In January, I made a reckless financial decision and bought a second horse. As an adult amateur with two jobs, well, this seemed like… a good idea at the time. I should probably disclose that I bought a Thoroughbred straight off the track. Yeah. What’s done is done.
All jokes aside, I’m very excited to be on this journey with a new horse and with a big goal in mind for the year: the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover! My new gelding, lovingly called Wyatt, is my accepted entry. But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’re still at the very beginning of what I hope will be a fun story.
Wyatt last raced in December. When I picked him up, he still had glued-on racing plates on all four feet. My farrier took one look at his hooves and grumbled naughty words under his breath. Having owned my fair share of Thoroughbreds before, I knew Wyatt’s feet would be a long and uphill battle, especially here in Florida where everything is sand and generally… wet. The first thing my farrier did was let his feet grow still in the plates for a few cycles. Then we finally pulled them off, revealing some seriously unbalanced feet. While we’re technically in the “dry” season for Florida in the winter, my farrier thought it was best to leave Wyatt barefoot, with the hopes of more frequent “micro” trims while his body unwinds and gets used to a new lifestyle and feed program. All of that sounded great to me, until my poor horse turned up lame pretty quickly. His thin (i.e. more like nonexistent) soles were a constant source of pain. Despite all this, my farrier still wasn’t convinced his hooves in their current shape would hold a nail. So we are trying to push through, giving Wyatt the time he needs for let down in the field, while also offering him some supplements (Farrier’s Formula Double Strength) and topical treatments (Farrier’s Fix and Durasole) to help get him on the right path.
All the while I worried in the back of my brain about not being able to ride and train my newly minted ex-racehorse. The Makeover event, held in October, would be here before you know it. Then a fellow boarder at my barn offered up a temporary solution. She trail rides her barefoot dressage horse in a pair of Flex Hoof Boots, a pull-on boot made for barefoot horses to help provide cushion and traction. I’d seen similar boots before worn by endurance horses and other trail riders. So I started researching.
Flex Hoof Boots are from Finland, but lucky for me, the USA rep is based right here in Tampa, Fla. Lindy was great – she coached me through taking the proper measurements of my gelding’s feet to select the correct size for a pair of front boots. They arrived in just a matter of days. Flex Hoof Boots has a series of easy-to-read diagrams and videos on their website to teach you how to apply the boots correctly. They slip right on and off and stay in place (if sized correctly) with durable straps. I worried about rubs against my horse’s heel bulbs when working in the sand of our dressage arena. But Wyatt has not had a rub, nor has he taken one painful or lame step in these boots. I use them every ride right now – on the trail, in the area, over jumps, and they give him just the right amount of support to continue with our light work load while allowing his hooves the time they need to grow out.
The boots are super easy to care for – you can wash them with the hose and brush out loose dirt. So far, they’re standing up to daily wear without issue. You can customize your boots in a variety of colors. They’re a bit of an investment, but I have no doubt that they’ll be a tool in my tack trunk for years to come. Sadly, boots aren’t legal for some sport competitions (including USDF). But they provide a great pain-free option for me at a time when I need them most.