Good booting techniques always start off with the trim;  a good trim always helps fit boots better, and because booting is such an important component of a successful transition.

Most styles of trim suggest removing flare from the bottom of the hoof, or rolling the edge so that the flare is very passive. A rolled edge makes it easier to fit boots snugly and removing flare knocks a size of two off the width of the foot. On transitioning feet, the wall can be so frail that all we can do is carefully tend the ragged edges to keep them from chipping, but getting flare passive and keeping it that way is critical with transitioning feet.

When I can't take all of the quarter flare off on the first trim, I thin the walls in the quarters to accelerate the remodeling, using the growth rings as guidelines... (Refer to Flare article) the wall in the flared area wears faster when its thinned so that the flare - which is actually excess wall length - goes away in one or two months, max.

 

 

Flare in the quarters is the challenge,  and many of these horses feet are literally folded over excess wall length in the quarters, which results in the quarters bulging out to the sides.. Depending on the foot, I often bring these flares in all the way to the edge of the sole, to the white line, if they are extremely flared... need to be careful because each foot is different, but getting the flare passive is important for transition and makes the boots fit better.

 

Unfortunately even after the flare has been removed, some of these feet are still so wide that the boots end up with a bit of excessive length, and most of these folks need smaller boots by month 2 or 3. I personally fit boots for my clients, and I will still try to adjust the trim for a great fit, because that will 1) make the boot easier to use and thus it WILL get used! and 2) make the horse more comfortable when booted and result in better movement and faster rehabs.

 

Many of my TB type clients use the Old Macs; these boots work well for the wider feet.

 

Most of my clients use Epics  or Bares, but I would;t suggest Bares for these folks until the feet are transitioned. With the Epics, I suggest using COMFORT STRAPS - the "no cleats" option - on these wide foot horses because the bulging quarters are a pain to get into boots anyway. Even with the cleat covers removed and the cleats depressed, the metal in the quarters catches on the wider foot with a ragged transitioning edge.

 

EVERYONE loves the comfort strap option, but I have trouble selling them except for horses like these because they are a pain for most folks to put in and are an added expense. If I had my choice, I'd order all of my boots with the comfort straps.

 

I pad the boots with the Comfort Pads on all of my transitions, and with extra wide feet, have used the large size pads and cut them oblong so that there is excess pad at the rear of the foot, a paddle handle shape, that pads the heel area in the gaiter. It isn't ideal, but it does take up room and usually results in a better fit.

 

I have also taken the excess pad that I cut off - that nice crescent of extra pad - and added a strip of it in the toe of the boot on top of the snuggly fit pad to take up room in the front of the toe, and stuffed it in the heel also.

 

The problem is, all of this is a pain in the posterior for owners... I do it for my clients and have gotten pretty clever about fitting feet, but most of my clients feel awkward with boot at first so couldn't get through this easily unsupported.

 

Some of the local traditional farrier's are getting very interested in this stuff and have had me fit boots for their clients. I don't make much money for the boots, so ask that I be able to trim their clients feet with them watching (so that they learn). A local farrier supply place  has started carrying Easy Care boots, and I am going to suggest a booting program for her farrier clients that includes a lesson on trimming for boots and fitting boots. If these farrier's carry one boot of the common sizes, they can offer a fitting service, estimating what size the horse will need so that the client can purchase it ahead of time or "order" it from their farrier so that they don't have to carry the inventory.  I have a truck full of everything.

 

I keep meaning to test using a size smaller strap on these boots to take up room and haven't had the time or need recently... can we put a size 1 strap in a size 2 boot (for example) to improve fit?