Barefoot Movements

Monday, February 6, 2012 by Alayna Wiley

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.

Extreme examples of harmful footwear - high heels and stacks.

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.

2-Star Parelli Professional Fran Latané wearing Vibram FiveFingers
while working with barefoot horses. Fran runs in the FiveFingers and
says they have improved her posture and eliminated her back pain.

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.

Alayna Wiley

Customer Service

As one of the customer service representatives, I am happy to help get your horse into the right boots. I have plenty of hands on experience since my horses have been barefoot and booted since 2003.

Thoroughbred Feet are Just Fine: Meet Garwin

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Dawn Willoughby

When you peruse 'Practical Horseman', 'Equus' or 'Horse Illustrated', you may find a professional saying, "Well barefeet might work for some horses, but never Thoroughbreds. They just don't have good feet." Or, "We've bred the feet off those Thoroughbreds." If your friend described her new horse's hooves as flat soled, long toed, with thin, shelly walls, don't you immediately think, "Thoroughbred!" I know I do.

With the natural trim, EasyCare boots, good turnout, some body work and a saddle that fits, my friend and former client, Lyndsay, an owner-trimmer brought Garwin back from the brink. This handsome and talented thoroughbred was a few strides short of becoming a lawn ornament.

If Garwin can make a come back, I think you will agree, almost any Thoroughbred can!

Garwin, 2008.

When he developed debilitating subsolar abscesses in both front hooves, the vet excised the soles. His owner followed the vet's directions for Garwin's daily bandaging. When I met him, Garwin had been on stall rest for 3+ months and remained lame.

"I think the abscesses are the least of your troubles," I said, walking into the barn.

Still shod in back, Garwin had about an inch of good connection between the coffin bone and the hoof wall on the front hooves. You can easily see that steep growth right under the hairline. As the wall grows out, the angle will lessen.

The remaining, severely flared wall is disconnected hoof wall. It is the wall that "rotates" (to use traditional parlance) away from the coffin bone; not the other way around. Without knowing anything more, you could assume his feet are flat. Not congenitally flat as so many folks say but flat because the feet are a mess. The hoof capsule is disconnected and too high; the boney column of the leg too low. Nothing is where it should be. Nothing's working; there is no correct function. You could also assume that the bottom periphery of the coffin bone has become 'moth-eaten'. Coffin bones are not suppose to be on the ground!

If this is all Greek to you, check out Learning to Evaluate Your Horse's Feet (page down to the July 2011 post) for more information.

Why remove of the soles? The vet's concern was that the coffin bone could become infected. Wouldn't removing his soles also opens him to infection? And it appears that the primary cause of the problem, severely flared feet, aka chronic founder, was not being addressed. When I met Garwin in October, he was sore on any surface. And his owner was understandably frustrated.

Right Front Hoof and Leg. Left Front Sole Growing Back, Slowly.

With flare like this, Easyboot Epics are hands-down my top pick. They are very forgiving to get on when dealing with deformed hoof capsules. And the Epics will take the half inch pad that Garwin needed. He walked and trotted off sound so we turned him out in the pasture. First time out in months, Garwin was delerious.

Lesson: Remove shoes before checking for lameness. (YouTube forces the other "related" videos. Not my choice.)

He was a happy guy for sure.

On a weekly basis his owner maintained the mustang roll. The well connected wall grew in, as expected. In my view, having the owner do weekly trims on a horse like this speeds rehabilitation and avoid the set backs of waiting too long between trims.

December, 2008: Looking a bit better.

Garwin progressed nicely. By rolling the bottom of the wall, the mechanical forces ripping apart the wall from the coffin bone have been eliminated. This then allows the well connected hoof wall to grow down the foot. In one full growth cycle of about 9 months, a decent foot is grown. It will take another year or two to get adequate sole and wall thickness. The owner routinely soaked his front hooves in White Lightning as a way to deal with what must have been a large amount of necrotic tissue in these rehabbing feet.

Because Garwin was an extreme case, the owner consulted with a more experienced barefoot trimmer, my good friend Laura Florence. Laura gave her additional insights on rehabilitation: how long to use boots for turnout, when to begin riding, tweaking the trim. She also introduced Garwin and Lyndsay to Zarna Carter and her bodywork, Equine Positional Release.

Lyndsay began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There was still concern about Garwin ever competing in combined training events - dressage, stadium jumping and cross country jumping. Garwin's feet remained "freakishly flat". Laura invited her back to the Center to have radiographs. The vet was not hopeful. She pronounced Garwin laminitic and recommended shoes. Laura's concerns were allayed as there was nothing on x-ray that she didn't expect to see. It just took an incredibly long time for the bottom of his feet to recover. But he did recover, without shoes of course.

Over time, Garwin transitioned from padded Epics - a different size for each foot! - to Gloves. His sizing has since normalized although I must say they are pretty small feet for such a big guy. This is due to early shoeing of racehorses. The coffin bone on most horses develops until they are 4.

October 2011 at Burgundy Hollow Event

Cross Country Jumping Course in Gloves.

Garwin Attacks the Stadium Jumping Course in his Gloves.

Back Home, during a dressage lesson. Check out the spiffy transmitter!

All he needed was barefoot care from his thoughtful, patient owner. And boots from EasyCare of course.

January, 2012
Lyndsay reports that Garwin has developed concavity all around. Like most Thoroughbreds his wall thickness is about 1/4". The outer horn is strong. Frogs are stellar. He has grown a nice wall to coffin bone connection. What more could you ask for?

One On-Going Challenge
Rules in eventing do not permit the use of EasyCare boots in the dressage competition. If you are not familiar with this combined training, you might think Garwin should be able to go barefoot in a ring.

But unless you are competing at the highest levels, the surface of the rings are far from stellar. Some are made of stone dust which over time is like riding on cement. Alternatively the organizers might put up a fence somewhere in a field. Unfortunately Garwin does suck back on these surfaces. He needs his Gloves.

I hope an eventing competitor will step up to the challenge of having the rules changed. In the meantime, I am hopeful that Lyndsay can compete in the Glue On Glove. I have learned that in Australia, they are trimming down the outer portion of the Glue On Glove and just calling it a Glue On! (Better to ask forgiveness than permission?)

Better to change the rules!

If you would like to see more photos of this great team, go to Lyndsay Poole's Facebook.

In March, I will feature another story of the Thoroughbred racehorse, Chance and his friend, 2 year old Zola. Check them out at The Racehorse Experiement.

Happy Trails,
Dawn Willoughby
Proud Owner of a rehabbed OTTB

Starting From Scratch - Part 3

Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Lucy Chaplin-Trumbull

The Elusive Boot Fit

At last it was time to fit Roo's Gloves. Out came his boot bucket and the rubber mallet.

Roo's boot bucket, containing all his boots

When I first converted Roo to barefoot nearly three years ago, he wore an #0.5 on one front foot (the low heel side), an #0 on the other (the high heel side), and #00.5s on the back. More recently, after languishing in the paddock doing nothing for the last couple of years, his feet were now closer to both being #0.5 in the front, and #0s in back.

Before going further, I held the bottom of an #0.5 boot against the underside of his foot. I position the back of the boot level with his heels and then peer all around. By doing this "eyeball fit", you can see if there is any flaring that's likely to cause problems, if the toes are too long to get the hoof snugly into the front of the boot, and generally if you're even close to having the boot fit.

Side-to-side fit looks pretty good - very snug.

But looking further forward, I can see I'm going to have to work to get this boot on. It could be that if I re-evaluate his trim, I may find that his toe could be shorter.

In Roo's case I could tell that it was "sorta" going to work, but it was going to be tight - and even tighter given that this pair of #0.5 Gloves had Powerstraps attached to them.

Because I wanted my friend to get the idea of how to put the boots on, and because I knew this one was going to be a real struggle, I opted to put on a #1 Glove first, just to ease her into the whole enterprise.

Gaiter Flipping
First I showed her how to flip down the gaiter as far as it would go. New gaiters, being stiff, tend to not flip down quite as far as they can, resulting in a "poofy area" closest to the boot. If you're not careful this bulge gets pushed down into the boot as you're trying to fit it and stops the boot going on properly. However, as the boot gets worn in, the gaiter will flip down much more easily and this will be less of a problem.

A new boot gaiter is "poofier", so doesn't fold back as flat as the gaiter on the older boot shown behind. This "poofiness" tends to get rolled down into the back of the boot when you're trying to push it on the foot. Eventually the gaiter will behave itself and make boot application much easier.

To begin with, even the #1 boot wouldn't go on. Part of the problem was the aforementioned bulge which immediately disappeared down the back of the boot, necessitating its removal, re-stretching down of the gaiter, and starting again. It's worth mentioning that if we had been fitting the #0.5 boot, this would have been less of a problem because there wouldn't have been extra room in the rear of the boot for the bulge to fit down where it didn't belong.

Grungy Hoofwall
After some wiggling and puffing, I realised another problem was that Roo's hoof had a little dried lumpy mud glued to it which I cleaned off using the edge of the rasp. Our area is blessed with clay soil that sets like concrete. This may work fine as hoof-expander when dry, but as soon as we cross a creek, it'll turn into slime and have the effect of greasing the hoof. Not great.

Rubber Mallet Usage
The boot (especially a new, unflexible boot like the one we were using) tends to get jammed on the quarters, so you have to wiggle it side to side to ease it over this wide part of the foot. Once you're close to getting it on but it still isn't quite going on all the way, I had my friend give it a couple of whacks to the toe and then a couple to the heels to seat the boot.

To get best results when you hit the toe, angle your rubber mallet so that you're pushing the boot towards the toe, not towards the underside of the foot.

Fast-Fingered Gaiter Flipping
As you let the foot down, it's best to flip the gaiter up before it gets to the ground. If you don't, the horse will always stand on the gaiter and the back of the gaiter will always fill up with small rocks/mud/twigs, even when the horse is standing on a completely clean surface. It is written.

Feeling the Toe
Once the boot is on (or you think it is), you can push on the bottom-front of the boot to see if there's any space behind it. If there is, your boot is not on all the way and usually a couple of whacks with the mallet, or a few steps trotting the horse will seat it properly.

Evaluating the Fit
As this point you evaluate the fit again. Is the V at the front stretched slightly, or is it loose? In a perfect world, that V should be stretched slightly, showing that the whole of the boot wall is tightly hugging the hoof wall. In reality, if you have a horse with flared walls (common when you don't trim them as often as you should... <inspect fingernails>) or more particularly, a flared toe, you may find that the lower part of the boot is fitting very tightly, but the upper part is gapping somewhat (this is a problem I fight constantly with Uno's over-enthusiastic toes if I don't stay on top of them). Sometimes the addition of a powerstrap can help this problem. And sometimes it'll make it so that it's impossible to get the stupid boot on, especially if you're using a brand new one, so you might need to wait a few uses before fitting the powerstrap.

Either way, rest assured that the more you do this, the easier it'll get. Not only will the boots become more flexible with use, your boot-applying technique will also improve and you'll struggle less. The use of the rubber mallet may become a thing of the past as your boots stretch to fit your horse's feet better, and you get a better shape to his foot as his transition continues.

With a #1 boot on Roo's foot, my friend was quite pleased with her handiwork. She felt that the boot was a good fit. On the other hand, I wasn't quite so sure. Knowing that in the past Roo wore a #0.5 on this foot, I couldn't tell if the #1 Glove seemed to be working because because I'd allowed his feet to grow too long or if his feet had actually expanded in stature. My gut feeling was that although the #1 boot would probably stay on for most riding, if we got into an extreme situation (foot twisting, rough terrain, steep hills), the boot would probably come off.

Pulling out the #0.5 Glove (with powerstrap), I worked hard and managed to smoosh it onto his foot. As anticipated, it was a very tight fit and would have been much easier without the powerstrap's "help". So my choice for him would be to keep him in an 0.5 (and remove the powerstraps).

And this is where a fit kit is worth its weight. You may find that you put a #1 boot on your horse's foot and are very satisfied with the results and think that you have the best fit possible. But if you then put on a size smaller, an #0.5, you may realise that that is the perfect fit.

Similarly, by holding each size of shell against the bottom of the foot, you can readily see how the boot is going to fit.

If you really fight to get a boot on, yet the fit isn't great, could it be that the horse's toes are too long? This is something I struggled with for many weeks with Roo's back feet in the early days. With what I felt were 'reasonable-length' toes, his rear boots constantly came off on steep hills. By holding the next size smaller boot against the bottom of his foot, I was able to see how much toe needed to come off to get a really good fit - and also able to see that the amount of toe that needed to come off wasn't much. I shortened his toes and the boot losses stopped.

Listening to people talk about their boot losses despite "a good fit", I often wonder how good their fit really is and if by trying a smaller boot and/or with a small adjustment to their trimming, they'd be able to get a "perfect fit".

(...or alternatively it could be that they have horses who move like gumby and deliberately twist off their boots just to annoy them.)

--
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull
Sierra Foothills, California

Team Easyboot 2012: Now Accepting Applications

Thursday, January 12, 2012 by Kevin Myers

We're excited to announce applications for Team Easyboot 2012 are now open. Team members will be selected based on their knowledge of the EasyCare product line; their diversity of riding activity, and their influence in their community. Team Easyboot 2012 membership will be limited to a total of 75 people.

Expectations of Team Easyboot Members

If accepted onto Team Easyboot 2012, members are requested to participate in at least 7 of the following 12 items:

Represent EasyCare in a professional and positive manner.
Be fully knowledgeable about all EasyCare products and help others in the field.
Keep information available and on hand to help answer people’s questions.
Be available to assist in boot fitting and advice in person and on line.
Provide feedback on product as needed.
Actively promote the EasyCare brand in person.
Submit bio, photo and monthly schedule of activities and availability to help others.
Blog once a month on the EasyCare corporate blog.
Actively participate with positive interaction and product advice on the Easyboot Facebook page.
Wear Team Easyboot attire at events.
Display Team Easyboot logo on tack, trailers and vehicles.
Consider hosting boot fitting clinics in conjunction with hoof care practitioners.

Summary of Benefits

Access to discounted EasyCare product for personal use.
Access to EasyCare management team for help and guidance.
Access to broader team members for general booting education and problem-solving.
Advance access to product information and new products.

Note: Product purchased through the Team Easyboot discount program cannot be resold.

How To Qualify

In order to submit your name for consideration, all you have to do is answer a few basic questions in an online application form. Applications will be accepted until 12 midnight Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.

The Selection Process

75 Team Easyboot 2012 Members will be selected by a panel of EasyCare staff. The new team members will be announced on Tuesday, February 14, 2012.

Over to You

If you would like to be considered for membership in Team Easyboot 2012, please click here and then click on the Application Form button. Remember to submit the form before Wednesday, February 8, 2012 to be considered.

Kevin Myers

Director of Marketing

I am responsible for the marketing and branding of the EasyCare product line. I believe there is a great deal to be gained from the strategy of using booted protection for horses, no matter what the job you have for your equine partner.

January 2012: Epona's Natural Hoofcare Services

Wednesday, January 4, 2012 by Dealer of the Month

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.

Natalie and Storm.

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."

Natalie & Eowyn.

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 calling card.

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.

What I Learned in 2011

Wednesday, January 4, 2012 by Amanda Washington

Wow, what a year it's been. I can hardly believe 2011 is gone: I have still been writing 2010 on my checks!! While I can't say it's been the best year of our lives in all areas, I can say that I finally felt that I had my boot situation locked down and didn't have a single loss all year. Of course I can say that knowing things are going to change for 2012, with THREE new horses in the mix, there are bound to be a few problems along the way, but that's what makes life exciting!

Three of the goofiest geldings one could ever ask for. Yay me..

The #1 lesson that was reiterated for me in 2011 is proper fit = success. Don't try to ride with ill-fitting boots. Just don't. Not only will you end up frustrated and discouraged, it's not necessary. With 1000lbs of torque twisting and turning inside a pair of rubber boots, there are bound to be occasional losses, it's no different than nail on shoes, but don't make it harder on yourself by riding in boots that don't fit! Put in a little effort and utilize Easycare's awesome Fit Kit and, if lucky, a Team Easyboot member to help you out!

Utilize the fit kit- it's brilliant.

Lesson #2 is proper trim - This ranks right up there with Lesson #1: while I think fit is the most important aspect of boot success, you can't achieve a good fit without a proper trim. Get educated, folks! Even if you can't get down there and trim yourself, there is no excuse for not learning more about it. Learn the anatomy of the hoof and about the internal structures. Learn how they work together and why balance is so important. A properly trimmed and balanced foot will be free of flares and stretched white line, will have naturally low heels and short toes. While there are certainly conformational issues that can be worked with, a proper trim really allows for a good fit and will only increase your success.

Nicely trimmed feet- learn about it!

Lesson #3 - Go with the flow! Make do with what you've got and change things as necessary. I tend to be a Type A person who gets rigid and fixated on certain things. More than once this year I had to change boot sizes last minute, abort a gluing session and make due with what was there. Gluing boots with The Pickett Creek Girls prior to Owyhee Canyonlands was a memorable event which reminded me of the importance of having the necessary supplies prior to starting an important project- such as gluing boots on six horses for a five-day ride. Are you reading this Steph?!?! ;-)

Complete chaos before a ride never hurt anyone!

Lesson #4 - Riding 100 miles in a day makes for a long one. If you're me, that is. If your super-speed racer riding a horse like Monk you can finish in the time it takes for most people to ride 50 miles. The Monk-Man wears his Easyboot Glue-On's proudly, and a repeat of Mr. Garrett-Easyboot-Ford's performance last year, the winner of Tevis as well as the Haggin Cup was again outfitted in Easyboot Glue-Ons. There really isn't anything these boots can't do, and I think this was again reiterated be some pretty impressive stats this year.

Although he is playing the part of a gentle babysitter here, Monk recently won a 100 mile ride in 6:53. Crazy fast! I hope 2012 includes the general acceptance of the Easyboot Race Plates in the flat track industry. Pretty soon, there will truly be nothing these boots can't handle!

Lesson #5 - Listen to your horse. I made the very, very difficult decision to retire my mare after the 2011 season. She retires with 2155 miles, and will make some incredible babies when the time comes. The decision was one with which I wrestled for months. Ultimately we decided she was telling us she was done competing at the level she had been previously, and there is no shame in that. It's hard to put selfishness aside for "just one more completion," or "one more 100," or "one more multiday," but it was so important for me to end her on a high, after an incredible season and, most importantly, while she was still sound and usable. She'll be used for trail riding and I cannot wait to see her babies. Hopefully it will be possible to bring one of them up behind their mother. They have some pretty big boots to fill.

Replika and I headed out for a quick spin the day before our 100 miles at Bandit Springs. She was the first horse I ever truly felt part of a partnership, and for that I'll be forever grateful.

What have you learned in 2011? What lessons would you rather not be repeated? What are your goals for 2012?

I hope lots of riding is high up on everyone's list!

~ Amanda Washington
SW Idaho

The Worst Feet in the Barn

Monday, November 21, 2011 by Kate Saunders

For several weeks, Lisa talked about the horse with the "worst feet in the barn". I couldn't work on him right away because the track farriers had just put shoes on his feet. And so I waited patiently to see the worst feet in the barn.

Finally the day came when we could pull his shoes, and I could get started on my new project. Banfish, who is two now and is only doing light work at the track, had been sick when he was a foal. The sickness affected his entire body, including his feet. After months of love and attention, Banfish fully recovered from his illness. Except his feet were still a mess.

The track farriers put shoes on him as they always do, but in time he developed a quarter crack that spread all the way to the hairline. To correct the crack, glue was applied to the crack and the metal shoe was cut so that it stopped just in front of the crack. Yes, that's right. The shoe itself went from one heel, around the toe, and stopped just in front of the quarter on the other side of that foot. No shoe under the quarter or heel on that side of the foot.

Pancake foot with no heel - September 13, 2011.

When I removed Banny's shoes, I quickly agreed that he had the worst feet in the barn. Unsurprisingly, his heels had been lopped off to accommodate the shoe. To my horror, however, I also found that his soles were in fact the very opposite of concave; the bottom of the foot was thin and bulging at the toe. Yikes!

I always air on the cautious side when I am presented with a long toe or long heels. In this case, Banfish had long toes with no real attachment of the hoof wall.

He still has quite a lamellar wedge when my first trim is complete, but I know that I'll be coming back soon for another go-round.

Amazingly, Banfish showed little discomfort as he walked on dirt or sand with bare feet. Nonetheless, he got his own pair of size 2 Epics to protect those unique feet.

Several days later, I met the vets at the track for x-rays of Banny's feet. Although I don't always get the luxury of seeing x-rays, boy do they help when I can get my hands on them. And so I removed another inch off of his toes and swapped out the size 2 boots for some 1's!

Banfish has been barefoot and using his Easyboot Epics for the past two months and has shown some good improvement during that time. Although he began by wearing his hoof boots on the track and on the walker, he was able to begin some barefoot work within just a few weeks of beginning his new "program". To keep the quarter crack from spreading, I gave him exaggerated pressure relief at the site of the crack.

November 7, 2011: some heel has grown, and his foot is slowly becoming more concave.

His lamellar wedge has been greatly reduced, and his foot is looking much less like a pancake. Although the bottoms of his feet are much flatter than I would like, he is totally sound barefoot on the barn's dirt floor and in the track sand. He is still too sore to walk at all on any hard surfaces such as concrete.

Banny side angle - November 2011.

The healthier hoof has grown to about 1 to 1 1/2 inches below the coronet band.

As you may know, I tell clients that I will only trim their horses if those horses are being fed a dry pelleted food. I cannot make such demands at the track, because (unfortunately) it has been shown that racing horses need the extra energy (sugar) in the sweet feed to perform at their best. And so it is particularly interesting to note that Banfish has made such improvements despite being kept on a sweet feed diet. Keep in mind that the sweet feed fed to racehorses is very different from the typical $5 sweet feed found at a backyard barn. Although racehorse feed is covered in molasses (the real problem), it is also composed predominantly of vegetable oil, beet pulp, and other ingredients found in a dry pellet.

Banfish has been feeling great. So great that he tried to run away with the rider! With this new attitude change, he's been sent back to kindergarten to learn his manners and his steering.

Can we grow a truly healthy foot while still feeding the racehorse sweet feed? The verdict is still out, but with the improvements I've seen so far, I'm willing to keep up this experiment in hoof health and nutrition. We'll look at his feet again in a few months to see if the Easyboot Epics have won out over the molasses.

My Solution for Grass Cracks

Saturday, November 19, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Christina Kramlich Bowie, Team Easyboot 2011 member

I was a little worried back in May when this nasty crack appeared on Czeale’s right front hoof.

Czeale's RF (May).

It seemed to pop up overnight and though he wasn’t lame on it, it appeared to go pretty deep into the hoof wall. My trimmer Rachel is pretty conservative, which I like, and we talked about the various alternatives. I also consulted Team EasyBoot 2011 and most people advised me to trim that hoof back aggressively. Rachel and I were both a bit wary of making Z sore with a really aggressive trim, so we tried a more gradual approach. She trimmed the area back to distribute the weight off the area of the crack and encourage more growth, and every week I also rasped off the area. After the first big trim I soaked his hoof in HoofTrax for 45 minutes to kill any nasty bacteria that might be trying to get up into the hoof wall. We kept watching the hoof all spring and summer and while it never got worse, the improvement was very gradual.

Some improvement (June).

He never seemed uncomfortable on it however, so I wasn’t too worried. I remembered what my farrier used to say – that cracks from the ground up (grass cracks) were not anything to worry about, but that cracks from the coronet band (sand cracks) were. This was definitely a grass crack, and probably caused by the crazy excessive moisture in the ground this year due to all the rain we had in the never-ending spring of 2011.

I still didn’t like it though and wanted it to go away. Back when my horses were shod in steel shoes, the shoe would conceivably hold the hoof wall together and prevent a crack from getting worse. With Czeale barefoot, I was worried that the crack would spread as his hooves hit the ground as he ran about in the pasture every day. Riding him, he would at least have the support of the Glove, and during endurance competitions, I figured the Glue Ons would be great for the crack, as the glue would really hold that hoof wall together. I kept taking him to rides and he had no problems, but that crack was stubborn. It was there when he was booted for Tevis, but then, less than a week later when I pulled the boots off, it was gone! There was a tiny trace of it, but clearly the hoof wall grew a lot in response to all the pounding of the long ride. There is still a small trace of it on the underside of his hoof, but it doesn't penetrate the wall anymore and I'm betting that in one more trim cycle it will be completely gone.

Czeale's RF after Tevis.

Underside of Czeale's RF.

So my solution to grass cracks is: trim as aggressively as you are comfortable doing, and keep riding. It will grow out, but it may take several months. As with so many things, patience and persistence are key.

Happy Trails!

Christina Kramlich Bowie

Post Glue-On Diagnostics: The Solution for Glue-On Success

Friday, November 18, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Tennesee Mahoney, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

My husband and I started gluing on our own boots years ago; we have been very successful overall with the process, encountering only a few problems other than just getting the hang of it. We very rarely loose a Glue-On boot, but if we do it is almost always a result of improper use of glue. The way you diagnose this failure and find a solution to the problem is to study the boot and hoof and check your glue pattern, after
losing or removing your Glue-On. Here are some examples.

Removing a glue on, looks like the right amount of glue was used since there is some on the hoof and some on the boot.

If you can see the shape/pattern of the tube of glue that you squeezed into the boot initially, then the boot failed to stay on because the glue was already set-up to some degree by the time it got on the hoof. This happens for two reasons that I have noted: either you were too slow in getting the boot on the hoof after putting the Adhere in it, or you got a bad tube of Adhere.

The temperature that you are working in affects the rate at which the Adhere sets up. On a hot day, you will have to work very quickly. Try putting the glue in the fridge for a few minutes to slow the reaction and give yourself some extra time. On a cool day you can take your time, but make sure your horse stands still an extra couple of minutes because it will take a little longer to set up. On rare occasions, we have used Adhere that gets so hot and sets up so fast that the two of us working as a team in cool whether cannot work quickly enough to succeed. I can tell if the glue has set up too soon when I try to slip the shell on the hoof; I know that I can normally twist the shell back and forth to smear the glue around on the hoofwall before finally centering it. If it’s already setting up and it is too firm for me to twist the shell around a little, then it will not adhere to the hoof wall properly. So I pull the boot off right then and there and start over.

I have also lost a Glue-On as a result of bad glue. It was very apparent because there was still liquidy glue in the toe and the hardened glue had a blood-orange tint. So at least by diagnosing this problem, I was able to whine about the bad glue instead of blaming myself and the process! If the glue looks or feels abnormal in any way, chuck it, especially if you are gluing on for an important event.

If you can see bald spots where there was either no glue or an extremely thin layer of glue between the hoof and the shell, then you didn’t put enough Adhere in the boot. The boot then failed to stay on because there was not enough contact. Just use more Adhere next time.

This boot actually stayed on 4 weeks, but it was removed very easily, so I was bound to loose it soon. Lesson learned: not enough glue. There was zero glue on the shell and only a smear of it on the hoof. I guess we were feeling frugal with the Adhere that day.

Another problem that we encountered in the beginning was lameness caused by one of two things: either a small blob of adhere had gotten under the hoof during the glue-on process (and it setup under the sole or wall and acted like a rock in your shoe that never moved), or sand had gotten in to the boot over time and had built up in the bottom between the frog/sole and the bottom of the boot, causing undue pressure on the frog and sole. Both of these problems resulted from improper use of Goober Glue (or CS or any other hoof pack). With both of these problems, the horse will regain soundness immediately upon removal of the pressure.

If you remove the shell and feel or look where the hoof rested on the floor of the shell, you may encounter a hard bump of Adhere that was causing your horse pain. Adhere, once setup, is like hard plastic, whereas Goober Glue is soft and cushioning. When you slip the hoof into the shell, it is possible for the hoof to catch a dab of adhere as you force it on. That dab of glue can cause pressure and then possible lameness. This is why when we pack the frog and sole with Goober Glue, it is also important to put a bead of Goober Glue all along the edge of the shell’s internal wall. We have not encountered this problem since we started putting that bead around the edge. Regardless, if you study the boot after removal, is all the adhere on the wall and is the Goober Glue bead intact around the edge? Or can you see or feel an Adhere bump on the floor of the shell or still glued to the bottom of the hoof? By studying the shell and hoof you will know if it was a gluing mistake, and if so, you can focus on preventing it from happening the next time.

Goober Glue remaining in the hoof that just had a Glue-On removed. A small amount of sand got in but not enough to cause any problems.

If you pick up your horse’s hoof and the Glue-On shell is actually bulging out in the center, you probably didn’t use enough Goober Glue to pack the frog and sole, leaving room for debris/sand to enter, but not escape. Remove the shell, and check to see if the Goober Glue completely filled the entire concavity and grooves of the frog. It’s better to have excess packing than not enough, since excess will just squeeze out the heels.

A glue on was just removed from the left hoof, notice the goober glue, still on the hoof, fills the frog and concavity entirely, and forms a rim around the outer edge of the hoof, and fills all the way up the heel bulbs so nothing can seep in back there.

A Glue-On was just removed from the left hoof. Notice the Goober Glue, still on the hoof, fills the frog and concavity entirely. It forms a rim around the outer edge of the hoof, and fills all the way up the heel bulbs so nothing can seep in back there.

As you can see, these problems are all the result of mistakes made during the glue-on process, not the failure of the boots. I recommend that you not only study the shells that you loose on trail but also those you remove that stayed on and worked successfully. From simple observations, you will learn a lot about how to do it better next time. You will start to see patterns of what works, and what doesn’t.

Tennesee Mahoney

Front Pastern Gaiter Rubbing: A Simple Solution

Thursday, November 17, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Natalie Herman, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

Now that the new, cotoured, double layered gaiters are on all the Easycare hoof boots, pastern rubs should be a thing of the past, right? Well, not on all horses. Some still get rubs, and almost all of them seem to be in a different spot than where the old gaiters were rubbing. They are no longer on the sides of the pastern, but on the front. Why? My theory is the rolled and sewn edge.

This seemed to be the cause in the old gaiters, and the new gaiters addressed that by double layers and no rolls. So I figured, why not do that to the fronts of my gaiters too? At least, until we get even better gaiters that have this option built in. Here is what I do, and you can do as well, to solve the little problem. So far it has worked great, and no more rubs!

Rolled and sewn edge of gaiter.

Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut and pull out the stitches all along the edge of the gaiter and around the bottom 'corner'. Then peel apart - the layers are also glued together.
Cut only the 'top' layer (leaving a bottom layer sticking out past the top, just like the new gaiters do all around the top of the gaiter edges.
Cut a tiny bit of the 'bottom' layer if needed (from the rolled stitching, it tends to bunch up and not lay flat: cut off this 1-2mm.

That's it: you are done. Simple, huh? If you are worried about stitching coming undone, then you can glue the threads down. I have yet to have the rest of the gaiter come apart, since it is glued as well as sewn together.

This shows how I cut the top layer to near the velcro, leaving a bottom layer sticking out.

And from the inside: nice and smooth.

Both sides finished. Smooth and easy to overlap if needed for small pasterns, nothing to rub on now. Works great! The left on is the same width as the right one, just a bad angle in the picture. I did not cut anything off the bottom, except right at the corner as you can see in the right one.

I hope this helps those of you still getting a few rubs. Even on my white-pasterned horse this does great.

Natalie Herman

Solution for a Hoof Abscess

Friday, November 11, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Submitted by Karen Bumgarner, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

Sometimes, even though it seems like we have everything a person could possibly need for a horse, we don’t.

And when we need something that you just can’t go to the store and get then we have to improvise. In this case I was needing an EasySoaker or something like it. My beloved old endurance horse, Zapped+/, had turned up suddenly lame. At 28 years of age, a veteran with 6,480 AERC miles, he as been amazingly sound. So it was really a shock to see him limping.

He is the herd boss, so I was pretty sure that no one had kicked him. I couldn’t find a mark on him. He had galloped out to pasture with the others the previous day and looked great. I checked his legs for heat and swelling but found nothing: no apparent signs of injury. I decided it had to be in the hoof which I keep trimmed up myself. I dug around with the pick and hoof knife and didn’t find anything unusual. I rasped his hoof a bit and only found some minor bruising at the heel. No sensitivity and only slight heat. I am not a vet but have learned a few things along the way. I wanted him to be more comfortable as I evaluated this so I gave him some Bute and decided to wait and see what the next day brought.

The next day came with a still-lame horse. The Bute had not helped much. This confirmed a problem in the hoof: a soft tissue or arthritic situation would have responded to Bute. But problems in the hoof don’t respond as well due to inflammation in the hoof capsule being so sensitive and having nowhere else to go. If it was a developing abscess, it was going to have to come to the surface and break before the old boy got any relief.

I needed to soak the hoof to help pull the inflammation out. I did not have an EasySoaker or any type of medicinal boot. So I took a heavy rubber bucket, hot water and a bit of tea tree oil. I would have used Epsom Salts but didn’t have any, and again improvised with Tea Tree oil as it is antifungal, antispetic and really cleans. The whole idea was to soak it, soften, and hopefully pull the bad stuff out through some tiny hole that dirt or a rock had entered through into the hoof laminae in the first place. I picked the hoof and placed it in the bucket of steamy water. He must have thought it felt pretty good as he was happy to stand with his foot in the bucket.

After about 30 minutes the water had cooled off, so I let him take his foot out of the bucket and put it on the nice green grass to keep it clean. I then gooped on a clay poultice. The clay would help pull any bacteria or infection out of the hoof or frog.

I slathered a heavy layer of a clay poultice all over the sole and heel of the hoof after soaking.

After soaking, a heavy clay poltice is applied to the sole and heel area.

After I slathered on the poultice I placed a large Ziploc bag over it, then covered it all with an Easyboot Glove. Now I had myself a medicinal boot that would keep the medicine in the hoof and the boot would hold it all together and keep it clean.

I then placed a large ziploc bag over the hoof and covered all of that with an Easyboot Glove.

The poltice was contained with a ziplock bag, then placed into an Easyboot Glove.

The next morning he was walking out well. By afternoon he trotted out to the pasture! The problem with these abscesses is that we often never see where they drain out. If they drain through the sole or around the frog, we don't see it, so it is still necessary to keep the area clean and covered.

The boot, or in this case the Glove enters the picture. Sometimes they blowout the heel or the coronary band but as yet I can't see a place where that occurred. So it either very small or it did drain out the bottom. Either way my old horse is sound again and we are both very happy.

Karen Bumgarner

Booting Beyond the Box

Friday, November 4, 2011 by Debbie Schwiebert

It's inspiring to see hoof care practitioners who are innovative problem solvers. These individuals don't run at the first sign of complexity, instead they stay the course; they figure it out.

Abscess at heel bulbs

This horse had blown an abscesses out its heel bulb. Then managed to hit himself on the already sore bulb. Needles to say this horse was very sore to any pressure. Add to the mix the client had a camping trip planned. Instead of canceling the trip, the client and hoof care practitioner worked around the situation.

Boot modification Glove modification

A hole was cut around the injury site and then the Glove Gaiter lined with mole skin to cushion as well as lift it off the area. The injury was then wrapped with a steri pad and vet wrap before applying the Easyboot Glove. The hole was then covered with duct tape to keep out any debris. The horse was able to make the trip comfortably protected.

Thank you Leslie Carrig of High Desert Hoof Care for sending this nice example of a very unique hoof boot adaptation.

Sometimes a little booting beyond the box is all it takes. Do you have a boot modification that has worked well for you?

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.

November 2011: Palmetto Farrier Service

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 by Dealer of the Month

Bryan Baire started Palmetto Farrier Service three years ago, after a 20-year career in civil engineering profession working on land development projects. Based in York, South Carolina, Bryan serves the entire Charlotte metro area with a client base of more than 250 horses. He is a graduate of the South Carolina School of Horseshoeing in Aiken, South Carolina. The school is run by Doug Eidenier; a 2009 inductee into the Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association (BWFA) Hall of Fame.

Bryan attributes his success to certification through the American Farriers Association. He also believes strongly in continuing education. "A mechanic cannot repair a car without knowing how the internal parts work," he says. "Nor can a hoof-care provider treat, trim and balance a hoof without knowing the mechanics and all the internal structures that make up the equine foot."

There are many aspects of the engineering profession that Bryan uses in his practice. "The lower limb of a horse has very little to no muscle in it so all the tendons and ligaments work together acting as a system of levers and pulleys which I totally understand and am able to apply mechanical engineering principals to."

Bryan says it is it truly is buyer beware in the hoof-care industry when choosing a hoof care provider. Neither education, certification or licensure is required to be hoof care provider in the U.S. "Being certified and continuing education is a way to separate myself from other hoof care providers in my area."

Bryan's competitive advantage is his ability to perform barefoot trims or traditional shoeing. "While not every horse needs to be shod, every athlete needs a good pair of shoes, and the type of shoes they wear depends on the type of sport they play. Golfers, basketball players, bowlers all wear specialized shoes for the sport. The same principals apply to horses. The type of shoe or boot a horse needs is dependent on the activity in which it will be involved."

Bryan references active participation on social networking sites such as Facebook as his most successful marketing strategy. He posts before and after photos of his work for existing and potential customers to see. He also keeps customers updated on his continuing education and certifications. "Even before a new customer calls they can look on my Facebook page and see all the customer comments and look at photographs of my work. Being able to perform barefoot trims and traditional shoes, I am able to do what is best for the horse and the customer." Becoming an EasyCare dealer has also allowed him to separate himself from other hoof-care providers in his area.

He feels that hoof boots are becoming the next big thing since steel shoes. With better designs, and materials, he thinks the peak of the hoof boot industry is still to come. As a traditional farrier, he saw the opportunity to diversify and offer more choices for his customers. "With the economy that we are in, people are stretching and saving every dollar they can. Boots offer a cost effective alternative to shoeing their horses every six weeks. I see more and more horses in hoof boots all the time while trail riding. My basic philosophy is that if a horse can be pasture sound barefoot than boots are the way to go." The success of the barefoot industry, he says, is directly related to the success of hoof boots. "While most horses can be pasture sound barefoot, just about every horse needs some kind of protection on their feet to perform the work being asked of them. Improvements in hoof boots will help the barefoot industry."

Bryan began stocking EasyCare hoof boots just over a year ago. He tried a pair of Easyboot RXs on a laminitic horse and saw the dramatic increase in comfort immediately. He hasn't nailed shoes or pads on a laminitic horse since.

He laughs when questioned about which EasyCare products he carries, and which are his best sellers. "My customers ask that all the time! I tell them it is a matter of preference, and that all the boots work well." He carries Epics, Gloves, Trails and RXs on his trailer so customers can try each of the styles on and see what they like best. Given his personal experience with boots, he will direct them to a particular boot based on shape or condition of the hoof. "Customers really like the new Easyboot Trails. If I have a horse that over-reaches, I will put that horse in the Trails and the problem is solved. The Trail boot has a blunt face on the back of the boot so there is nothing for the hind hoof to grab a hold of and tear."

He owns three horses: a 25 year-old Appaloosa, a 13 year-old Paint, and a 4 year-old spotted saddle horse. All are barefoot and wear Easyboots. His favorite boot is the Easyboot Glove.

What of his most rewarding experience as a trimmer? "Being able to help a horse that is suffering from a painful condition like laminitis be more comfortable. It's also nice to hear customers remark how their horse's feet have never been in better shape and looked so good."

And what of a favorite event he looks forward to all year? The International Hoof-Care Summit every February in Cincinnati, OH. EasyCare will have a booth there this year, so be sure to look us up if you choose to attend!

For more information on Bryan Baire, go to the Palmetto Farrier Service website. For more information on becoming an EasyCare dealer, go to the Dealer's Corner on the EasyCare website.

An Epic Love Affair

Thursday, October 20, 2011 by Kate Saunders

If you look on the Team Easyboot website, www.easycareinc.com/Cool_Stuff/team_easyboot.aspx, you will quickly learn that the Easyboot Glove is a huge favorite of endurance riders, trail riders, and cart drivers (to name a few). Coming in at a close second is the Glue-on, most often used for multi-day endurance rides through anything from hard asphalt to slippery, slimy mud hills.

So why is it that my boot of choice, far and above all other boots, is the Easyboot Epic? Is there something wrong with me? Am I really missing out on a revolution that my little brain just can't fathom? In fact, I get asked similar questions by other Easyboot lovers, who themselves wonder why I haven't caught up with the rest of the Easyboot world.

The Arceneaux racing barn is full of Easyboot Epics.

Although I have doubted my love affair at times, I am confident enough today to tell you exactly why the Easyboot Epic works best for me and my southern Louisiana horse clients.

Every groom at the Arceneaux barn has a different way to care for their Epics.

As you may have already gathered, the majority of my horse clients are thoroughbreds: Thoroughbreds off the track and thoroughbreds on the track; thoroughbreds jumping fences and thoroughbreds prancing in the dressage arena. Yes, I have lots and lots of thoroughbred clients. And not JUST thoroughbreds. No, they are thoroughbreds who live in sloppy, humid Louisiana and who have been overloaded with carbohydrates and starches for much of their lives. Yes, the majority of my horse clients have really ugly feet.

A typical "pancake" foot: flat sole, long toe, very wide at the quarters.

Flared toe, wide quarters, with a large lamellar wedge

I have found that the Epic is by far the best boot for unhealthy thoroughbred feet in my area for several reasons. First and foremost, the majority of my thoroughbred clients have what I call "pancake" feet: their feet splat way out to the sides with flares at the quarters, and some have a greater width to their feet than they do length! This is a bit of a problem for the Glove and Glue-on, since these boots are better suited for more "normal" feet, with a closer ratio of length to width. Try and try as I have, I have not been able to get the regular Glove or regular glue-on on my thoroughbred clients' feet.

Often, the V does not spread and the quarters will bulge. One size larger is too big, but this is too small

Not only can I fit an Epic on a pancake foot, but the Epic also allows for adjustable tightening! Because the majority of my thoroughbred clients are rehabilitation cases, I must always keep in my mind that as the horse is provided with a healthier diet (lower starches and balanced minerals), the new hoof will grow in tighter and at a steeper angle than the old hoof. As the healthy hoof makes its way from the coronet to the ground, the shape of the hoof will change. At times, this change is quite drastic. So, a size 1 Glove today may not fit well at all in a few weeks.

A smaller boot is too small, but the long toe does not allow for tight fit up top

With the built-in versatility of the Epic, I am able to modify the tightness and fit as the hoof heals and changes. At times, my horse clients will swap out a larger size for a smaller size as the new growth progresses, but often the Epics the horse is already in will be tightened or loosened with an easy adjustment of the cable as the hoof makes its transformation. I can even take the cable out of the boot to cut it shorter for a more snug fit. I will then put a new crimp on the end of the shortened cable and thread it back through the boot. Same boot, tighter fit.

Originally both cables were tight in the middle, now one cable crosses to the other side

So, if you Glove-lovers and Glue-On gurus come across a horse who doesn't fit your mould, put down YOUR boots and give the Epics a try!

Now that I have made my case for the awesomeness of the Epic, I will admit that I have done a little experimenting of my own since the development of the Glove wide. Since the beginning of May when Rin the race horse came off the track with sore feet (so bad he couldn't walk), I have kept him in Epics at my barn, allowing him to take time to grow some new feet. The process is finally complete, and Rin is walking sound barefoot with a new hoof wall that has grown all the way to the ground. Recognizing that he finally has somewhat "normal" feet, I figured I'd try him in some of those new-fangled Glove wides...and they fit! I've been riding him in his new boots, and I will admit that I absolutely love them!

Frog Obsession

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by Amanda Washington

A few weeks ago, Dawn Willoughby posted an entry called "If I Only Had Four Frogs." I read and enjoyed it without thinking too much about it, until later in the week when the realization that it was AUTUMN hit. Autumn is great, but unfortunately it means winter is just a blink away. I started getting antsy like I always do before winter, trying to get everything done that I needed to and trying to enjoy the last of the beautiful weather. I am still hoping the gorgeous weather holds until, oh, March.

Because I am obsessive by nature, I tend to obsess, er, focus, on one thing at a time. For most people, I'm sure they just think I'm weird. For those who love me, it's endearing, or so they say. For some reason Dawn's post hit a chord. All of the sudden I was focused on my little herd's frogs. For whatever reason, I never really thought about them before. I always assumed that considering we live in the desert, we really didn't have to worry about such things. Thrush here, at most, consists of a little bit of gunk and a stink. We don't generally get the black goo and mush that other regions might encounter on a regular basis. Of course that does not mean the horses here aren't affected by a more internal form that attacks the frog deep down. Eek! Something must be done!!

I decided to channel my focused nature toward paying better attention to my horses' foot care. While I am diligent about trimming and feel that things are going pretty well in that department (I chose last year to obsess about achieving a shorter toe, which was the easiest yet most beneficial adjustment I've ever made) I definitely could work a little harder at helping the horses develop a better frog and, in turn, digital cushion. Dawn's solutions seemed simple and I assembled my own little kit consisting of antibacterial dish soap, a long-handled brush-scrubby-thing and a bucket. Because we're not yet dealing with any obvious problems, I chose not to add any tea tree or other disinfectants to my kit at this time.

The dish soap I had on hand, the scrubby brush and my sad purple hoof pick.

So far I am on week two of scrubbing frogs. This is one of those statements I make sure I am not in mixed company when speaking, as I am sure it would cause some pretty funny looks! I figure, realistically, I can scrub feet at least twice a week and after only three scrubbings, I can already see a difference. Is this possible? Is this simple solution truly responsible for the visible change in my horses' feet? I am definitely not sure of that answer, but I also definitely like what I am seeing.

Prior to scrubbing, I can see the filling-in central sulcus!

I have noticed change in Replika's frogs the most. I started the day I pulled her glue-on boots from Owyhee Canyonlands, which I think was a very smart decision. I scrubbed and soaked her feet with the diluted dishwashing soap and by the third scrubbing, I was shocked to see the smoothest and healthiest frog tissue I have ever seen in her feet. The central sulcus, or crack that's responsible for the butt-crack effect, has started to fill in and is now just a divit and not a crack. I am seeing this on all three horses. Could I have been neglecting something so easy to remedy (or at least assist healing) all this time?

The Top standing patiently while his foot soaks. I have just been soaking for a few minutes, only enough to really saturate the frog and get into the frog area. They don't seem to mind at all!

Top's foot after a soak and scrub. Pedicure day! Topper loves it.

I have decided to combine the scrub with antibacterial soap into my "regular" foot care routine which consists of very regular trimming, riding with and without boots and lunging in the sand barefoot. Today was groundwork day, which was the first time I incorporated the addition of scrubbing to my regular routine. I estimate the thorough cleaning, scrubbing and few minutes of soaking to add *maybe* ten minutes to my day. I decided to do the cleaning prior to the groundwork, which seemed to work well.

The above is Topper in the middle of his session. I usually add a surcingle and side-reins to the horses' lunge work for the added benefit. Like scrubbing, it's a simple step that adds only minutes to your routine, but the benefits are so very worth it! I encourage those who may neglect arena work (like I tend to do anymore) to work your horses a couple times a week in a manner focusing on building toplines and developing balance. It's a win-win! Chant is below displaying a bit of a temper tantrum and eventual softening. I would rather him fight himself than me and our rides after such a session are usually much more pleasant!

Because I went right from horse to horse in the arena, I soaked and scrubbed Chant's feet quickly after our session. Getting the foot so clean allowed me to see the bar I missed and all the sole that is preparing to exfoliate. This is definitely something I will continue to do.

I don't think I could ever thank Easycare enough for continuing to educate all of us through the extensive experience offered by the various blogs and articles. Without this, I would have had to focus on something benign like which winter blanket to buy or to braid manes or not to braid manes for the winter. Yes, you have enriched my life. Thank you!

To everyone else, keep scrubbing. It certainly cannot hurt and most likely will help!

Amanda Washington
SW Idaho

The Wait Is Over, Pete Ramey Announces New Book

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 by Debbie Schwiebert

The much anticipated book by hoof rehabilitation specialist Pete Ramey has been completed. The 464 page, full color hardback features Pete along with eight contributing authors.

Each contributor has addressed their area of expertise and together they detail the countless aspects needed to optimize the health of the barefoot horse. There is a strong focus on laminitis and caudal foot pain as well as how to approach many of the horse hoof problems common in today's horses.

The book has been designed to be utilized by veterinarians, farriers and trimmers and is filled with 630 pictures and drawings by Pete.

Pete asks, "What does it take to grow the very best hooves an individual horse can possibly grow? Is it some magical trim, a supplement, or some newfangled shoeing package? The answers are much farther-reaching and involve every aspect of the horse’s life. Can laminitis and caudal foot pain be cured? Prevented? Can a carefully cultivated hoof form and internal foot development protect the horse from injury throughout the body?"

Pete delves into these questions and much more!

This new book is destined be the thought leader of natural hoof care. Pre-orders are being taken now for November shipment.

Visit Pete Ramey's website for all the details.

Debbie Schwiebert

Vet Dealer & Hoof Care Practitioner Accounts

If I Only Had Four Frogs

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by Dawn Willoughby

"If I only had four frogs." Is this your horse's lament?

Pathological frogs are so common, that they have become the norm! Just as long toes and under run heels are normal for thoroughbreds, sick frogs are nearing normal for most horses. What else do we see in my home state of Delaware where we had an amazing 26" of rain in August, normally one of two driest months!

If you have not been following my posts in Notes From the Field, I hope you will check them out. The importance of the frog for excellent, barefoot movement is discussed in detail. When you know what a healthy frog looks like, how bad ones heal, along with the various soaks, topical treatments, and tips for, in Pete Ramey's words, out running thrush, you will have the tools to maintain frog health.

It can be a job, there's no question about that. Gird your loins and let's get to it!

Four butt cracks means four diseased frogs.

For starters, my most common errors in earlier days were:
(A) Not cleaning the area before treatment. (Thank you Linda Cowles!)
(B) Not taking frog health seriously until the horse was ouchy. Then inconsistent treatment.
(C) Stopping treatment too early, only to see the same sick frog in a month.
(D) And ever using Thrush Buster. It contains formaldehyde which kills healthy as well as diseased tissue, according to my chemist friend. Get rid of Thrush Buster!

Just Frogs

Healthy, functional frogs
Diseased and unhealthy frogs
Recovering frogs
Pick and **clean**
Treatment Recipes (Thank you Laura Florence, barefoot trimmer and body worker)
Soaking Recipes (ditto)
Thoughts on Out Running Thrush

1. Some Healthy Frogs

Meet Cadence, a quarter horse, on his first trim. Over time his foot became more oval but for this trim, I assumed the frog was where it needed to be, for ideal function. No need to 'pretty' things up. The back of the frog is broad and became even broader over time. What a landing pad! The frog's perfect center, the central sulcus, is a shallow thumbprint. Perfect! The lateral grooves on either side of the frog are about 3/4" at their deepest and they are dry.

I guess Mason, who hides his appaloosa spots, wins the prize on this one. BTW his trimmer is his owner, Carlyn. Massive, robust frog allows Mason to land solidly on the back of his foot. Again this was early in his career from bare to better.

Large pony, Kay, had been barefoot a long time with a pasture trim. Over time, as she grew out her flared wall, her toe shortened significantly. (Knowing more now, I would have brought it back.) Although not as pretty as the preceding frogs, the rear of the frog is wide, the center is free of disease. Looks like some older frog tissue is shedding and new coming in. I didn't 'beautify' it with my knife as there were no nooks or crannies for disease to settle into.

2. Unhealthy Frogs
The most common problem I saw during my years as a professional trimmer, was diseased central sulcus of the frog. It may or may not be sensitive. Doesn't matter. Butt Cracks are not healthy and should be treated rigorously. Technically many frogs don't have thrush; but they have something! Whether it's bacterial or fungal: pick/brush, clean and treat, soak, then outrun it.

The worst frog I ever saw was a puddle of black gooey thrush. The horse was stalled in a Philadelphia 'city barn' 22 hours a day and the stall was cleaned once a day. Standing purposely in urine relieved his itchy discomfort. The poor horse would never recover in my view. I suggested the owner relocate her horse to the country and field board him near her home. I gave her a plan for daily treatment. I did make the mistake of investigating the frog with my knife and it began to bleed immediately.

From the back you can clearly see Banjo's (OTTB, my very first trimming guinea pig) 'butt crack' between the heels bulbs. Remember to check the solar (bottom) view of the frog, either side of the frog and the bulbs as viewed here.

From the bottom or solar view, we see Banjo's pencil thin, deformed frog. It does look like the central sulcus is filling in with healthy tissue. Frog healing and the opening or decontraction of the heels takes time and patience. Banjo was pasture sound throughout. If I could go back in time, I would have put him in padded Epics with lots of Gold Bond Powder and hit the trails. Sound stimulation helps 'outrun disease'. I only had a long weekend of training under my apron and the occasional help from the barn's farrier when I first laid rasp on wall. Even so, Big Band Show was better off out of metal shoes. The improvement in his health was dramatic and almost instantaneous! You go Owner-Trimmers.

(Above) The Healing Frog and Contracted Heels: Banjo's photo above gives a nice view of heels that are very close together, contracted. They do this to protect the weak frog and above it, the digital cushion. With treatment and lots of sound, heel-first landings a foot like this recovers, every time. The heels start to decontract when the foot is ready. And internally the digital cushion and lateral cartilages come back to life.

Contracted Heels in Shoes: Just by watching horses pass by, you can tell when shod horses have a weak back of foot. The heels look pinched. The back of the shoe is almost touching. Above the hairline, that bulge pressing up the back of the foot, is the lateral cartilage. It's 100% non-functional. This is Cayuga, an unraced thoroughbred at 13, shod most of his life. Sadly I could go in almost any barn where horses are shod and find a variation on this theme.

I gingerly removed the shoe, nail by nail. Can you see how pinched the back of the frog is. The heels too are very close together, protecting the back of the foot. It can get worse; the heels can actually touch. This thoroughbred was not lame in or out of shoes. It took a long time to rehab his feet to health and repair his body. Soundness is a 'whole horse' issue. I fitted him in Epics with black sole pads and black frog pressure pads, to provide stimulation when ridden. He was ridden right out the barn.

The last time his owner tried barefoot, the horse was lame for 7 months before she gave up. The horse was lamed by aggressive trimming. Great hooves are grown. No need to match someones concept of 'ideal'.

For a horse like this, and sadly my own boy at the moment, the owner must make frog care an essential part of daily rooming. If you must, skip something, do not let it be hoof care. After all, no one died from a crappy looking tail!

3. Close to Recovery

The central sulcus of the frog heals from the inside out.

Now time to roll up your sleeves: I pick and brush each foot, using the combo hoof pick, then clean the foot, treat and boot for riding. Then and only then, I tackle any remaining grooming before heading out. This way the frog is assured of an hour or more of treatment. Even if I don't ride, I treat the frogs daily, in the field if I am pressed. If you can't visit your horse every day, perhaps you can hire someone at the barn to do it. Or do some swapping. Every other day should do the trick too.

Sunny's FEET Treatment bucket with all his daily needs: "Goop", Tea Tree Oil, Manuka Honey, Cotton Balls, Spray Bottle of Dilute Anti-bacterial Soap, Hand Towel and Hoof Pick.

I found that rigorous treatment was much less of a hassle when I finally broke down and got everything I needed and put it in one place, Sunny's Feet bucket. Note: Check with your vet on specifics on any of the recommended treatments or other ones you might find at the tack shop or on-line. The 'natural' claim doesn't always mean good.

First do no harm. If your horse flinches during care, find another pain-free way to work. Twice now, I have been hired to trim horses who kicked farriers because of previous rough and painful treatment by hoof pro, owner or vets. It took me one or just a few visits to gain the horses' trust using clicker training. Why traumatize the horses we love?

4. The Basics for Daily Cleaning

Hoof pick with brush. Hand towels.
Scrub brush, bucket and anti bacterial soap like Dawn dish detergent diluted or,
Fill a spray bottle with same or,
Fill a wormer tube or syringe with same.
All antiseptic liquids are diluted: Dawn, Lysol, etc.

I wouldn't treat my own deep cut without washing it first. Well same goes for my horse. Obviously scrubbing four feet (why not do all four since you are down there?) is much easier if you have a wash stall. Since I don't, I first tried filling up wormer tubes or syringes and irrigating the frog crevices with anti-bacterial soap, Dawn of course. But refilling was a hassle. I switched to a spray bottle and a small towel to 'floss' the area clean. I mixed a milk jug of cleaner for quick refills.

If the central sulcus were more like a deep crevice, I would certainly use the thin tipped syringes in addition to irrigate the wound. Q tips are handy too.

Medium pony, lame in shoes due to sore frogs

Medium pony lame in shoes. The central sulcus was 1.5" deep. First steps were to get her out of shoes, out of the stall and into a daily treatment regimen.

Her young owner could ride the pony in Epics with green pads.

One month later, the heels are decontracting a bit. The central sulcus isn't as deep. Full healing just takes time and diligent treatment.

5. The Basics for Treatment Pick a couple of alternatives. I rotate 3 to avoid tolerance.

Make your own Pete's Goop: 50% antibiotic cream and 50% anti fungal cream in syringe.
Purchase cow mastitis treatment like ToDay (12 syringes in a box), available on-line or at Tractor Supply. Recycle the syringes for Goop above or irrigation tool.
Tea Tree Oil from the health food store. Mine comes in a handy spray (onto cotton) bottle.
Mashed Garlic is anti-bacterial and comes in a jar. Check your grocery store.
Calendula Cream (Thanks again to Laura Florence, barefoot trimmer) from the health store.
Raw Honey wax free. No Smirks! Honestly! It's used on, among other things, human burn victims.
Or even better but more expensive (unless you're a kiwi), Manuka Honey from New Zealand. It has many uses, including repairing wrinkles! (I'll get back to you on that).
Cotton balls from the pharmacy. Q-tips are nice but not essential.

For Pete's goop and the others above, I have found 2 methods of application.
(A) The more time consuming one is to mix the 2 creams well. Then stuff into a fat wormer tube and then inject into an Exel 12 cc curved tip syringe. Perfect for deep crevices. Pull apart one cotton ball so there are no painful lumps and gently pack, using hoof pick, into the central sulcus.
(B) When the crevice isn't that deep, I dip the half cotton ball into the Goop or Honey and stuff it into the frog with a hoof pick. This eliminates the syringe filling step which is harder than you would think.

When I can no longer stuff a cotton ball in the sulcus, I spray Tea Tree Oil until 100% healthy.

Soaking for deep penetration of gases with White Lightening.

Bagged and booted for a soak in White Lightening.

6. The Basics for Soaking and Irrigating (Thanks to Laura Florence my favorite barefoot trimmer)
If frogs are particularly bad or you simply have the time, soaking the feet is a great idea to create an environment hostile to bad bugs. I soak once a week when treating frogs. I set Sunny up in his otherwise unused stall with some extra good hay and a fan. I hang out on a straw bale with a horse book. OK, honestly he makes me dip his hay in water and hand feed him. When he's full, we take our naps.

Soaks, alternate or use your favorite:

Easy Care Soaking Boots
White Lightening and White Vinegar. I use 1/8th cup of each.
If using above, sturdy waste bags and duct tape to fully enclose foot and capture gases.
Or 50% Apple Cider Vinegar with 50% water
Or 10% Bleach and 90% water
Or 1-2 Tablespoons/boot of Lysol with water
Or some Borax dissolved in water

According to the techs at Grand Circuit Products, makers of White Lightening, you can soak as often as every other day with White Lightening. The dilution is active for 8 hours. If you are short on funds but long on time, you may rotate one boot, 30 minutes a foot, to all feet. The foot must be bagged to capture the gases that provide a deep penetrating soak. I will use it on an abscess, cracks, etc. It's available online or at the farrier supply store. They recommend 1/4 cup but I think that's excessive since it's the gases that do the trick. Gases are released when you combine White Lightening and Vinegar. You can add the same amount of water to increase volume.

The rest of the soaks require soaking boots or buckets if your horse is quiet.

I generally irrigate the frog with the soaking material in a syringe after removing the boot.

Additionally:

Q tips for cleaning frog crevice.
Gold Bond Powder for riding boots keep the foot dry in many conditions and again, create an environment hostel to bugs.
I generally do not recommend the RX boot or Equicast because I don't want to enclose the foot.
Thrush Buster has formaldehyde. It kills healthy and unhealthy tissue!
Dr. Bowker once recommended leaving dirt in the collateral grooves on either side of the frog as it may have a role in hoof mechanics. But for my environment, it's just not practical or healthy.
The Horse's Hoof has an excellent series on hoof treatment.

Whether in field turnout, in-hand, being ponied or mounted, sound movement heals.

Jill Wilcox (80 yrs) work 'in-hand' with Runner (OTTB) at the walk. Working along the wall with a pole encourages, first straightness and then balance. She will progress to trot and canter in-hand. All her students work in-hand before mounting. (Note she uses reins attached to nose band, no bit and a neck band.) It's much easier for the horse to move correctly without the rider.

7. Out Running Thrush or Bacterial Infections
The first time I heard the phrase, out running thrush, at a clinic, I hadn't a clue to the meaning. I have learned the hard way that we have to grow healthy tissue faster than the bad bugs inflict damage. Simply treating a stalled horse, for instance, might not be adequate. One of our Barefoot Mantras: Sound Movement Heals.

If your horse is sound in padded boots, ride him, even if it's just at walk. If not, consider 'ponying' him, again in padded boots, off another horse. Turn him out with a busy herd or a nasty pony. No standing around in sheds with manure floors. No shoes. No stalling. If you are boarding in a mud hole, leave.

Pea Gravel feels good to even the sorest horse, human or dog.

Pea Gravel feels good, even to the sorest horse. It offers just the perfect amount of stimulation.

I have seen some farms where you just can't avoid a rocky path to the pasture. Consider covering it with cut up stall mats for your sore pony. Better yet, dig it up, add some landscaping material and fill with 4" of pea gravel. Add pea gravel to the loafing areas. It's a miracle cure that Dr. Robert Bowker has discussed in a published work. Make a copy for the owner if you board.

As for the trim, leave a little heel so the frog can get just the right stimulation to grow, but adequate protection. Once you've got a nice frog, those heels will come right down, where they want to be.

I'll trim the frog to remove flaps and hide-y-holes for disease. Beyond that, all I can say is think before you cut or snip. Removing diseased frog can be tricky. If you trim a sick frog and it bleeds, your horse is now open to infection. Cutting open the central sulcus to let the air in often lames the horse which in my view is abusive. I move cautiously and respectfully.

As you can see, I have become a passionate student of the frog! Most of the lessons were learned the hard way. I hope this helped you. Feel free to share and post at your barn.

Happy Trails,
Dawn

P.S. Find more good reading and free trimming videos go to my site 4sweetfeet.com
P.P.S. For my next post look for Clicker Training Your Horse During the Inevitable Down Time, December.

Mentoring Matters

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by Debbie Schwiebert

Mentor: someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.

Don't you find this statement encouraging? There is someone willing to show you the way. Their wisdom will minimizing your trial and error factor and greatly enhance your chances for success. A mentor is an individual, usually older, always more experienced, who helps and guides another individuals development. This guidance is not done for personal gain. Mentorships are common in business and educational settings. Mentoring can take many forms. If you have ever shared your experiences to help guide another for good, you too have been a mentor.

I had a golden opportunity a few weeks ago to travel to Gardnerville, NV, to mentor with hoof care professional Leslie Carrig of High Desert Hoof Care. I've known Leslie since she started as a dealer with EasyCare back in 2006. I've always admired her creativity and problem solving abilities. Her common sense to hoof care, diligent service to her clients and flat out can-do approach to business made her a poster child of "can" for clients having "can't" moments. As you can imagine when the door opened I leaped at the chance to jump in her truck for three full days of trimming, some booting and lots of customer dynamics.

Honestly, a total of five days out of the office this time of year was a bit daunting, but I went for it. There was no question in my mind this would take my barefoot education and overall understanding of a hoof care practitioner's life out in the field up a notch. I love my job and am passionate about helping hoof care professionals. What better way to enhance my capabilities to serve practitioners than getting right in there for the full experience.

Leslie had set up a gamut of horses for us to look at and trim. Each with it's own unique story and living conditions. As we discussed each horse's history and current situation I couldn't help but reflect on Pete Ramey's article, One Foot For All Seasons. The contrast in hooves was sharp as we traveled from an area of hard, desert-like conditions to horses on soft, forgiving pasture. Each situation had its own set of factors affecting the trim but the environment in which they lived and the trim needed in each environment left a strong impression on me. Seeing these differences are of particular interest for me because where I live a barefoot horse's hooves are rock hard for most of the year. The contrast in the hooves and the trim needed became crystal clear seeing it first hand.

As we worked though the days, Leslie helped me become more efficient with my tools and helped me to effectively negotiate nippers. I never seem to have anything to nipper on my own horse so she made sure I got plenty of nipper practice!

Of course we did get some booting in and a couple of repairs out in the field which was great. The task master spared me no mercy and put me to the test, by-golly, with a box or two of Glue-On shells and Gaiters to make up some Easyboot Gloves. Gotta love those mentors!

All said and done, I came away with a fresh perspective and new trimming skills. When approaching a trim I was reminded to never forget about the big picture. Leslie's success confirms that to be effective and remain credible, you must be equipped to meet that horse's and clients needs in as much as it is possible when you are there. Anything less is a disservice to the client and to the horse.

The barefoot community was built on sharing knowledge and working together for the common good of the horse. Mentoring matters.

The impact of wisdom shared not only shapes the individual, it shapes the sphere of tomorrow's barefoot trimmers and hones the skills of the trimming professional of today. Most hoof trimming schools offer mentorship opportunities. Finding a strong mentor is one of the most important things I believe you can do for your career as a trimmer. Once you have been under a mentor's wing, don't forget to pay it forward and help another. We are in this journey together and when one succeeds we all succeed.

Who has been your greatest mentor?

Debbie Schwiebert

Vet Dealer & Hoof Care Practitioner Accounts

Virginia City 100 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011 by Lucy Chaplin-Trumbull

This year the 44th Annual Virginia City 100 was held on September 17th. Sadly, because of Uno's leg injury I wasn't able to ride but did the next best thing - crewing. The temperatures were very mild - lows in the 50s overnight, with highs in the 80s with a light breeze - a welcome respite from the continuous Nevada wind that so often accompanies this event. NV rides are always very laid-back affairs and VC100 is no different. There's great cameraderie amongst the volunteers, many of whom have been helping out at (or riding) the ride for decades. Riders come back time and again because this is one of the very best 100-mile rides in the west region.

Virginia City itself is an old silver mining town perched at 6,200' on the side of a steep pink hillside. The main street is at the top with the side streets step-cut progressively lower into the slope below. The start of the ride at 5 am is on the boardwalked C Street outside the Delta Saloon (1875), home of the "Suicide Table" - one of the more peculiar starts to an endurance ride. From there riders wend their way north through town, past the old cemetery (the finish line) and out into the surrounding sagebrush-dotted mountains towards Lousetown (really).

This is a course that has a bit of everything to offer riders and their horses. After 20 miles of up and down rocky foothills, you negotiate the old Toll Road four-miles down Geiger Grade - a 1,700' drop - to the first vet check at the "Market" located right on the outskirts of surburban Reno.

Looking down on Washoe Lake, around 45 miles into the ride

From there, you undergo an hour-long test of your horse's sure-footedness through what is effectively a rocky creek bed: the remote and seldom-used Bailey Canyon. After a climb over Jumbo Grade and a trot-by to check the horses for soundness at Washoe Lake, riders climb the first of many typical NV ascents - gradual, yet brutal in their neverendingness. But the views from the top overlooking Washoe Lake are stupendous. This section contains the infamous "SOBs" - three short but ridiculously steep V-shaped drops in the trail that many riders negotiate on foot, tailing the uphills. Once you make it over the ridge, you then drop down Ophir Grade back into Virginia City for the 51 mile check.

The next 26 mile loop takes you back out into the Virginia Range, skirting the remains of old mining buildings which appear eerily as if they came from an apolcalypse movie. You climb again to the backside of Mt Davidson and follow the ridge up to 7,600' before dropping once again down into Virginia City for the 77 mile vet check.

The final 23 mile loop, usually starting around 11 pm unless the rider is a front-runner, takes you along the relatively flat "Long Valley", past herds of wild horses to the Chalk Hills, which glow in the moonlight, through another "out check" at the Cottonwoods (an old corral) and back up the final rocky clamber to the cemetery outside Virginia City.

This year's winner, Rachel Shackelford riding Ray of Hope, arrived at 11 pm, with best condition winner Lori Stewart on LA Bandit arriving just 17 minutes behind them. But this is a 100 mile ride where it's common for riders to take almost the full 24 hours to finish: the final 8 riders all came in after 3 am.

One of the things NV rides are known for is rocks. Although VC100 isn't easy, it is very doable. While the elevation gains are over 20,000', very little of the trail is super-technical provided you can take your time and pick your way through the footing. Racing it is another matter and many riders are defeated by the rocks. Good hoof protection is a must regardless as to where you hope to place.

May stylin' in her new rear Glue-on Wides

This year I was aware of seven riders who were using hoof-boots in one form or another, five of whom completed the ride. There were 25 overall starters - a much lower number than usual due to the proximity to the rescheduled Tevis (three weeks later) - with 18 finishers.

Fire Mt Destiny at 40 miles - with this completion he reached 5,000 miles (AERC)

Gina Hall, completing her 12th VC100, finished in 6th place on her outstanding big chestnut Fire Mt Destiny, who himself was completing his 7th VC100 (his 14th 100 mile completion). They also completed the Triple Crown this year (NV Derby 50, NASTR 75 and VC100 with same horse and rider). His completion earned Destiny his 5,000 mile AERC milestone - 86 rides with no pulls. He wears Original Easyboots over shoes.

Nicole Chappell and Golden Knight getting ready to leave the first vet check

Nicole Chappell was riding her striking buckskin friesian/arabian cross, Golden Knight, with size 2.5 Glue-Ons on the front. Completing the Triple Crown (including winning and being awarded Best Condition at the first phase - NV Derby 50 - in the spring), they placed 8th overall at VC100 and won the "Pioneer Division" (riding the entire ride with no outside help), securing Nicole her 19th VC100 completion - she promised herself as an 11 yr old that she would finish the ride 20 times by the time she was 30. She didn't quite make it but is close. This was Golden Knight's second VC100 completion.

Nicole Chappell and Golden Knight arriving at Washoe Lake "trot-by"

Rushcreek Okay gawping at a flapping flag shadow,
raising his heart rate during the 51 mile vet check

Another horse who always competes in boots and is hard to miss is Rushcreek Okay - a huge grey arabian who eats like... well, a horse, and sports size 3 Glue-Ons on the front. This was Okay's second VC100 finish with rider Carolyn Meier and this year they also completed the Triple Crown. After a warm-up performance last year (Okay tends to be a nosy thing - gawping at everything around him), Carolyn was thrilled with how well he looked after himself this year - getting progressively better and better at each vet check.

Okay showing off his flexibility and range of motion
the morning after completing his second VC100

Okay's great big size 3 feet

Tami and May prepare to leave vet check #1

A fourth Triple Crown booted finisher with a 13th place at VC100 was Tami Rougeau's Amatzing Grace - and she'll no doubt tell you more about their exploits in a separate post. Suffice to say May has been a challenge to fit but her Glue-Ons held up beautifully for this ride.

Nina Cooke and Gryphen at the road-crossing water trough at about 20 miles

Rounding out the "booters", Nina Cooke and Gryphen finished their first 100 mile ride in glue-ons.

Pat Chappell resetting her horse's rear shoes

Pat Chappell resetting her horse's shoes at 51 miles

Two of the riders in the Pioneer Division had shoeing problems during the ride. One was sadly pulled at 77 miles after having to abandon her Pioneer status by using the services of the ride farrier - to no avail: the horse was still lame. The other, Nicole's mother, Pat Chappell pulled out her shoeing tools and reset both back shoes on her horse at 51 miles. Remembering how tired I was last year at 51 miles, I can only imagine the toll it would take on a rider to have to do this. Last year at that point in the ride I'd lost both front glue-ons (a product of trying to stuff too small a size boot on Uno's expanding feet) but it was a very simple remedy to just pop on my spare Gloves. My biggest "problem" was removing the gobs of glue from the hoofwall (I admit, I wimped out and asked my crew, Renee Robinson, to do it for me).

During another memorable 100 mile ride, Roo did an impressive side-spook, tweaking a back shoe in such a way that it stuck out sideways by half an inch but wasn't going to come off without serious tools. Luckily for me the incident happened when my regular farrier was also riding the 100 miler and he was just ahead of us and able to reset the shoe at the vet check - but that was the last time I wanted to be at the mercy of a shoer (or the hope that a shoer would be available) during a ride. You put so much into a 100-miler that to have it all go down the drain because of lack of control over your horse's footwear is heartbreaking. Yes, sometimes I lose boots, but I can still fix the problem.

This was my 7th year either volunteering, crewing, or riding Virginia City 100 and it has become a highlight of my year. The ride has changed little over the years - it started in 1968 (two years after I was born) and the fact that it is still going is a testament to just how special it is. It should be a must-do ride for any 100-mile rider - and preferably many times over.

(p.s. my husband Patrick points out that the Ferrari Club of America holds the annual Virginia City Hill Climb - spectator-able from the ride camp - the same weekend as the endurance ride. Just saying.)

Lucy Chaplin Trumbull
Sierra Foothills, California

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.

Horse Hoof Problems

Barefoot Movements

Thoroughbred Feet are Just Fine: Meet Garwin

Starting From Scratch - Part 3

Team Easyboot 2012: Now Accepting Applications

January 2012: Epona's Natural Hoofcare Services

What I Learned in 2011

The Worst Feet in the Barn

My Solution for Grass Cracks

Post Glue-On Diagnostics: The Solution for Glue-On Success

Front Pastern Gaiter Rubbing: A Simple Solution

Solution for a Hoof Abscess

Booting Beyond the Box

November 2011: Palmetto Farrier Service

An Epic Love Affair

Frog Obsession

The Wait Is Over, Pete Ramey Announces New Book

If I Only Had Four Frogs

Mentoring Matters

Mentor: someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.

Virginia City 100 2011

Phoenix Loves His EasyCare Boots

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