I have spoken with Jaime a couple of times, and he tells me he felt he had to recommend shoeing riding horses in his first book because he did not want to be responsible for people running out and pulling the shoes and riding on gravel roads the very next day. He tells me it takes a good year of being barefoot and getting plenty of exercise to build up enough sole and wall "callous" (thickness) to ride barefoot successfully. Further, he says that if you want your horse to be rideable on rocky terrain, he needs to be pastured where there is at least some rocky terrain so his hooves can adapt to it.  In the interim, he favors something like Easy Boots, Swiss Horse Boots, HorseSneakers (my first choice) or Indian style rawhide boots until the soles and walls thicken up enough.

However, removable hoof boots are a temporary aid in the transition to barefootedness.  We are not talking forever!  Keep in mind that if you are going to work your horse on gravel, he will never adapt to it if he is on soft footing most of the time.  Horses living 24/7 on soft ground may always need boots to be worked on gravel.  To get a horse used to rocky ground, he has to live on rocky ground.

Believe it or not, you can do this eventually!  It takes frequent, correct trimming, 24 hour freedom to move about and exercise on varied terrain.  The increased circulation resulting from all this will eventually enable the horse to grow much tougher, stronger feet.

One thing I found at the Strasser hoof clinic class was that the unshod feet were a lot harder to trim than the shod feet, because the shod feet were a lot softer.

Indian style rawhide horse boot--From Jaime Jackson's "The Natural Horse"

Breathable, leather-soled "healing slipper"--available at 606-381-9252
Very light duty--good for holding bandages onto sore horses, about $35 each.
Another source:  http://www.bluegrass-equine.com/products/11/the-equine-slipper

"La Boot," breathable leather walking slipper
designed by Diane Coogias, SHP.
Sadly, Dianne died of cancer April 29, 2005.

Converting Tingley rubbers to hoof boots--Cheap $14-15 a pair
Available in farm supply and shoe stores everywhere in men's sizes.
Limited durability and have to be taped on with duct tape, though.
Slide hoof into boot's toe, pull boot sole over heels, pull sides around
and over the heels, and duct tape on.  Very adjustable and light.
(Tingleys work better than Totes--I tried both. 3-M the best tape.)
Thanks to Cindy Kunkel for coming up with this method!

Converting men's sandals to hoof sandals--Linda Coffield bought
some size 10 men's sandals in a thrift shop for $5.  She cut the back
half of the sandals off with a power saw, and attached straps over
the heel bulbs to the original sandal toe straps.  Breathable, low cost.
Thanks to Linda Coffield for sharing this method!

Davis barrier boot--more info,  http://www.davismanufacturing.com/home.htm
Available online:  www.TheHorsesHoof.com 
Cheap, easy to find, but fall off too easily when riding.
Also, less frog support.  Fit contracted feet better.

HORSESNEAKERS!!!  Removable boots CUSTOM MADE FROM MOLDS OF YOUR HORSE'S FEET!!  (Also made in semi-custom sizes for a bit less money; you send measurements.)
For info:  Frank Orza, PO Box 433, Sonoita, AZ 85637.  Phone:  520-455-5164    Fax:  520-455-5171
HorseSneaker@HorseSneaker.com    http://www.HorseSneaker.com   (Credit card orders accepted.)

More money than off-the-rack boots, but worth it if they eliminate some of the soring problems from poor fit, or losing ill-fitting boots out on trail.  Frank developed these for his own foundered horses so they could have the benefits of being barefoot, having mustang-shaped feet, and still be rideable on rocky terrain.  Easy Boots and Swiss Horse Boots do have their drawbacks.  Frank claims he has had super results making lame animals useable with these.  They have excellent shock absorption, and better traction than metal shoes.  They are only put on when you ride--the rest of the time, the horse is kept barefoot.  He is a friend of Jaime's, and endorses Jaime's ideas on trimming and his research on wild horse feet.  They have the best frog support of any removable boots.

When I put Max's HorseSneakers on him, he moves forward more freely, and is not bothered by gravel roads.  These protect from stone bruises more effectively than open shoes do.  They protect as well as shoes with full pads, without having the disadvantages of being on all the time, trapping moisture and infection, like full pads and shoes would.

HORSESNEAKERS
(Newer versions above--older below.  
Available with custom colors and decorations.
Photos courtesy Frank Orza.)

How I wish I had known about these things back in 1989 when I began driving Max!  I could have prevented so much damage!  I began driving him on blacktop roads in '89.  While he had done OK on softer ground when I was just riding him earlier, driving him on the blacktop in metal shoes rapidly created a host of problems.  The vibration and concussion of the hard surface was amplified by the metal shoes; his walls would be chunking out around the nail holes and within a couple of weeks after a reset, his shoes were ready to fall off.  He got a mild degree of road founder, with 2 degree rotation and soreness.   Further, his hocks came up sore and needed Adequan injections.  If only we had been using HorseSneakers!  He would have had superior traction and concussion absorption, and driving him on blacktop would not have hurt him.  As it was, I gave up driving him except on softer ground out in the field, and just rode him on soft ground again back in '90.

Besides, where else can you get removable boots to fit a Shire?!?  Frank is actually making some boots for feet that are off the charts size-wise.

A HorseSneakers testimonial letter:

This letter also describes many of the problems I faced with Easy Boots.   They really rubbed the coronet bands and heel bulbs raw on the horses I used them on.  If I left them on any length of time, they got the animals ouchy; I believe the pressure on the quarters was why this happened.

Re Swiss Horse boots--if your horse's quarters are fully widened and his hoof shape very compact from front to back, you probably have feet healthy enough that you have no need to read this article!  Foundered horses usually have a long oval foot print, which we hope to eventually transform with frequent correct trimming.   But in the meantime...the shape of  Swiss Horse Boots isn't workable because it's very short from front to back, and very wide.  It really sored my horse's heel bulbs to put him in a set of these that were too short from front to back.  When I put the next size up on him, they were so sloppy wide that they were turning and coming off.   You can rivet in leather spacers to narrow the sides and improve fit, but it is a hassle, and not as good as something that REALLY fits in the first place.

Frank Orza recognizes that while you are working on a bringing a foundered horse back, his feet will change shape enough that he will be needing to change boots.  His current designs will also accommodate some of the heel expansion that you will get as your horse's foot shape improves.  He is offering Hoof Wings in a number of sizes, and will increase the size range available over time.

Many people will advise you to wait until your horse's foot shape stabilizes more before ordering HorseSneakers.  However, in the earlier phases of recovery, the horse needs protection and relief even more than he will later after the hoof shape improves. I loaned out a pair of Max's to a mare owner whose mare had sole penetration and was extremely sore.  Even though they were a little big, they at least enabled the mare's feet to remain cushioned and clean until her soles filled back in. She wore them constantly for a month or two, but they were removed to clean and dry her feet at least once a day. This may have been an important factor in getting her through the really rough period.  Hoof Wings might have been a better option, but they have only recently become available.  Also, the HorseSneaker people have loaners they rent out as well.

Frank Orza will also resurface your HorseSneakers.  With this "re-treading" option, you can get hundreds and hundreds of miles on a set.  Carriage companies have used them, for instance.  They offer superior traction and shock absorption on city streets and rocky ground.

He will also put in magnetic insoles, if that idea appeals to you.

Sabine Kells tells me she has someone making boots with 1/4" leather soles fairly cheaply, which are another alternative for tiding over a really sore, thin-soled horse.

There is another custom-made boot available, Sabre Sneakers.   Somewhat cheaper than HorseSneakers, but not nearly as suitable for riding because of their bulk and because the strings will probably come untied in mud.   However, they can be custom made from tracings of your animal's feet.  Not suitable for fast work, while HorseSneakers are.  Sabre Sneakers were originally developed for for a horse who had just had a resection, and did not have enough wall to nail shoes to.  For somewhat less money, they have standard, off-the-rack Sabre Sneakers in standard horseshoe sizes.  www.sabresneakers.com and 203-274-6551.

To order Sabre Sneakers in standard sizes:  www.sabresneakers.com/orderinganddealers.html  
 

Sabre Sneaker (above)--"Keds" for horses!
(Bulky, but cushy)

Sabre Sneakers hoofcare specialist Nancy Filbert had her local shoe repair man modify
with a  21-iron black Vibram crepe bottom outsole, grooves added,
and a 12-iron cloud crepe insole.  More durability, traction and cushioning.

The Marquis

Marquis@Tiermedizintechnik
Torckerstrasse 19
D-89542 Herbrechteningen
Germany
+49/(0)7324 96 35-40
http://www.marquis-tech.com
Uses air compression to fit the boot, etc. Suitable for riding.  Written in German. To translate, use this web site: http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn

N. American Distributor of Marquis boots:
http://www.StrideEquus.com/  info@strideequus.com  1-800-403-0689 or 250-545-2878 fax

Old Macs--original version

Old Macs

Old Macs--how to put on and adjust.

Old Macs--less likely to come off than most ready-made hoof boot options.  Excellent traction and concussion absorption; designed for riding.  Available in 9 sizes, somewhat adjustable.  One of the better ready-made hoof boot options available.  The Old Macs company was recently sold to Easy Care; available in many tack shops.  However, these boots run very wide, and short from front to back for many horses.  They do sell shims to stuff in the sides for narrow-footed horses, which is better than nothing, but not the real solution to the problem.

A testimonial about Old Macs from a truly hard-core user:
Click HERE

Comparing EasyBoots (black) and Swiss Horse Boots (brown)

EasyBoots: 
More adjustments for a narrower foot with under-run heel.
Less likely to turn.
Top edge more likely to rub coronet band raw.
Puts more pressure on quarters, which can be uncomfortable
Available widely in many tack stores.
The sharp metal clamps can damage hoof wall in quarters.

Swiss Horse Boots:
Fit a foot best that is almost as wide as it is deep.
Can sore under-run heels.
More likely to turn.
Stays on just as well without lots of pressure on quarters.
Dr. Strasser uses these boots.

Both can have studs added.  (Both are sizes 3's in these photos.)

You can see from the side view photo that EasyBoots
accommodate under-run heels better than Swiss Boots.