Air-Boot?

Newfman · Air-Boot?

One of the problems with boots and pads for therapeutic use, is the build up of moisture from, and affecting the horse's soles. That is why the typical protocol is 22 hours on, and 2 off. The two hours off allow for some drying of the soles and an opportunity to clean and dry the boot so as to combat...um...funk.

You can ventilate the bottom of a pair of easyboots, but my concern with that was allowing in debris. In a dirt paddock, you will always get dirt and dust in there. But small stones and large chunks of sand coming in through the bottom isn't helpful either.

Here is a simple modification, that took less than an hour to do, and appears to help with the above listed problems. I modified one boot only, and booted the horse for 20 hours, with one modified boot, and one not modified.

After removal, the sole of the non-modified booted hoof, felt mildly damp, and mildly soft. The accumulation of dust was typical. The sole with the modified boot, seemed significantly less moist, and there was no more, and maybe even a little less, accumulation of dust. The difference was significant enough to justify modifying the other boot. This is not a new thing, just a modification of an idea.

Click to see full size image

Click to see full size image

I recommend a Forstner Bit (1/2 inch) as it gives a nice clean cut. A regular drill bit may mangle the job, or grab and spin your bit, possibly causing injury. Forstner Bits are available at Lowe's or Home Depot etc.

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The screen is glued in with Vettech Adhere, because that is what I had handy and it cures very fast.. You may want to use something like clear silicone, so that you can scrape it out more easily, if the screen wears out. Drying time is much longer though, like 24 hours. Glued in with the Adhere, these will be difficult to remove, but I have a framing chisle that will make short work of it. I guess I could have used the sole guard, and that would be much easier to deal with later.

The screen is just a double layer of fiberglass window screen. You can embed metal screen, or even heavier fiberglass screen used in roof lap applications. I put a figure eight pattern down of glue around the holes then pressed the screen on to embed it in the glue. The boot was first cleaned and then wiped out with alchohol, and dried.

Just an idea. Next time, I may bore my holes in the boots laterally, so as not to have the frog keeping as much pressure over the holes. But, it seems as the sole of the foot and the boot flex, it creates a little air pump action, so it doesn't seem to be much of an issue. The frog will certainly 'plug' the holes when the foot is on the ground. Not necessarily a bad thing. At that point, a significant amount of air is evacuated, and then gets sucked in when the foot lifts. Theoretically of course. But the results are promising.

4theloveofjake

My horse only wears boots on rocky ground/trails but this seems like a good idea for a horse who is in boots for sore feet reasons. Also the design doesn't seem to compromise the comfort or support of the boot in any way. Pretty cool !

thelmanelle

Here's a question, because I like the idea, but I am concerned about pressure on the horse? The air pressure is what concerns me...the amount of time, how tight, etc.

But, I really like the idea of air to stop debris from entering the boot. Very neat!