How to Put Boots on a Horse

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 6, 2020 References

A horse’s legs do an immense amount of work and take on a lot of strain. Putting boots on your horse protects their tendons and muscles from tension as they jump, prance, and canter around. You can put boots on your horse easily in a single afternoon to provide them the most benefit and safety as they work hard at whatever they are doing.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Choosing Boots

1
Choose bell boots if your horse has a tendency to overreach. If your horse constantly catches the back of their hoof on corners while jumping, they may benefit from bell boots. These boots cover the top of the horse’s ankle and can even reach down to cover part of their hooves as well.^{[1]
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- Bell boots are the most common type of boots that horses wear.
2
Pick sports boots if your horse gets muscle strains. Sports boots provide extra lift on your horse’s legs and ankles. If your horse jumps a lot or runs long distances, consider fitting them with sports boots to give them some extra support.^{[2]
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- Sports boots are a great option if your horse competes in agility courses.
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3
Try tendon boots to protect your horse from tendon strains. Similar to muscle strains, tendon strains can happen if your horse does a lot of jumping or running. Try tendon boots to give your horse some extra lift and support so that the tendons in their legs and ankles don’t get damaged.^{[3]
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Tip: If you are unsure about what type of boots your horse needs, talk to a veterinarian near you for a recommendation.
4
Measure the width and length of your horse’s hoof to pick a size. Lift one of your horse’s feet up towards you and hold it still. Use a measuring tape to measure the widest part of your horse’s hoof in millimeters, and then the length of your horse’s hoof in millimeters. Use these measurements to pick out a size from a size chart online or in a store.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Getting Your Horse Ready

1
Tie up your horse so they don’t walk away. It’s important to keep your horse still and calm throughout the process so that you both stay safe. Tie your horse to a fence post or their stall to keep them in place while you put their boots on.^{[5]
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- If this is your horse’s first time wearing boots, they may not understand what you are putting on their legs and get a little jumpy.
2
Brush your horse’s legs to remove dirt and grime. Use a body brush or a dandy brush to gently clean your horse’s legs from the knee downward. This ensures that no dirt or debris will get trapped in the boots and cause irritations.^{[6]
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Tip: If you’ve used the boots before, you should also clean those out to remove dirt and debris.
3
Look at the boots to see which one is for which leg. Most boots indicate whether they are for the right leg or the left leg. Take a look at all of your boots to figure out which one goes where.^{[7]
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- It usually doesn’t matter if a boot is on the front or back legs, but it’s good to double-check.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Fitting the Boots

1
Slide the boot onto the ball of your horse’s foot. Find the ball of your horse’s foot, or the area above the hoof that protrudes slightly outwards on the top of their foot. Hold the boot next to one leg and slide the bottom portion onto the ball of the foot so that the boot covers the horse’s entire ankle.^{[8]
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Tip: You can tell you are holding the boot the right way up because the bottom part of the boot is curved outward to accommodate the ball of your horse’s foot.
2
Strap the middle strap tightly against the horse’s leg. Keep holding onto the ball of your horse’s foot. Slide your other hand up to the second strap and wrap it around your horse’s leg to attach it to the other side of the boot.^{[9]
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- Try to wrap the strap as tight as it will go to keep the boot secure.
3
Hook the top strap so it fits snugly on the horse’s leg. Keep one hand on the ball of the foot to hold the boot in place. Use your other hand to grab the top Velcro strap of the boot and pull it over your horse’s leg and attach it to the other side of the boot.^{[10]
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- The top strap is mostly made to keep the boot closed rather than fitting it snugly to the horse’s leg, so it doesn’t have to be super tight.
4
Wrap the thick bottom strap around the bottom of your horse’s ankle. Keep one hand on the ball of your horse’s foot to hold the boot in place. Wrap the bottom strap around to the other side of the boot and Velcro it securely. Wrap it as tight as you can so that it doesn’t fall off.^{[11]
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- The bottom strap is often longer than the top 2 straps, so it may wrap more towards the front of the boot.
5
Slide 1 finger into the top of the boot to make sure it fits. Take your pointer finger and put it in between the top of the boot and your horse’s leg. If you can’t fit your finger in, loosen the straps of the boot until you can. If there is a lot of wiggle room between your finger and the boot, tighten up the straps.^{[12]
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- The boots must be fitted properly on each leg in order to work well.
6
Repeat the steps for each leg. Once your initial boot is on and fitted correctly, you can put boots on all of the other legs of your horse. Make sure each boot is strapped in tightly and fits well to provide the most support for your horse.^{[13]
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