cavallo boots

Cavallo Hoof Boots – UPDATE!

If you’ve been following us for a while, you may have seen our Cavallo Simple Boots: An Initial Review back in 2016 when we got our first pair of hoof boots for Fizz. We have been a customer of Cavallo, Inc and a buyer of their products since! I have not ventured out to other brands because I have been happy with these so I really haven’t needed to.  Cavallo is now offering their customers incentives for referring others to their brand.  Since I am still a user of and believer in their product, I signed up for my own link to the incentive program!  As a benefit, if you purchase from my link, you get 20% off your purchase! Just click here: Referral Program Link

Fizz and Duke both have their own sets of 4 cavallos to wear when they are barefoot. While we don’t typically turn them out wearing them or work them in the round pen using the boots because the ground is usually pretty decent and the round pen sand is soft, there are times when we choose to use them consistently. We do always use them on any unshod foot when trail riding to protect their feet from this kind of disaster that happened a few years ago to Duke while trail riding with no protection on his rear feet.

After the above happened, that’s when both boys got new sets of cavallos for their rear feet. Duke’s “sports” when they were brand new!

A few weeks ago, we had a massive snow storm, followed by a massive ice storm, followed by more snow, and then it was frigid temps for several weeks following that. There was jagged ice everywhere, but I couldn’t bring myself to make the boys stay inside because I was scared for their safety. During this time, I opted to let the boys wear their cavallos on their front feet to protect them where they put the most weight and my hope was the treads on the boots would give them more/better traction and the pads would offer them some comfort/support on the hard surface. Incase you didn’t know, a horse carries approximately 60% of it’s body weight on the front feet.

Both boys have different setups and sizes. Fizz wears simple boots on the front and treks on the rear. Duke wears simple boots on the front and sports on the rear. Overall, I like the trek and sport closures better, but I bought the simple boots first and have not really had a reason to change them out. When (if) these things ever wear out (so far they’ve been really sturdy!) I will likely get treks or sports for their fronts as well, only because I think the closures are easier than the simple boots. You can see the differences in the image below. The treks are my personal favorite of these 3 if I’m being completely honest.

I also want to note, we have used them both barefoot and over shoes. You may need different sizing for either type of application (barefoot/over shoes) so make sure to measure to be safe before ordering. Fizz especially likes to be a wild man and he will overreach and clip his front shoes with his rear feet and bend/loosen/rip off his front shoes and he has damaged his heels this way too. If I notice a shoe is loose, bent, or otherwise in danger of getting ripped off in any way, I will stick his cavallos on to protect his feet and the shoes until the farrier can come fix the shoe. If you do this, make sure to put them on both sides (left and right) so the horse is able to stand/travel evenly. Just fronts or just rears should be OK as long as there is one on the left and right side on the same “end” of the horse so they don’t have to stand crooked. This should be common sense, but you know, sometimes we don’t think of things and just get in a rush to put a bandaid on something because, horses, so I feel like it’s worth mentioning. In instances where he has lost a shoe, I just add a few pad inserts to the inside of the boot going on the foot without a shoe and leave them out of the other to make up the height difference.

Both boys in their full sets of Cavallos! Happy as can be to go to work.

As for accessories offered by Cavallo: Both boys wear pads in their boots, front and rear (because I like the idea of some extra cushion) and we use both the pastern wraps and comfort sleeves. The pastern wraps I find a little more difficult to use, but they hold up better and in my opinion are better when there is moisture involved. If you’re trail riding where there will be a creek or mud, the neoprene pastern wraps would by my choice. They hold some moisture, but it seems to be more wicking away from their skin and they keep their nice sturdy form around the foot. The comfort sleeves are more like a cotton sock. They are so easy to use and very convenient while still offering protection for the pasterns and heel bulbs. It’s just when they get wet, they get soggy like wet socks. I personally don’t prefer wet socks so I don’t like them on my horses either. The protection is the same and the horses don’t care, it’s just my personal preferences based on the experiences I’ve had with both items! I use the sleeves when it’s dry, I’ll be riding in dry places, and I know they won’t get wet. Take that with a grain of salt and do with the info what you will. You can see the differences in those items in the image below.

So, after 9 years of using Cavallo hoof boots, I can say with confidence that these are boots I would recommend and here are some of the reasons why, among many others that I am probably not thinking of right now.

There are so many different styles to meet your needs and preferences in style

They are well made

They are durable

They are easy to use

They help keep the horses comfortable and protected

They are economical

They save money on farrier bills

When Your Horse(s) Speak, Listen

As a horse owner, you are the advocate for your horses wellbeing. You are the person in charge of making decisions regarding their care and the providers for that care. You are the person in charge of their tack, their equipment, their wardrobe, their diet, everything. At the very minimum, you choose who is in charge of choosing those things (in a boarding/training situation) and you need to be able to trust that person or people. You are your horses voice. But, don’t they get a say?

If your normally well behaved horse suddenly starts throwing fits over something repeatedly, listen. Its easy when you have a golden child who you know inside and out to decipher when something is off and start investigating. If you have a sensitive, reactive horse however, it is easier to overlook things they’re trying to tell you as they’re just being dramatic, again.

But listen y’all. Dramatic horses still speak. I have a drama queen. He’s called Duke and he is the most sensitive creature. For the last year we have been fighting with his feet. His feet which had not been overly problematic before. If you recall, I made a previous post with a review for Keratex Hoof Hardener and how it had helped his crumbling feet. This was right after they came here. Then the stubborn abscess happened last fall. And we’ve been on again off again lame post shoeing since.

Let me tell you about Duke. He’s a Nervous Nelly. Anytime he’s nervous, he runs around shooting turds out like they’re some kind of ammo to ward off the things causing him to panic. It’s easy to laugh but at the same time, he’s speaking. He’s telling you that to him, something isn’t right, something is scary or he is otherwise uncomfortable. Based on the fact that since I’ve known him, he’s been afraid of his own shadow, I didn’t really blink an eye when he would immediately start the pacing/pooping process when the farrier showed up. He would proceed back to it after being shod and continue up until the farrier left. I just figured “another thing he’s being dramatic about” and moved on.

I had used the same farrier since the horses came home with me in July of 2022. From the beginning, Duke had on again off again lameness and hoof issues, which had been attributed to his sensitivity, poor hoof quality, genetics, etc. He’s been on a hoof supplement for the entire time he’s been here. June/July 2023 rolls around and the farrier reschedules 3 times. Dukes toes were crumbling by the time he finally came at a little past 10 weeks, and he was lame immediately after the reset. The farrier would not come back to check him. I was able to get a stand-in farrier to come remove the shoe and found there was a hot nail (dried blood in the nail hole on the lame foot). He showed immediate relief, and he was barefoot on that hoof until his next reset (about 4 weeks) since I was not able to get the stand-in farrier or regular one to come back before the next appointment. At the last appointment, the farrier insisted putting on a more expensive, heavier shoe on already compromised feet. He also attempted to put mesh and “hide” a piece of lead with it, knowing that is illegal for the division I told him we would be showing in. I seriously began looking for a new regular farrier at that point. I can forgive a lot of things, but putting my horses wellbeing in jeopardy is NOT one of them. Willingness to cheat/lie (and charge me more for it!) is also not on the list of things I am willing to overlook.

Enter NEW farrier. Pulls up. Checks out Duke. Reset. SOUND. And you guys. He stood there. BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER, and he stood NICELY-which has literally never happened. He never once rocket launched turds or acted nervous in ANY way whatsoever while this farrier was at the barn. Excuse me new farrier. What voodoo magic sorcery have you used on this horse? Second appointment, same… Sound and happy.

We are now dealing with repairing the damage left by the previous farriers poor choices. Duke is barefoot. Again. Not by choice but by necessity. And hopefully his one “bad” foot can truly heal this time and all 4 can improve. Below, the top image is what forced us into going barefoot. The second image is what his feet look like barefoot. He’s currently wearing Cavallo simple boots (which I reviewed years ago here) any time he’s turned out or if he is being worked. He’s comfortable in them, with zero signs of any lameness.

Look, I’m not saying the previous farrier caused the abscess, abscesses happen. I’m just stating this horse did not have a history of abscesses. A years worth of one farrier working on him, he was lame after being reset almost every time, at least for several days and sometimes several weeks. I am not saying it was 100% his fault Duke was lame a lot. What I am saying is that he did not previously have a history of being lame post farrier work. Until he did, with this particular farrier. What I am saying is that he, twice now, has been sound post farrier work with someone new. I’m not saying Duke is an Angel nor a Demon, but he stood like a Demon for one farrier and like an Angel for another. He was nervous around one, but not the other.

Moral of the story, listen to your horses. Even your sensitive ones. Be an advocate for them, an advocate for change. Notice things and adjust to try for a more desirable outcome. Change care providers. Tack. Feed. Methods. ANYTHING you think might make a positive difference. At the end of the day, if no difference is made, you can always pivot back to where you started (as long as you behave in a professional manner and don’t burn bridges like a savage jerk).

Dear Duke, I am sorry it took me so long to listen to you. I wish I had done so sooner, but rest assured now changes have been made and we are moving forward. Thank you for tolerating me, humoring me, and relentlessly being “loud” to the point where I had no choice but to listen. Love Always, your loyal servant and supporter.