Today I dug out Doru's old hoof boots to see whether they fitted Brena.
They did. She isn't a big horse however Old Mac size 10 boots - the largest size - fit her front and hind feet. They are a nice fit without gaiters and perhaops a bit on the snug side with gaiters.
Doru's feet, meanwhile, have grown since the days that he used hoof boots. His heels in particular are much wider. However, being retired, he has no need for hoof boots.
Brena has good solid feet. However they are getting quite chipped now from extensive work over stony ground. I might need to start using hoof boots to protect her feet from unusual wear and tear.
I was curious to see how she would react to these strange things on her feet. There was a bit of scraping feet through the dust and a plaintive raising of a foot as if to ask me what I had done. Then we went for a walk and, apart from the slap of plastic on the hard ground, everything was normal.
I think that next I'll leave the boots on her for an hour or two in the field so that she can begin tio get really used to them. Then we'll make a short ride with them on.
That's Brena's "wear & tear" issue resolved. Mine is my hip joints and lower back. I've just started taking glucosamine suplhate tablets. Perhaps they will help? Well I guess that is to be expected with a young horse and a high-mileage rider.
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