there went the second one. Its wires broken as well. Lucky for me, they have a 90 day warranty. I have friends that swear by the Cavallos and a friends that loves the Old Mac G-2's. Anyone out there have a horse boot that they prefer? I would love to hear from you. Here is a photo of Me and Maddy enjoying the trails, oblivious to the impending demise of our Boa Boots. Photo courtesy of Kacy over at All Horse Stuff.

15 comments:

Mrs. Mom said...

Why do you need boots if you have her shod?

Easy Boots have a new one that is supposed to be pretty good.

photogchic said...

We ride very rocky terrain and Maddy was diagnosed with a coffin bone fracture in August of 2007. Her x-shows a healed fracture, but I still find myself nervous about re-injury. So to ease my mind, I put boots on the front. I want to be extra cautious for this riding season.

Kathy C said...

Let me know what you find out because I am thinking of picking some up for Classy. She's ALMOST rideable, but could use some boots on gravel. I don't ride enough to warrant shoes, and she gets around her pasture fine without boots, so I am thinking of getting a set of easy boots for her fronts.

Pony Girl said...

I have never used boots but was thinking about getting one to have as spare for the trail. It will be interesting to pop back in and see what others say.

Rising Rainbow said...

Well, that's disappointing. I hope you find some that work better for you.

Rising Rainbow said...

Reading your response to Mrs Mom, wouldn't it be easier to put a thick pad on with her shoes to protect her instead of exterior boots??

Anonymous said...

recently went to an endurance clinic here in montana.. they're basically all tricky boots to work with. Have you tried hooflex?

happy trails
gp and gazi

Flying Lily said...

I wish you luck with the foot issue. On a horse camping trip last year which had been advertised as "rocky terrain - shoes all around needed or else boots", we saw so many lost boots it was aggravating. Everybody pauses to search for boot... I think fit is crucial and the boots just don't come in enough sizes.

Anonymous said...

My hoof trimmer swears by EasyCare company, but I can't vouch for them personally. But I have their calendar :)

Callie said...

Geeze, with exposed wires, Id be worried about cutting the horse's legs! Good luck with that!

Heidi said...

My farrier puts pads on my horse's front feet in the summer. It's not too much more than shoes alone, and there's no chance of them falling off like a boot would. So I second rising rainbow's comment. However, another blog I go to posted about how much she loves her Old Mac G2s. So there's one vote for that, too!

Tracey said...

Bummer! I've been looking into different boots for Jet as her feet aren't quite as tough as Sandy's and I think it'd be good to have some 'just in case' while we're out on the trail. Sheesh...you could forgive one breaking and say it was just a freak thing...but both on the same ride?

learninghorses said...

I have old macs. I have used easy boots (which I am told have improved since I used them). I never liked riding in the old macs because it made it hard for Precious to gait because they are a little clunky. However, if that wasn't an issue, I'd never use shoes again. They stay on, can get beaten to death, we have only caused harm to 1 (which can still be used) and she wore them every day for 3 winters. Never any sores, etc. You can also add industrial styrofoam to the bottom as an "extra" cushion for standing around in the stall.

But they are expensive and I find that they fit differently depending on when she was trimmed, so loose after a trimming, perfect from weeks 3-6, a little tight for weeks 7-8. All in all, I have more than gotten my money's worth.

I'm coming to PDX this weekend, maybe you want to try them? Might not be the right size, but you are welcome to check them out!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

My friend over at 7MSN loves her Old Mac GS2s and my friends at the feed store swear by the Cavallos.

I think prefer the Cavallos, too, or any boot that uses velcro over wires.

I need to order some boots for my horse, too, for her front feet. She is barefoot, but the trails around her can be pretty rocky and rugged.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am new to your blog. I used EasyBoots with great success for my unshod Half Arab gelding. We used to ride in rocky New Mexico --moving at speed up and down hills, trotting through sandy arroyos, and wading in water, with those things. I just used two on the front and it worked for the horse just fine. They were a bit hard to pry off and I only had one fly off unexpectedly once over a few years use. They wore really well, too. They worked well for us -- but this is back in the 1980s...you know, the OLD days....I'd try the new ones when have a horse again (in a couple of years is the plan). I'll have one on hand if I need a spare for emergencies -- or use them with a well trimmed bare hoof....Good luck.