Re: RC: Bellboots? HELP!

[Pam Johnson <pam-john@ma.ultranet.com>]

Hi Cindy,

A new farrier that I used at one time also had me use bellboots on my guy.
He had me get the soft, brownish rubber ones with NO VELCRO. They are one
piece and you have to slip them over the hoof. Challenging getting them on
and off but since I was leaving them on 24/7, it didn't matter. He never
got any kind of rub from this type of boot. They were about $12/pair. Hope
this helps.

Pam in MA


>I reeeaaallly need advice from Ridecamp's collective wisdom.
>
>Just started with a Natural Balance-trained farrier, and she wants my
>gelding to wear bellboots while we're in the process of making adjustments
>to the way his feet have been trimmed and shod (shoes are a tad wide at the
>heel to encourage expansion, with a bit more of the shoe's heel extending
>out the back).  The shoer wants the bellboots on him all the time, not just
>when we're working.  He's on hilly pasture 24/7 (except when getting his
>grain/supplements twice daily).
>
>I have zero experience using bellboots.  Went to a good local tack shop and
>got a pair of soft rubbery boots with double velcro (don't want to spend my
>riding time searching for lost boots), size medium.  They seem to fit him
>well -- loose around his pasterns, but not floppy.
>
>Yesterday we were out for a very leisurely three-hour ride on a trail with
>lots of short, steep hills, and he came back showing some barely
>discernable irritation/heat on the rear of his pink pastern.  During the
>ride, a friend noticed that the boots were creased, or bent, at one point.
>
>The barn owner/manager (very caring, but very old school) says that the
>boots should be on only when he's under saddle, but I confirmed with the
>shoer that she wants them on him all the time.  Asked the shoer if I should
>slather desitin or vaseline on him and she said this would be okay, though
>she was surprised that he got any rub at all.  My riding buddy suggested to
>me that sealing his skin from air on a full-time basis does not sound like
>a good idea.  She advised me to try using the vaseline only when he's under
>saddle.
>
>I'll go out to the farm this afternoon to check on him (the boots are off
>right now), but I'm not sure what to do next.
>
>Thanks for your help.
>
>Cindy Eyler
>Baltimore MD
>
>
>
>
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=