I am Talking HOOF BOOTS!This Is Conde, my barefoot specialist saying hello again to the mare~
I love the EasyCare Company..they have some very neat stuff like -a "Bun warmer", which is a quarter sheet for the horse to keep the hind muscles warm while riding.
They have the best saddle bags and packs made, and the philosophy on barefoot has always been mine. Though...***.....
I was doing the final cleaning of the truck and trailer for my Nephew to come and take it back to his mom, my sister. I decided to give my barefoot specialist a call, in advance of trimming needs, to have an apt made for a Wa mare to have her hooves measured for the new hoof boots Easycare has made. My trimmer Conde was able to come out. He checked all her hooves, made some minor adjustments in my work, and told me I could work for him trimming! NOPE...too hard on this body! I will just do my own, thanks!
For over a year Washashe wore the "Easyboot Epics"...I haggled with the wires and became an expert with application and removal! Then suddenly, when I began to trot more and canter....
R I P...they came off..she oversteped the fronts and ripped boot right off the gaiter! I always found my boots..but it became expesive to buy new gaiters all the time...so I changed to the Boa Boot...
kinda clunky, but I was keeping to 25 miles and under, so I did not worry. Then,that wire broke. I bought a replacement wire..and I worked on it for an hour, my husband worked on it- aaaarggg! We never did get it fixed!Again, I called Conde to fit her for some Old Mac's G-2's. They have been the easiest, by far,to apply. But..sometimes they twist on her hooves.
So...leading me right up to yesterday's fitting...He measured her with this handy tool He made. It measures the fit exactly to the sizes of the boots. Pretty cool, but..she was too wide for any of them-NONE would fit!
Not the "Glove not the"Edge"and the glue ons,I dreamed of for my next camping trip..DRAT!!!!
I had a fleeting moment, ...***....when I considered shoes and pads? I actually said it out loud to Conde and his assistant too...they looked horrified and I took it back!
So, I am back to padding the G-2's to make them fit tighter and I will order a smaller size for her 
hinds using the Easycare's really Awesome 50% "Trade Up" deal. I will send them a pair of a used boots..and they take the 50% off a pair of new boots of a different model. I can do that for Wa's hinds!
hinds using the Easycare's really Awesome 50% "Trade Up" deal. I will send them a pair of a used boots..and they take the 50% off a pair of new boots of a different model. I can do that for Wa's hinds!So...after all the cleaning and sizing I saddled up for a gallop. I put her newly padded Old Mac's G-2's on her fronts-seen her to the right- and a pair of the Easyboot "Epics" on her hinds...off we went to try it out. Gallop and trotting galore..and no twisting and she kept a nice regular even tempo'd gait...NO PAIN!
For now...this is what we shall do!
All my horses are barefoot and I have been considering boots. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've tried out a variety of boots too. My biggest problem with sizing is that my horses hoof size changes between seasons and my farrier doesn't appear to be consistent with his trims. So, I keep a few pair of boots on hand in different sizes and use what works on that day. I just wish I could get a boot on without breaking a fingernail.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've come up with something that works!
ReplyDeleteFor future reference, I just read Behind the Bit's blog where she chose a pair of boots too:
http://www.behindthebitblog.com/2009/07/these-boots-are-made-for-walkin-ii.html
Thought it was interesting. I'm just starting to explore the whole barefoot thing myself. One of my horses has hooves of steel and has been barefoot for 8 years but just gets a normal trim. My new TB might need an actual 'barefoot trim'... whatever the difference may be.
Hoof boots, I am still trying to decide if I want them or not. Gilly's feet are good but sometimes he is gimpy on the gravel, sometimes not. I was going to have his feet measured after his trim on Friday but decided to wait.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
~Jane and Gilly~
lol! So your mare has some rare and unique feet, eh? It's great that you've got Conde to keep her barefoot in style. And good for you with your trimming skills, too.
ReplyDeleteI was planning on buying GS2's for my mare before my injury. They were going to be a late Christmas present for her as she's barefoot, too. Oh well.
~Lisa
Very informative post. My horses are all barefoot too...have never tried any boots.
ReplyDeleteGail~ Well..if they fit right..they wear right..it is ALL in the Fit!
ReplyDeleteNuzz~
Too bad the about the inconsistent stuff..they do change in between..I do the trimming then.
Um NAILS...what nails!
Albigears~ Thanks, will go see her blog.
I wrote you a response at your place too...the differance seems to be that the shoer trims to fit the soe and the barefoot specialist trims to have the hoof fit the horse's balance for travelling/proper concussion without the shoe. When I had a shoer trim Wa he left her long and she flarred within 2 weeks...he also took tons of heal off. and Frog..while the Barefoot person will leave the frog to come even witht he heals for healthy contraction.
It is interesting , to be sure!
Jane~ I do like a good boot..that works! The G-2's are very cool! You should try.
Lisa~ I am sorry..you will be able to assess the next lovely horse partner again for the needs..if Not Baby Doll. Hang in sweetie!
Lori ~If the arena is where they travel mostly ther is no need for the boots! I have these very rocky Forest service roads that I am getting around on and the rocks are very large and sharp.
wow, what a timely post. I've been tearing my hair out over Epics - just had a wire rip entirely through the rubber above it. Still works best for us though. I am very, very curious about the Renegade boot. But want to make it through the rest of this season with the Epics we have.
ReplyDeleteLove Those Renegades.But Need LongToes, And Lower Heal s
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