I met a woman who rides competitive endurance rides wearing EZ Boots…which means that they can work well in tough conditions.

I know that EZ Boots for horses have come a long way over the years. I do pull shoes off and leave horses barefoot during any downtimes that we have, for example if we are not showing over the winter then they are often barefoot and turned out. I leave all my horses barefoot in the front as long as I can…some of my horses stay barefoot in the front year-round…others end up with front shoes on. For example, I show in reining and to slide the horses need sliding shoes. I think that it is wise to consider that each horse is unique as are the situations that they will be put in. There are many options out there and many opinions of what works and what doesn’t. As long as I avoided blacktop with loose gravel on top or rough gravel they were fine. They were fine in the pastures, arenas and dirt trails. Some of them were sensitive going across gravel, but gravel wasn’t part of their normal routine so it was easy to work around it. For example, I have owned horses that I kept barefoot. I mention this because it may change some of the comments or the way that you make your decision. Is there gravel or hard ground in your pasture? Or do you have a reason to believe that she is sore in the pasture also? It also sounds like this was an issue for you when you were trail riding…but then you also add considering boots for her when she is in the pasture also. I am interested in your opinion boots or shoes?” -Laurie A.įrom your description it seems fair to say that your horse is trying to tell you that the gravel hurts. So I am considering rubber boots that I would put on her when she is out in the pasture. But I am reading that shoes are not that great full time on a horse. Of course the suggestion is put shoes on her. But I noticed that she avoids gravel at every chance and I took her out trail riding last week and it was a struggle to keep her on the path and off of the grassy area on the side where she was running me into the trees. We have her on a good nutrition routine and regular farrier visits. I am a reasonably new horse owner and my 18 year old quarter horse has flat feet.

Ez boot horse