When our Founder, Kirt Lander, re-imagined the Renegade® Hoof Boot, his innovative creation was based on thousands of miles of horse riding on barefoot horses using the protection of the Classic Renegade® Hoof Boot, as well as on a career as a farrier who understands the horse's natural hoof inside and out.
What he designed using these insights was the Renegade® Viper™ Hoof Boot. Today, the Viper™ Hoof Boot is the preferred choice of horse riders all around the world - and we wanted to share some of the reasons why.
1. A lighter, exceptionally durable hoof boot
The Viper™ Hoof Boot shape was pared down, resulting in a lighter boot - without compromising on extremely durable material. Contrary to how it may look, the walls of the boots are not rigid and the material flexes naturally.
Your Viper™ Hoof Boots will take you anywhere from 800 to over 1000 miles in their lifetime. With the Viper™ Hoof Boot material you get effective hoof protection that literally goes the distance, and a range of color options - including glow hoof boots - so you can match your tack, express your personality, and ride wherever you want with confidence.
The longevity of these hoof boots also means that you save huge amounts of cash every year, compared to repeatedly paying for shoeing with metal horseshoes. Pay once, ride 1000 miles... sounds like a great deal to us!
2. Deeper, sharper tread with more traction
This new improved tread pattern has fans all over the world. We have riders using their hoof boots in German snow, riding over extreme rocks in Australia, and show jumping on grass in New Zealand.
The aggressive tread pattern acts against forward-slip and gives lateral stability for extra safety. The grooves are wide enough to hose out easily, and the deep tread pattern means the grip remains effective even when the boots have truly done epic distances.
3. Premium quality strapping & cables
We took military grade cable and increased the spec. The metal cables around the sides of our boots are tough as hell. Our velcro is designed to be super durable and our customers ride through water, sand, mud, long grass and brush without the velcro being compromised. If you do manage to wear straps out, you can easily buy replacements.
4. Flexible heel captivator
Everything about our hoof boots is designed to let the horse's hoof flex and move naturally. That's why we have the unique free moving heel captivator on our hoof boots - providing protection to your horse's heel bulbs, and retaining the hoof boot without any pressure or restriction.
You can see the neoprene padding inside the heel captivator, and this is a useful guide to great fit, as you shouldn't see any patches of serious wear on this lining. If you do, feel free to ask us and send a photo via our Troubleshooting Help form. These are also available as individual replacements.
5. Cable adjustment for ideal hoof boot fit
With our free sizing service you can be sure that you have the perfect size hoof boots for your horses hooves, with boot shells that sit comfortably (but not tightly) against your horses hoof shape. Now to get a premium fit and ensure the longevity and stability of your new hoof boots, you can adapt the cables.
Have a look at the cable length in the photo above - see how the tension strap has nice clearance from the cable guide (the plastic part the cables run through) and there is clearance behind the cable guide as well - but there are no excessively long lengths of cables. This is how your cables should look when the hoof boot is on your horse's hoof and done up ready to ride.
We have a detailed step by step cable adjustment guide and videos in our Hoof Boot Knowledge Base, as well as a guide to simple cable replacement (if you ever manage to wear these extra tough cables out)!
Tensioning the cables can take a couple of tries to get perfect but it is 100% worth it, as this ensures that the boot won't flip off due to over-tightening, or twist due to excessive looseness. Ideal cable length also ensures that your horse experiences complete comfort in their hoof boots!
6. Hoof boots with zero rub
This is one of the really beautiful things about Renegade® hoof boots. Because the pastern strap is done up loosely with a 4-finger gap, and the 'shell' (the hoof boot that holds the hoof) and the lined heel captivator (that encompasses the heel) are separate and flex with the hoof, there are no friction points.
The horse's coronet band is not touched by the boot shell or the heel captivator so even when your horse's hoof is wet or covered in sand or grit, nothing will rub and damage the coronet. This is possibly the most vulnerable part of a hoof and functions like the quick on our fingernails - damage here can cause hoof wall damage as the hoof grows, and that will take 8-10 months to grow right out!
Join the thousands of Renegade® Riders using Viper™ Hoof Boots around the world and see for yourself how they can give your horse the very best experience, and save you serious amounts of money over time.
