How to Make Bell Boots

Bell boots protect a horse's front heel when the horse oversteps or "overreaches." Some horses will accidentally step on their front heel with a back hoof, bruising or even tearing part of the heel away. This often happens when horses gallop and jump or when they are not properly shod. Protect your horse's front hooves with homemade bell boots. Making bell boots allows you to choose colors that match your saddle pad and other tack.

Things You'll Need

  • Pliable rubber or 1/4-inch-thick plastic of your color preference
  • Heavy-duty sewing machine
  • Heavy-duty hook and loop fastener
  • Measuring tape
  • Heavy-duty scissors
  • Marker
  • Faux fur or fleece
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Instructions

    • 1
      The pastern is the narrowest part between the hoof and the fetlock joint.

      Measure around your horse's pastern. This is the area on its leg between the hoof and the fetlock. The narrowest part of the bell boot will fit around the pastern.

    • 2

      Measure around the widest part of the hoof, which is likely the part closest to the ground. This will be the widest part of your bell boot.

    • 3

      Stand your horse on flat, level ground. Run your tape measure from behind the horse's heel, starting from the floor up to the pastern where you measured the narrowest point. Subtract 2 centimeters. This is how long your boot will be. If fitted correctly, the boot will hang very close to the ground on the back of the hoof, but will allow much of the horse's toe to peek through.

    • 4

      Draw the measurements on the rubber or plastic material. Horses with large feet will measure close to 10 inches around the pastern, 4 1/2 inches from heel up to pastern, and 20 inches around the widest point of the hoof, for example. If these are your measurements, draw a 10-inch line first, then a 20-inch line 4 1/2 inches below it. Make sure they are parallel. Connect the two lines with diagonal lines at each end; the resulting shape is a trapezoid.

    • 5

      Cut the rubber or plastic along the lines. Sew hook and loop fasteners to the boot to close it; sew one at the top near the pastern and one at the bottom around the heel area so the boot is very secure. The hook and loop fastener should be strong enough to withstand blows from the back feet as well as stay on despite mud, water and shrubs the horse travels through.

    • 6

      Sew a narrow line of faux fur or fleece around the top of the boot, where it touches the pastern, to avoid any rubs.