Shoeing vs removable boots

[mnfcbeagle]

Do most people shoe their mini's or is it better to use removable boots?

 

[dalvers63]

Mikey wears Equine Jogging shoes and does great in them. I only put front boots on as that is all he seems to need. You can see them in his picture. Well worth the cost vs shoes (if you can even find a farrier willing to shoe a mini)

 

[Cayuse]

Dalvers, where did you get the Equine Jogging shoes?

Mnfcbeagle, I don't think I know of anyone who has shod there mini. My farrier has used stuff that looks like caulking on some minis. We used it on my welsh pony last year. I forget what its called, but the foot is prepped carefully, a bead of this stuff is run around the edge of the hoof and after it sets it's rasped and prettied up. I think he called it "pour on shoes" but the name of the product itself escapes me.

 

[Badpony87]

I too have been wondering about this. I'm starting my shetland this spring on driving and I will just be doing trail carting in a large field. I was curious what hoof protection she needed if at all.

 

[Cayuse]

I finally remembered the name of the product my farrier used, it was "Super Fast" by Vettec.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I do not believe miniatures need shoes. Mine go on all surfaces: paved, gravel, grass, dirt. The only time I had a problem was slipping on pavement before I learned about having the hooves properly balanced. Have had no trouble on pavement now for many years. Going indoors on slippery surfaces is a different thing...

 

[OakLeafMiniatures]

We only use rubber easy boots on the pavement. Our horses do fine with out them but I prefer to use them because when we are doing a lot of trotting and cantering on the road their hooves can wear down fast. It also gives them better grip on the road so they have more confidence taking off and stopping quickly. We used to do just front boots but now we have them all around for even wear.

 

[BSharpRanch]

I drive mine on all kinds of surfaces, barefoot. I don't use boots for driving and I don't shoe for driving. If they have good hoof that has a balanced trim, they should be fine.

Yes, Super Fast is great to help horses with weak walls, to make extensions to help correct a problem or to attach shoes. They also have EquiPac which adds cushion and protection for tender soles.

 

[MajorClementine]

I have never had mine shod and I drive her on all kinds of surfaces. I do plan on getting some easyboots for her this year because we had a lot of our hilly streets repaved and they are slippery! But if I'm driving on trails or anything like that I go barefoot.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

A question about boots: Rowdy sometimes drags his hind toes. Would a boot prevent this? Teach him to lift his feet? Disguise what might be a conformational problem? Disguise a health issue?

 

[paintponylvr]

Marsha - I would think adding boots would put more bulk in the drag area and cause you to lose your investment in your boots. I could be wrong...

Why not ask your farrier about slightly squaring off the rear toes. I have had this done on both toe draggers and ponies with stifle issues and it's helped with both.

OP - I, too, drive ponies of various sizes and work styles on all surfaces - barefoot. I've not found that we've driven enough to cause a lot of wear, in fact my working ponies have to be trimmed more often as they grow more with the extra concussion. They get wonderful, thick soles... We always have more issues with the "pasture pets" that aren't being worked then the ones that are being worked on all kinds of surfaces. I do not know how we'd handle steep paved/concrete/asphalt roads, though, since we don't have any. If we get snow, it usually becomes ice and we don't work or drive ponies on that, LOL.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I don't like driving on downhill pavement. There is one parade I won't do anymore because there is a steepish part that curves downward. We have managed it in the past by tacking, but I'm not at all comfortable with it. Otherwise, we have no trouble on pavement with slipping since we've been doing barefoot trimming.

Paula, I'm glad to know there other "toe draggers". He has been to the chiro twice and I've mentioned it but she sees nothing that would cause that. Farrier works with it. I think he is slightly cow hocked; not a bad trait for a driving horse, but I wonder if this could cause toe dragging.

 

[dalvers63]

Dalvers, where did you get the Equine Jogging shoes?

Sorry for the late reply! I got mine from http://equine-jogging-shoes.com/

Just recently they dropped the price from $240/pr to $210/pr ($105/ea) and they have come out with a new model. Now that I also have a couple of Shetlands I'm thinking of getting some for them if needed. In my area it is really hard to find someone to trim ponies and minis, let alone shoe them. I picked these boots up for Mikey because he showed reluctance to go on some of the rockier paths. With the boots he is much more forward and happy.

 

[jventresca]

I tried using the Vet Tech glue on one of my horses. The farrier put a bead of glue around the edge of his hooves, dusting it with sand for grip. He spread the glue up around the edge of the horse's hooves to keep it on. He added a silicone pad to the horse's soles. It worked well and lasted until the next trim. The boots available for minis at that time were not good at all, only about 15 years ago!







The farrier that did this work only did it as a favor for my farrier and didn't want to do it as a regular thing. This horse had quite soft feet compared to all our other minis. He was gutsy and fast though. We had a great time at Gladstone CDE.

 

[jventresca]

I ordered the Ultimate Equine Jogging shoes for Steel. They seem large on him but he's so much happier with his front feet protected from the stones. Thank you, Dalvers, for recommending them.

 

[MajorClementine]

jventresca - thank you for sharing info and pics. Very interesting and fun to see.

 

[jventresca]

So Steel wore his Equine Jogging Boots on the marathon section of the Gladstone CDE. They worked very well. There were several gravel paths we had to follow. The boots stayed on and his front feet were well protected.

I put them on for going to dressage and cones as well. You're not allowed to use them in those two sections.

We didn't have to do any water crossings so I don't know how they'll work for that yet.

 

[Cayuse]

Thanks for the update. If I start driving Peanut on anything more than my grass field I think I may have to invest in some.

Are they forgiving at all size wise? Both minis have the same size hooves, I think, but there is a little difference in shape. I wonder if one set would fit both?

 

[jventresca]

It's possible that one set would fit both minis. I'd look at their website to get exact sizes and measure your horses' feet.

I think Steel's look clunky but he seems happy in them. That's the important thing.

 

[MelodyPond]

My gelding does well barefoot but my mare can be tender on gravel stones etc and I use front boots on her, they are made by Equine fusion and work great. I got the boots because it's a pain to shoe her. I've shod minis before but it's difficult. Used Eponas, drilled nail holes into the mini sized shoe and used the smallest race nails I could find, packed with impression material. It worked great but it's just difficult to get a good hold and angle because of their size.