Glue on Horseshoes

What do you get when you cross the hoof boot that was used to win the 2011 100 mile Tevis Cup with the polyurethane horse shoe that was used to win the 2011 136th running of the Preakness? 

A new tool for farriers and hoofcare professionals.  The new glue-on urethane shoe is a collaboration between EasyCare and No-Anvil.  The combined efforts have produced a new urethane hoof protection device that blur the lines between boots and shoes.  The urethane hybrid device absorbs concussion, is held securely in place for a shoeing cycle without nails, is lighter weight than most all nail on shoes and allows the hoof to expand and contract as nature intended. 


Stay tuned for more updates and news on the collaboration. 

If you've ever met Natalie Herman, you will know her to be dependably positive and honest. Since she started her business in 2005, she believes there has been an explosion of booting options, both in the growth of new boot brands and within EasyCare itself.

Natalie attributes her success to her burning desire to learn. She finds she can learn something from everyone. Even if she does not agree, there is always something that might cause her to approach a problem from a different angle. She credits her reputuation to the power of word of mouth and her conscientious approach to customer service. "I do some marketing, but it is a fairly tight community around here. If you want to be successful, you need to have people talking about you in a good way."

Natalie says Easycare makes working with their dealer networks and boot users a pleasurable process. "They have a friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff; they have favorable return policies, and when a product is shown to need improvement, they modify the product instead of sticking with the same old thing."

She uses the same philosophy in her own business: "I am very helpful and giving with my knowledge. If a client has a question, they never hesitate to call or email me with it, and I try and help them. A good trim is just the tip of a large iceberg." She studied horseshoeing first, and credits that time with learning the principles of anatomy and a balanced trim. She feels strongly that evolution is just as important in hoofcare as it is in the boots that protect those hooves.

Natalie is quick to compliment EasyCare: "I love how inovative Easycare is, always trying to come up with new solutions to existing boots, or totally new boots when the need arises. Instead of insisting that the user is at fault, or the trims are incorrect, EasyCare tries to find a solution to boot failures by either modifying the boot design, or coming up with a design that fits the activity of that user. She says she's still waiting to see a sliding plate boot, though. "It just amazes me how fast things are changing in the industry," says Natalie, "and I am loving it."
 
Natalie currently owns three horses: a 13 year-old Morgan/Quarter Horse mare that was her first horse and, she says, her best horse. "I tried about everything with her, and she is currently being leased to a friend's daughter. Together they won the state championship for CSHA Trail Trials in their division this year, bare and sometimes booted with Gloves. She was also her experimental horse for getting into barefooting. She always needed shoes with pads in the front, having long toe/low heel issues, and wore the outside branches of her hind shoes to nothing in six weeks. Natalie was skeptical of taking her barefoot. "Her feet became so much better that I decided to completely convert my farrier business to natural hoofcare." She has never looked back.

She bred the mare to the top AERC mileage and Hall of Fame stallion, DR Thunder Bask, and this year her six year-old daughter completed her first endurance season. She has been bare her entire life, and performed wonderfully in Gloves, Epics, and Glue-ons at rides throughout 2011. "She is also my 'thinking outside the box' booting horse. I have had to modify boots and how to apply them to the hoof with her, as she tends to have a lot of torque on the hind end." Having a challenging horse in booting has helped her help others.

Natalie also has a 13 year-old Kentucky Mountain stallion. "He is my 'soul horse' and I love everything about him."

As a small business owner, Natalie keeps a minimum stock for clients, and appreciates the fact that Easycare does not have a minimum order policy amount. Her best-seller is still the Easyboot Glove and Glove Wides. "Most of my cients love them as they are so simple to use. The next best-selling models are the Epic and Easyboot Trail, as both allow a greater range of fitting for clients unable or unwilling to keep the hooves trimmed as frequently as the Gloves require.

Her most rewarding experience as a trimmer was treating her first founder case. "I knew the theory, and had trimmed a few mildly laminitic horses, but not a really bad case. When I called the vet for a consult and to go in and see the radiographs, the vet had basically written the horse off and told me to expect to see the coffin bone coming through the sole." She never did get sole penetration on that horse, but there were months of abscessing. Today the horse has textbook hooves. "This case got me started on the path to working on laminitic horses and it boosted my confidence in the barefoot method."

Natalie's most memorable hoof boot success story is the 2011 XP 2,000 mile ride. "There were a good number of barefoot and booted riders already, but there were also many shod horses competing." The barefoot horses proved to be most of the highest mileage horses on this ride, with over 1,000 miles each during the two-month span. Riders with shod horses discovered the benefits of barefoot/booted protocols, and many of them solved lameness issues during the race by pulling shoes and applying boots. "So much for an extended transition from shoes," said Natalie ironically.

Natalie's prediction for the future? That a barefoot and booted lifestyle will become the norm instead of a fad. "More and more vets and long-time farriers are becoming interested in it. As boots become easy to use and effective as hoof protection, more people see barefoot and booting as a viable option for their horse's hoofcare.

For more information on Epona's Natural Hoofcare Services, visit Natalie's new Facebook page. For more information on becoming a dealer, visit the Dealer's Corner on the EasyCare website.

Remember the good old times? I do have fond memories of foaming the Original Easyboots on horses' hooves. In the 80s and 90s, we often foamed. And what a mess it sometimes was. Very few of us still foam Easyboots nowadays. But for old times' sake and for this blog I decided to do it again. I also felt sorry for these boots sitting unused on the shelf. Most importantly, I wanted to see if I still can make a mess! You be the judge on that one.


Actually, it hasn't been all that long ago that we  quit foaming boots. But when protective horse boots developed in such a revolutionary way, it seemed that the foaming days were waning for sure. The EasyCare Glue-On boots have been used and tested now for over two years. We all have learned a lot and we are still learning to improve our application of the EasyBoot Glue-Ons.

Quite frankly, no hoof protection on the market has fascinated me as much as the glue-on horse hoof boots and the whole glue-on procedure. Just something about being a hoof care provider and chemist at the same time.

It's been over two years now since we started, cautiously, to glue on the first boots. It happened at a 3-day ride in December in Sonoita, Arizona; the start of a new ride season. Glue on horse boots were unheard of before then. Mistakes were made by us, we lost boots. I'll spare you from listing all the mistakes we made, we would only reinforce them. What I want to share with you are the improvements we made, the lessons we learned, so  you don't have to make the same mistakes we did.

Most Important Lessons We Learned

1. The hoof has to be totally dry and totally clean.
2. The glue-on hoof boot has to be dry and clean.

After using hoof picks, a wire brush, available in hardware stores, works great to clean the hoof. Notice how clean this hoof is, all dust, sand and dirt are absent. A white line separation was treated with iodine. 

Drying can be accomplished with a heat gun. It will work the best. Thoroughly dry the hoof wall and the sole. If you do not have a heat gun available, a hair dryer will do as well, it just requires more time, because it provides less heat.

When the hooves are wet, dry the walls and soles several times. Capillary action will move moisture back to the hoof wall after drying it the first time. Nature always tries to balance things, so when there is a lot of moisture in the hoof, like after a rainy weather period, drying the outer periphery of the hoof wall will make the remaining moisture inside the hoof move to the now dry areas through this capillary action. Therefore it is really important to take the time to dry the hoof several times.


Lately, we have been using Goober Glue for padding the bottom of the hoof. If using Goober Glue, the actual sole does not have to be quite as dry as when using Equipak. However, keep in mind that bacterias thrive on moisture. So, by drying the sole really well, you are also taking care of any bacterial infestation. Literally, with a heat gun you can actually burn  any fungi or bacterias. You do not have to worry about damage to the hoof. Farriers have hot seated steel shoes for centuries, the hooves can handle the heat for a short time without any damage.


Notice the slight brownish color in the quarter area. We actually seared the sole slightly and killed any detrimental bacterial infestation. Not to worry, the hoof can easily handle it, heat dries, hardens and disinfects the sole.

Boot Preparation
If the heel bulbs of your horse are fairly low, you can easily cut the back of your boot down. It will not compromise the structural integrity of the protective horse boot.


In cold weather, you may also use the heat gun to warm your boot up.


Once you have finished drying and cleaning the hoof and boot, you should only handle the hoof and glue on boot with gloves. EasyCare has gloves in their store, but you can also use simple latex gloves from the hardware store. This is of utmost importance, otherwise dirt, moisture and grease from your hands can easily contaminate the hoof wall and boot, thus compromising the adhesion of the Vettec Adhere.

Next, I like to apply Goober Glue to the bottom of the boot. Goober Glue remains very soft after drying and is a good cushioning for even tender footed horses. We apply the Goober Glue in the shape of the frog, more for hooves with deep concavity, less for flat footed horses. Goober Glue takes several hours to cure, so no rush with this application.

Vettec Adhere will work best for gluing the side walls of the boots onto the hoof.


Always hold the boot on its side, so the glue does not run down inside the shell to the bottom of the boot, possibly causing undue pressure on the sole. Adhere is a very dense material once it is set, we do not want it on the bottom of the boot.


The Goober Glue has been applied in the shape of the frog to the bottom of the boot, then the Vettec Adhere is applied only to the top half of the boot shell. When pushing the boot onto the hoof, the Adhere will then get pushed down the remainder of the boot wall, but not as far as the bottom of the boot.


Notice again how I hold the boot almost upside down, in order to prevent the Adhere from flowing to the bottom. In warm temperatures, it could easily happen.


You do not need a lot of glue, this is plenty. Pushing the boot onto the hoof will spread the glue down the remainder of the shell wall.

Working with Adhere, one has to move fast and expedient. Adhere sets within one minute. If you work too slow, the Adhere will have set before you get the boot onto the hoof. 

Just recently, Vettec brought a much small application kit on the market.


This kit is lightweight, has three mixing tips, a plunger with a finger ring. Easy to use, you can take this kit in your saddle bag, just in case you did not use good diligence at home when gluing and lost a boot. You can then easily re glue on the trail. Setting time in 1 minute, full cure in 5. Beats not finishing your ride because of a lost boot.


Again, tilt the boot while you apply the glue to the side wall, so it doesn't run onto the bottom of the boot.


One 50 cc tube holds enough glue for 4 glue-on boots. Contact me at Global Endurance Training Center if you would like more information about it. After pushing the boot onto the hoof, it is highly advisable to seal the edges with a beat of Adhere. With your gloved finger, you should then smooth it out. You want to create a good seal all around the shell between the hoof wall and frog, so no moisture and debris can enter the boot.


Here using the 50 cc applicator, below the 180 cc applicator gun


After applying Adhere to the edge of the boot,  use your gloved finger to smooth it out.


In the frog/bulb area, some Goober glue will have pushed out. We smoothen it out to create a good seal there as well.


Now we have a complete seal around the edges of the boot.

A lot of questions have been asked regarding how long we safely can keep Easyboot Glue ons on our horse's hooves. As often, the answer is: it depends.

If you did a great job drying and cleaning your hoof, have no bacterial invasion, or you took care of it through drying and various remedies, (see our previous blogs on Hypozin and Sore No More), diligently sealed the edge of the glue on boot all they way around the hoof, then you can leave these boots on for up to a whole trimming cycle.

Below a couple of photos of boots glued on the hooves now for 5 weeks. Notice that the seal  is still intact. No foreign matter was able to enter these Glue on Horseshoes.


This horse did two 50 milers with these boots and over 100 miles of conditioning rides. All the seals are intact, no water, mud or sand was able to enter these boots.

Here are some more photos from different hooves after boot removal that had glue ons applied for about 6 weeks:


No thrush, no smell, no problems with this hoof. Residual glue still on the sole. After initial cleaning, glue removal and a slight trimming, (the trim is not completed) it looked like this:


A photo of the hind hoof:


What's remarkable here, no bacterial or fungal invasion and no white line separation anywhere.

After using EasyCare Glue ons now for over two years on most horses at GETC, the cases of white line separation have  almost completely disappeared. When keeping the Glue on boots on the hooves for the full trimming cycle, (up to 6 weeks), we observed a notable decrease of  white line separation.  Could it be, that the shell gives the hoof capsule more stability? Could it be that there is less bacterial invasion because the sole is clean and sealed? Could it be that there is less peripheral loading when traveling  with Easyboot Protective Horse Boots, thus weight bearing is more distributed over the whole foot instead of the hoof wall? Could it be, that we all are getting better at trimming? Or is it all of the above?

Whatever the answer, the results speak for themselves and they spell SUCCESS. We tried, practiced, learned and succeeded. 

Working with Glue ons and Hoof Glue is fun, it works and helps your horses hooves.

From the Global Endurance Center:

Your Bootmeister

Riding and competing on mountain rides is more enjoyable for horse and rider. Horses can use their muscles in different ways and perform therefore overall better than compared with rides over only flat ground. Riding steep uphills certainly require a higher energy output and horses tire faster on sustained uphills. The rider can help his horse a lot by dismounting and walking or running with the horse. 

When Eric Knapp gets a new client, he starts by evaluating the needs of horse and rider alike.  He enjoys passing on knowledge and ideas to help the horse. He assesses environment, diet, hooves and physical needs.

Eric believes the hoof care industry is in great flux and that as boot technology evolves, therapy horses, pleasure horses and working horses are all able to live their lives more comfortably without shoes. "People are learning that boots can do the job of traditional shoes and that they last longer," says Eric. "My clients are often surprised to find that the boots of today are much easier to use than prior models."

Eric lives in central Illinois with his wife and two children, but his trimming business takes him from Chicago to Missouri and from Indiana to Iowa. After 20 years of driving a semi, he turned his dream job into a reality four years ago and started trimming horses full-time. He is now a member of the American Hoof Association and specializes in the natural trim.

The Knapp family currently owns five horses that they taking out camping and riding throughout the Midwest. When asked about his favorite event, Eric doesn't even hesitate: "Each year I ride with a group of people to the Fort Madison Rodeo in Iowa: the trip is about 115 miles. The first year I went barefoot, but the second year I used Easyboot Glue-Ons with Goober Glue. The boots gave my horse added protection and comfort. In fact all 17 horses on the ride were booted, barefoot and happy."


If you ask Eric what he attributes his success to, he'll tell you it that much of it comes from a good product that is user friendly. "Your boots are easy to put on and simple to modify so it makes my job easier." As an EasyCare dealer, Eric likes to carry Glue-Ons, Gloves, Epics, and Easyboot Rx. He also keeps a supply of comfort pads in all densities and sizes, power straps and spare boot parts. "By far my best selling product is the Easyboot Glove: people like how simple, easy to put on, and durable it is." He prefers the Rx boot for therapy and the Glove as riding boot. For people transitioning their horses from steel to boots, he usually recommends the Epic.


Eric's great success story was a Cushing's horse that had foundered and had a rotated coffin bone when he first met it. He gave him a natural trim and put him in Rx boots with a pair of comfort pads. He cut a hole in the pads where the tip of the Coffin bone was and it gave the horse instant relief. "When I drove up, the horse could barely walk: it was in obvious pain.  But by the time I left he was walking considerably better.  That's a good feeling to know that you brought some comfort to a horse in pain."

Looking forward, Eric believes the barefoot trim is the healthiest option for a horse.  "I believe horse hoof boots are the horseshoe of the 21st century.  You can do about anything with a boot that you can do with a horseshoe.  The new Glue-Ons and Gloves provide endless options for horse owners."

Shoe pulled, before the White Lightning soak. Glue is still in the right heel area near the base of the frog.

With a balanced barefoot trim it took just three months to see the owner had made the right decision and they indeed were making progress. In just seven months of diligent horse owner care and natural barefoot trimming the horse had grown in a solid hoof wall that was crack free. There were ups and downs along the way but as you can see by the photos below, Karen's assessment was spot on.
 

Trimmers, Karen's presentation is an excellent educational tool and one you might find helpful to your clients.

Barefoot horse, Timothy, at 31 years of age can attest that one is never too old to go barefoot and booted.

Timothy wore horseshoes all his life until last year. Diana Thompson tried taking him barefoot several times, but he became sore and she was forced to re-shoe him. In horse shoes, he had significant reverse palmer angles on his hinds; his soles were flat and walls were thin.

Last year Diana asked Linda Cowles to pull his shoes. Because his paddock terrain is extremely abrasive and his hind end was very sensitive (a result of the imbalance caused by his reverse palmer angles), they tried an assortment of protective hoof boots (Easyboot Rx, Old Macs and Easyboot Gloves) to keep him comfortable in his paddock. He was frequently barefoot in pasture. His walls and soles thickened up and grew dense in his first 3 months barefoot, and they were able to rebalanced the negative palmer angles so they are normal now for the first time in 20+ years).

This spring, while Diana erected her new covered arena over Tim’s usual day-time turn-out area, and he was restricted to his abrasive turnout paddock full time. He moved best in the Easyboot Gloves, but using them full time chaffed his heels, so Linda and Diana decided to try using Goober Glue to apply the Easyboot Glue-Ons to all four feet. He wore these glue-Ons almost non-stop for the 3+ month period of arena construction. Linda felt casting would have perhaps been best, but Diana was so impressed with how he moved in the Gloves, that they agreed to try full time Glue-On booting. It worked beautifully.

Timothy isn’t a typical 31 year old horse; he was notoriously athletic in his prime, and he still looks like a champion ready for the track or three day event course when he has a major frolic. He rips around the pasture at top speed, throwing in a bucking spree or roll-back on the fence for emphasis. In spite of his buoyant attitude, Tim’s Easyboot Glue-Ons stayed tight for 4 to 5 weeks at a time. Using Goober Glue they were able to easily clean up his shells and re-use them for the whole period. Needless to say the Glue-Ons are worn out at this point.

When the shells were pulled for a re-trim, his hoof condition was great. The wall and sole was a bit softer than normal until it dried out (3 or 4 hours), so occasionally the horse's boots were left off for a few days before re-gluing them. There were no problems resulting from having full time Glue-On boots on. His wall growth continued to be dense and thick, as it had been since pulling his shoes, and we never had a problem with thrush. When the shells came off, his frogs and sole were covered by a thick film of shedding keratin. Linda used a wire brush, hoof knife and pick to clean up the frog and sole, and he was ready for rebooting. There was no need to use any sole pack or thrush treatment and had great results.

Linda doesn't encourage this sort of long term booting with Glue-Ons under normal conditions, but for this sort of rehab situation, she was delighted with the results. This was a great temporary solution that was economical, and easy to apply.

Linda Cowles is a natural hoof care provider and EasyCare dealer in Santa Rosa, CA.  Linda was also recently featured as EasyCare' dealer of the month for August. Thank you Linda for the feedback and this great story!

EasyCare recommends that Easyboot Glue-Ons used for a time period greater than 10 consecutive days be done at your own discretion or the discretion of your natural hoof care provider. 

Watch 31 year old, barefoot horse Timothy show us what's he's got.

It was a day for all barefoot horses.  A day that will help the practice of keeping horses barefoot be less challenged in the future.  It was a day that Dr. Neel Glass (the inventor of the Easyboot) would have been proud. 

There are countless equestrian sports available to horse enthusiasts and different types of competitions within each discipline.  From dressage to eventing, to cutting, to reining, to jumping, to driving and endurance to name a few.  Each sport is exciting, competitive and invariably has its own event of significance within the discipline: like the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event for eventing, The Kentucky Derby for Thoroughbred racing and the Tevis Cup for endurance racing.  These historical events define the sport segment.  It’s where horsemen and horsewomen take their horses to measure them against the best.

The Tevis Cup 100-mile horse race is unquestionably one of the most difficult equine events in the world.  It has a deep tradition and its 55 year history defines the sport of endurance racing.  The challenging trail stretches from North Lake Tahoe in California to Auburn, California.  Riders and equines climb over Emigrant Pass at nearly 9,000 feet; traverse canyons with swinging bridges and ride in temperatures that often climb over 100 degrees.  Average completion rates run in the 50% range year after year after year.

 

The winning horse and rider team is presented with the “ Tevis Cup”.  Winning ride times average 15 hours and the course record of 10:46 was set by Boyd Zontelli on Ruchcreek Hans.  The list of Tevis Cup winners reads like a legends of the sport list and is an award that most endurance riders can hardly imagine.

Although many look at the Tevis Cup as the ultimate achievement in endurance racing, others argue that the Haggin Cup is more prestigious.  Dr. Richard Barsaleau, a veterinarian who joined the race in 1961, was instrumental in creating this distinction, which he saw as an objective award that would recognize horsemanship, conditioning and respect for the health of the mounts.  But it would also honor great performance. Starting in 1964 the top ten horses would be judged for the Haggin Cup.  In her book, “The Tevis Cup: To Finish is to Win,” author Marnye Langer wrote: “Many people, especially noted horsemen, have come to regard the Haggin Cup as the most prestigious honor one can earn, and the award remains unique in both the sport of endurance and other equestrian pursuits as well.”

 

Over the 55 year history of the Tevis Cup the majority of finishing and entering horses were fitted with steel iron horse shoes: horses required shoes to finish the grueling course.  In 1970 Dr. Neel Glass developed the Easyboot and rode the Tevis Cup five years later to show the world that his alternative hoof protection could complete the event.  Neel successfully completed the 1975 Tevis Cup and gave horse people everywhere an alternative means of hoof protection.  Neel’s Easyboot invention was quickly adopted as the “spare tire” for the horse.  Trail riders, endurance riders and equine owners across the world in all disciplines now carry a spare in case they ever lose a horseshoe.

Just as the Tevis Trail has changed over the years, so too has technology and the equipment used to compete at the event.  Saddles have become lighter and more flexible; feed and electrolytes have improved and hoof care has evolved dramatically.  Steel shoes are now seen next to urethane shoes and next to advanced versions of Dr Glass’ original Easyboot.

 

Natural hoof care and booting the endurance horse for tough events is growing faster than any other type of hoof protection.  What was once thought to be impossible is now common practice for the barefoot horse fitted with Easyboots.  The 2010 event had at least 34 horses officially start in Easyboots and 20 horses finish: a 59% completion rate.  In 2009 the event had 20 horses start the event in Easyboots and 15 horses finish: a 75% completion rate.  Comparing the finish rates of the barefoot booted horse to the average overall finish rate of 50% suggests that barefoot booted horses are here to stay and that their numbers can only increase.

 

The Haggin Cup has been won in the past by horses wearing Easyboots over iron shoes.  Sandy Brown and Ruby (The Wonder Mule) took home the Haggin Cup in 1998.  Heather Reynolds and Crystal’s Charm repeated with Easyboots in 1999.

The Haggin Cup, however, has eluded the barefoot horse until now.  The 2010 Haggin Cup makes history for the barefoot horse.  The Fury raced five 2010 endurance events leading up to the Tevis Cup in Easyboot Gloves, recording two Best Condition awards along the way.  Easyboot Glue-Ons were selected to protect Fury’s bare feet during the 2010 Tevis event and to help the barefoot horse make history.

 

The 2010 awarding of the Haggin Cup to a barefoot horse marks a historic point in endurance racing and technological advancements.  One of the most difficult and demanding equine events in the world was just completed by 20 barefoot equines and the most prestigious award in endurance racing was just won by a barefoot horse.  It marks a significant change and proves that if an endurance horse can complete the toughest event in boots, so can most horse owners complete their back-country trails and equine pursuits successfully.

Congratulations to The Fury for making history and establishing change.  Thank you Dr. Neel Glass for inventing the Easyboot and giving horses and equestrians a choice!

Click here to see The Fury showing for the Haggin Cup.

Well it's about that time again, and I am starting to panic about the "to-do" list that needs to get done before we leave for Bandit Springs on Thursday morning. Bandit Springs is top three on my list of most favorite endurance rides. I love the ridecamp, the trails and the atmosphere. It's a big ride and is managed extremely well. I always look forward to going into the Ochoco National Forest for this ride! 

Despite the ridiculous amount of peer pressure and cyber-bullying that I have received about doing the 100, I have decided to "just" do the 80. Since when did 80 miles become a "just"?!?! All I know is I am *really* excited to ride my little red rocket for 80 miles. She is my absolute favorite ride, ever. Can't wait!!


First thing on my to-do list was gluing boots. While sometimes I get a little jealous of my friends who make a quick phone call and come home to magically new pony feet, all clean and ready to go in steel shoes. But, the feeling is fleeting as I realize a) I am too much of a control freak to allow anyone to mess with my horses without me being there, and b) if I have to stand and hold horses for the farrier, I might as well do it myself and pocket the cash I would be spending on horseshoes! I would still be out an hour or so, so it really is a wash in the $ and time department. No comparison on the benefits to the horse. 


I decided to use a different glue on process when applying my Easyboot Glue-Ons this time around. While I have been using Goober Glue exclusively for the past year, I decided to add a little Adhere to prevent the twisting that always seems to occur with Replika's boots. While I usually mix the Goober Glue with a little water in a small bowl, this time I applied the glue directly from the gun into the boot. I left a little space at the top of the boot, where I applied the Adhere. I did my regular method of twisting the boot upon placing it on the foot, but instead of setting the foot down, I held it up while the Adhere cured. I think it worked pretty well!!! 

After the Adhere cured, I put the foot down and went about gluing the other boots. The process took about 30 minutes, and then I let her stand and eat for another hour while I did some chores. An hour later I checked boots and none were twisted and they seemed very secure. Out she went and fingers crossed! 


I am sorry about the lack of pictures, it's really hard to do everything and try and get pictures, by yourself, without ruing your phone in the process!! 

Stay tuned for next week, hopefully it's a successful update!! I also want to wish everyone who is heading over to Big Horn and other endurance rides this weekend! I will for sure be thinking about everyone. 

Happy riding everyone!

~ Amanda Washington
SW Idaho

After last year's successful hoof care clinic in Oreana, Idaho, The Bootmeister will conduct another educational seminar at the Fandango Pioneer ride in southwest Idaho.


Christoph will teach his hoof care clinic on Thursday, May 27th from 1 pm untill 4 pm. He will introduce new techniques on barefoot trimming, show you the newest research and developments on the hoof protection market and will demonstrate how to glue on EasyCare boots as well as how to use the Easyboot Gloves with ease. Christoph Schork

I recently posted a blog about the pressure on a horse's frog comparing barefoot to shod. I had found that the barefoot prints showed signs of the frog being stimulated, whereas the horseshoe prints showed no sign of the frog whatsoever.



I couldn't help compare it a horse that was wearing Easyboots. With all the controversy over whether or not Glue On hoof boots causes any issues on the horse, I thought it would be an interesting example. I have not had any ill effects with the Glue Ons that I've used on my horse. 



One of the advantages that the Glue Ons have is that you can add Goober Glue as a sole packing. Take a look at the barefoot hoof print above and compare it to the packing used in the Glue On boot. There is no doubt that the frog is being stimulated while also providing the horse with even more shock absorption. It's taking the best from the booted and barefoot worlds!

Posted by Miriam Rezine

It's been a bit over 12 months since EasyCare launched our glue on horseshoes to the equine market.  Over that time we have learned a great deal about hoof prep, adhesives, application in foul weather and removal.

The critics were wrong!  When we first released our glue-on boot, many people in the industry made claims regarding the safety of our process and the ill effects the adhesives and the Easyboot shell would do to a hoof.  They claimed glue-on hoof boots would damage the hoof and cause immediate thrush.  They claimed glue-on hoof boots had to be immediately removed after an event.  They claimed you shouldn't use a heat gun.  They claimed you shouldn't use a packing material to load the sole. 



After selling thousands of glue-on shells and personally applying and removing hundreds of glue-on shells, I can confidently say that the critics were wrong!  Here are a couple points to note.

1.  Glue-On shells can be used for 5 days, 10 days, 15 days, 20 days or 30 consecutive days.  When glue-on boots are removed and a horse is turned out for 1 hour it's nearly impossible to tell a horse who used glue-on boots for 20 days from a horse that has never used glue-on boots.


This photo was taken immediately after removing a shell and a quick trim.  Boots were in place for 22 days.  The horse did a 50 mile event and many training events.  The horse was in deep water and mud many times during the 22 days.

2.  The use of packing products inside a glue-on shell helps load the foot as nature intended.  Glue-on hoof boots used without packing cause peripheral loading.

3.  Glue-Ons can be successfully applied and used in warm conditions, dry conditions, wet conditions and cold conditions. 

4.  The current adhesives are good and better ones are coming.

5.  I used Glue-On shells on one horse for the entire 2009 calendar year.  I used Easyboot Gloves on another horse for the entire 2009 calendar year.  Both horses feet look incredible and it's impossible to tell what horse used glue-on and what horse used Gloves.

6.  The Easyboot Glue-On shell shape make application easy.  New adhesives will make the process and application even easier.

This is the first issue in a mini series on hoof capsule distortions, short HCD.

During these blogs, we'll examine the reasons why the occur, how we identify them, what we can do to correct them, which horse hoof trimming to apply and finally, how the glue on Horseshoes can help in the whole process.

Today we want to look at hoof wall flares. Flare can occur for a variety of reasons. Some are:

1. The horse's leg is not centered over the hoof.
2. The horse is narrow or wide based
3. Hooves are turned in or out
4. Shelly hoof wall
5. Bacterial invasion in laminae
6. Inflammation of laminae
7. Trimming intervals are too long.

As we see, there are a variety of reasons for flares. The common denominator for flares is simply: improper loading.

Flares are created by stretching and tearing of horn tubules. With enough stress through stretching, the laminae cannot take the stress and begin to tear. Bacteria then invade, further weakening the laminae. In a flared hoof, the energy of loading will be transferred obliquely across the horn tubules, instead of in line with the tubules. A flared hoof wall has a very limited amount of strength. It cannot function properly in the way of absorbing concussion, storing and releasing energy. In fact, the longer we leave flares, the greater the potential damage with bacterial infection, followed by the destruction of the laminae.

What can we do about it? Obviously we cannot change the conformation of our horses. Some horses are always prone to develop flares. However, we can help by shortening trimming intervals, applying barefoot trimming methods, bevelling the hoof wall after a trim and paying close attention to the medial/lateral balance.

Flares need to be removed by top dressing the hoof wall. Most farriers and hoof care practitioners follow the rule of thumb of not removing more than half the thickness of the hoof wall. Farriers want enough hoof wall left to hold the nails and clinches. There is also an argument that the hoof capsule is weakened by removing more than half the thickness of the hoof wall and therefore cannot not support the load anymore.That makes some sense, but doesn't solve the problem. We still have hoof wall separation and we still have a weakened hoof wall. It's not the thickness of the hoof wall that we are concerned with, much more important is the health of the laminae. With a weakened laminae, it doesn't matter how thick your hoof wall is, the hoof capsule won't be able to support the loading.

I believe in rasping all the flares off, even if I have to take it down to the white line at the quarters. Thus the hoof wall is now straight and is allowed to regrow. The stress is removed, the laminae can heal. Best to use a Hoof Jack for the rasping. Much easier on your back.

Now we are coming to the essence of it all; Protective Horse Boots.

The EasyCare Glue Ons are like a hoof capsule reinforcement. It almost doesn't matter how thin the hoof wall might be at the quarters or dorsally, the Glue ons, together with the glue create an additional artificial layer of a hoof wall, strengthening the thinner areas and holding the hoof capsule together. There might be uneven loading, the hoof might load more medial or more distal, the Glue on Horseshoes mitigate this problem  tremendously. Since using glue on horse shoes, I have seen a remarkable reduction in flares. Laminaes are healthier, no bacterial invasion through the nail holes anymore.

Below are some images of flares.




That's it for today. Next time, we are discussing dorsal HCD

So long,

Your Bootmeister

Photo above shows a selection of English horseshoes in the store of the Weald and Downland Museum, dating from the eleventh century to the nineteenth. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia contributor Warofdreams. 

Amazing isn't it?   When I saw this photo and caption in The Thoughtful Horseman newsletter it stopped me in my tracks!  As it sunk in I thought,  "talk about being stuck in a rut"!  Some would say, the iron horse shoe in its traditional form owes its longevity to the very fact that it works.  But does it really? Many "traditional" professionals in the equine industry are thinking long and hard about this. In fact it is one of the most talked about topics in the equine industry.  It is hard to argue with the results of natural horse care and a barefoot life style for horses.  We  know that iron shoes can contribute to many various issues in the horse.  Many of us have personally experienced the roller coaster ride of lameness or a loss of a horse that, if we had only known then what we know now; things would have been so much different.  It is bitter sweet.   As this awareness grows, barefoot hoof care is thriving.  With the Glove , Glue-On , Edge and Rx hoof boots entering the market in 2009 we have never had more options in hoof boots than we do today.  BUT, not to rest on our laurels EasyCare will push on, taking hoof boots to the next level.  The industry demands it, the horses demand it.  I am  proud to work for a company that isn't stuck in a rut!  EasyCare is constantly evolving and working diligently to bring professionals and horse owners the best in bare hoof protection and education through the latest advancements in technology. 

The Thoughtful Horseman newsletter written and distributed by barefoot trimmer Maria Siebrand of Coronado, CA.  If you don't currently receive her newsletter it is great and I encourage you to subscribe.   Maria is an EasyCare dealer, PHCP member and mentor.  She is available for clinics, lectures and mentorships on barefoot hoof care and progressive horsekeeping practices.  Thank you Maria for your inspiration.

EasyCare doesn't make Cheap Horse Boots but at various times during the year we do sell cheap horse boots. 

We have a couple programs where we sell Easycare boots and other models of protective horse boots at cheap discounted prices.  Our Bargain Bin section of the on-line hoof boot store is a great area to purchase cheap hoof boots.  The Bargain Bin has slightly damaged or used horse boots that can't be sold as new.  Many of these blemishes are slight and do not affect the functionality of the boots.


EasyCare also has a cool program called the Competitive Hoof Boot Upgrade Program.  The program allows consumers to turn in the hoof boots of our competitors and receive 1/2 off the price of an EasyCare hoof boot model.  As these used a beat up boots come in for exchange we collect them and then sell them on E-Bay in a huge pile of boot.   The last E-bay sale had Marquis Hoof Boots, Cavallo Hoof Boots, Swiss Horse Boots, Renegade Hoof Boots, Renegade glue on horseshoes, Bozana Horse Boots, Horsesneakers and Davis Hoof Boots.  The entire pile of boots was auctioned off for roughly $300.00.   If I remember right,  the retail value of the pile was more than $5,000.00.  Now that's a great opportunity to purchase some cheap horse boots and cheap glue on horse shoes.