Professionals Choice ballistic bell boots
Why: You may recall that Hampton sliced his heel bulb back in April or May. Since then, he has lived and worked in bell boots. I have tried several different kinds with the exception of pull-ons. I hate pull ons because I am lazy. That is the only reason. I hate putting them on and taking them off. I pay for Hampton's plethora of items so they damn well better not annoy me. :) That is all.
Size: They run pretty small. Hampton wears an XXL and they are not big on him by any means. The only color choices in this size is black and white. So no fun colors or peace signs for us.
Material: I will say that since wearing these bell boots, Hampton has not suffered any more injuries to his heel bulb. The material is durable and the boot keeps its shape well. It does well in mud, grass, sand, rain, dressage, jumping, hauling, etc. It hoses off easily.
Do they turn? Yes. Maybe not as bad as others, but they DO turn. Infact today, all I had done was WALK to warm up and I hear a wfffftttt sound, look down and the left front was turned completely around. Had to get off and fix it. Maybe I am not putting them on right. I have tried making them tighter, looser, smooshing them down around the hoof ... but they do still turn sometimes.
Do they leave rubs? No. Even after 24/7 wear, they have never rubbed.
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| Hamper's footsies. These boots do ride a little high. I don't think they are meant to go all the way down to the ground. Also, horse is due for a trim. Geez. |
Cost: I picked mine up for around $23 from smartpak. I think that's what they generally run. I do find them worth the money as Hampton's first pair lasted pretty much all summer. I just now replaced them since the stitching broke on the original pair. This is through daily turnout and work in all conditions.
Verdict: I like these boots, thus why I bought another pair. I wish they were more durable but we are talking about Hampton here who is turned out for 16 hours a day in a field of other geldings and it is basically a big frat house out there. They have done a great job of protecting his heels, which is why I bought them. So if you like velcro boots that look nice and are easy to take on and off, I'd recommend these.
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| Porkchop |
Wish I could go with velco bell boots on the Diva - thick rubber pull ons are what she has to live in (takes off velco ones with her teeth I guess).
ReplyDeleteIll have to consider these... Do they hold water? Hue seems to be getting funky skin where his pull ons were because they seemed to trap the moisture and if the rubber ones do that I would imagine anything nylon/ neoprene ish might do that too?
ReplyDeleteWe need to have a barn funday swap ponies :) you have to visit huey! :)
I bought these a few months ago and really can't get a ride in without them turning! I'm really disappointed because my guy is notorious for pulling shoes during our rides over the past few months, even with rubber bell boots.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine buying a smaller size - he's a 15'3" quarter horse and I bought size medium for him - I think anything else would be too tight!
Glad they're working out for you though! It seems like everyone else really likes them.
I'm glad you had a better experience than I did with these. I bought a pair for Lucy and they rubbed her absolutely raw. I got her the large size so I don't think it was that they were too small. They looked like they fit well. They rubbed her heel bulbs and also around her fetlock. :(
ReplyDeleteGood review! I also hate pull ons and they were starting to rub Simon after 24/7 wear. These aren't expensive so I might have to check them out!
ReplyDeleteI have some of these but they never seem to fit Henry right so they just hangout in my garage.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.horse.com/item/professionals-choice-ballistic-overreach-boots/SLT721530%20LG%20SND/?srccode=GPHORSE&gclid=CLWk6c3jk7kCFfFDMgodqnwAKw
ReplyDeleteBigger size and COLORS! :)
I want some of these for shows! I really really hate pull-on bell boots as well... I always manage to injure myself in the process of putting them on :(
ReplyDelete