Boot advice please

[Mossy]

I am reconsidering taking Con barefoot. We tried once and failed. I was pushed into it, wrong time wrong setup and we both paid the price. This time it is my decision and I will be fully informed.
Qus
1 Boots
Feet slightly wider than long so what do folks recommend and can i get trials on hire. Hoof condition good. Lost back shoe on ride and was not footy at all
2 Management
Out 24/7 if poss. In during very wet weather. Turn out 8 acres is mixed, grass, granite, mud, and grit. Stabling is Miscanthus on matting.
3 Feed
Gooddoer, Topspec balancer, Garlic, and beet in winter. Hay fed from ground.
4 Riding.
Hacking all terrains road, grass Dartmoor scree, and rocky paths. anything from 40 mins to 3 hours. frequency depends on work and weather.
All hints tips and further q appreciated. Farrier will be trimming and is supportive.

[catkin]

Saddlery Shop do mail-order and hire of boots.

[Cookie]

They're very helpful if you want any advice (like I did re: sizes) too.

[Mossy]

Thanks. Any comments about management etc?

[catkin]

Management tips can be bit tricky as each horse is different and the microclimate and ground makes such a difference....

Take this all with a pinch of salt as the following are just my personal impressions, though I know the type of terrain you keep your horses in: the field sounds ideal, not too rich grazing, similar to the ground you will be riding on ie granite, I would guess it will be quite mineral rich too especially copper which is good for coats and hooves. You may need to tweak the feed regime slightly - I found that mine are doing better with some magnesium oxide (good for Native types on SW soils) - though the mainly forage diet sounds ideal. 
As for work - well basically once you condition the feet then the more they do the better they are. I have a pair of boots that I use occasionally, a local friend of mine uses a set every other day on her horse as his feet are still getting used to moorland tracks. Again you start to get a feel for when the horse would appreciate 'trainers on'!!
Hope that helps.

[issywizz]

Easyboot gloves are brilliant if they fit your horse, you can get a pack of shells to try on and find the right fit from the saddlery shop.
You then have the option to hire or buy.
I would reccomend hiring first whatever boot you go for as its taken off the price if you decide to buy and means you dont waste a fortune on the wrong boots like I did originally 

[SaraU]

Hi Mossy - firstly good luck with your decision to try and keep your horse barefoot and for looking at the total management, rather than just the 'foot' considerations.  I've kept my 4 horse totally barefoot for the past 6 years and if it helps, some key things i've learned that might help you are as follows:

1)  I keep my guys 24/7 on a paddock paradise track (Jamie Jackson concept) which covers a couple of different terrains and keeps all of them moving as a herd, which definitely helps with conditioning their feet and keeping the weight down on my fatties.  Water, shelter and food are all at different points along the track.

2)  Eventually I moved from a farrier doing a grass trim to a qualified barefoot trimmer as I just found there was a slight difference in the trim and the feet seemed healthier for whatever reason

3)  All of the ridden horses have hoof boots which we hack out in if the horses have been off work for a while and their feet are 'soft'.  The supplier referred to in one of the earlier posts on this thread were able to advise me which boot was suitable for each horse, based on the size and shape of their feet.  Another consideration for me was that I wanted to be able to load and travel my guys in their boots and my trimmer felt that Old Macs were safest for this as they are less likely to pull off during transit

4) I have taken the guys off sugar and alfalfa feeds completely and have put them onto Simple Systems grass nuts and this seems also to have helped with the overal health of their feet

5)  Finally, I plan to have my forage and soil/grass tested to ensure the horses are getting the correct balance of vitamins and minerals as ther is a company who will make up a supplement to complement what is available/not available to your horses as a result of these test and I would rather give them what they need, then spend alot of money on things they don't!

Hope this helps and good luck!