How To select and fit bell boots for Horses?

bell boots for horses

What are Bell Boots?

Bell boots for horses, also called overreach boots, are one of the most common, and easiest to use forms of protection for your horse’s legs and hooves. They cover a horse’s feet from above the coronary band down to the below the heel and provide protection from the hind feet, which can overreach or clip the front feet during riding or turnout.

 

Why use bell boots?

Horses that tend to overreach with their hind feet can knick the back of their front hoof and their sensitive bulb, or as the hind feet step on the backs of the front shoes and loosen or pull them off. This is costly in the amount of time off, especially if there was damage to the hoof wall, and the actually financial cost of having to reset the lost shoe.

Horses most commonly overreach when the horse is jumping, working in mud or on a slippery surface, running cross-country, or lungeing. Bell boots are occasionally worn when shipping a horse. If your horse tends to lose shoes in turnout, or finishes a ride with dirt marks, scrapes or bruises on his heels or pasterns, he may benefit from wearing bell boots.

If you compete in high-performance events such as jumping, roping or reining, the power of a horse’s hind end driving underneath their bodies can also cause injury to their front feet. All this can also cause a lost shoe and damage the horse’s hoof.

What type of bell boots are there?

There are three basic types of bell boots: (1) rubber pull-on boots, (2) Open bell boots, and those benefits combined make the (3) ThinLine Gator bell boots.

 

1) Rubber pull-on bell boots

rubber bell boots for horsesThese pull-on boots are usually the ones that you’ll find horses wearing all day long. They provide full protection of the foot for horses that need it while turned out or during performance. Pull-on bell boots offer full protection because they stay on through wet footing or winter weather, regardless of the environment.

Pull-on Bell boots are usually made of rubber and don’t have any type of opening. Although open bell boots are the easiest to apply, pull-on bell boots are more secure as they have less chance of slipping off.

Advantages

    • Full protection of the foot
    • Can be worn all day
    • Easy to clean, full rubber
    • Less chance to slip off

Disadvantages

    • Difficult to put on
    • Sometimes in need to warm up to pull on
    • Needs an exact right size
    • Easily be ripped if size is not completely correct

They are typically cheaper than an open pair of boots, because of their simple design and lack of closure mechanism. To apply these types of bell boots, it is easiest to turn them inside out, before slipping them over the toe of the foot. It may also help to place them in warm water so they will expand before trying to put them on.

Because pull-on boots can’t be adjusted, it’s important to get the right size. In general, the sizes for pull-on boots go small (ponies), medium (Arabians and smaller Quarter Horses), large (Thoroughbred, larger stock-horses and Warmblood crosses) and extra-large (sport horses).

A correctly sized bell boot should just touch the ground behind the bulbs of the heel while the horse is standing. The mouth of the bell boot should be just loose enough to fit a finger or two between it and the horse’s pastern. If the pull-on boot is too large, they can be easily ripped off.

 

2) Open Bell Boots

Open Bell Boots for Horses

If pulling on a rubber bell seems too difficult, using a simple wrap-around boot that closes might be the way to go.  

Advantages

    • Full protection of the foot
    • Easy to put on and off
    • Easy to fit the to size

Disadvantages

    • Difficult to wear all day
    • Closure system tends to break easily due to mud and dirt
    • Difficult to clean the scratch
    • Often to be replaced due to break

We created this before with ThinLine but stopped doing so due to the disadvantages we created something completely new!

Most open bell boots close with a hook-and-loop closure that allows for easy adjustment and easy fit, however that type of closure can have problems with mud, burrs or stickers, which lessens the amount of grip on the fabric closure. While open boots are easier to put on, it comes with a price.

They are generally more expensive than pull-on boots, and have to be replaced more often because of the latch system failing.

 

3) ThinLine Gator Bell Boots

ThinLine Gator Bell BootsSo with ThinLine we tried to find a way to combine all benefits and leave out the disadvantages and create a new Bell Boot for Horses that everyone would love!

So we created the ThinLine’s GatorBootz which offer a patented on/off fastener that provides durability and reliability with the latching system. With this system, the boot survives any environment like a pull-on, but with a more rigid construction to last. Plus, there is no fabric for stickers or burrs to stick to, which also means easier cleaning.

Advantages

    • Full protection of the foot
    • Easy to clean, full rubber, no scratch!
    • Can be worn all day
    • Easy to put on and off
    • Less chance to slip off
    • Easy to fit the to size

Disadvantages

    • Are there any?!

ThinLine’s GatorBootz offers all the benefits of rubber pull-on bell boots with the added adjustability that makes fitting the bell boots simple and easy. Getting the right size is important. If you can fit a finger’s width between the rim of the bell boot and the pastern, they are the proper fit and won’t chafe.

Not sure what size your horse needs?

    • Medium bell boots (Arabians and smaller Quarter Horses)
    • Large bell boots (Thoroughbred; larger stock-horses and warmblood crosses)

Just as with pull-on boots, you want to be sure you can fit a finger’s width between the rim of the bell boot and the pastern. The opening allows for a little more adjustment, so you have more room to play around with the sizes. 

 

Perfect for Any Use!

ThinLine’s Gator bell boots are a perfect choice whether you are running a busy training barn or just have that one special partner. Not only do they provide superior protect for your horses, but they are also easy to care for.

The latest edition, our ThinLine GatorBootz, is built tough enough to withstand the rigours of everyday training and turnout, but without the drawbacks of traditional pull-on boots. 

ThinLine Gatorbootz Lifestyle

ThinLine Gatorbootz Lifestyle

 

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