Proper Gaiter Fit

I continue to see photos of EasyCare boots in use that do not have the gaiter tightened well.  The gaiter is either loose, the sides are not aligned or both.

Here are some photos that show proper fit.

Nice fit.  Tight.  Look at the overlap of the two sides.  Both sides are straight at the top.

Tight fit, very little gap at the sides.

Here are some photos that show improper fit.

Very loose, needs to be much tighter.  Gap is much too big.

Sides are being pulled at an angle.  Sides need to be square to each other.

Too loose, sides don't overlap.

Here is a short video that shows how to snug up a gaiter.  

Comments

[Margriet]

This is a new kind of Gaiter?
I have used Easyboot Gloves for nearly 2 monthes now, 3-4 times a week, with the earlier type of Gaiter.
My gaitered Icelandic mare gets some sore spots at the front of her legs, just were the gaiters are, since we have used the boots in very wet conditions for about an hour a day.
Is there anything I can do to prefent this?
I beleave I make the gaiters fit straight and tight.

[martha]

Hi Garrett

LOVE the Gloves!!!

Can't wait to use some of the new accessories for them.
Any idea on when the new gaiters and domed pads will be available?

I am already using the power straps on my hind boots. With how my horse moves, he slightly twists the hind boots, which made the boot gap on the inside. So alittle dirt was starting to get into the boots. But the strap fixed it.

Martha
Buckley,Wash

[John Haeberle]

What about big pasterns? My QH doesn't have little wrists like all these Arabs I see on the web site. They seem to stay on just fine, but we haven't gone more than several miles yet.

[Butch]

I would have to agree with you , I also see alot of improperly installed boots , and boots that are too big to begin with . Bad thing about this is that when they come off , rub or whatever, the boot gets the blame , which isn't right . Seem's that boots are held to a higher standard then metal shoes are , I can't begin to tell you how many times my horse lost/tore off a shoe or ran around for weeks with a loose shoe and no one blames the shoe .

[Sharon]

Hey Garrett, I see you're using the new gaiter above. With the old gaiters on my Gloves, EVEN when I do exactly what you have shown in the video above, I have both a V-attach issue on the front feet AND a no-overlap issue on all four feet. I think my horse has thick pasterns, and that his front pastern angles are too angled for the old gaiter style. I look forward to seeing how the new gaiters fit him.

[WhiteHorse]

What are some options being used in the field when the gaiter barely fits around the pastern? Velcro extenders? I have one client whose horse has huge pasterns in comparison to the norm. The boot portion fits perfectly but it's difficult to get the gaiter tabs overlapped enough to stay together when the horse moves off. Larger gaiter? Thoughts?

[John Haeberle]

Butch has a point, though farriers will be quick to point out that shoes can be pounded, rounded, and otherwise "fit" to the hoof much more so than rubber boots of any brand.

Isn't that the missing piece?

Isn't that what is good about gloves, i.e. that they can be ordered a bit small and stretched over the hoof?

But shoes still have that custom fit over boots. Boots are, to some degree, "one size fits all" ... or in the case of gloves "7 or 8 sizes fit all". Of course, that's not true. See all the comments from people who love the glove, but have horses with round hooves.

I am not an apologist for farriers or steel shoes, but let's try to identify the problem.

[Sharon]

See, now, I don't get that. I keep asking whether folks with round-hooved horses have TRIED the Gloves/Glue-Ons... and I'm not getting responses. One of Zephyr's hooves is perfectly round, and two of the others are wider than they are long... and these boots are working great for him. Only ONE of his hooves is longer than it is wide!

[martha]

Hi Sharon
I have a round footed QH and I have been using the Gloves for months now and love them. They work great for me. And after my trimmer friend saw how well they worked for me, she couldn't wait to get her boots, and she now recommend the Gloves to all her clients because she thinks it is the best boot out there. Now I have just installed the power strap to my hind boots after months of usage and really like it also.

If you have anymore questions on using the Gloves on round hooved horses, feel free to contact me at [email protected] .

Martha

[Penny Fetterman]

I too, love the gloves. One of my horses has round hoves and the other long narrow hoves and they fit them both fine. And the price is great too.

[Erika Mørup]

I am a trimmer in Denmark and I have found that a lot of my customers have trouble fitting into the gloves as the hooves are too round. When I fit the boots one size fits in the quarters but the V in the front doesn't expand and on the next half size down the V expands but the quarters are hanging over the edge of the boot.

In some cases a power strap is enough to make the boot work but in other cases we have to use a different style of boot.

I am really excited about the prospect of using glue on boots for rehab. I haven't tried to glue any of the gloves on but I suspect I will have trouble in this department as so many horses don't fit the shells well enough. I have ordered Pete's video and hopefully he will have some good insights into the problem of rehabing with glueon boots.

[Rose]

I am using Gloves on my round-footed quarter horses. I have to use the larger size to fit the quarters, as Erika stated, and use a power strap to snug up the top. They work great and I LOVE them!

I highly recommend getting a "fit kit" to determine the correct size.