Spent $80 on those fancy rubber hoof pads and they slid right off in mud after two rides

Went back to plain old leather pads from the feed store for $12 and they've held perfect for three months now, anyone else find the expensive stuff is just marketing?

3 comments

3 Comments

piperb931mo ago

Stick with the expensive rubber ones but clean and dry the hoof bed completely before putting them on. I've got a mare that lives in mud half the year and the trick is using a little construction adhesive around the edges. Those cheap leather pads soak up moisture and rot out in a month if your ground stays wet.

jade_singh1mo ago

Nah @piperb93, I've had way better luck with leather pads if you treat them right before using.

joseph_adams661mo ago

My buddy tried those rubber pads on his gelding and had nothing but trouble. The damn things kept slipping around no matter how clean the hoof was. Switched to leather and treated them with neatsfoot oil before putting them on. His farrier showed him how to cut them just slightly oversized and trim them flush after nailing. That horse has been sound for two years now in wet Virginia clay.