Cable ties are one of my favorite things to use at the barn. They are right up there with duct tape and baling twine in their usefulness — need to tie up some electric fence? Fix a halter with a broken snap? Cable ties are perfect! But the absolute best use I’ve found for them is to keep the Velcro straps on my Cavello boots from coming undone.
I’m a big fan of Cavallo boots. I’ve been using them now for two years. I bought them originally as a stop gap measure when I took Freedom barefoot but they’ve worked so well that I’ve kept using them for foxhunting (Freedom goes barefoot now most of the time).
The trouble with foxhunting in boots is that you often have to go through mud, water and otherwise treacherous footing. After awhile, the Velcro straps on the boots simply don’t stay shut. No matter how much you
wash them, scrub them or otherwise clean them, there’s just not enough “stick” left after awhile.
There is an internal Velcro closure on the boot and in theory (I emailed a Cavallo rep about this) you don’t need to have the straps fastened to keep the boot on. In practice, I don’t think they’ve done much foxhunting because that didn’t work for me.
I tried to use the clips that they send with the boots but they are just too hard to use. While you’re crouching down next to your horse’s hoof you need to thread the end of the strap through the clip and then pull it tight.
Securing the straps with cable ties is, in comparison, a piece of cake. I generally secure both straps on all four boots and then I’m good to go. The straps stay closed and the cable ties are secure until I cut them off.
I had shoes pulled yesterday, and plan on keeping my horse barefoot. I was looking for
a good hoof boot and have decided to try the Cavallo Simples after reading your comments and reviews I read on other sites. I tried them on yesterday and they look like a good fit.
I love the hint to use zip ties to keep straps closed. I always have zips in my barn and trailer. I use them to secure saddle bags to the saddle, tags on halters, and costume pieces on the horse 🙂
Good luck with the transition to barefoot. The Cavallo boots really helped my horse and the cable ties are a pretty simple insurance policy! I think they are right up there with duct tape and baling twine for usefulness at the barn.
Another genius use for cable ties. Also good to see what a little ingenuity will do for you to make a good product better. Barefoot is the way to go for the majority of horses. If a horse is shod incorrectly (and even the best farriers don’t always do their best jobs) that horse is forced to stay in that angle and length for 6-8 weeks. If a horse is barefoot and trimmed incorrectly the foot can wear to go back to the correct level for the horses leg.
Your a good job taking care of this one, I’m sure their are many more years of foxhunting left 🙂
Just saw this and was surprised because it is exactly what I do to keep on the Cavello boots. The piece they sent with the boots was useless as was mentioned above, but the plastic ties work well even when galloping through mud. At the end of the ride I just cut them off. Keep extras with you on the trails just in case.