Written by EasyCare Product Specialist, Jordan Anderson
I decided to try the Easyboot Sneaker on both of my mares. Their hooves are shaped very differently, so I wanted to share how I found the correct fit for each mare.
Billie is an older, Quarter Horse mare who has always been shod. She had a laminitis spell in the past, as well, so her feet have a bit of a dish on the front instead of a straight angle from the coronet band to the toe. She is always sore right after a fresh trim, and she doesn’t do well barefoot.
During the riding season I generally put some sort of glue-on product on her so she can be comfortable all the time. However, when it is the off-season, I like to use boots for when she occasionally needs more support and protection.
She fits in Gloves (my preferred, go-to boot) ok, but not perfectly. She does better with EasyCare’s full-coverage boots. I decided to put her in the Sneakers because they offer that full coverage, great traction, and a more flexible sole than other boots I’ve had her wear in the past.
Below are her measurements, which indicate her hooves are 4 3/8 inches (111 mm) wide and 4 7/8 inches (124 mm) long. These measurements fall perfectly into the bottom range of the Size 2 Narrow in the Easyboot Sneaker.
I also have a half-Arabian mare that has amazing feet. Pistol is comfortable barefoot most of the time. I use boots on her for rocky rides or longer distances. She has good angles, so she has an ideal hoof shape for boots like the Glove. However, sometimes I like to change it up and try something new.
Pistol’s measurements are shown below. Her hooves measure 4 3/8 inches (111mm) wide and 5 inches (127mm) long. These measurements also fall into the Size 2 Narrow in the Easyboot Sneaker. It is not uncommon to have two hooves on the same horse, let alone the front hooves on two different horses, need different sizes. I just got lucky that both of my horses fit into the same size in the Sneaker.
Here you can how they both fit in the boot.
I have struggled with other boot styles on Billie because the boots that will close over the heel bulbs don’t always overlap in an ideal way. But with the front closure of the Sneaker, I was able to get a secure fit.
I find that the Sneaker is accommodating to both of my horses despite the conformational differences of their hooves. They offer a secure fit where other boot styles have been unsuccessful. Now we just need to go ride and put some mileage on these new boots!
