On to horse boots! I routinely use E-Z boots on Trav whose hobby
is removing his front shoes. His feet fit well into them and he's very
agreeable to holding the foot still while I put them on and, much harder
for me, take them off.
I heard about the Italian boot (which is similar to the E-Z boot
but since E-Z boot is trademarked we can't call them that) at the
convention and ordered a pair from Sporttack for my chronic laminitis
horse KC. KC has to always wear front shoes and shows particular
sensitivity on hard ground and going down hill. The Italian boot is
designed to fit over regular horse shoes. He got use to them in about a
quarter mile and his willingness to go over hard ground improved as did
his gait - no more stilted ouchy picking his way. These boots stay on
well, and are even easier than E-Z boots to put on and take off (a good
thing since KC not nearly as patient as Trav when it comes to having a
foot fussed with for a lengthy period).
Price with shipping and tax for a pair was $92.00. They're not
in the catalog - you have to call and ask; they seem to be sized
similarly to E-Z boots. I've been using mine for a month now with no
noticeable wear but then this isn't a distance horse.
I'd like to hear anyone else's experiences - especially if you've
encountered any longterm problems due to the additional weight or the
additional height they add.
Tina in Santa Rosa, CA