How to measure a hoof.

Hoof boots are great products that can help you transition your horse to barefoot, ride barefoot horses on harder terrain,  or protect a horse’s hoof if it’s thrown a shoe.

However, getting the right size and shape hoof boot is highly dependent on measuring your horse’s hoof properly.

How to measure

• Measure the width of the hoof across the bottom at the widest point.
• Measure the length of the hoof from the toe to the buttress line of the heel. The buttress line is the farthest weight bearing point of the heel.
• Compare your measurement with the proper size chart for the boot. If you are taking your measurements in inches, use the imperial size chart. If you are taking your measurements in millimeters, use the metric size chart.
• Ideally, the width and length measurement will fit into the same boot size. If the width and length measurements indicate different boot sizes, select the larger boot size.

Tips and warnings

1. Hoof boots generally do not fit hooves with a lot of flair. To address flair you should work with your farrier.
2. Look carefully at your horse’s hoof shape to determine whether a boot is likely to fit. Most hoof boots are made for horse who have hoofs that are longer than they are wide. .
3. Hoof boots often don’t fit horses who have hooves with either very high or very low heels.
4. Don’t include the heel bulbs in your measurements — you’ll end up with boots that are too long.

Here’s a handy video from EasyCare that shows exactly how to measure a hoof.