Page 2 - Easyboot Bare

Easyboot Gluing Tips and Tricks for Wet and Cold Weather Conditions

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by Garrett Ford

The 2011 Tevis Cup 100 Mile Horse Race is days away. The EasyCare staff will be helping many of the horses competing in the event with Easyboot Glue-On boot installation during the week of October 3rd. This is the third consecutive year that Easyboots have been the leading alternative choice of hoof protection choices for Tevis Cup riders. The lightweight race boots are perfect for the rocky, technical conditions.

Rusty Toth, Kevin Waters, Kevin Myers and Garrett Ford start the gluing process before the Sierra storm hits.

The weather forecast for California and the Sierra Mountains calls for rain, snow and wind for Tuesday October 3rd, Wednesday October 4th and Thursday October 5th. The weather looks like it will clear for the event but will present difficult conditions for our gluing teams. Wet and cold conditions present challenges but should not influence glue-on success.

Here is my shortlist of tips and tricks that make hoof boot gluing more successful in wet or cold weather conditions.

Start with a well trimmed horse before the event. The last thing needed to complicate wet and cold conditions is a poorly trimmed hoof.
Glues don't do well with oil, moisture and cold. Make sure no oils or hoof conditioners get onto the hoof. Refrain from washing the horse before the event with shampoo: the oils run down the legs and coat the feet. No fly spray on the feet and hoof walls before the event.
If it’s raining, keep your horse in a trailer or stall with shavings. Although it may be cramped in there, it's a perfect place to glue because it's warm and dry.
Keep your boot shells dry and clean in the plastic bags they ship in. Do not to handle them with bare hands, be especially careful not to touch the inside of the boot shell. Oils from your hands stick to the boot and compromise the bond with the glue.
Warm the boots, warm the glue and warm the hoof. Try to get them all to the same temperature level. Heat guns are very useful to warm and dry the hoof. They can also be used to heat the glue-on shells in cold conditions. Try placing the glue packages on the floorboards of a vehicle with the heater on.
If the horse's feet are wet or muddy, use denatured alcohol on the hoof after they have been cleaned. The alcohol helps pull moisture out of the hoof.
Use a heat gun. The heat gun dries and warms the hoof. Do not skip this step.

Success in Easyboots at Tevis.

Wet and cold conditions make hoof boot gluing a bit more challenging, but with the tricks above you will be successful. Wishing all the 2011 Tevis riders the best of luck!

Garrett Ford

President & CEO

I have been President and CEO of EasyCare since 1993. My first area of focus for the company is in product development, and my goal is to design the perfect hoof boot for the barefoot horse.

Boots Are Not Just For Riding Horses You, Know

Monday, October 3, 2011 by Hoof Boot Stories

Horse Rescue Moppett here. I'm the cute one with my friend the beautiful grey Horse Rescue Yasmin and the black Horse Rescue Carly. Our names will give you the clue that we have history but we are a happy place now.

One legacy of my past is founder, later diagnosed as IR, at the drop of a hat. The vet wanted to call it quits but my mum said no there must be another way to locking me up and having me on stravation diets or alternatively; well, you know what.

Lots of research led her learn about barefoot trimming and boots. Enter Andrew Bowe, The Barefoot Blacksmith, Duncan McLaughlin, trimmer extraordinaire, Carol Layton, nutrition guru and Mike Ware, boot supplier. These people considered a little companion pony was just as important as my ridden mates.

For the past three years, I have been happily accomanying HR Yasmin and HR Carly on trail rides, sometimes as club mascot for official rides or being out in front on single lane bush tracks. I even have my own set of metal yards for big away trips. I have Easyboot Epics, Yasmin and Carly have Easyboot Bares. Sometimes we don't need them, but they are always in the saddle bags just in case. I have to wear a grazing muzzle during the day to limit my grass intake and nights are spent in a cosy stable and yard with special hay and dinner, but life is wonderful. Boots helped me get back in the game. Cheers HR Moppett.

Name: Johanna Yule
City: Windsor, New South Wales, Australia
Equine Discipline: Trail
Favorite Boot: Easyboot Bare

Phoenix Loves His EasyCare Boots

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 by EasyCare Customer Service Team

I met Phoenix exactly 4 years ago when he was a newly gelded 3-year-old and I was nearly 50. He was looking for a home at a bargain price. You see he was a Thoroughbred, bred to race, who as fortune would have it "didn't like to run fast." I fell in love with him at first sight even though he was underweight and a lot of horse to handle. I told myself his problems could be solved with some good groceries and kindness and wrote the check with enthusiasm. So that I wouldn't have to worry about his feet while we were adjusting to each other, I had metal shoes put on immediately. That was the first and only time. I began to notice that his natural gait was very low to the ground and that he dragged his back toes with almost every stride leaving him with an unnaturally square toe. I investigated possible nutritional, behavioral, structural and developmental causes for his gait. I concluded to the best of my ability that was his way of going and so long as he remained sound I'd do my best to work with it and continue his training. We immediately began a diet to support good hoof growth and when the shoes came off I didn't replace them. I wanted to have complete control over his feet so I could keep them balanced and short and started trimming them myself every couple of weeks.

Phoenix in his EasyCare boots.

I realized I would need the help of protective gear for his feet since I planned an athletic future for Phoenix. I had seen EasyBoots on the market for many years and realized it was time to give them a try. I loved having various designs to choose from. We started out with Epics all around. His front feet were easy to fit snuggly, but not so much in the rear. He'd wear the buckles off of the epics by dragging his feet, still his precious toes were nicely protected. Eventually we settled on Bares. They go on nice and tight and have a 'toe shield' on the front as if they were designed specially for my horse. Because Phoenix was so tough on his boots I had to learn to make repairs. Since my local dealer was less than supportive, I went directly to customer service at EasyCare, Inc. with wonderful results. I learned it wasn't too hard to work on the boots and rather than tossing old boots I cultivated an extensive bone yard for scavanging parts.

Easyboot Epics on front and Esyboot Bare boots on hinds.

Phoenix continued to get plenty of exercise and good nutrition and the quality of his hooves was better than I expected. Imagine that, a Thoroughbred with good feet?! Two years ago we started experimenting with limited distance endurance racing. He finished the races sound. I was thrilled. During one race we rode through a severe thunder and lightening storm with multiple stream crossings and flooded trails. I lost a boot. At the vet check the farrier was about to put on a metal shoe so we could finish the race. He commented that it was a shame to nail a shoe onto such a healthy hoof. At that moment, as if by magic, the missing boot was found and returned to me by one of the riders. We were able to reboot and continue the race.

Thanks to EasyCare, Inc. for a great product and superb customer service!

Brenda and Phoenix

Do you have an ex-race horse that you are rehabilitating? Are you going barefoot?

Nancy Fredrick

EasyCare Office Manager

As the office manager, I make sure the general operations of the organization run smoothly and seamlessly from A to Z. I have been on the EasyCare team since 2001 and have first hand product knowledge as my horses are barefoot and booted.

Managing the Club Hoof

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by Christoph Schork

Many articles have been written about club 'footed' horses. Actually, horse do not have 'feet', dogs and humans do, but horses have hooves. Therefore the term 'barefoot', as much as it is in common use now, really is a misnomer. When we ride without hoof protection, we ride 'bare hoof'. Ah well, a pet peeve of mine!

Today, I want to give an overview for the reasons club hooves occur and how we can manage and improve on the situation.

Dr. Redden's classification of club hooves:

While Grade 3 and 4 are extreme and the horses are most likely very lame, Grade 2 and 3 are not that uncommon. I will mostly focus on these two grades.

How do these club hooves happen or develop?

First we do have the genetic club hoof, the foal is born with it, where P3 is out of alignment with P2 and P1 and displays a steeper angle. This can only be observed on a radiograph.

Clearly visible on the first image: the dished dorsal hoof wall and P3 is rotated downward and has a steeper angle compared to P1 and P2. These genetic downward rotation is very hard to overcome and correct.

Other causes for club hooves:

- Excessive pawing and consequently deep flexor tendon shortening

Already in the 1,800s, German farriers observed foals developing "Stelzhuf" during dry years or when kept in stalls and pawing for hours. The unpressured heels grew excessively and the toes developed dishes dorsally. Allowing plenty of pasture and space to roam, will help fixing this unhealthy habit in foals, that sometimes is also observable in adult horses.

-Epiphysitis

Occurring in young foals, when the long bones grow faster than the tendons. The tendons cannot keep up with that growth, thus getting very tight and not allowing to flex when the foal tries to step forward. Less weight over the heels will make the heel grow excessively and the deep digital flexor tendon is pulling the wings of P3 upward, thus rotating the tip of P3 downward. Often caused by too much protein intake. This is a case where your veterinarian can advise you best.

-Suprascapular nerve damage

The muscles that hold the scapula close to the body have a suprascapular nerve. Sometimes, when the horses leg gives out when bearing weight, this nerve can get damaged, thus impeding proper muscle movements. The stride is shortened, thus again, placing more weight over the toe and less pressure over the heel area on the affected side. Club hoof in the development. Veterinarians call this situation often 'Sweeney'.

-Muscle injuries and adhesions

The two muscles holding the scapula in place can get injured through jumping, riding fast or in a trot through dips in the trail, rough play in the pasture or by pinching and poorly fitted saddles. When these muscles are injured, often the horse is unwilling to extend the affected shoulder and leg, again resulting in shortened strides and toe landings with decreased heel pressure, resulting in the excessive heel growth.

-High/Low syndrome

Grazing horses, especially long legged horses with short necks can develop an habitual club hoof. The same hoof will always be forward and the other back. The back hoof will get pressure on the toe, developing a dorsal dish, the heels are mostly unpressured, growing faster than the toe.

This horse is habitually placing the right front back when eating/grazing close to the ground, thus developing a grade one (by Dr. Redden classification) club hoof.

Correctional measurements: feed higher above the ground.

All these conditions can get improved through careful stretching forward of the affected limb and massaging the groove between the body and the scapula. Below some images of massaging this area.

Here I start to gently massage and opening up the muscles around the scapula. Everything is still tight.

Slowly getting deeper into the fissure.

I switch using the side of my hand to open the space.

Further opening the space by applying more pressure with my sliding hand.

By now, more than half my hand disappears beneath the scapula. I keep opening the gap more and more, till the adhesions are loosened and the muscles supple (3 to 5 minutes will often be sufficient).

Be gentle, watch the body language of the horse: if she leans into you, licks the lips, moves the head towards you, it will feel good and you are getting results. Massage oil will help opening the scapula and relax your horse.

Training considerations:

When training a horse with a club hoof, make sure the saddle fits properly without pinching the shoulders. Focus on balanced riding. When posting in a trot, post on the clubbed side most of the time. When cantering, lead with the clubbed side. Work cantering circles with the club hoof on the inside, walk and trot circles with the clubbed hoof on the outside.

Trimming considerations:

Guard against the temptation to just cut the heels down to match the 'normal' side. When over trimming into live sole in the heel area, the hoof will respond quickly by growing even more sole thickness back, and that rather quickly. Furthermore, by thinning the sole, the lateral cartilages sink downward, thus raising the heels from within. By lowering the heels too much, the deep flexor tendon can get stretched and stressed too much, causing injury.

Mapping the sole will tell you how much to trim. Exfoliate the dead sole just to the live sole, but no further. No matter how high the heel is and how clubby the hoof looks. Leave the hoof wall and bars about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch longer than the heel. Keep the sole callous area on the toe, bevel the hoof wall and allow the flare to grow out. Trim a little often, in a one or two week interval. Just remove the chalky dead sole and shorten the heels to the above mentioned length. With proper management, care, massage, training and feeding regimen and riding bare, the club hoof might just normalize surprisingly fast.

Below an example of a clubby hoof and the change that occurred within 5 months:

Notice the big dish on this habitual club hoof.

5 months later, the dish is greatly diminished, (notice that I did not rasp the dorsal hoof wall at all for this picture), the hoof expanded and is now almost the same size as the 'normal' left hoof.

These are visible results, that proper trimming and management can succeed.

Protective Horse Boot considerations:

Barefoot Trimming, Natural Hoof Care, Bare hoof riding will all contribute to success. When selecting Easyboot Gloves, it is advisable to use powerstraps, especially if you have any dorsal hoof wall flares present.

This Easyboot Glove with Powerstrap was adjusted to the first image of the flared hoof photographed above. We do see a good and close fit on the hoof wall.

A few layers of athletic tape worked in this case as well.

When trotting horses with one club hoof, inevitably the sound of the hooves hitting the ground will differ from left to right. The clubbed hoofed leg will also not extend as far forward as the normal leg. This causes the trot to be somewhat uneven. Endurance riders know the importance of a sound horse that leaves no question mark. Even more an incentive to manage and improve the club hooves.

Your Bootmeister

From the Global Endurance Training Center in Moab

First Project: Lil' Rick's Gal

Thursday, September 15, 2011 by Kate Saunders

With the success of the pony horse, 91, and visual signs of improvement in several horses who were brought to their farm for me to work on, Lisa nonchalantly suggested that she would like me to meet her at the training center ("the track") to look at a few horses currently racing. I like to believe that she just got tired of trailering horse after horse from the track to the farm. Whatever the reason, Yippee!

Victor and Lisa's Barn at the Training Center

You'd think this would be an easy thing to do. Just show up at the training center, drive to the designated barn, and that's it. Oh, no. Not the case at all. Just as Garrett Ford suggested in his blog, blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news/the-horse-that-wasnt-allowed-to-race, the racing industry is FULL of red tape. After about a week of running around from place to place, I finally acquired my "Plater's" license (not an easy feat since I had no proof that I had any ability or intention to put racing plates on horse's feet), and was allowed to enter the training center property.

A mug shot would have turned out better than this

As if rewarded for a job well done, I was presented upon my arrival to the training center with my first project: Lil' Rick's Gal.

Ricky is a 5-year old mare who arrived at the training center with sore feet. For months, Lisa and Victor worked with the track farriers to find something that made Ricky more comfortable. Metal shoes did not help. Lisa and Victor knew that something different had to be done; this horse could barely walk, let alone hold a rider on her back.

During the time that Lisa and Victor were struggling with Lil' Rick at the track, I had one rehab race horse out of his boots and on the road to recovery at the farm. Lisa, feeling more confident in the natural hoof care technique, decided to do something that most likely had never been done in the entire state of Louisiana: She brought those boots to the track! For 60 days, 20 hours out of the day, Lil' Rick stayed in her hoof boots. She was hand walked each day, several times a day, for gentle exercise until she was comfortable enough to go on the walker.

By the time I was finally brought into the excitement, Lil' Rick was not only walking on the walker, but had actually begun exercising on the track with her size 0 EasyBoot Epics!

And so the EasyBoot Epic made its way into Lisa's heart and onto a Louisiana training track.

At first, the exercise riders were skeptical of these contraptions on her feet, and agreed only to pony Lil' Rick in her boots. That is to say, the riders were afraid that the boots would come off at high speeds, and so they agreed at first only to ride a pony horse while leading Lil' Rick on her exercise routine. They did not want to be on her back when those boots came off.

And it is true, the boot did require some tweaking. With a little sports tape, the boots now stay on throughout her morning exercise routine. The downward buckles do pop up and so we may swap out the current buckles with up-buckles, instead.

Sports Tape Post Morning Work Out

Today, Lil' Rick can not only trot down the aisle barefoot, but she is currently running BAREFOOT (not even boots) with a rider on her morning exercise routines!

With the background on Lil' Rick set, we now come to the speed bump in the road that defines the racing industry. Ricky has run and WON one race since she began her rehab with the EasyBoot Epics. However, just before the race, the track farriers glued aluminum shoes on her fronts, and nailed aluminum racing plates on her back feet. Lisa did make sure that those farriers took nothing off of her feet when applying the shoes. At the time of that race, Lisa did not know of any better options.

Lisa and Victor are still concerned about traction and the need for something on a race horse's foot as she leans into the curves and navigates around other horses. However, with Garret Ford's Race boots that he has been working on, the Arceneaux barn (and their kooky natural hoof care trimmer) have hope that we may have a number of great options coming our way.

In future posts, I will provide the nitty-gritty on attempting to fit EasyBoot Gloves and Glue-Ons onto Lil' Rick's tiny feet, provide feedback on exercising in these two products, and hopefully, make some headway with the racing secretary in approving an EasyBoot Race for official races!

A Postcard From the Camp Far West 50-Mile Ride

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 by Kevin Myers

Submitted by Renee Robinson

The title of this ride story was almost going to be, "Epic Fail" (pun intended). I feel like the last three 50's I've done, I've really had to earn my completions. That probably means I've gone to each ride a little less prepared than I should have. At Gold Country, I took Rosie on six-week old shoes and not surprisingly, she lost both front shoes and had to finish in Easyboot Gloves.

Camp Far West 50. Photo by Renee Baylor.

At Oregon Outback, I drove my exhausted self 8 hours to the ride after three night shifts in a row and just two hours of sleep. As a result, poor Little Bit had to pack my floppy-ankled, worthless body the last half of the ride. And at Camp Far West, I took Brandy, who's only been barefoot/booted for five weeks (after having four months off), and ended up having to work out those routine boot fitting struggles out on the trail without proper supplies or properly fitting boots. Somebody apparently missed Endurance Preparedness 101.

Brandy is a very strong girl and even though she wasn't exactly super fit, I felt confident she could do a 50 as long as her feet were in good shape. I had set her up with Easyboot Epics and 12 mm comfort pads which she absolutely loves. She must feel like she has Air Jordans on because she just floats over rocks when she has them on. Don't take that the wrong way--I'm still very cautious over rocky terrain.

Brandy: ride morning.

I also had a pair of Gloves that sort of fit her fronts if I use enough athletic tape, but since I could only use 6mm pads on those, I was prefering to use the Epics. Right now sole protection is my biggest concern for Brandy. I'm thrilled that epics seem to work like magic for Brandy but I spend a great deal of time cussing while trying to apply them, especially with the 12mm pads. The pads get in the way of the heel strap so I don't feel like I have a great fit, but after she's worn them for a training ride or two, the pad smooshes down enough that it doesn't interfere with the heel strap as much. During our 34 miles of booting experimentation/trail riding at Cuneo Creek last weekend, I determined that her epics stay on best with a couple wraps of athletic tape.

Thankfully, so far, she's had absolutely no signs of rubbing with the new or old gaiters. In preparation for our upcoming ride, I had Russell pick up a few rolls of athletic tape to take to CFW. It wasn't until I got to the ride that I discovered the people at Big 5 had actually sold him vet wrap for humans. It was black and in the same packaging that the athletic tape comes in, so I didn't even notice he got the wrong stuff. Oops. But then I reminded myself that shoot, people have used vet wrap under easyboots for years, right? Back when I used to ride Sere with shoes + boots, I always wrapped her feet in vet wrap first. And epics are more like regular easyboots anyway, so surely the vet wrap would achieve the same result as the athetic tape would. Not.

Brandy Cam.

The start of the ride went beautifully. Brandy and I trotted alone down the gravel road. She was excited but manageable. I was excited to finally be doing a ride on her and thinking, "I love my horse, I love my horse, I love my horse." I met a really sweet lady, Diane, who rode with us the entire loop.

Her gelding apparently thinks he's still a stallion most of the time so she was surprised that he behaved himself so well sharing the trail with the voluptuous Miss B. We really enjoyed riding together and the entire first 20 miles, I kept wondering what Lucy was talking about when she said this ride was boring. When you're used to riding in the redwoods, it's kind of nice to ride through some open country with rolling hills and pretty views.

We had plenty of time to enjoy the views.

We made it through the first loop without any boot issues at all. Brandy felt great and vetted through the first vet check with a 48 pulse. I'm still getting to know her, so I wasn't really sure how much to expect her to eat or what she prefers to eat at vet checks. Little Bit usually prefers hay at vet checks instead of grain and since I haven't been feeding much grain, I only had packed a small amount that Brandy completely inhaled at the first vet check. I'm also not sure if she's a horse who needs a lot of elyting or just a little, but since she sweats like a beast, I assumed she might need more than most.

Stopping to puff in the shade.

By the time we left for the second loop, it was getting hot. Someone said it got up to 102 on Saturday. Our riding parther, Diane, informed me that she prefers to go "5 mph on the first loop, then faster on the second loop, and then pretty much canter the last loop." Since this wasn't the pace I'd planned for Brandy and me, I let Diane go on ahead which completely upset Brandy.

She forgot to watch where she was going and the more I tried to collect her, the more she'd root with her head and get heavy on her front end. Not a good set-up for a horse who tends to be a little trippy. And just as I feared, as we were walking down a big, wide gravel road, I asked her to stop for a second so I could lean forward and give her a carrot. I must have thrown her off somehow by bringing her head around and leaning forward because just as I leaned forward, she tripped big time and almost went completely SPLAT on the road.

I looked down to see her left front knee bleeding like a faucet. I hopped off and stared at it bleeding for a second. Her white sock was now red. I couldn't believe it was bleeding that much. After a moment of standing there with my mouth open, my common sense kicked in and I took my shirt off (thankfully I was wearing two shirts. Lucy had instructed me to do so I could dunk my shirt in the creek to cool off and applied pressure.)

Of course, Brandy had a different agenda and wanted to keep going down the gravel road. After a short discussion (okay, it was borderline domestic violence), Brandy agreed to stand still while I doctored her. It took at least five minutes for me to get the bleeding stopped. Once it stopped oozing, I was able to determine that it wasn't a very big laceration and it didn't look very deep. I slathered it with desitin and hoped that Brandy's mustang toughness would be on our side and off we went. She felt sound but I was still worried that she'd get sore at some point during the ride.

The scenery on the second loop was less interesting than the first loop. We mostly followed fence lines and while parts of it were cool little cow trails through the grass, in some parts the trail would disappear and we'd have to go cross country through a field of star thistle. I kept picturing those little stickers getting into Brandy's gaiters but somehow that never happened.

About 5 miles from camp on our 22 mile loop Brandy did a tiny little trip and I heard the clunk of a boot coming off, accompanied by the "rrrrrrriiiiiiiiiip" of a gaiter. I looked down to see her LF foot naked with just a lonely little gaiter still velcroed around her pastern. Looooovely. The only spare boots I had with me were 0.5 Gloves (too big) with 6mm pads in them. Oh, and the vet wrap.

Suddenly that vet wrap was looking pretty perfect. I did three wraps of it, slapped the glove on, said a little prayer, and off we went. I should also mention that the spare Gloves came complete with broken power straps. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure they don't work as well when they're split down the middle.

Now Brandy was trotting down the trail with one Easyboot Epic +12 mm pad and one Glove + 6mm pad. The worry wart in me was certain that this would cause a problem.

We spent a lot of time dunking out entire bodies in the creeks along the way.

By now it was really. really. really hot. I felt okay as long as I kept dumping water on myself and on Brandy. According to my HRM, she was doing fine, but if you asked Brandy, she'd say she was getting hot and tired. She vetted through the second vet check with A's again but this time her pulse didn't drop like a rock. She hung at 56-60 for a little while which I knew wasn't normal for her. Our second hold was only 15 minutes but I stayed probably 45 minutes and spent a lot of time cooling her and letting her eat. She was drinking well now and I wasn't worried about her metabolically, but I knew she was tired.

Leading Brandy down one of the last hills. I love this face.

The last loop was 10 miles and we had about 3 1/2 hours to do it so I knew we could take our sweet time. Before we left the vet check, I removed her remaining Epic and put her in Gloves + vet wrap + broken power straps on both fronts. We looked like such booted amateurs!

Brandy was still feeling really solid so I was happy, but feeling bad for pushing her a little more than she needed to be pushed. She's such a tough mare and she really doesn't complain. Let's just say I'm totally in love with her :)).

The last loop had one hill that felt like it went on forever. We'd stop here and there to graze and puff in the shade and take photos, and once again spent a lot of time cooling off in the creek. We met a nice lady, Serena on a pretty grey who was doing her fourth 50. They ended up riding in with us for the last couple of miles so I had to look the other way when I was getting all choked up about Brandy. Brandy finished looking tired but overall really good. Lindsay Graham said her gut sounds and recovery were better than most horses she'd seen all day and she said Brandy looked solid on her trot out.

Broken power strap; knee covered in Desitin.

I guess considering how unprepared we were with boots, the ride went really well. I'm really grateful for the support from those who encouraged me to pull Brandy's shoes and try to transition her back to bare.

Replenishing after the ride. I'm so proud of her.

Five months ago I was saying that there was no way Brandy would ever be barefoot ever again. For now, at least, I think that Epics +12mm pads are the way to go for her. She loves them. Hopefully as she transitions more and grows thicker, stronger soles, I can start using Gloves instead. Her feet have a long way to go, and I have a lot to learn about trimming, but I think we're well on our way.

Dealer of the Month: Chad Montee

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by Dealer of the Month

Chad Montee grew up on a ranch in Montana and has always felt a connection with horses. After high school, he left Montana to join the Army and become a Ranger. After the Army he began working as a chef in Scottsdale Arizona in the winter and Jackson Hole Wyoming in the summer.

He then moved to Salt Lake City to go to college. He studied at the University of Utah and Westminster College to become a social worker and went on to work with gang youth, homeless youth and youth with mental disorders. He also worked as the volunteer coordinator for the American Red Cross. Then one day he was trying to blend his past with his present and came across Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.

Chad started a program called Trails to Success and began individual, family and group sessions. “It was the perfect balance between my horse background and wanting to be a social worker.”

It was during this time that he learned about Pete Ramey from a Clinton Anderson training clinic. He began to work toward transitioning his horse and the horses he used for the equine therapy to barefoot. He had no idea how much I would have to learn. “It took me a couple of years studying, trimming and trying to learn everything I could from local trimmer, Tamera Arnold, before I felt comfortable enough to work on client horses.”

Now based in the Salt Lake City area, Chad is known to be a hoof care practitioner who takes the time to look at the whole horse, especially when he is working with a horse that is having hoof problems.

The biggest change Chad has noticed in the hoof boot industry in the last five years is the push towards better quality boots that are easier to put on and work well for the horse.

Of the two mules and two horses Chad owns, he has one horse who needs boots when riding out in the mountain trails. “I ride in the mountains a lot and I’ve really tested the limits of the different boots styles.”

Chad credits his success as a hoof care practitioner to the time he takes to review the horse’s diet, where they live and how they are being used. Then he makes a plan with the owner to grow the best possible hooves for each horse. He also keeps his truck fully stocked with boots, pads, casts, epoxies, mineral supplements and slow feeder nets. “I trim about 200 horses per month and some horses really need help. Having the skills and equipment to get a horse comfortable and moving again is my best advertising.” Chad says word of mouth seems to take care of the rest.

Chad keeps a stock of Easyboot Gloves, Easyboot Bares and Easyboot Trails. The Gloves are his best seller. Chad pauses when asked to name his favorite boot. He like the ease of the Trails, but prefers the durability of the Gloves. “Right now I use gloves on my horse’s front feet and Bares on his back feet.”

When asked to describe his most rewarding experience, he goes back to his participation at Extreme Mustang Makeover. “50 of us were given a wild mustang for 90 days to break and train and then compete against each other in an extreme mountain trail course.” He originally joined the competition to learn more about the mustang’s feet, but ended up learning a lot more about the spirit of the horse. “I don’t claim to be a great horse trainer, however getting a wild horse, breaking it and riding it in front of a thousand people or so was really exciting.”

As for his most memorable hoof boot success, Chad describes an old horse whose coffin bone had penetrated his sole. “When I first saw the horse, I didn’t know if I could do anything for him. His coat and eyes looked dull and he seemed to be in a lot of pain.”

After soaking his feet to clear up the infections he had in both feet, Chad put him in Easyboot Glue-Ons with medicated impression material for about three months. “I took the boots off every month to let his feet dry out and check his progress. It has been a year now and the last time I trimmed him I didn’t recognize him. Instead of this old horse standing next to the gate, I saw a healthy looking horse running and bucking while the owner tried to catch him. When I last trimmed him I couldn’t remember which foot was bad because they all look really good right now.”

See more about Chad at his website: http://naturalhoofcare.info.

The EasyCare System

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by Christoph Schork

In the Moab area, we are lucky to have an abundance of sand on our trails. We can easily ride barefooted on most of our training and conditioning rides There are stretches of rocks, no doubt, we might slow down or, if the rocky stretches are extensive, use the Easyboot Gloves which we always have in our saddle pack. But we all know, it only takes one rock being at the wrong place at the wrong time, maybe even with a nasty sharp point sticking up and 'hello stone bruise'.

You do not always know you just got hit, sometimes nothing happens for days with the hoof. As was the case with our stallion, DWA Express. After riding him for weeks bare, I was getting him ready for an endurance ride, applying Easyboot Glue-Ons. Hooves look good, no bruising detectable; if you read my previous post, I took diligent care to clean and dry the hoof thoroughly, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. When trimming and before booting, I leave the callous sole mostly intact, sometimes even some dead sole, if it is still attached and not flaky. I did not use a hoof tester, there was no reason for it by the looks of the hooves and DWA Express showed no sign of any lameness whatsoever.

Test riding Express after applying Glue-Ons, he was lame after three miles. When something goes wrong with airplanes, pilots are trained to always undo the last thing they did before the trouble occurred. I did not follow that old pilot rule, did not want to pull the brand new boots off, because I had not seen anything wrong with the hooves in the first place. It was easier to assume a muscle pull or some unexplained oddity, especially after Express improved within a couple of days.

Eventually, though, time comes to pull the boots:

After removing flaky sole, a bloody cavity opened up. I had to dig deeper and open it up to make sure there was nothing embedded and investigate the extent of the damage. New sole had already grown beneath, that's why the horse had stayed sound. Backtracking the events, when initially the glue on boots were applied (with Goober Glue at the sole and Adhere at the hoof wall), there was just enough pressure exerted onto the sole that the horse came up lame. But somehow, that pressure then dissipated enough within a couple of days that Express traveled sound again.

Pulling out the EasySoaker, adding some water with Epsom salt to draw out any bruising, then following up with a Betadine/sugar soaking solution.

Below hoof after the soak with the betadine solution:

Next, application of a pine tar hoof packing, for good measure, I cover just about the whole bottom of the hoof.

Final Step, application of an Easyboot Glove for a few days, to prevent any contamination to enter the injury site.

While working on this hoof, it occurred to me that EasyCare doesn't just manufacture hoof boots of all kinds and for all uses, but really provides much, much more to the equestrian community. EasyCare has created a total hoof care system.

What is a 'system'?
Wikipedia defines a 'system' as a 'set of interacting or interdependent components, forming an integrated whole'. The Business Dictionary defines it as 'a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines established to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty or solve a problem'.

Isn't this precisely what EasyCare is providing? Looking through EasyCare website, we clearly see that system.

First, there is a product line of hoof boots and supporting hoof care/trimming equipment that is so extensive, that it allows users to take care of their horses hooves, no matter what discipline they are competing in, what breed of horse they are riding, what terrain they are riding. Hoof treatment boots and therapeutic applications, no problem, EasyCare has you covered.

The extensive product line of Protective Horse Boots and Hoof Care Products was built upon input from customers. After customers use the products, the educated feedback from users constantly improves and expands the product line. This interaction is based upon solid and encompassing education. Here, EasyCare is compiling a mountain of information, videos, books, DVDs, from the best in the field, with Pete Ramey's research standing out above all. Newsletters, blogs from users and professionals, hoof care clinics and boot application clinics round out the extensive education program that is second to none. The education alone is a sub system in its own right.

It is all there, mostly just a mouse click away. Often I'm wondering, with so much information out there and easily accessible, why do we still see so many ill-fitting or lost boots out in the field? When failures happen, it becomes all too easy to blame the product for the failure instead of a faulty trim, application method or own ignorance; it takes time and effort to get informed and educated, but the payback is huge.

EasyCare's success is built upon its system, let's take full advantage of it! Ill-fitting boots, rubbing boots or lost boots will then soon be a thing of the past.

Happy studying!

Your Bootmeister

Easyboot Bare Reaches Great Heights

Thursday, July 28, 2011 by EasyCare Customer Service Team

Submitted by Anne in Colorado

I wanted to send you these pictures that were just taken today. My Most Beautiful Girl, aka Gypsy, tested out her new Easyboot Bare boots on quite the trail ride. We rode a total of 11.6 miles but climbed about 2,300 feet in elevation to a final height of 11,168 feet. The trail was pretty tough: creeks, windfall, very steep narrow switchbacks and some narrow rocky paths.

Gypsy did great and no problems with the Bare boots. This was her first time wearing them and she acted like she normally does. I'm very thrilled with them and now there is no trail that I won't be able to ride!

Dee Reiter

Customer Service

When you call EasyCare, I’m one of the folks that will answer. I’m also one of the cowgirls in the group. (Heck no, I don’t show, I Rodeo!) When it comes to life’s adventures – never pull back on the reins, and remember: the world is best-viewed through the ears of a horse!

Hot Ride in Ontario, Canada

Friday, July 22, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Misha Green, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

My horse Diego completed his second 50 miler last week in 6th place out of 21 horses. He wore Easyboot Gloves on both front feet, with the back feet bare.

It was hot. I think we reached 34C temperature wise. I have no idea what it was with the humidex but I would guess close to 40C. I ended up spending the night in the hospital. I was released around 10 a.m. Monday. I had heat stroke and severe dehydration. They put me on i.v. and admitted me for observation. My blood work was a mess. I had almost no potassium or electrolytes in my system. It was the hardest ride I have ever done because of the heat.

The trails were gorgeous and the going was relatively easy. Diego got stronger all day long. Never struggled and was at parameter as soon as his saddle was pulled in every vet check. He was all A’s except for a few B’s on skin tent... but that seems to be normal for him. We did get an A the following vet check. My friend Deanna crewed Emma Webb (one of the juniors competing for Canada in Kentucky on July 30th) and I on trail and so did Emma’s Mum, Wendy.

But back to Diego, that horse is amazing. He was a rodeo at the start. He bucked and careened down the trail like a lunatic for the first 2 miles. After the first 2 miles of the stupidness, I let him into a steady gallop which made him happy. I was worried it would toast him but nope, after the first 5 miles, he settled and just did his job. Emma and I took turns switching up the lead, about every few miles or so, and both horses paced very well.

Zillary has a fairly big trot and Diego did choose to canter about 1/3 of the 50 miles I would estimate. He could canter at Zillary’s trotting speed. He can trot at the same speed but seems to travel happier at the canter. His working heart rates all day ranged from 98 – 120 bpm. Deanna crewed us about 3-4 times every loop with lots of water and watermelon and advil. I had a fall on the first loop and my butt hurt like heck but I am an endurance rider and I was going to finish this ride because my horse was doing so well and he deserved to finish this ride.

Ending up with severe dehydration and heat stroke and being admitted to hospital for the night was not part of my ride plan. They checked me every two hours and gave me tons of fluids and electrolytes and pain killers. They also took my blood every two hours. Lesson learned. We have to take care of ourselves equally to how we take care of our horses. I didn't eat or drink enough all day.

Diego rocks. A few people have commented that he will be a 100 mile horse. I wouldn't be surprised. He almost seemed to get stronger as the day went on. He was tired on that last loop but had completely recovered by the time he loaded up to go home.

My Easyboot Gloves were awesome throughout the ride. I did use athletic tape. I chose not to glue on for this ride as the going was easy on their feet and I could have gone barefoot. However, I prefer to have the protection of the Gloves to ensure I don't get pulled for something as silly as a stone bruise.

I learned a lesson about taking care of myself at rides. I will be carrying electrolyte tablets and tums on trail and I will be taking them as a habit whether I think I need them or not.

Rx Hoof Boots Aid in Asymmetry Rehabilitation

Monday, July 11, 2011 by Debbie Schwiebert

Here at EasyCare, we have some top notch individuals working along side us as dealers. The following article was written by Jason McClure out of Hutchinson, Kansas. For eight years, Jason shod horses for just about every discipline imaginable. These days however, Jason focuses primarily on barefoot trimming and this EasyCare dealer couldn't be happier with his career decision. Jason's passion for the barefoot horse is contagious. He admits he has received quite a bit of razzing over this change in direction but Jason is not to be swayed. Jason says he has been amazed at what he has been able to accomplish without shoes and how now he is able to help horses like the one in this article and so many others like never before.

Article by Jason McClure:

In November 2009, I gave a presentation for the Purina Equine Health Awareness Clinic. After my presentation, I was approached by a lady named Dianne who informed me that she had a horse with asymmetry issues. I was very excited to work on her horse because I had just returned from a trip to California where I had been working with my business partner, Steve Karshner. While I was there, the main focus was rehabilitating horses suffering from the effects of asymmetry.

I learned a lot of new information and was positive I could help her horse. She commented that they had diagnosed him with navicular and had been working with her veterinarian and farrier for years with no significant success. Dianne was ready to give up on this horse until she heard me talk about asymmetry at the clinic. I really liked Dianne from the start; she sincerely cares about her horses, and she was eager to do whatever was prescribed to reverse this unusual and misunderstood condition.

All hoof care professionals know we can’t fix every lameness issue on our own; it has to be a team effort among the horse owner, trimmer and veterinarian. When I saw Chex for the first time it was without a doubt the worst asymmetry case I had ever seen. He walked out of the barn head-bobbing lame, his left front foot was almost straight up and down and the right front foot was horribly underslung.

Chex’s shoulders were extremely uneven, and his left knee was an inch and a half higher than his right knee. Imagine having one leg longer than the other; you would most likely have pain all the way up through your neck and every muscle and joint in your body would hurt.
It’s extremely important for the horse’s body to be aligned. We have to get the horse’s body adjusted first before its feet start to come into balance. You must level and balance the knees, and the shoulders, so the horse is baring weight evenly on both front feet. They have to move correctly with a heel first landing in order to build heel on its low leg, as well as to keep the high heel down and de-contracting. Dianne mentioned that she rode with one stirrup longer than the other. This is typical of the condition.

Chex’s frame was uneven; his shoulders were out of alignment and over-muscled on one side. As a result, the saddle would never fit him properly. His former farrier had shod him in a 2 degree wedge shoe with a pad on the right front and a keg shoe on the left.

His instincts were correct as he was trying to level the knees. But in order to bring this horse into balance you must build heel on the low underslung foot, and that can never be done with a shoe, believe me I tried for years.

I launched Chex’s rehab by pulling off all the shoes and doing my trim. Because I planned on putting Chex straight into a pair of Easyboot RXs, I was able to be aggressive on the first trim and bring his knees nearly level. Next, I fitted Chex in a pair of RXs with dome pads, and when Dianne lead him away from me he took two head-bobbing steps then trotted off like nothing had ever been wrong.

It’s important to get a horse moving properly with little or no pain in order for feet to restructure themselves, and I don’t believe I could make those kind of changes without using the boots as part of the therapy. We made big gains on that first trim, so I set Dianne up on a four week schedule and we stuck to it. I showed Dianne how to stretch him and explained to her how to exercise him daily in the round pen. Dianne was faithful with her responsibilities, and we had her riding Chex in four weeks. She called me about six months into the rehab and told me that Chex was presenting lameness again. At that point, I knew we were on the right track. I know that sounds funny, but I explained to her that when a horse or even a person is lame for a long period of time the muscles must acclimate to moving correctly again.

At this point we had all the pain out of his feet and he was moving the way he should. However his shoulder muscles were sore and not accustomed to a full range of motion. I told her to keep stretching his legs and shoulders before she rode him. Also, Dianne was to keep him trotting in straight lines to re-muscle his shoulders evenly. She stayed faithful to the rehab and did everything I advised her to do. It’s been ten months and Chex is doing great. In September, Dianne entered Chex in a western pleasure class for the first time in years. They won third place and he showed no sign of lameness. Dianne was so excited that I was the first person she called to tell about her success. One thing I can say for sure is that with proper hoof care and with a client who is willing to do his or her part of the rehab, an asymmetrical horse can be brought back to perform at the top of their game.

There is no better feeling than restoring a horse to soundness that everyone said was “done” and to hear the owner say, “You gave me my horse back,” and to see the horse and owner back working as a team, performing sound and pain free.

Jason McClure resides in Hutchinson, Kansas and specializes in trimming and shoeing and the competitive reining horse and the rehabbing of navicular and foundered horses. Check out Jason’s website www.jasonmcclure.net for more info on the Asymmetric horse and for future clinic dates close to you.

Jason relied on the comfort provided by the Easyboot Rx therapy hoof boot to keep this horse moving and moving correctly. Utilizing the Rx was a key element for this horse's journey back to soundness. If you use the Rx in your practice tell us your story and help encourage others who may be going through a similar rehab situation. Your story could make all the difference in a horses life.

Debbie Schwiebert

easycare-vet-hcp-deaaler-accounts-manager-debbie-schwiebert

Vet Dealer & Hoof Care Practitioner Accounts

I manage the hoof care practitioner and veterinarian dealer accounts at EasyCare. An integral part of my job is to stay current in all areas of barefoot hoof care, which enables me to serve this vital group of EasyCare dealers at the next level.

Dealer of the Month: The Australian Connection

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 by Dealer of the Month

You could be forgiven for thinking that The Australian Connection is based in Australia. As a point of fact, The Australian Connection is based in Newcastle, California. If you're not familiar, that's the heart of Tevis country, just south of the Tevis finish line at Auburn.

The Man From Snowy River

Did that movie inspire you? Well it inspired Janet and Joan in 1982 to try Australian stock saddles. Janet had been riding a high-spirited and high-withered Thoroughbred horse who was hard to fit a saddle to. In 1983, she rode her Thoroughbred mare at the Tevis using a Syd Hill saddle. In 1986, Janet and Joan formed The Australian Connection. They quickly saw a need for other trail and distance riding products and started selling saddles and other tack they believed in, testing other trail and distance riding gear.

A Long-Distance Junkie
Janet Pucci has been running the company solo since 2008. And running is very familiar to her. "As a long distance runner for more than 25 years, I have a pretty good sense of what my horse goes through on endurance rides," says Janet when asked what someone can expect when coming to her. "In fact, I have a lot of empathy for horses. In my business, we try to help our customers find a suitable solution to their riding issues. We test the products we sell, have our favorites, but don't let that color what is best for each individual horse and rider." What more could you ask?

Easyboots Then, Easyboots Now
When asked to describe how the boot industry has changed, Janet scores a hole in one: "Boots have changed from a temporary shoe replacement to a go-to hoof protector for all riding disciplines." At EasyCare, we're proud that Easyboots were one of the first products The Australian Connection carried, and continues to do so.

The Magic of the Right Inventory
Janet carries Gloves, Glue-Ons, Epics, Original Easyboots and EZ Ride Stirrups in stock. And she will order other products as needed. "The Glove is my best seller now," Janet proclaims when asked about today's trends. "And I tell people that they have to practice with Glue-Ons before they go to an event."

Barefoot and Booted
Janet's horses are all barefoot. She has two Arabs and two Anglos. "I usually ride bare, but if I'm conditioning, I use Gloves or Glue-Ons," she says of her booting preference.

Rewards
Janet has a Bachelor of Arts from UC Davis in Mathematics. Before starting The Australian Connection, she worked as a programmer for many years. "In 1986, I started running ultra marathons. My favroite is the Way Too Cool 50 Miler." Her first Easyboot encounter was on her second 50-mile endurance ride. "I lost a shoe and I had no boot. Another rider loaned me his and it fit. It was definitely a 'pay it forward'. Since then, I've always carried an Easyboot and I've kept my sense of humor."

The two crowning experiences for Janet were finishing the Tevis on a horse that had multiple attempts, but had never completeted; and then going on to run the same course herself at the Western States 100 mile run.

The Crystal Ball
When asked to gaze, Janet says the barefoot/booted industry will continue to grow.

Post Script
If you want to visit The Australian Connection's webiste, there's a .us extension: theaustralianconnection.us, lest you forget the company is based in California.

A Journey Back to How it is Meant To Be

Sunday, July 3, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Kicki Westman, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

The reason why I started to use Easyboots was simply that I didnt see a good reason to shoe my Icelandic horse Vinur anymore. He was now an old boy, retired from competions and hard training and should be able to go barefoot. I definitely didnt see a point in paying for expensive shoeing, I was too lazy to do it myself, but he didnt like it very much to be ridden barefoot even after some years without shoes. So I started to investigate different boottypes and my first choice was a pair of Easyboot Epics for his front hoofs.

My dear old friend, Vinur, in his boots, at age 26 and still going strong. Vinur means friend in Icelandic, he could not have a better name. He has been my best companion for 16 years!

Here in Sweden it is not so common with boots and barefoot-trimming (yet) and overall most people are so stuck on steelshoes that anything else is out of the question. And I was no exeption during our years of competing. But here and there I had come across some "natural believers" and now I believe more and more horseowners are beginning to see that horses in fact can be fully functioning without steel shoes.

When I first tried out our new boots and they fitted so good I was totally sold. My horse was immediately comfortable in them and soon I bought a pair of Easyboot Bares for his hind hoofs. My first choice was the Easyboot Glove, but his measurements didnt compare to the Glove sizing chart: he was way too wide.

To avoid a clamp on hind hoofs I therefore chose the Bare. But those Bares gave me a lot of opportunities to use some very bad language. Every time putting them on where a big struggle. They fitted absolutely perfect but I soon got tired of the battle and ordered a pair of Epic-buckles for them instead. That made things much easier.

Somewhere along the road I also became seriously curious of what all the fuss about barefoot trimming was as well. I have classic trimming and shoeing abilities in my backpack so after a lot of investigation, hours and hours of reading on the internet and some mentoring by a barefoot trimmer, I started to trim my own horses the natural barefoot way. It was the next natural step to take.

I have to admit, I also saw the economical benefits of trimming my own horses myself - No more lazy horseowner. I dont regret it for a moment. Maybe my back would prefer me to be lazy but I keep telling it to shut up and get used to it!

The benefits of natural trimming showed up real soon. My Shetland Pony almost always chipped her walls right after an ordinary trim. Now, with the Mustang Roll, no more. Her hoofs are now so tight and nice and she is much more comfortable walking on gravel. And Vinur soon fitted in a pair of Gloves. I can now ride him barefoot, depending on wich trail I choose but I prefer to have a full set of boots on.
I beleive it is good insurance for his comfort.

My Shetland Pony Betty Boop

I still have much to learn about the natural way of trimming but I'm only looking forward to it. It is a true pleasure to get to know and care for my horses hoofs.

Studs are necessary here in winter time.

Another aspect I really appreciate is the fact that barefoot eliminates the injuries that shoed horses can inflict to themselves and other horses, especially in the winter. Here in Sweden during the winter season we have snow and alot of ice. With shoes its always a hazard to turn out horses without studs and I think every horseowner knows what different kinds of risks shoes and studs means if several horses are turnout together. Barefoot horses can manage the ice so much better than shod horses without studs. A barefoot horse also doesnt get snow clamped in their hoofs causing them to slide or stumble. So with studded boots we are always on the safe side. I would not dare to ride without them but afterwards, my horse can play in the snowy pasture safe and sound barefeet.

For me there's no longer no doubt, booted barefoot is the way to go. This journey will never end!

Kicki Westman, Sweden

27 Hours in a Day Beats the Winter Blues

Thursday, June 30, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Susan Gill, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

It’s winter in Australia, and on the south-east coast it gets cold enough for us locals, although not usually below freezing except the occasional night. Most winters I moan about the lack of daylight and the lack of nice weather – yes I have got in the habit of being a fair-weather endurance rider lately. It was a few years ago when I first became aware of natural hoof care and started bare-booting with Easyboot Bares and Epics.

At the time I had a cruisy horse (read "lazy") that wore through his boots quickly and required socks or other inventive ways to prevent gaitor rubs. I lacked confidence applying the boots in the dark, and always seemed to take so long to put them on even in daylight, so in winter developed the very restricting habit of riding less because I didn’t have big time slots available to ride in. We overcame the booting issues with time and practice but my habit remained.

New easier boots like the Easyboot Glove have become available in the last two years but the habit remained… until this winter! The motivation of working towards a couple of riding goals has kicked in.

I’ve got past that mind-set of my original booting experiences and know its just as easy putting Gloves on Joby as it is to put Ariats on myself. Having a horse that enjoys going out, stays sensible and focused but forwards-moving without constant pushing is certainly worth getting out of a warm bed for.

Now a few days a week I get up at 4 am, however cold, wet, windy or combination weather it is, to go riding. Joby usually comes to me so she’s keen to go out too. Otherwise I have to scan the paddock in the darkness, hoping to pick up a pair of reflecting eyes with my headlamp. After catching her, I clean her feet out and whack on a pair of Gloves on her front feet, hinds are usually bare - too quick and easy! I saddle up while the Gloves are settling in to the final position, check and tighten the gaitors, and off we go.

Recently I’ve used them with dome hoof pads for some extra cushioning because of her soft frogs in our amazingly continuous wet weather we have been experiencing. And lately they’ve been on in the paddock as well, keeping her feet slightly drier and keeping a paste of 50/50 copper sulphate and vaseline on her frogs to try and beat the thrush that is creeping in – how versatile is that!

The standard rewards – a fitter horse, a warmer me (I freeze in winter and usually wear about 6 layers, but this year I have stayed at 3 layers max so far), a positive feeling that I am beating winter by ignoring it, physically making my day 3 hours longer than “normal” people, seeing nocturnal wildlife like wombats, wallabies and possums. The special rewards also include watching an eclipse of the moon on horseback, and wishing on a shooting star or two.

The 2 photos are of my mare Joby – the first one is at a beach we visited recently.

The second one is looking between Joby's ears up at the moon fully eclipsed at about 5am in the morning - if you squint you might see it.

Woodrow's Woes

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Sabrina Liska, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

Thanks to my Arizona Back Country Riders friend, Star, who let me share her story!

I purchased Woodrow when he was 8, he was in shoes then and I'm guessing he was always in shoes because he came from a roper. When Woodrow was 12 he started having problems with contracted heels, thrush and a slight amount of white line disease. He was under a vet's care who suggested I change farriers, which I did.

By this time he was starting to have periods of lameness where he couldn't be ridden. At 15, he was diagnosed with navicular, severely contracted heels, thrush and very severe white line. The white line was so bad, his hoof wall had been (approximately 50%) removed twice. Each time when it grew out, the white line would start all over. I spent hours taking care of Woodrow's feet by using White Lightning and Thrush Buster.

The vet had the farrier put him in wedge pads and egg bars (I could kick myself for letting them do this but didn't know any better). Woodrow kept going down hill and was no longer sound enough to be ridden. Finally, the vet suggested that Woodrow had come to the end and his options were limited, AKA euthanasia. This is when I went to one of Dr. Teskey's dissection clinics. The light bulb finally went on...duh. Woodrow and our other 7 horses went bare the next day.

Woodrow has been making steady improvements over the last 3 years and is now sound. I have to admit there were times when I thought he would never get better, he was so sore. He no longer exhibits navicular symptoms and the white line and thrush are gone. His contracted heel has spread approximately 100% wider than it was, but it still are contracted. Naturally credit goes to the best barefoot trimmer I know... Rusty Toth.

He has done such good things for all my horses, it's just amazing. I used to have shelves of hoof supplements, balms, salves, moisturizer, boots for soaking and meds. Now I have nothing but a hoof pick. I haven't seen the lameness vet in 3 years. I was brought up in the QH show atmosphere and worked for trainers and showed. For years I believed shoes were the only way to go and thought the barefoot people were just plain crazy. It's difficult to change 40 years of thinking but when the results are what they have been for Woodrow -- I'm a believer.

When Woodrow started feeling better he started kicking some fanny in the turnout. He had been boss horse then when he got sick he felt too bad to do much bossin'. Woodrow wears his Gloves proudly! His Gloves fit well, debris never gets in the boots and there is no hardware to break while riding!

Anyone else uplifted by this story?

Sabrina Liska

Booting Spirit

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Barb Fenwick, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

The reason I originally got into using boots was for my foundered horse Spirit. He is a TWH gelding and is 12 years old now and we discovered he had foundered when he was 7 years old. It has been a learning journey and part of that trip was to find a boot that I could use to make him more comfortable when he was having a laminatic attack or when he was "good to go" and I was riding him on trail.

That trail led me to Easyboots when I contacted The Horses Hoof and Yvonne Welz and she sold me my first pair of boots, which were Original Easyboots. I progressed to using Bares, then along came the fabulous Gloves. He has worn Gloves for the last 2 years and put a ton of miles on them. I have blown a couple gaiters but otherwise I can't wear them out. We have a large pond on our property that I take him into for swimming fun and also for rehab when he is sore to cool his legs and feet. I have never lost a Glove. One time it came off but the gaiter holds them onto the leg, which saves the boot from coming off.

In the above picture, Spirit shows one of his other jobs he has been able to continue with boots. He gives rides to a disabled rider, who had a serious horse accident a few years back and lost confidence in horses. Spirit is the only horse she will ride: he takes care of her and it gives her joy unimaginable to be able to ride again, safely. Without his boots, that really wouldn't be doable on a regular basis.

Just this spring I tried the Easyboot Rx boots on him, and they are his paddock boots of choice. I love them! They are so easy to slip on & off, are so comfortable & well padded, good grip and dry out quickly after getting wet and soggy.

For Spirit, it has allowed him to keep moving and enjoying the trails on rides with his buddies, which is so important for him physically and mentally. I can't even imagine a life without hoof boots for this horse, who is my equine soul mate. He does go barefoot as much as possible, but those boots are ever handy to help him be comfortable and get the needed exercise and really his sense of pride and purpose. He loves to show off and be the leader whether on trails, doing natural horsemanship ground play or just still having that leader position comfortably in his pasture.

Next I plan to try a pair of the Easyboot Trails. I think this will fill in the gap for those times when the Glove is not quite enough comfort for shorter outings.

Spirit has been my working partner as I taught PNH clinics on the Canadian Prairies. He is the reason I got into natural hoofcare and the reason I teach natural hoof health today. He has been so instrumental in helping not only spread the word about these things, but also that there is life after laminitis and Easyboots are a huge part of the recovery and treatment plan. It has made Spirit live easier and for all he does for me and so many others, he simply deserves the best boots. And he has them!

Barb & Spirit

125 Down and 100 To Go

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by Team Easyboot

By Tami Rougeau, Team Easyboot 2001 Member

It has only taken a few days to finally be able to sit down at the computer and nail down all the thoughts and reflections. Wow, what a weekend it was- to say the least. There were so many great things that happened, good lessons learned, challenges overcome and a few disappointments but all in all, a great weekend for Little Miss May and me. Jumping straight to the end, we finished the NASTR 75, completing the second leg of the NASTR Triple Crown. I am so proud of this mare and all that she has accomplished. Now for the interesting parts.

May happily heading down one of the nicer roads

The planning for this ride began weeks ago with agonizing over the boot configuration. This ride is one of the most rocky rides I can think of (second only to VC 100) so extra cushion is definitely in order. The Easyboot Glove is by far my most favorite boot of all time and I am hard pressed to use anything else. Glue-Ons are great and I like them as well but the whole gluing thing is just harder than Gloves. After sorting through my collection and seeing what I had I finally decided to go with Gloves but to add Goober Glue to provide the added cushion as well as security needed for this really tough ride. The plan was to glue on Thursday when the ranch was quiet and so that I would not be rushed trying to get out the door on Friday.

The nice thing about using Goober Glue is that it is easy to apply and easier to remove from both the boot and the hoof upon completion. The down side is that it takes 12-24 hours to really set up so not good to use solo with Glue Ons. The gaiters on the Gloves help to stabilize the boot while the glue sets up. This week I would be able to perform both methods as I was able to help another rider with her Glue ons as well. More on that later in another post.

Since I had not glued on boots for about 8 months I reviewed the helpful videos on the Easycare site. Determined that I indeed had everything I needed and with a solid plan I set out to get the job done. At this point I do have to caveat that while terrifically helpful, the videos lack a certain level of reality, in that no one gets any glue anywhere it does not belong. There should probably be a lead in that explains that if you end up with glue on yourself, your horse, your trailer, your driveway etc you are not a clutsy failure, just normal. For this reason most of us realists have a set of clothes that are only used for glueing. The chosen attire for this job is old sneekers, jeans and long sleeved shirt along with gloves and since I have long hair, ties and hat to keep it all covered and out of the way (completly, ponies and braids are glue magnets). Don't ask me how I know that you will have to cut your hair if you get glue in it (especially if it falls over your shoulder and becomes attached to the boot that is attached to a hoof). But I digress.

First part of the process was to assess the fit of the boots that were to be used. To my horror May's feet had grown out at an alarming rate in the previous two weeks. Part of this is probably due to the wetter than normal conditions here in Northern Nevada. I do not like to really trim the week before this ride, it is just too rocky. May tends to have really wide feet and this was the issue more than anything. I am a bit of a coward when it comes to doing too much adjustment so I called my trimmer who told me to grab my big girl rasp and just do it! She is so confident. In the end it really did not take much to get the feet shaped back up and fitting nicely into 1.5's in the front and 1's in the back. Cleaned out the bottoms and applied athletic tape. All set for the glueing. Put the glue in the gun, puncture seal, squeeze...and squeeze...and squeeze. Nothing. The glue would not come out. Take apart the gun, stick a nail in the glue to make sure it is soft, try again. Nothing. When in doubt muscle it, right? This resulted in the seal breaking at the top of the tube, not good. Not to be detered I used my blade to cut open that dratted tube of glue, sliced it down the side and opened it right up. Yep, good glue on the inside and a not so good part right at the top that had clogged it up. Since Goober glue takes so long to set up I just pulled out my spatula and frosted the glue directly on the bottom of the hoof. Sort of like the video where Kevin squirts the glue on the hoof then spreads it with the spatula (and stays perfectly clean and does not get any on the horses leg) - only different (and it got up my sleeve somehow and on my horses leg).

Popped on the boot, gave it a bit of a tap with the mallet and checked the fit one last time. There was not a big glob of glue coming out of the back of the boot so I was a bit concerned that I had not used enough but it would have to do, use a bit more on the other feet. Repeat the process for the next three feet and the deed was done. The glue only came up a bit in the back but I could feel it so just left it alone and hoped that it would work out. The gaiters were secured as well to keep the boots in place and May got to stand on the trailer with a bag of yummy hay all to herself for a couple of hours.

Sorry, no photos. After the tube exploded I was distracted from the camera. Probably a good thing because it may have become glued to me. It all worked out nicely and I did not end up wasting the tube of glue. The amount used was probably comparable to if the gun had worked. I am chalking this event up to old glue. There were two tubes and I thought I picked up the new one but apparently not. The tube that was used was probably from last fall. Lesson learned.

The rest of the pack up and get out process was uneventful. There was a lot of prep for this ride as all of the holds are out of camp so you have to be prepared. For me that means a variety of food and drink items "just in case" so that there will be something that sounds OK. For May it means lots of everything as she is not too particular and just loves to eat. We arrived in camp and were set up nice and early. We parked toward the back and blocked out space for our camp buddies - Lucy, Leslie, Liegh and Crysta. May was a bit worried that she would be all by herself when we first parked. Did I mention that she came into season the day before - great! Soon after the rest of the party showed up and boy was May happy to see Uno. That would be an understatement. That poor boy! She was soooo in love. Then Diego showed up on her other side. Talk about one happy mare! YEESH!!!

Crew bags were laying about and we were all double checking that we had what we needed and who had what in case we needed something else. Short of extra horses we had everthing and then some that any of us would need. We had a lovely evening of dinner and company then off to bed for our 0500 start (ick).

The morning came far too soon but we were up and at it, ready to go on time. That is until the door to my trailer would not shut and Kim the ride manager came over to make sure we were OK. "You're late" she said, to my horror. It was only 4 minutes after but everyone else had left. She managed to fix the door and we were off. Lucy and I were riding together with the lovebirds (well, May was in love and Uno was, well...not impressed). The horses moved out nicely over the first few miles of decent road. We knew that the canyons which lay ahead of us were going to be slow going so it was nice to start out with a good pace. Our goal for the day was just to finish since this is the second of a three ride series. A game of attrition throughout the season and keeping your horse sound through three increasingly tough rides.

The canyons were amazing as always. The trail is rocky so fairly slow going but allows for ample time to take in the beautiful rock formations. Not far into this loop Lucy's stirup broke. She was able to jerry-rig it fairly well but it was not comfortable. Due to the large amounts of snow and rain this year there was green grass all along the trail for the horses to graze on. What a treat!

Better footing of Eldorado Canyon, just before it gets worse again

We came into the first check at 26 miles. May vetted through quickly with good marks - to inlcude the "ridiculous" heart rate of 42. To our horror however, Uno was off and he and Lucy were wisked away by the rescue trailer. We barely had time to fret before she was gone. May, on the other hand, did fret - alot! One of the great volunteers (and probably one of the best crew husbands around) Daryl was kind enough to hold May and try to calm her. She repaid him by covering him in wet mash, how embarassing. But he is a great guy and just laughed it off. When it was time to go I was not terribly confident that May would be happy going out by herself. Of note, we were last so no one was going to catch us. Our friend Carolyn was about seven minutes ahead of us but I was not so sure we would catch her if May refused to go.

With the volunteers encouraging us I saddled up and prepared to coax my little mare out of the hold. When the timer said, OK you can go, May took off! Holy Cow! How long could this last, surely she would stop and run back to the camp? But no, she just put on her big girl trot and went wonderfully along at a nice steady pace. We hit the long sandy downhill and I got off to walk her down. A short walk and we met up with Carolyn and Okay and we joined up. What a relief! This loop is known as The Death March and seems to just go on and on. The temps were cooler and the horses moved along nice grazing as they went. Out along the flat we met up with a most handsome wild horse. He would have been nice to look at but since May was in heat we did not dawdle and thankfully she put her tail down and stuck to Okay like glue. Just as we arrived back to camp a slight drizzle began.

May's wild horse suitor, nice but no thanks she said

The last decent view of the mountains. They would remain shrouded in clouds the rest of the day.

The horses vetted quickly but May was not given a good score on gut sounds. The vet said she was a little quiet. That was a bit concerning after all that she had eaten and all the pooping but other than that she looked great and once again had that low heart rate. Vet said not to worry and sent us back out.

We had a great surprise when we arrived as well. Lucy had decided to come back and help us out after she had tended to Uno. It was so wonderful to have her there. As the rain clouds continued to move in we doned our slickers and rain pants and headed out for another 10 mile loop. May had developed a slight rub on her right front leg so we also applied a neoprene sleeve to help protect it. Other than that, boots were working out great so far.

It continued to rain on us the entire loop. We made it back in, only looking slightly like drowned rats. This time the vet said, "good gut sounds", and gave May A's. What a relief. No more photos due to rain and the fact that the camera was under too many layers. After what seemed like the longest 20 minute hold ever we set out to do the last 14 miles back home through the canyons. The roads were becoming really slippery so we were careful. Carolyn was also using Gloves so we were well matched that way.

Off on the last loop in the rain, photo from Lucy Trumbull

Shortly we began the long drop down the canyon. This is always a good place to get off and walk but with the wet conditions it was even more so. The horses did not do too bad but they did slip and slide a bit. It was good for us to walk as well as it helped to keep us warmer. Thankfully it was just wet and not really cold. The sun set as we hit the bottom of the canyon, and it continued to rain. It was errily pleasant out there that night. With just the sound of our horses feet, water trickling through normally dry creeks+ and thousands of croaking frogs. There were the occassional kids with four-wheel drives out playing in the mud and trying to get stuck (wonder if their parents knew?) but only one really creepy group that we trotted away from quickly.

Up and out of the canyon we came, back to the road we had left so many hours earlier. It was still raining on us and the night was crisp but not yet cold. At about 9:45 we finally made it into camp. Vets, friends and ride management were there to meet us and miraculously it stopped raining. Both horses vetted through with flying colors. The vet said that May looked great and her gut sounds were better than they had been all day. Always good to get compliments from the vet at the end of a tough ride.

Back at the trailer Lucy helped me get May settled in. Everything was so wet and soggy but at least the rain held off till we were done. A hot bowl of chili from the ride manager and we were back to bed for a few hours sleep. What a day, what a trail and what a horse.

Back home at the ranch on Sunday everything was set out to dry and get washed. The thought of things mildewing was incentive enough to take care of these items straight away. My saddle was still soaking wet so it actually got to go in the house (the husband only asked a few times how long it was going to remain inside...). May got to go relax and since it proceeded to rain all day on Monday I did not get around to taking her boots off til Tuesday. Very impressive indeed just how stuck on these boots were after all that water and rocky, hilly terrain. I have decided that it is not the glueing I hate it is the removing of glued on boots that is the real issue. Anyway, with a bit of prying they came off and the hooves were all fine. Even after nearly 6 full days. The Goober Glue came out of the boots and off of the hooves cleanly with very little effort on my part.

The recap:

Great Things That Happened

We finished! and got good vet scores!
May was happy and relaxed all day
The rain slicker was packed in my cantle pack when I needed it
Got to spend the day with really great people and thier horses
The boots stayed on without any issues through quite the challenge

Lessons Learned

If the Goober Glue tube fails you can just use a spatula and put the glue on the hoof, it works just fine (you cannot do this with Adhere or if you are using Adhere as it sets up too fast)
When using the older style gaiters on May always remember to use the neoprene cuffs so she does not get rubs.
Always put your rain slicker on the saddle when there is a prediction of rain and don't forget the pants too.
Getting trailer and gear cleaned up the same day you get home sure makes the rest of the week nice.
It only takes about 3 days to dry out a completely soaked saddle

Challenges Overcome

The trail, the trail, the trail
The rain, the rain, the rain
May left camp by herself and happily moved down the trail
Didn't get overly frustrated with the exploding glue and it worked out fine

Yes, it was a good weekend. Now to plan for the next one!

Boots Make it Possible

Friday, June 17, 2011 by Team Easyboot

By Zach Rabow, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

Like many people, I was nervous to make the leap from shoes to boots. We had followed the “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” theory. But eventually it broke, it being my horse!

Apache Bulero (a.k.a. Bo) is a Thoroughbred off of the Santa Anita racetrack. Being shod at a young age left him with some pretty crummy feet. He had thin soles, weak hoof walls and pretty much just some jacked up feet! Three years ago he foundered and had quarter cracks on both front feet. The vets recommended putting him down, saying he would never be sound and would be uncomfortable. We realized that something needed to change so we enlisted the help of barefoot guru Cindy Nielson from Reno, NV.

She pulled his shoes and took X-rays of his feet. Nothing short of horrific, but the shoes were pulled he was tender footed just walking around in the pasture so we put Easyboot Epics on him during the day with comfort pads. Eventually his feet started healing and turning back into normal feet, his soles are now 3 times thicker than they were then and he is quarter crack free. Needless to say he hasn’t had shoes on since.

After spending part of the summer with Dian Woodward and Christoph Schorck of Global Endurance Training Center in Moab, UT, I learned booting techniques and a lot about the barefoot lifestyle in endurance horses, and how to manage them during competition. I had the privilege of crewing for the duo during the Tevis Cup ride; getting to help glue on boots for GETC horses was great, and it gave me the confidence to glue and boot on my own horses.

Winter came all too fast and I found myself with not an endurance horse, but an ex-race horse that was my showing, jumping and eventing horse for years. And for whatever reason I had the thought that maybe he could do endurance. So in early January I did a little 5 mile ride to see how he would respond, then bumped it up to 10 miles the next weekend and did 3 ten mile rides, then 5 20-35 mile rides then entered in a local Fun 20 mile Ride.

We went to the race with no real hopes, and faced the reality he may be pulled for lameness considering all of his past issues. We finished 5th out of over 40 starters, 10 minutes off the winner and could have gone out and done another 20 miles easily! He has done all these rides barefoot, and has had no issues (knock on wood). For any of you that have ridden in Nevada you know that there is no shortage of rocks! Training completely bare has been beneficial for him, he has been growing more sole than I have ever seen and with the increased amount of blood flow to his feet he is growing a hoof like nobody's business!

We have a few 50’s planned in the coming months and can’t wait to see what he can do, and with the use of Easyboots to help absorb the concussion during in competition and Gloves during training we expect him to have no feet problems or issues from here on out!!

We thank Easycare for their products and credit them for saving my horses feet!

Failures Force Us to Learn New Tricks

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 by Team Easyboot

By Karen Bumgarner, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

The Owyhee Fandango at Oreana last month was not Thunder's day to shine. We'd been doing so well but the day ended with a pull at 65 miles into a 100 miler. A 100 miler that I had many misgivings about entering thanks to the cold wet weather and I just had a general bad feeling about riding it. But in the end I told myself I was being a weather wienie and I came to the do the 100 so I had better just do it. That didn't get rid of the knot in my stomach and the nagging thought that something was wrong.

We started the 100 with leaps and bounds and once he finally settled down into some forward motion we actually started to get somewhere. The day was progressing nicely and we were beginning to make up some lost time. But late in the day he would take an occasional "off step" usually in the rocks or on the hard gravel roads.

I thought to myself that he felt a bit foot sore. "Can't be!" I thought. I trimmed him a week before the ride, same as always. We had the Gloves all around, same as always. How could he be tender? But he continued with an occasional off step, very inconsistent, and at the 65 mile point I told the vet, David Hayes DVM, "We're done. He's a little off." And as he trotted on the gravel, the vet could see that yes he was off. So we rode back to camp in the trailer, first time in a very long time. Later that evening, Robert Washington DVM checked Thunder again and he was no worse, which was a good thing.

In review though I realize that we had a LOT of rain in camp. Everything was soggy to standing in water. When I got home the day after the ride and picked out feet, they contained mud and small rocks and the frog was a wet mushy mess. The wet mushy frogs also showed some signs of thrush, a bacteria that loves wet conditions along with some manure. The thrush may not have been the whole problem but I am pretty sure that it was a contributing factor. It hadn't bothered Blue's performance because he was ridden the first day, not the third. He probably hadn't grown any thrush at that point, but now had some thrush too. So I trimmed their frogs a bit to allow it to clean out better, then I applied a hoof preparation containing tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is great for killing bacteria and fungi. I have been doing that daily as we have still been getting rain.

Sunday I took Thunder for a short ride, barefoot as usual. Again he seemed slightly sore-footed. I rode just far enough to determine he was fine in the sand but not on the hard surface. Then we turned and went back home.

Tuesday I decided to try it again, only this time with Gloves and I dug out an old but hardly used set of the dome comfort pads and put on the front. I had used the pads on Hollie with the Bare's a couple times, but never with the Gloves. It was a good day for an experiment. I wanted to see if the pads would keep the softened frog and sole from being tender. We took the exact same trail that we had taken on Sunday when he was not-quite-right. After a bit of just walking I thought his stride felt longer and stronger. We trotted and every foot was hitting the dirt just like they should be. Not one misstep, the stride was strong and full of his usual tigger-bounce.

The comfort pads in the Gloves worked great. I see no signs of thrush at the moment but we still have rain so the hooves remain a bit soft. With managing a barefoot horse I believe that we are continually learning. Heck with horses we never learn it all anyway! From now on I will think about using comfort pads on a ride when the weather has been wet and the hoof has softened. Seldom do we get that much rain so my brain was definitely not thinking in that direction. But I always look for the lesson from my mistakes or failures, thats just the way I am.

Now that I have the thrush under control and the weather is drying out I am just keeping the hooves as clean as possible. Keeping them picked out allows air to get in and dry the hoof so the thrush finds it hard to survive. As our usual dry weather sets in the frogs and soles will harden up again, nature's way of maintaining a healthy hoof once again.

Bare is Better

Friday, May 27, 2011 by Kevin Myers

Welcome iwearyourshirt.com fans!

If you're like the peeps over at Easyboot, then you've known bare is better for a long, long time.

Fortunately, we've now got the facts that prove it. Nothing rivals the anatomy working the way nature intended it.

The Wonders of Modern Science
We conducted a field study using thermographic imaging of shod versus barefoot/booted horses before, during and after exercise.

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Click here to sign up for it.

Making History
It's no wonder that the barefoot horse made history last year when a horse with Easyboots won the ultimate Haggin Cup prize at the Tevis 24-hour 100-mile horse in California. The award is presented to honor outstanding physical condition of one horse at the completion of the race. 182 horses that started the race, and only one horse wins the Haggin Cup.

Win a $100 American Express Gift Card Today!
Post a comment to this blog post by midnight EDT today, May 27, and you will be automatically entered to win a $100 American Express gift card. You can comment on any topic or ask questions about the boots. Here is the question we want you to answer:

What made you realize bare is better?

Want More?
If you’re bare curious, take a quick look at our New To Boots? page or click here for a two-minute history on horse hoof boots. Check out our daily blog updates for insights and tips by boot users from across the world. You can pick the boot that’s right for your horse and your activity.

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