Which bell boots for 24/7?

[Dirty Little Secret]

Which bell boots LAST and don't fall off? I'm on my 3rd pair in 3 weeks of the italian stretch boots. Supposed to be so good but not having luck. Suggestions?

[gasrgoose]

We have a pony we keep in bell boots 24/7 and I always buy the cheapest stretch slip ons I can find. If you can find a free shipping code, some of the websites will have bell boots in the clearance section. When I find a good price i buy a couple of pair. They have lasted as long as 3 months and as few as 3 weeks. But they are much cheaper than the farrier!

[America's Pride]

My horse is hard on his bell boots and I've had the best luck with the Beval stretch pull on bell boots, for some reason the gum colored ones eem to last more thn balck or white.

[ArenaBallerina]

http://www.smithbrothers.com/premium-pull-on-bell-boots-by-horse-craft/p/X3-04839/cn/537/

They are rather ugly, but I have yet to come across bell boots that last longer. If they break, you can send them back, and the company will replace them.

[EAY]

I have had pretty good luck with the Professional Choice ones. They're a bit pricey but they stay on and hold up better than others that I've tried.

[Jack16]

I use the no turn professional choice boots. My horse can tear up, rip off, etc. etc. everything else I have put on him. After losing a shoe every week or so I bought these. He is in them all the time and they are great. They don't turn so when he is running around like a freak show with his best friend he is still protected. :D :lol:

[jn4jenny]

At the recommendation of many friends and the accolades of many COTH forumites, I use the Easy Stretch Bell Boots. They are a lot like the pricey Italian ones except for one crucial difference: they are double the thickness on the bottom, which means the horse has to work much harder to rip/tear the boot. About $9.99 per pair at Dover or $7.99 per pair at Miller Harness:
http://millerharness.com/product.asp?pn=X4-0410

[GreystoneKC]

Don't you guys have issues with your horses getting sores if you leave them in pull on bells without any fleece/sheepskin/fuzzy material around the top 24/7? I've always had issues with anything other than fuzzy ones for 24/7 use.

[Not So Practical Horse(WO)man]

I use the italian ones at dover for now. Last summer I went and picked up a backup pair at my local tack shop and they lasted 3 months. The dover italian ones lasted about 2 months but were 3x the price of th tack store ones.

My girl never rubs in the italian ones but got a nasty nasty rub from the tack store ones when she stocked up in them. The rub got infected and had to be bandaged 24/7 for one month. She's stocked up in the italian ones before and no problem. So even though theyre pricier and dont last as long im sticking with the italians. I also only buy them in gum because its a different kind of rubber so it does last longer.

[Coreene]

Classic Equine has one in the Dover catalog, I think they're called 3DX or something similar, that last nine months on my horse. Then one day I find them in the stall instead, chewed up, and it's time for new ones (always have two pair on hand as backup). No rubs ever. Have used these for four or five years now and love them.

[katie16]

The bell boots I have had the best luck with in the 24/7 situation is the ribbed gum rubber pull on type.

[LSM1212]

Interesting about the Beval Italian ones not lasting... and the gum ones being the best.

I use the Beval Italian ones... but in Black. Now they are a b*tch and a 1/2 to get on. But once on? My guy keeps them on. The last pair lasted about a year. It started to get little nicks and tears on the bottoms so I cut them off and replaced them. We are going on 4 months in the current pair... and they look brand new.

No issues w/ rubs either.

[rabicon]

My guy has to wear them 24/7 he has worn the Davis No turn bell boots for the past 3 Years before I bought him a new pair a couple months ago. The thing is he didn't have to have a new pair I just got sick of looking at blue :lol: So he got neon green :lol: I would really say get the davis they are great and they are a thicker material so they hold up well. They are about 25.00 a pair but for 3 years and still going can't beat that.

[Wanderluster]

I did an informal survey one time and bought at least eight brands of bell boots. The wolf (sp), leather bevel, cheap gum, etc. My boot of choice now are the professional choice that are made out of a Kevlar type material. Someone else has already mentioned them, they have a knob that fits between the heel bulbs that keep them from turning. I have one horse that ripped off shoes every week until we put him in these. :cool:

[MintHillFarm]

My horse is hard on his bell boots and I've had the best luck with the Beval stretch pull on bell boots, for some reason the gum colored ones eem to last more thn balck or white.


Me too.

[MintHillFarm]

I did an informal survey one time and bought at least eight brands of bell boots. The wolf (sp), leather bevel, cheap gum, etc. My boot of choice now are the professional choice that are made out of a Kevlar type material. Someone else has already mentioned them, they have a knob that fits between the heel bulbs that keep them from turning. I have one horse that ripped off shoes every week until we put him in these. :cool:

We are trying these as well, my only question is them staying on in the mud.
They still spin too, which I had hoped would not happen. Still in the trial period though. Pricey but if they help keep the shoes on and don't tear apart I will be very impressed.

[Equino]

I have a couple of guys who live out and need bell boots, so they are pretty much on almost 24/7, the exception is for grooming, bathing or farrier appointments. I find the Bevals white Italian ones the toughest to rip, and also the TOUGHEST to get on and off, my farrier HATES them! I buy the black ones for the horses who don't need them on all the time, and they seem to last pretty long, just not as long as the white ones. Seriously-one guy has been in he same white pair since last fall, and he was regularly ripping bell boots each month. The gum colored ones are the easiest to get on and off, but I have found that also means they are more easily ripped by the horse.

I used to buy cheap ones from Dover and would find them often pulled off and sometimes even ripped. They lasted less than a month on average, and despite being cheap, I found one pair from Bevals ($27) would last much longer than 3 pairs from Dover. I just bought a black pair today for one horse who ripped one from a pair I bought him over a year ago. Not bad!

[TheHorseProblem]

Professional's Choice Ballistic Bell Boots.

Several horses at my barn wear them 24/7. They don't seem to wear out.

[ljc]

I, too, did an informal survey and bought every kind of pull on bell boot I could find. Sadly, the Italian ones were the only pair to fit my half TB/half percheron horse who has long hooves! My horse eats his boots so I have to spray Rap Last on them every few days. If I forget, I find pieces of bell boot in his stall. He takes giant chunks out of them - I imagine him lying there all night, munching away.

The gum colored ones are definitely the easiest to pull on, especially if left in the sun for a bit. And my horse is wearing pretty wide, therapeutic type shoes right now so they make the whole process even LESS fun.

So far, knock on wood, he hasn't developed any rubs or sores and we're starting our third year of him wearing them 24/7. I think that because he has to wear an XL, the top of the boot is loose enough to never rub.

[Dune]

Professional Choice, wrap-around style.

[MistyPony]

At the recommendation of many friends and the accolades of many COTH forumites, I use the Easy Stretch Bell Boots. They are a lot like the pricey Italian ones except for one crucial difference: they are double the thickness on the bottom, which means the horse has to work much harder to rip/tear the boot. About $9.99 per pair at Dover or $7.99 per pair at Miller Harness:
http://millerharness.com/product.asp?pn=X4-0410

I second this - I actually have a pair that have lasted almost 3 years being worn 24/7!

[TrakeGirl]

Has anyone ever had the problem of your Italian bell boots trapping mud/moisture and causing the hoof to get soft?

My guy is in either Beval or KL select Italian bell boots 24/7 because they are the only ones long enough on the sides. He side steps and pulls his shoes off from the side - so the no turn bell boots do not provide the right protection for him.

However, he gets tons and tons of turnout. In summer, it is mostly night turnout (5pm to 10am) and then in under fans during the hot part of the day.
Farrier says we are having trouble with his feet because the bell boots hold in moisture (dew from the grass) or mud sometimes as well and thus the hoof walls have gotten very soft. If we don't have bell boots on, he pulls he shoes off...so darned if we do, darned if we don't.

[Sing Mia Song]

I use the KL Selects and they've lasted more than a year.

[Hunterlover17]

Professional Choice No Turn Bell Boots!!

Had an Appendix QH who had these boots on 24/7 for 2+ years. On one of the boots, the velcro strap started to come undone but the boot itself looked great. I definitely got my money's worth out of them.

[fordtraktor]

Has anyone ever had the problem of your Italian bell boots trapping mud/moisture and causing the hoof to get soft?

My guy is in either Beval or KL select Italian bell boots 24/7 because they are the only ones long enough on the sides. He side steps and pulls his shoes off from the side - so the no turn bell boots do not provide the right protection for him.

However, he gets tons and tons of turnout. In summer, it is mostly night turnout (5pm to 10am) and then in under fans during the hot part of the day.
Farrier says we are having trouble with his feet because the bell boots hold in moisture (dew from the grass) or mud sometimes as well and thus the hoof walls have gotten very soft. If we don't have bell boots on, he pulls he shoes off...so darned if we do, darned if we don't.

Pick a day when his hooves are nice and dry, then apply Tuff Stuff (starting about 1/3 of the way down the hoof -- don't apply to the coronary band!) and let it dry. Then you can put your bells back on and turn him out. Repeat once a week.

Tuff Stuff is a sealant that keeps extra moisture out. I have had very good luck with this on horses whose feet don't react well to too much moisture.

[LSM1212]

Has anyone ever had the problem of your Italian bell boots trapping mud/moisture and causing the hoof to get soft?

My guy is in either Beval or KL select Italian bell boots 24/7 because they are the only ones long enough on the sides. He side steps and pulls his shoes off from the side - so the no turn bell boots do not provide the right protection for him.

However, he gets tons and tons of turnout. In summer, it is mostly night turnout (5pm to 10am) and then in under fans during the hot part of the day.
Farrier says we are having trouble with his feet because the bell boots hold in moisture (dew from the grass) or mud sometimes as well and thus the hoof walls have gotten very soft. If we don't have bell boots on, he pulls he shoes off...so darned if we do, darned if we don't.

:) I have the staff "flip up" my guys bellboots if it's been really wet and muddy out when he comes in during the day. That way his feet can dry faster. Farrier suggested it. And they just flip them back down before he goes back out. Only takes a few seconds each time.

[YankeeTurnedHillbilly]

Beval's Italian Pull ons, black or white only. Never imitation ones from Dover or anywhere else. I have 2 ponies that live in them 24/7/365 and a pair lasts them aproximately a year.

For me, the key is to only get the more expensive ones from Beval's. The imitation ones just are not the same quality.