Mule Booting

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10月1日

Do mules and donkeys need boots?

Yes sometimes. Although mules and donkeys have thicker soles and walls...and basically have a stronger hoof, as you head into the high country or if you are transitioning a difficult case you may find that they need boots. I have found that the Epic is working for myself and a few of my clients that are using them in the high country. Also another friend has found that the "Bare" is working well for her mule. Sometimes it is a little more difficult to fit the longears because their hooves are narrow vs. the rounder hoof of the horse. It may take some patience on your part and some creative ideas, but if you are determined you can succeed.

I've posted a few pictures of ideas to accomodate the longer hoof of the mule. Remember that you need to measure them from the tip of the toe to the back of their frog for their length. For a boot that "just about fits" in the length but not quite, you can add a little bit of length to a boot by removing the strap and installing the EZ Boot "Taper" which allows them to go strapless. The boots that Rosa is wearing in the pictures here are strapless and worked great on our "Ladie's Wilderness Pack Trip" into the Trenity Wilderness where the trails were covered with rock.

Click on any of the green # below for larger views of the photos.

1st. Photo: Hoof length measurement.

2nd. Photo: Hoof width measurement.

3rd. Photo: Boot length measurement without the strap.

4th Photo: Shows the fit of strapless with the "taper." Strapless will work if the fit is a good one. Don't even try this without the gaiter it wont work.

5th Photo: Inside view of the strapless Epic w/taper installed.

6th. Photo: Rosa the all terrain vehicle.

7th Photo: You may notice that the Gaiter is too tight sometimes on a mule. You will see rubbing on the gaiter as pictured. One way to accomodate that wonderfully FULL digital cushion area on the mule is to buy one size larger gaiter than the boot. You will have to use a hole punch on the gaiter to make it fit the smaller boot screw holes, but with a little bit of fiddling around you can make it work.

8th Photo: Rosa w/Epic's on the Wilderness pack trip.

9th Photo: Handsome Henry with his Epics ready to rumble!

10th Photo: See the comparison of the small original gaiter (boot on the left side) vs. the larger gaiter with more room in that area on the right.

11th Photo: A boot with the strap that is making the boot too short. This is when you need to go strapless using the "taper".

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