I tend to never buy the first iteration of anything… I prefer them to work out the kinks and then I’ll purchase. But I might reconsider with this Soft Ride ice boot.
Have you tried them yet? If so, please let me know your thoughts.
You see, Mama Tess has hot feet whenever she is brewing an abscess. I’m thinking it would be nice for her if I had this boot. From the looks of it, there is an inner boot to stop ice chaffing. I wonder how difficult it is to get on and off? How do you fill it? Is it better to use chipped ice?
In any case, I wish I had one right now to try on MT.
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For me, I love that it has an inner boot. I’m not sure how you fill it, but I do see that it has a drain tube to get rid of the melted ice before repacking.
And, knowing that the inner is just like her Soft Ride boot, I don’t have to worry about cushion or sizing the boot. I already know there is ample cushioning – and I know her size since she wears the Soft Ride boots daily.
I also like the durability factor and that she can move around with the boot on, without worrying about it coming off. So, she wouldn”t have to be tied which would allow me to feel comfortable enough to leave her in her stall to eat or whatever.
I like the waterproof zippers. It does come with extra lubricant to reseal those zippers. I wonder about that… and how often they might leak. To me, I’d think they would make it out of scuba materials – but I also know a horse is much harder on things than a scuba diver…
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ANYBODY OWN A SOFT RIDE SPA THERAPY BOOT? Or has anyone done a comparison?
If so, please give us the deets!
I just purchased and am using the ice therapy boot. The ice slurry is directly in contact with your horse, but is not a problem. I am using it for a horse with acute laminitis and it is a plus. 3 of my horses wear Soft rides and their sizes do not matter for the ice therapy boot. It is a one size horse deal. It is very easy to add water and ice to the boot and the boot is made very sturdy. My problems come in with the way it attaches to the horse at the hoof. It only attaches with 3 thin strips of velcro that are not strong like the velcro on regular Soft ride boots. Once those 3 strips work loose there is nothing to prevent your horse from walking right out of the boot. This means letting your horse loose in the stall to roam around is not a possibility. I read somewhere that your horse could lay down. I would have to challenge option. The zipper can leak a little even when the thick lube is applied before ever use as directed. Because The strips do not hold to the hoof I find myself redoing the boot and ice every 2-3 hours when I should only be draining water and adding ice every 2-3 hours. Instead I have to undo everything after my horse steps out of it, take it apart, clean it, reapply the zipper goop and deal with a dancing horse and put the boot back on again then reload the water and ice. I am on a 72 hour ice protocol so this is a pain. It seems like a good design except for the way it connects to the hoof. For the money, I would hope that it would work better. I am still a loyal customer. I have 5 pairs of Soft Rides and will continue to replace them as needed, but am considering returning the ice boots. We had to finish our protocol alternating in tubs. This particular horse is not wild, but does not stand for hours on end with no movement at all. If you have a horse that does not pick up his feet at all, this may work for you.
To answer a couple of your questions. You do not need to use chipped ice. You can not leave the horse unattended. Perhaps if tied for short periods of time, but it only takes a couple of paws to get into trouble. You fill them right from the top. I use a small bucket for both the water then the ice. After you load it, you then close it by wrapping the neoprene wrap that goes around the top of the leg to hold everything in. We actually added vet wrap to the top of the boot to round out to rim of the boot. Hard to explain, but it was chaffing the other leg.
Finally——If I had to ice a horse——–This may be the only game in town to get the job done. Even if it involved sedation and a heck of alot of work.