Find…

Repairing a Renegade Hoof Boot on the Trail

Published September 30, 2018

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts with needle hidden in beard, hat, or bandana on the Ride Out the Front Gate mule trip through the Virginia Highlands — Where’s the needle in this picture? In my beard, my hat or my bandana? Why do I need it? Read on.

Out here roaming the Virginia Highlands with our mules, we’re in possession of a sliver of steel as important as lentils, hoof boots and butt cheek callouses.
That would be the humble needle. The good old fashioned, honest-as-a-Norman-Rockwell-painting needle. The humble needle that harks back to the days of mending socks and shirts and your britches when they split. Recently, that little sucker kept the mule train heading up the trail.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts riding mule Brick and leading pack mule Polly, with Julia Carpenter riding mule Dusty, on the Ride Out the Front Gate trip through the Virginia Highlands — On the road. I’m riding Brick and leading Polly. Julia is riding Dusty.

A few days ago, in a soggy Appalachian pasture, I noticed that the pastern strap on one of my Renegade hoof boots was broken. The boot had hundreds of miles on it, a real veteran of the trail. The stitching had simply worn out.

Wet camp in a soggy Appalachian pasture during the Ride Out the Front Gate mule trip through the Virginia Highlands, North Carolina — Our camp. It had rained on and off for days. That didn’t keep the mules from grazing all night. They’re hungry.

Renegade hoof boot in good condition on mule Brick during the Ride Out the Front Gate trip, Lenoir, North Carolina — This is the Renegade hoof boot in its more youthful days. Here, it’s being worn by mule Brick. (Lenoir, NC)

Close-up of broken stitching on a Renegade hoof boot pastern strap, needing trail repair on the Ride Out the Front Gate mule trip — The broken stitching.

Now if I’d been back home, riding out of our barn, I would have just grabbed a spare boot and tossed the ripped one on to the repair heap. Patch it up another day. To be fair to Renegade boots, repairing them is a breeze. They include a spare strap with every new set. If I’d felt lazy, I could have just switched out the strap.

But here I was standing in a pasture a long way from home. And I hadn’t brought an extra strap with me. I needed to patch up the one I had.

With all the rain we’ve had, our mules’ hooves are soft. The trail ahead is hard. Much of the route we’re following is paved road or gravel trail. Those abrasive surfaces, up against the mules’ rain-softened hooves, means the hoof material wears away much faster than it grows back. Hitting the trail barefoot isn’t really an option.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts and Julia Carpenter riding mules in hoof boots on Rich Hill Road outside Creston, North Carolina, on the Ride Out the Front Gate trip — The terrain around here. This is Rich Hill Road, outside Creston, NC. Look closely and you’ll see all our mules are wearing boots.

Sure, we could have used steel shoes on our mules’ hooves. But I think it’s much better for a mule to go unshod. This allows the mule’s hoof to expand and contract, which, long term, is much healthier for the hoof and legs. In addition, these hoof boots protect the foot from undue wear and sharp objects.

Mixed herd of mules wearing three brands of hoof boots: Renegade, Cavallo, and Easy Boot, on the Ride Out the Front Gate trip, Watauga County, North Carolina — Mixed herd: We use 3 brands of hoof boots. They are (front to back) Renegade, Cavallo and Easy Boot. (Watauga County, NC)

Standing there in that soggy pasture, broken hoof boot in hand, it was time to get sewing. Okay, “sewing” is a grand word for what, in the end, amounted to ten stitches and as many minutes of effort. Here are some photos of my “sewing kit” and the finished repair. And if you want the full rundown on which hoof boots held up best on this trip, I put that together in The Hoof Boot Report.

Sewing needle stored in hat band for trail repairs on the Ride Out the Front Gate mule trip through the Virginia Highlands — The needle in a hat band. No, it doesn’t stick me in the head because…

Needle stored sharp-end-first behind elastic hat band, pre-threaded for trail repairs on the Ride Out the Front Gate mule trip — ….I put the sharp end behind the elastic band. When I’m feeling especially prepared — or pessimistic — I pre-thread the needles.

Completed needle-and-thread repair on a Renegade hoof boot pastern strap, trail repair on the Ride Out the Front Gate mule trip — The completed repair.

Repaired Renegade hoof boot pastern strap back in action on a mule, with the mended section visible beneath two elastic rings, Ride Out the Front Gate trip — Here’s what the repaired strap looks like back in action. The repaired part is under the two elastic rings.

Repair completed, I tucked my needle back in to my hat band. I clamped the hat on my head. We saddled our mules and rode off in to a new day.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts and Julia Carpenter setting out on mules after completing a Renegade hoof boot repair, heading toward Damascus, Virginia, on the Ride Out the Front Gate trip — Let the day begin. The boot repair got us 15 miles up the road. We reached Damascus, Virginia that evening.

So what else do I keep tucked up in my hat? Aha, that’s a post for another day. Until then, keep your stitches tight, your dental floss handy and your needle tucked away.

Read more posts from this ramble: Ride Out the Front Gate — Virginia Mule Ramble.

Julia’s side of the ramble at Saddle Under the Stars:

More about:

Let's Keep in Touch

Sign up for The River, the RiverEarth newsletter, for occasional doses of rambling and homestead life. Plus you'll get a free copy of my 155-page illustrated ebook 19 Million Mule Steps.

Just enter your email below and hit Subscribe.

Repairing a Renegade Hoof Boot on the Trail

Let's Keep in Touch

Explore More of RiverEarth

Other posts you might enjoy:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply