Hoofoholic

I am part of the EasyCare customer service team and my horses have been barefoot and booted since 2003. At that time, I knew nothing about hoof care but intuition told me keeping hooves bare is preferable to nailing iron on. My interest in hooves and hoof care started off casually and turned into a full blown obsession. Calatar’s shoes were pulled and we started down a journey that would change my life. I am fascinated by the hoof and by how many unknowns there still are. My primary discipline is competitive trail riding, however I am interested in pursuing other disciplines including endurance and classical dressage. This blog will chronicle my experiences with all things hooves.

My name is Alayna and I am a hoofoholic.

Last week I received the following question: “Do you have a boot that is one size fits all?”

After suppressing my urge to giggle, I answered that unfortunately we do not. Horses come in so many shapes and sizes that I can’t think of a single piece of tack that is one size fits all - that would be too easy. Whether it is your saddle, your bit, or your boots, fit is crucial to keeping you and your horse happy. When I receive interest from potential boot users, the first question I ask is if they have the horse’s hoof measurements available. Although I love hearing about a horse’s age, breed, color, height, and weight, those attributes do not help me determine the ideal boot style or size.

EasyCare offers a wide variety of boot styles and sizes. From left to right:
Easyboot Glove #00, Easyboot Trail #4, Easyboot Epic #6.

“Will these boots stay on?”
Yes, but only if the fit is correct. Fit is the number one criterion for determining the best boot for your horse. The different boot styles will have different sole shapes - this is why hoof measurements are the starting point. Since horses often have variations in hoof size, each hoof that will be booted needs to be measured. Measurements should be taken after a fresh trim. If they are taken later in the trim cycle, it is likely the boots ordered will be too large which increases the chances of boot loss and boot rubs. Regardless of the boot you are interested in, metric measurements are preferable because they are more precise. If you are considering the Easyboot Glove, you have to use metric since the size charts are in millimeters only.  Measuring in inches and converting to millimeters will render the measurement process inaccurate. For the Glove we also recommend getting a Fit Kit to save you the hassle and wasted time of buying and returning multiple boots.

Identifying the heel buttresses (green) is necessary to get an accurate length measurement.

“How do I measure?”
The EasyCare website has a wonderful Education tab and this question is one of the topics discussed. Many people have no problem measuring the widest part of the hoof but the length measurement (toe to heel buttress line) is a bit trickier. Quite often, people measure past the heel buttress line and include the heel bulbs. To determine where the heel buttress line is you must first determine where the heel buttresses are (in the photo above they are outlined in green). When you pick up your horse’s foot, follow the collateral grooves along the sides of the frog which make a “V” (outlined in orange). At the top of the “V” look on either side and notice that the hoof wall curves inward towards the bar. These points are the heel buttresses, the last weight bearing part of the hoof. When you have located them, draw an imaginary line across the back of the foot (dashed red line) and measure from that line to the toe. Once you have your measurements, the EasyCare customer service team will be happy to help you select the ideal boot style and size.

 

There are some people who believe shoes have ruined the human foot. They say that shoes have made our feet weak and that the majority of foot problems and lower joint injuries occur as a result of wearing modern footwear. These views are a bit extreme since not all shoes are created equal and the length of time spent wearing a given shoe must also be considered. A person who frequently walks around in high heels is going to have much unhealthier feet than someone who wears tennis shoes. An equine equivalent would be the difference between “Big Lick” Tennessee Walking Horses and those that are flat shod. There are times when foot protection is necessary for humans and horses alike - selecting the appropriate type of protection is what is important. With the upcoming release of the Easyboot Glove Back Country and the development of the EasyShoe, horse owners will have more choices in hoof protection than ever before.


A few months ago I started running. This encouraged me to research the human barefoot movement and Vibram FiveFingers, a minimalist shoe (which is more or less a human equivalent to EasyCare hoof boots). Being well versed in the arguments surrounding the equine barefoot movement, I was fascinated that the arguments in the human barefoot movement are strikingly similar. In a nutshell, supporters of both barefoot movements argue traditional shoes weaken the internal structures of the foot and lower leg which increases the likelihood of injury. Detractors of both movements argue traditional shoes are necessary to protect the foot and that the likelihood of injury is higher without this protection. Whether you are a human or a horse, going barefoot is not as simple as removing traditional shoes – both require a transition period and conditioning. The length of this transition varies in both humans and horses; for some it may take weeks or months to be comfortable barefoot while for others it can take more than a year.


There are many runners embracing the human barefoot movement and this has encouraged shoe manufacturers to develop running shoes that blur the line between minimalist shoes and traditional ones. Similarly, the EasyShoe will blur the line between alternative and traditional hoof protection, creating a unique option that combines advantages of both. For the time being I have put the Vibram FiveFingers on hold and am using a light weight trail runner that has some minimalist properties. Being young and healthy I am sure I could go barefoot and that over time my feet would strengthen a considerable amount. In the same manner, most horses that have been raised with proper stimulation, nutrition, and environment do not need steel shoes. The majority of horses lacking such an upbringing are able to make a successful transition with the aid of a qualified trimmer/farrier and the appropriate hoof protection. As with most things in life, there is no absolute right or wrong; you must do the research, weigh the pros and cons, and in the end, make the decision you are comfortable with.

“I don’t want to use a rubber mallet to put a boot on.”

If this reflects how you feel then I have good news, you don’t have to. Last week, Kevin Myers discussed the use of a rubber mallet and how it can aid in the application of the Easyboot Glove. Even though this method is effective, several people I talk to either don’t feel comfortable using a rubber mallet or don’t want to have to bother with keeping track of one. I myself fall into the second category; I have enough tack as it is, a rubber mallet is just one more piece of equipment for me to misplace. When I had difficulty locating a mallet a few weeks ago, I made the mistake of trying to use a rasp to tap on the boots…see the results below.
 

A rubber mallet is one way of ensuring your Easyboot Glove is seated correctly on the foot but there is another option. When you apply a Glove, it shouldn’t slip right on but it also shouldn’t be like trying to put on your skinny jeans after the holidays either. Applying a Glove is all about technique, not brute force. After folding the gaiter back, you will need to put the boot on and twist it back and forth slightly to get it over the quarters, this is demonstrated in the beginning of Kevin’s video. Then put the hoof down and secure the gaiter. You may notice that you are not able to tighten the gaiter very much at this point - that's ok.
 

Once I have the boots on, I simply lunge my horse at a trot two circles both ways. Prior to using Gloves, I was already doing this exercise anyway. I like to think of it as my "pre-flight check" and it’s a good way to make sure your horse is moving properly before you ride. Now that I use the Gloves, this lunge gives me the added bonus of fully seating the boots on the hoof. If your horse isn’t accustomed to lunging, you can also trot them out in hand. Once you have moved your horse around, you will notice that the boots look nice and snug and you will be able to tighten the gaiters. I hope this method provides an alternative for those of you who don't want to use a rubber mallet for boot application.
 

 

I have used Easyboot Gloves since they were released and absolutely love their lightweight and sleek design. I’ll admit when I saw the Easyboot Trail, I was skeptical and couldn’t help but compare them to my beloved Glove. Even though they are light, they aren’t as light as a Glove. Although they are sleek for a boot, to me they looked downright clunky next to the Glove. After becoming a customer service representative at EasyCare, I knew I needed to ride in the Trails since they were our most popular boot in 2011. So for the past three months I have been using the Trails on Cal, my Tennessee Walking Horse cross. Cal has always been a sensitive horse, the type that would gimp over rocks even when he had shoes on. The Trails were a breeze to put on and I was absolutely amazed at how comfortable he was in them, even more so than when I rode him with Gloves on the front. Now I see what all the fuss is about; the Easyboot Trail really is amazing!

I would like to introduce you to Bruiser, my five year old Peruvian Paso Quarter Horse cross. Many people chuckle when they hear his name for the first time but it suits him perfectly. You must have a good sense of humor to appreciate his antics but I fell in love with his exuberant personality the moment I saw him. In my previous blog, Everyone Needs a Fit Kit, I discussed my first Easyboot Glove fitting experience and now I’ll discuss my experience fitting Bruiser.

I have been in love with the Easyboot Glove since its release in 2009. After struggling with the original Easyboot and losing several in mud, I was thrilled with the concept of the Easyboot Glove; finally a low profile boot that is easy to put on and most importantly it stays on. I measured Calatar and came up with 118mm x 127mm for the left front and 116mm x 126mm for the right front. Based on the size chart, I determined he would need a size 1.5 for both fronts. I tried to order the boots and much to my dismay they were on back order; I would have to wait. In spite of this disappointment, I continued researching the Gloves and found that there were Fit Kits available. I wasn’t worried about the fit since both his width and length measurements fell into a size 1.5 but I was impatient and wanted to see these new boots so I ordered a Fit Kit.

Although I have already written a few posts under the Customer Help blog, I feel I should officially introduce myself as a hoofoholic. It all started in 2003 with my first horse Calatar. Admittedly, I knew nothing about hooves but I had a friend who was taking her horses barefoot and I decided to give it a try. Cindy "Hawk" Sullivan pulled Cal’s shoes and I never looked back. The more time my horses spent barefoot, the more I realized how much stronger and healthier bare hooves are. Cindy is much more than a trimmer; she is also a wonderful teacher who got the ball rolling for my trimming education. She taught me how to roll the wall for maintenance and emphasized the importance of environment in regards to hoof health. At the time, I had no idea who Cindy was or the impact she had on the barefoot movement but if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.