Last weekend I took my horses out for a quick ride on a local trail. While I rode Mia, Vinnie ponied behind wearing a very worn and soon-to-be replaced set of boots with some decent wear in the bottom, but they've still proven effective. While being ponied at a pretty decent trotting pace, Vinnie decided it'd be a good idea to walk in the brush off trail and got his hoof boot caught on a solid stick. The good news is the boot did its job and broke on in a spot that allowed Vinnie to recover and not get injured!
But what's more, the boot didn't even budge. Considering we still had a mile to go to the trailer and I'm replacing these boots anyway, I decided to see exactly what they could take. I didn't mess with it at all, just simply kept going down the trail at the same pace that we had been doing. I have to say, I didn't expect them to make it back, but they did and were still in a perfect position! These pictures were taken after getting back to the trailer showing where the gaiter popped apart (a piece that would cost $23 to replace if I wanted to, and I can still salvage the neoprene section and back strap for future boots. I could also potentially poke a hole in the same area that broke and continue to use this piece). The boot is still secure and usable!
Considering Vinnie could have easily stepped on the floppy part and damaged the boot further, I plan to carry some leather straps/laces on me to weave through the neoprene and tie shut if this happens again. Of course, that's one of the items we should all carry on trail in general!