When the original Renegade Hoof Boot was originally created, tested and proven in the early 2000's, a key part of the design was the pivoting heel captivator - and the Renegade Hoof Boot design patents include the Pivoting Heel of the Hoof Boot.
⭐United States Design Patent No. D629,573 covers the aesthetic design of the Renegade® Hoof Boot, specifically noting the invention of the hoof boot's Original Pivot® Heel Captivator system.
Kirt Lander, Inventor and Founder of the Renegade® Hoof Boot design, really 'walked the talk' with product testing the hoof boots.
⭐ In 2005 the Renegade® Hoof Boot was used by Halim El Mokhtar to win the highly coveted American Endurance Ride Conference, Jim Jones Stallion Award. Kirt and his stallion recorded 1120 miles in Renegade® Hoof Boots that year.
The serious tread, flexible but hard wearing polyurethane material, ultra military grade steel cabling and the innovative pivoting heel captivator meant this impressive Arabian stallion could comfortably travel more than a thousand miles across the wilds of America.
The pivoting heel captivator changed hoof boots forever
Older hoof boot designs were created around the premise of encasing the hoof securely. Although this might initially sound like a good way to provide hoof protection for barefoot horses it has a few notable drawbacks.
1. Hoof health and function is best served by a pivoting heel captivator
A horses hooves should flex and expand with its weight and the surface they stand on, naturally contouring to the earth and dissipating the horses significant weight effectively as well as boosting circulation inside the hoof and up the horses legs.
Although an 'encasing' hoof boot is not as rigid as a steel horseshoe, it can limit the hoof's expansion, especially in the bulbs of the heel. Unlike a hoof boot with a fixed heel, the Renegade® Hoof Boot's pivoting heel captivator is only attached by thin, ultra strong steel cables either side - this allows the heel captivator to move completely naturally with the flex and expansion of the horses heel as it lifts, tilts and lowers and expands.
2. Any hoof boot design that is 'fixed' can rub the horse
Many of our customers tell us that other hoof boot brands rubbed their horses heels, coronets or pasterns.
Because the hoof boot shell is one piece and sits on the hoof wall (but NOT over the coronet!) and the pivoting heel captivator cups the heel but moves independently to the shell, Renegade® Hoof Boots will not rub your horse. The hoof boot's heel captivator is also lined with neoprene, adding a layer of give to the heel captivator.
3. Any 'fixed shape' hoof boot is more likely to come off in mud or at speed
Because a pivoting heel captivator can move with the horse's hoof, and the easy-on velcro straps effectively micro-adjust your hoof boot fit every time you do them up, Renegade® Hoof Boots are fantastic at staying on your horses hooves!
Effectively the ability to micro-adjust your hoof boot fit means your hoof boot fit can vary very slightly through your horse's trim cycle as the hoof grows - the entire hoof boot is being instantly adapted to provide a 'perfect fit' on every ride just by putting them on! No thought or technical consideration is required - just by doing up your tension strap snugly (like snug laces on your sneakers before a trail run), you are 'adjusting your hoof boot fit' to your horse's hooves on that day.
A 'glove' type hoof boot or a hoof boot without adjustable straps does not provide this fine-tuned fit every day and is more likely to fling off if you go above a trot, or ride on muddy or uneven terrain.
4. A pivoting heel captivator is easily replaced, no need to buy a new hoof boot
It doesn't happen often, but freak accidents can happen! Maybe your horse spooked, overreached and cracked their heel captivator. Maybe they stepped between logs and wrenched the boot, breaking the captivator.
You do not have to buy a whole new hoof boot! Just pop over to our parts collection and get a new heel captivator for around 25% the cost of a new hoof boot.
Maybe the cables just pulled out? Easy, thread them back in, tighten the pulley button and your hoof boots are good to go. Broke a cable? That's impressive! But also an easy fix - a new cable is even cheaper than a replacement heel captivator.
We seriously believe that a pivoting heel captivator is best for your barefoot horse's comfort and hoof health
The Original Pivot® Heel Captivator on your Renegade Hoof Boot means no hoof boot rubbing, healthy hoof movement, seriously comfortable.
Viper heel captivator vs Classic heel captivator
The heel captivator on Renegade Hoof Boots is different on Viper hoof boots and Classic hoof boots, and comes in two sizes in each style.
Unsure if the Viper or Classic Heel Captivator is right for your horse's hoof boots?
When you upload your hoof boot sizing photos, take good photos of your horses heels as well (from the back and the side) so our team can recommend the right heel captivator. In general, horses with more developed (more bulbous and wider spread) heel bulbs will suit a Viper heel captivator, and horses with less developed heels (flatter and more upright heel bulbs) will be best in a Classic heel captivator.
Which size heel captivator is right for your hoof boots?
That's easy - in almost every case the smaller 'B' size heel captivator goes with the smaller sized hoof boots and the larger 'D' sized captivator will be fitted to medium or larger hoof boots. You don't need to worry about this, our team will send the right size for your hoof boots.
Hot tip - if you see any wear on the heel captivator liner, chat to our support team as this is unusual and may tell us something useful about your horse's hooves or the hoof boot fit. This may happen if your horses hoof confirmation improves over time and their heels expand and become more curvy. It's rare, but when you see it, it's a great clue to check things out with our support team!
