Backcountry Bootin'

Another blog about the Backcountry Glove? Yes! I, myself, am very excited about this new protective horse boot and I will shout from the roof tops if I have to.

I received my new boots and couldn't wait to try them.The next decision was to where would we take them on their first journey. Knowing I would eventually take them to the limits, I wanted our first endeavor to be a whopper.

I used the new Glove Back Country boots on my big TWH mare with large hooves. We went to South Mountain Regional Park, and although we only rode about 7 miles that day, it was the ever so famous Arizona terrain we all know and love. We did climbing and very little gaiting, and I tried my best to find a fault in this new boot. I couldn't. Believe me, I tried.

Why yes, this is the trail.

Taking a short rest. This is about the best footing we found up on the mountain.

I watched my Glove Back Country boots from horseback. I wanted to see if I had any twisting, damage to the boot or any sign that the boot was not on securely. Is it wrong that I had a little disappointment that these hoof boots performed perfectly? I even checked for rubs with a fine toothed comb and there weren't any. None, zilch, zip, nada. When all was said and done that day, I did do a little happy dance behind the trailer so no one could see me. 

I love the Easyboot Trails and I love the Easyboot Glove, and I am so in love with this idea of the combining the two. I guess it would be called Love Squared. 

Try them and do your own happy dance behind the trailer.

Sabrina Liska

There is always talk of the importance of boot fit, but what about gaiter fit? Is it too loose? Too tight? Well, I am going to give a few tips, so sit back and take a deep breath. 

Let's use the Easyboot Glove as an example, even though any EasyCare boot with a gaiter could be used.

Typically, the gaiter should be very snug once the boot itself is on the hoof correctly. I have seen other riders with snug gaiters, finger loose gaiters, and just plain ol' four fingers between the pastern and gaiter loose gaiters. I think each horse/rider team has a preference, as it should be. But what else can be done for a happy fit?

If your horse is anything like mine, there are those feathers that get in the way. What am I talking about? Check out the photo below.

Hair much?

Ahhh, much better.

So the question is, should I trim or even clip those hairy feathers away? The answer is: it depends. If the hair under the gaiters are getting matted, full of sweat and mud or you think the gaiter doesn't have the best fit in your opinion, then yes. Also, if you are concerned about underlying possible rubs it would be a good idea to nix the hair. Starting with a 'clean' slate will give you an idea about boot and gaiter fit. As a distance rider and a rider with very long hair, I personally feel for the horse and like to get all that hair out of the way. I know I would appreciate it.

Tight gaiters, loose gaiters, hairy pasterns or not, the importance is a comfy horse in well fitting EasyCare boots and a happy ride.

Submitted by Kandace French

As a NATRC rider and ride manager, I have often heard in the last year that “NATRC now allows hoof boots in competition.” This isn’t quite an accurate statement, but the recent changes in boot requirements in NATRC have created a more enthusiastic outpouring of competitors with barefoot equines. Effective at the beginning of the 2011 ride year, the North American Trail Ride Conference (“NATRC”) amended the rules of competition to include hoof boots over the coronet band, including boots with straps, gaiters and keepers, provided the attachments do not extend above the pastern.

This opened up the opportunity for riders with barefoot horses to use boots with gators and keepers during a NATRC ride without having to glue boots. This was especially welcoming to the rider that was only riding one day, or less than 50 miles. How wonderful to slip on an Easyboot Glove, tighten the gator and go! What amazing transformations are taking place in the competitive trail ride venue! Since this rule change, I am excited to see the representation of barefoot horses increase exponentially at the NATRC rides. While NATRC has long allowed glued boots, the rule change seems to have brought a real camaraderie and supportive environment for barefoot horses in competitive trail rides.

Knowledge of the benefits of barefoot equines and natural hoof care is increasing. Horsemanship judges and veterinarian judges alike are asking excellent questions, looking at the change and seeing at all the ways that boots can benefit both the horse and rider in competition. On February 17, 2012, I was the ride manager of the Second Annual Bumble Bee NATRC Competitive Trail Ride in Bumble Bee, Arizona.

This desert environment was challenging and the footing varied, including rocks, sand, water, climbs and hard packed flats. The increase in booted competitors entered at this ride was exciting. Over one-half of the horses were booted or barefoot and the largest representation of hoof boots was Easy Care brand.

Prior to the ride, I was thrilled to be asked to glue boots on two of the competitors’ horses. One of those entered horses went on the win the first place Novice Lightweight Horse division and the Novice Sweepstakes Horse. The other horse placed 3 in a field of 14 entries. I was also encouraged to overhear one of the long time NATRC veterinarian judges check out a horse and rider team at the end of the ride and answer questions for the rider about her hoof boots and correct hoof boot fitting. He was educated and supportive of the Easy Boot Gloves and knowledgeable about the benefits of Power Straps.

The number of barefoot horses entering competitive trail riding (“CTR”) events is growing. Booting knowledge is increasing. The number of booted competitors winning in NATRC is growing as well. Not only are more horses entering competitive trail rides, but the attitude and general acceptance of booted horses in CTRs is changing. Booted horses are no longer looked at with curiosity, but admiration instead. More riders are asking intelligent questions and more information is available. As the choices in Easy Care booting options increases, booted horses in NATRC competition increases as well. The pairing of NATRC and Easy Boots at the Bumble Bee NATRC CTR was a buzzing success.

It is just the beginning of another great opportunity for the benefits of barefoot and booted horses to strut their stuff. The proof is in the boots.

Kandace French

I admit it, I am a 'glue phobic'. I have seen the glue-on process many times, but I am just terrified to try it myself. So I thought I would experiment.

I recently did a 50 mile endurance ride in Sonoita, Azrizona. I used a pair of Easyboot Gloves and iI secretly removed the gaiters. I did not rough up the outer walls of my horse's hooves. Instead I cleaned them really well with a pick and a brush. I then Goober Glued the bottom of the hooves thoroughly using a putty knife. I applied the boot, then wrapped the boot on with my Mueller Athletic tape. I applied the boots just prior to leaving my house so the trailer ride would give the glue time to set while the horse was as still as possible. The biggest enemy of any glueing type, is the dreaded twisting of the hoof. Nothing is worse than  to have the horse twist right out of the boots. 

I left the tape on during the 50-mile ride. It just added extra hold and acted like a sealant.

The experiment was a success for me. The picture above is after we completed. Viva La Experimentation! 

Sabrina Liska

This blog was hard for me to write. It is very personal to my heart but I feel the direction in which hoof boots are taking natural hoof care is nothing short of revolutionary.

A few weeks ago, I have a friend who, with her beloved horse Yankee, completed their first 75 mile endurance ride. She competed in Glue-Ons all around and vetted out with straight A's. She and Yankee were on top of the world! Once home, she left the boots on. With a heavy work week and the holidays coming up, it was safe to let the boots be for a while and pull them the following week.

A week after the ride, Yankee was rushed to the local equine hospital. Yankee was in dire straights with a serious intestinal bacterial infection unrelated to the ride. I wont go into details, but the situation was not in favor for Yankee. On top of everything else, due to the tremendous amount of toxins and edema in Yankee's system from the infection, laminitis was a huge possibility and probability. 

When Yankee was admitted, the vets were curious about the Glue-Ons, how they were applied, and why Yankee was still wearing them. After a thorough explanation in detail regarding the boots, (they weren't familiar with them, but loved them after a description of what was on his feet, how it was done, and why) the vets all concurred it was better for Yankee's feet to have the support of the Easyboot Glue-Ons and to leave the boots on. They were hopeful that the added padding from the Goober Glue and the overall boot support, would aid in the prevention of Laminitis and Founder. Whether or not it would actually help is moot. The fact that the vets were on board and supportive of the Easy Boot hoof boots aiding in health issue is huge!

Yankee is finally home and on the mend after spending eight days in ICU, and he appears to have avoided that dreaded laminitis! Did the Glue-Ons help in warding off the Founder? I don't know. I'd like to think that they did. 

Thank you KF for permission to post this.

Thank you to my friend Cathy for sharing her story with us all.

There were a few firsts at Arizona's latest competition, Lead, Follow or Get Out of My Way Endurance Ride in McDowell Mountain Park this past November 19th. Mules are notoriously difficult to correctly fit boots.  Their feet are narrower than a horse and trying to find a boot that is long enough, yet not too wide is difficult. 


My Mule, Soldier, uses Easyboot Epics and Easyboot Bares size 00 successfully with gaiters, however he needed something a bit different for his first 75 mile endurance ride. This ride had great footing with decomposed granite and some sand washes. The Original Easyboots work great on the trails when traveling at speed, but when you get in the sand washes, you get sand in the boots. Under normal conditions this is not a big deal, but when you are trying to make time in an endurance ride you don't want to fool around with taking the boots on and off to empty out the sand. I decided he needed to be fitted to a pair of Easyboot Glue-Ons.

The EasyBoot care team, consisting of Kevin Myers, Rusty Toth and Kevin Waters, came over to Soldier's trailer the Friday before the ride and fitted and glued boots. Kevin prepared the hooves and Rusty glued the boots. Soldier is the first mule this team has glued before and it was the owners first use of glue on boots.  Soldier was a good customer and the boots went on without a hitch.



Throughout the ride Soldier moved along flawlessly and actually seemed to enjoy the added protection.  For me, it was a joy to not even have to think about the boots or worry about the footing of the ride. 

The Easyboot Glue-Ons performed flawlessly.

Submitted by Sabrina Liska, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

As many of us know, there is always that one horse that has beautiful tootsies, but is in that 'almost but not quite' fit zone. I have a such said horse. Trimmed and measured a few times by a professional trimmer but my beloved Epics were just a smidge too big.

What to do? My mare has a pair of size 3 Epics. She also has and wears successfully Gloves, size 2.5. On training rides and just trail rides, I like to use the Epics. Her feet are trimmed properly, and being of the gaited variety, I like her toes kept back for maximum breakover. The Epics fit with the athletic tape wrapped around twice, and the boots stay on, but I can hear a "space" in the toe area when we walk. It reminds me of someone wearing a clown shoe. That last statement is an over-exaggeration, but you get the point, and I'm not ready to give up my Epics.

A while back, I read the blog regarding an Goober Apron created by using Goober Glue around the edges of a boot prior to gluing the Glove on. The light bulb went off in the ol'e brain. What if I took some Goober Glue and did a bead of 10 to 2 in the toe of my Epics? The glue does not harden like plastic, its pliable, and once it dries, would stick nicely to the inside of the boot. 


I only applied a small bead of Goober Glue as I could always add more if I wanted to. It is more complicated to take away, so better safe than sorry. I left my boots out in the sun for the afternoon to make sure the glue was dry. I then rode my mare with the Epics and the Goober Glue. I liked the results. How easy was that?

I recently attended the Moab Canyons Endurance Ride in Moab, Utah. The landscapes were picturesque to say the least.


There were many riders, as one would expect at a fabulous ride, but it wasn't the footing that had my full attention it was the plethora of boots.

I saw many of the favorite Glove on numerous horses, even my own. I saw one horse wearing the Original Easyboots on all fours and I saw another 50-miler with the Easyboot Bares on all fours. There were boots everywhere. Our very own Bootmeister, Christoph Schork, was there offering to help with Glue-Ons to anyone who needed it. In my mind, there were more booted horses than not. Then again, my attention is drawn to the Easyboots, so I am a little biased. The one place I did not see boots: alone, left along the trail. I think this was a great boot ride and very sucessful.

I rode day 1, a 55 miler, in Gloves on the fronts. I did not use tape or glue and I did not have one boot mishap. Going that far with reliable boots is exhilarating.


I also rode day 3, a 25 miler, on my big TWH. She wore her Gloves on the fronts only as well. Again, I never had a boot emergency, twist or malfunction. You get the point.

Here is a "back cam" of my Gloves about a mile from the finish line.


In closing, I would like to say again, that doing a distance ride, or any type of ride for that matter, with a reliable boot is beyond words. Thank you EasyCare!

Here is a question to ponder: do you clean your Easyboots after every ride? How about ever?

I live in the desert where it is rocky, sandy, dry and dusty. I want to get as much life out of all of my EasyCare boots, so after each ride, I give each boot a 'once-over'. A good hosing is the easiest way, in my opinion, to get the job done. There are many cracks and crevices rocks, hair and debris can hide.


I always clean the hook and loop areas as well. Grass, stickers and the like can ruin the 'stick', and dried mud can cause unwanted rubs.

Here is an Easyboot Trail with a sneaky little bugger trying to hitch a ride.


I like to put on clean socks and shoes so I'm sure my horses do too! How do you care for your boots?

A Goober (that would be me) tried the ol' Goober Glue on the sole of the Easyboot Glove only. Being the experimental kinda gal that I am, I watched the videos on applying the Easyboot Glove with the Goober Glue, as explained by Kevin Myers. I gathered all the required tools needed to apply the Easyboot Gloves successfully.


I decided to only boot the front hooves for this Limited Distance ride. I am a very messy applier. I had one friend take pictures while the other was my handler of instruments. I felt like a doctor asking the nurse... glue, putty knife, boot. Using gloves was very helpful, (although I ripped one right off the get go). I first cleaned the hoof very well with the hoof pick then the wire brush. I then wrapped the hoof with two layers of black Mueller Athletic tape.


Then the fun part. Using a caulking gun to apply the Goober Hoof Pack, or as I like to call it, the 'Goob Glue'.


Once the collateral grooves are filled, use the putty knife to spread it like butter or jam on toast.


This is the hardest part for me. Boot application. Did I say I was messy? Without letting go of that hoof, carefully put the Easyboot Glove on. Seat it nicely and then set the hoof down making sure the gaiter is out of the way. Fasten the gaiter. Repeat on other hoof.

It seems complicated and too much work, but it only took me about 20 minutes to do two horses' front hooves. And it was my first time! Results? Here is a complete Jersey hoof.


And here are Savannah's completed hooves.


I'm thinking practice, practice, practice. I need a lot of practice with the tape, I tend to get it too high to the coronet band. The boots were applied about 15 hours prior to the 25 mile ride. They did not twist and held fast. I was really impressed. I felt the Goober Hoof Pack was additional 'padding' to the sole as well as kept that Easyboot Glove on the hoof.

Removal? After the ride, I used a flat head screwdriver, pried the boots around the edges first to help release any sticky tape, then started to pry the boot from the sole. It took about 10 minutes or so to remove the boots. Most of the glue stuck to the sole of the hoof, making the boot easy to clean for re-using.

It was fun experimenting. I liked this process and had great results!

Just have to brag a little bit here. I recently went camping with some fellow horse lovers up to Mormon Lake, Arizona. It had rained up there for the previous five days before we had arrived. The terrain was sticky, thick, clay type mud. This mud wasn't your normal wet, slick type mud; it was the scary frustrating mud that sucked your shoes right off of your feet. On top of that, the forest, although gorgeous, was incredibly rocky. When your horse wasn't standing or walking on rocks, then you got the pleasure of the nasty mud.

I put my beloved Easyboot Gloves with the red power straps on all four of Jersey's hooves. It was casual trail riding and I had asked other riders to please keep an eye on my boots if they possibly could. I felt a little sick in my stomach the whole ride, because I just knew I was going to lose at least one, and in that muck, would never be found. Sigh.

We got back to our trailers and although my friends kept telling me the boots were still on, I didn't believe them much. With black mud and black boots, how could they tell? Surprise. All four Gloves were still on! I did a little jig. No, really, I did. I took pictures after I wiped a little mud away, just so everyone would believe me.



I did not bother to tape or use any kind of adhesive with these boots on this ride. I was very pleased to say the least.

Welcome to September! Football season and cooler weather... reasons to cheer! Here in Arizona, more and more people are out riding after a long and oven-hot summer.

As more people are hitting the trail once again, I have been asked a few times what Gaiter am I using with the Easyboot Trail. Ah, the answer is so simple. The Gaiter that fits so well with the Easyboot Trail is the same exact gaiter used with the Boa Hoof Boots and the Old Mac's G2s!

 
The Gaiters simply slide in the bottom of the boot, fold back to insert the hoof, wrap the gaiter around the pastern making sure to smooth out the material, fasten the hook and loop then finish fastening the boot! Wa La!


Now you are ready to go out and enjoy that trail! Enjoy the weather and happy riding.

A few weeks ago, I attended a ride put on by a local Arizona group. We went up to the Mogollon Rim near Poverty Draw/Potato Lake.  The terrain was rugged and most was cross country style riding, but beautiful to say the least. I rode my mustang in Easyboot Trails. They performed perfectly. But that is not what this post is about.


A barefoot mule, a mule in Easyboot Epics and my horse, and although there were only a few of us riding barefoot or booted horses, I had an experience that I did not expect.

Knowing how the Easyboot Trails operate, I did not carry a spare with me on this ride. I was very surprised, however, that there were 3 other riders with shod horses that did carry an Easyboot of some kind as a spare. About 11 miles into the ride, a horse lost a steel shoe on the front hoof. A rider with an Old Mac's G2 jumped off their horse and offered it up right away. It fit! On with the ride we went. The man on the horse with the lost shoe, asked another rider what exactly this "contraption" was. Since I was wearing an EasyCare tshirt, the rider referred the man to me.

This man was from France, and had never heard of horse boots. I answered all of his questions and when we got back to camp, he asked to see how the Easyboot Trails worked. I showed him the ease of which the boot worked and the benefits to it as well. By the time I was done with our conversation, three other people were there asking questions as well! The man from France told me that he was going on a week long trail ride and would be ordering his own hoof boots asap.


Just when you think everyone has heard about natural hoof care and/or Easyboot products, don't assume so. Keep talking... people are listening!

Sabrina Liska

Meleah has a club hoof. Her 'mom' is working with her trimmer to get Meleah's hoof as close to normal as possible. In the meantime, Meleah is still being ridden on a regular basis.


I helped 'mom' measure Meleah for the Easyboot Trails and we anxiously awaited them to come in the mail and try them out! (Like kids at Christmas... I swear!) With a size 0 on the club, and a size 1 on the other normal hoof, we went out for a leisurely stroll. Riding in rocks, dirt, asphalt and the like, along with walking, trotting and hills, these boots stayed tight! No twisting, no velcro coming undone, and most importantly, NO rubbing! Yahoo!


When I asked 'mom' what she thought of the Easyboot Trails, her response... "I love them! They are so easy to put on and take off, even for someone like me who has minimal use of her thumb! I think we have found her new 'sneakers'!"

The fact that these boots work for a 'non normal' hoof, and that they also come sold in singles, prove that EasyCare is on a mission to make sure all horses can be comfortable in their hooves!

Sabrina Liska