Patent ID: 8196378

Claim:
A boot for a hoof of a horse comprising: a shell that includes a sole and an upper, said sole completely enclosing the hoof's underside; and a gaiter that includes a mounting section releasably coupled to a portion of the upper, a wrapping section adapted to releasably wrap around and enclose a pastern of the horse, and a connecting section coupling the mounting section to the wrapping section; wherein said upper comprises a slit with opposite sides that extend downward from a front top edge of the upper, thereby defining a substantially vertical gap, said opposite sides of the slit being free of any restraining structure overlapping said vertical gap; wherein the upper includes side walls that are normally bent inward; wherein said wrapping section encloses the pastern solely above a front hairline and below a fetlock of the horse, whereby a portion of said hairline is in a substantially horizontal gap between a front lower edge of the gaiter and said front top edge of the upper; and wherein said mounting section coupled to a portion of the upper does not extend over said front top edge of the upper.