In the interest of international good will we will use the term "Dray" to describe any breed of large working horse. In the United States, we spell it "Draft" while in the United Kingdom, it is written "Draught". (We are two nations separated by a common language.)
We
have made many sets of Horse-Mocs for these fine animals and we are often
presented with the challenge of accommodating the luxuriant "feathers" of
our client's horses. (For those who have not worked with dray and harness
horses, feathers are the extra long hairs that grow around the fetlock and
pastern.)
The feathers on some dray horses grow from high on the pastern and hang down like a hula skirt while the lower pastern has relatively normal length hair. Other horses sprout plush hair all the way down to the coronet band. The latter is more challenging for us and for you.
The Issues
Horse-Mocs rely on a friction fit on the pastern. Our specially lined Neoprene pastern sleeve is soft to protect the skin and it stretches to a custom fit. Stuffing a great sheaf of horse hair into this sleeve will reduce the friction and may lead to looseness.
A loose fitting boot may tend to rotate during use, depending on the horse's gait and hoof shape. This rotation can tug at the feathers and cause your horse discomfort.
The Solution
When measuring your horses pastern, be certain to move the feathers out of the way and measure just the un-feathered circumference. (See measuring guide) If your horse's feathers are of the "hula skirt" variety, they should flow over the top of the Horse-Moc and wave proudly in the breeze.
If your horses feathers are dense and long all the way down to the coronet band, you are faced with a decision: To trim or not to trim. Should the thought of cutting your horse's feathers send you into a fit of despondency, understand that the friction fit will be loose. Perhaps Horse-Mocs are not for you.
If trimming isn't abhorrent, then trim the feathers to just below the fetlock. It isn't necessary to cut the hair extremely short, just to normal length.
A Creative Variation
Except for the tough rubber sole plate and bottom sides, the entire upper surface of a Horse-Moc is Neoprene loop to which Velcro adheres. Each boot comes with an overabundance of Velcro hook tape for securing the boot. When you perform the final fitting to your horse, there will be some Velcro tape left over. A bit of glue, a comb, and you have a removable feather skirt.
Remember Our Goal
Horse-Mocs were never designed as a fashion accessory. Our only goal is to produce the most comfortable boot that a horse can wear. If you have any concerns about fit and feathers, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We'd be delighted to work with you.
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