Horse Hoof Trimming

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

February 2012: Easyboot SA

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by Dealer of the Month

Based just outside Mooi River in kwaZulu Natal, South Africa, Easyboot SA is run by Ben, Helga and Peter Ward. Ben has an MSc. in Agriculture and worked in the Seed and Agro Chemical industry for many years. He got involved in saddle making through a friend and in 2006, he and Helga took over the running and ownership of Franco C Saddlery.

Ben and Helga.

Their main market is endurance and they compete in the sport with two of their three sons.
Helga grew up on a farm and has been riding since she can remember. After school she studied dietetics and worked in hospitals until she married Ben. She now runs the offices of Franco C Saddlery, Easyboot SA and their local Endurance Club.

Peter and Buddy

Peter is a dairy farmer and breeds American Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. After leaving school he studied for a Bachelor degree in Business Management and went on to complete his MBA. He worked in computers, marketing, sales and general management before going to farming a few years ago. He has been riding and horse-mad for over 50 years.

Easyboot SA identified three boots as their best-sellers: Easyboot Glove, Easyboot Glue-On and Easyboot Trail. "We felt that these would cover the vast majority of needs in our market," said Peter when asked about their inventory. "We have invested in a full range of sizes as well as accessories for these boots. The best seller so far has been the Easyboot Glove.

Peter does his own trimming and occasionally that of a boot prospect, but he never charges for it. "I enjoy trimming as it increases the bond between you and your horse. When you have a successful endurance event it is nice to know that you set up the hooves."

In July 2011 Peter took a little horse called Buddy to Fauresmith to do the ultimate South African Endurance race: over 200 km. It was the first time for both horse and rider - and the horse only made the age cut by a few weeks. "We finished and Buddy became the first horse in the thirty year history of the race to do it wearing Glue-Ons. We have no doubt that Glue-Ons will be used in every Fauresmith from now on." Peter chronicled his experience in the Team Easyboot blog.

Easyboot SA believes the hoof boot industry is moving steadily upwards. "Horsemen are becoming better informed and more caring for their horses at a very fast rate, thanks to the availability of information via the internet. Hoof care is an obvious place for many horsemen to improve their animal husbandry as hoof boots such as the Easycare range offer real alternatives to any nail-on shoes, be they metal or plastic," said Ben when asked about what he sees for the future.

When asked about their favorite events, Fauresmith is the consistent answer across all three owners. Peter adds that Tevis is on his bucket list.

Minerals Are Good for the Hoof

Saturday, January 28, 2012 by EasyCare Customer Service Team

Various minerals are important for a healthy horse, and healthy hooves. I read a really great article in the Horse's Hoof, Winter 2012-Issue 45, written by Marijke van de Water. Marijke is an Equine Health & Nutrition Specialist, Homeopathic Practitioner and Medical Intuitive. She is also the founder and owner of Riva's Remedies.

Horse hooves are very much a reflection of the whole horse, and the treatment of the hoof should always consider the whole health of the horse. Healthy hoof horn produced by a healthy, well-nourished horse is smooth, strong, and free of horizontal or vertical cracks. Taking care of the whole horse will always benefit the hooves.

You need to take in to consideration the diet, proper horse hoof trimming and regular exercise to insure good, healthy blood circulation. Blood circulation is how the hoof receives oxygen and nutrients to keep them at their best. We all know that old saying "No Hoof, No Horse".

The Trim

Movement

A few of the important minerals talked about in this article, were sulphur, selenium and silica. How they contribute to really healthy hooves. There are organic varieties that are absorbed and utilized much more effectively than the inorganic form. Natural horse products can be easier to assimilate in the body as in nature, horses eat weeds and vegetation out there that is good for them. It just comes natural to them.

Silica promotes bone health, strengthens collagen and hardens the hoof wall, while selenium and sulphur contribute to collagen production and strengthen the cross link bonds in the keratin.

For a good read and more knowledge, check out this article and then check your horse's hooves. What are you seeing?

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.

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

Starting From Scratch - Part 2

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Lucy Chaplin-Trumbull

Putting Theory into Practice

It's always better to demonstrate to people how not to do things. I feel they learn so much more by observing others' mistakes, than for everything to go perfectly smoothly and voila - a trimmed horse with perfect boot fit.

My friend arrived a day earlier than I expected (I'm still confused as to what year it is) and my schedule and her jet-lag meant that we only had one evening for me to demonstrate the fine art of putting boots on; deciding if the fit was correct; how to figure out if the fit wasn't correct; and how to get the stupid boots off again if they were a tight fit (which is ideal... until you're trying to take them off).

Unfortunately, looking at the available hooves for this demonstration, it became apparent that keeping on top my trimming schedule over the Holidays and subsequent sickies hadn't been high on the agenda. All of the horses were long and all were in need of a trim. Hmm.

Being the easiest to trim (he doesn't fidget much), and having not put boots on him for a while (he's been growing out a rear foot abscess since October), Roo became our victim for the evening's entertainment.

I cleaned out his foot and carefully showed my friend how long he was, how his heels weren't supposed to look like that, how his toe needed to come back about half an inch, and how, yes, even thought he had a wonderful toe-callous, it wasn't close to being in the location it was supposed to be. It definitely became an exercise in "do as I say, not as I've done".

After trimming his first foot with a running commentary of what I was doing and why, I turned her loose with the rasp, the stand, and Roo's long toe on the second foot. Once the squeaking had subsided, I was able to guide her through the technique of reducing toe from the top - long vertical strokes perpendicular to the ground designed to whack off overgrowth.

Here Uno is demonstrating long toes, while I demonstrate the removal of them. Notice how I'm keeping the rasp perpendicular to the toe and rasping straight down towards the ground.

Her initial reaction was to try and shape the toe, but I explained that all she needed to do at this point was get rid of all the extra. I explained - as my farrier had explained to me years ago - the rasp is a two-handed tool and that using long strokes would remove more hoof than small, prissy up-n-down zips: you're not performing a manicure.

Working my way around the toe. The rasp is a two-handed tool.

How did Uno's toes get so long? He's been off since Thanksgiving so his feet haven't been getting the attention they need. Gloves prevent you rasping the skin off your knuckles when enthusiastically removing over-abundance of toe.

Once I was satisfied with the amount of toe she'd removed, I had her turn over his foot and work on it from the bottom.

There are few things more entertaining than watching a complete beginner trying to squeeze under a horse, with a foot between their knees, attempting to use an unaccustomed rasp in a competent manner. As anyone who's ever struggled to trim their own horse knows, when you're starting out you wonder how the heck anyone is capable of this. You can't even figure out how to get into the ludicrous contorted poses necessary to get the job done. Your body doesn't distort in that way, and the horse's leg won't bend in that manner either. Within about 30 seconds, your back is going into spasms and you lose all coordination and balance. And then you realise with dismay that you've only rasped one quarter of one foot.

This is all normal.

It takes a while for your body to learn hoof-trimming yoga (with such poses as "Horse Rips Foot Away" and "Can't Quite Get at That Overhanging Frog Flap") and learning to use the tools is a lot like learning to use chopsticks the first time - the food doesn't go quite where you expect it to.

After a good amount of laughter (not shared by Roo, who by this time wanted his supper), I guided my friend through taking the heels back, removing scraggly bits (technical term), and how to roll the edge of the hoof.

Keeping the rasp at the correct angle seems to be one of the things that is hardest for the beginner to get right - manipulating an alien tool while concentrating on what you're doing, how you're doing it, and whether or not you or the horse are about to fall over is tricky.

But at the end, we had a rasped foot. It wasn't perfect and there were a few things I went back and tidied up afterwards, but it was completely serviceable.

(Continued tomorrow)

--
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull
Sierra Foothills, California

Starting From Scratch - Part 1

Friday, January 20, 2012 by Lucy Chaplin-Trumbull

A couple of weeks ago, a friend visited from England. She has just decided to take her endurance horse barefoot and compete him in boots. It sounds like she has found a sympathetic trimmer who is interested in what she's doing, so her plan is to schedule him regularly to do the main trim, while she makes touch-ups in between. As far as I can tell hoof boots are still far from the norm in Britain, with most "professionals" convinced that having horses barefoot just won't work and advising their clients accordingly <wry face>.

Initially she picked my brain over the internet...

What Equipment Would She Need?

My List

A pair of gloves (v. v. important to avoid knuckle rasping)
A hoof pick (I like the ones with the bristle brush on the back)
A good rasp (blunt, rusty rasps are no fun and result in much puffing and frustration)
A sharp narrow-bladed hoof knife (wide-bladed ones are designed for draft horses as far as I can work out)
A hoof stand (this is a lot of money to invest in, but believe me, your life will be so much pleasanter with one than trying to do this without. Without you’ll be sad and tired and struggle)
A rubber mallet

What Boots Would She Need?

She was a little confused by the difference between Glue-Ons and Gloves. I explained that although they were essentially the same base-model, Gloves were what she would be using for conditioning and events because of how easy they were to use and quick to put on and take off. You'd only really use Glue-Ons if you were doing a 100 miler, a multi-day, or practising the gluing technique. Once those puppies are on, they aren't going anywhere without the application of some brute force and a wide-bladed screwdriver.

What Size Boots Would She Need?

I explained about measuring the foot accurately to figure out what size boot her horse would need and then I explained that Murphy's Law dictates that your horse's feet will never fall within the confines of the "correct" measurements for a specific boot size, so EasyCare came up with the "Fit Kit".

Say your horse's foot measures something close to a 0.5, but not quite according to the sizing chart. You order the Fit Kit for 0.5 and EasyCare will send you shells in sizes 1 - 0.5 - 0. You can spend a happy session with your horse pushing shells on, walking him around, taking them off and repeating the performance with the other sizes until you are satisfied with what size boot you think is the best fit.*

* this is often not the size you think it's going to be. Case in point, none of the Glove sizes were close to fitting my pony, Jackit's, feet on paper, but in reality once I figured out the right size, his boots don't seem to go anywhere.

To give you an idea of what I was working with - I have small hands. I was fairly convinced that no Glove size would work for him, but it turns out 00.5 and 00s fit him fine.

You get to keep the Fit Kit for 30 days because everyone knows the second a horse item arrives on the premises, it guarantees instant horrendous weather/sickness in human operator/sudden unexpected business travel.

Unfortunately, not living in the US, my friend doesn't have access to fit kits, so she had (hopefully) the correct size Gloves shipped to my house, and I also sent her home with a couple of old boots the next size up 'just in case'.

She was ready to move on to the next stages - basic trimming and boot fit.

(Continued next week)

--
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull
Sierra Foothills, California

Procrastination

Thursday, January 19, 2012 by EasyCare Customer Service Team

Pro - cras - ti - na - tion (proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn) - the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.

I'm sure nobody really needs the definition of the word procrastination spelled out, I know I don't - this blog was due two weeks ago! Everyone procrastinates sometimes, over 20% of people are chronic procrastinators. Did you know that procratination and perfectionism go hand in hand? Here are some reasons for procrastination:

Fear of Failure
Because we are too busy
Over-or under-estimating the degree of difficulty the task involves

Does any of this sound familiar on reasons why you have not tried to take your horse barefoot? There is so much information available today regarding natural horse care, using hoof boots and barefoot trimming, it can get overwhelming. EasyCare has a whole section of our website devoted to articles to help educate you and get you on your way.

Ways to overcome procrastition:

Get a buddy to do the barefoot transition with you.
Challenge your myths regarding shoeing and do some research.
Get a new attitude.

So, take a deep breath and dive in. Remember the worst form of procrastition is reading an article about it, feeling the guilt and not doing anything about it. (I will have to remember this when my next blog is due.)

Shari Murray

Customer Service

If you call the customer service help desk, you’ll probably get me on the phone! I process repairs, returns, credits and exchanges that come into EasyCare.

5 Ways To Sharpen Your Knife

Monday, January 16, 2012 by Christoph Schork

Sliced or squished, how do you like it?

Dull knives are dangerous, no matter how you slice it! Whether cutting vegetables, bread, meat or trimming hooves, you need to use a lot of strength. A dull instrument can bounce and deflect, causing bloody hands for the operator. Sharp knives can be controlled with minimum force: they do their intended job with ease. For natural hoof trimming and barefoot trimming, a sharp hoof knife is a must. Dirt, sand and mud left on the bottom of the hoof will quickly dull any hoof knife.

An often heard question at the different natural hoof care clinics has been "which is the best way to sharpen hoof knives?"

Below a list of some of the most common sharpening devices.

1. Bench Sander
Bench sanders and grinders can be used for many purposes and they work great for sharpening knives. They are more cumbersome to haul around and require electricity.

The blade should always get sharpened from the inside (the rounded side) only.

Advantages: fast results, the spinning wheel does the work.

Disadvantages: difficult to sharpen the curved tip; easy to tilt the knife blade, resulting in an uneven blade. A very skilled and delicate touch is required. Doesn't work for Loop Knives.

2. Diamond Sharpener
Always sharpen from the curved side only. You can pull the sharpener towards you or turn the knife around and push the sharpener away from you, as the two images below show.

Advantages: easy to use, forgiving, curved tip can get sharpened as well.

Disadvantages: requires more strokes to achieve a sharp knife.

3. Chainsaw Sharpener
Normally used to sharpen the links of chain saws; a good tool for hoof knives as well.

Again, you can pull or push the instrument. As you can see, it fits nicely into the curved tip.

Advantages: works fast, you achieve a nice sharp tip.

Disadvantages: It is easy to dent the blade if not careful. The round file, especially when new and sharp, can cause some waves in the blade when not being worked diligently.

4. Swissistor
This tool was specifically developed for sharpening hoof knives.

Advantages: easy and fast results.

Disadvantages: tightly curved tips and loop knives can be difficult to sharpen evenly.

5. Sharpening Stone
The oldest knife sharpening tool. Works best when wetted with water.

Advantages: ease of use, safe.

Disadvantages: often hard to get the tip sharpened.

After sharpening the curved side of the knife, it is necessary to deburr the flat side of the knife. The stone is most suitable for that task.

Best sharpening results are achieved by holding a 30 degree angle between the blade and the instrument. For deburring, a 10 to 20 degree angle works well. You can now move the blade towards you with a light slicing movement.

When sharpening the knife, it is best to hold the knife still and move the sharpening tool across the blade. When deburring, you hold the stone still and move the knife across the stone.

Here they are all together one more time, for size comparison:

What is my favorite sharpening device? The Swissistor.

A sharp hoof knife makes the job of horse hoof trimming a lot easier.

Your Bootmeister

2011: The Biggest EasyCare Natural Hoof Care Moments & Changes Of The Year

Wednesday, January 4, 2012 by Garrett Ford

2011 is a year that I'll remember for acceptance of natural hoof care practices, hoof boots and barefoot trimming.

Yes, natural hoof care has been around along time and many people feel it's the only way to keep a horse. There are also many people who believe all horses must wear iron shoes. I think the thing that I noticed most about 2011 is a broad, mainstream acceptance of barefoot hoof care. Horse owners that have had every horse shod for years now have one or two going strong barefoot or booted. I've noticed a change in thinking, it's no longer a debatable topic but a successful tool in the bag of tricks of the equestrian trade.

Here is my list of why I believe natural hoof care made a big step forward in 2011, why it will continue in 2012 and where EasyCare needs focus in the future. I'll start with #1 and cut right to the chase.

1. Pete and Ivy Ramey release a monumental book about natural hoof care called "Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot". Pete and an incredible group of contributing authors (Robert Bowker, Hilary Clayton, Brian Hampson, Eleanor Kellon, Kerry Ridgway, Debra Taylor and Kathryn Watts) lay out the importance of hoof care theory, nutrition and the hoof, trimming different parts of the hoof, laminitis management and feral horse foot studies. The book is incredible and a must read for equine professionals, horse owners and anyone who cares for the equine hoof. If you believe in the phrase "No Hoof, No Horse" this book will bring your knowledge to a whole new level.

Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot

2. Tevis Cup 2011. The toughest 100 mile horse race in the world tests horses, riders and hoof care management techniques more than any other venue in the world. Jeremy Reynolds wins both the Tevis Cup and Haggin cup using Easyboots on a barefoot horse. In addition to Reynolds impressive results, Easyboots were used on the 3rd place horse, 5th place horse and an additional 6 horses in the top twenty. In total 28 barefoot/Easybooted horses finished the 2011 event. The Tevis Cup continues to show that barefoot/booted horses care compete and win at the highest levels of equine sport.

Reynolds racing wins 2011 Tevis Cup in Easyboots

The Reynolds Racing Team accepting the 2011 Haggin Cup. Marvel is wearing Easyboots.

3. Horse Journal names the Easyboot Glove as Horse Journal Editor's Choice and the Easyboot Trail and Horse Journal Best Buy. Horse Journal is a cool equine magazine that does a great deal of product testing and reviews. They don't take advertising dollars so their reviews are usually very good and on target.

The Easyboot Glove on an early testing run. EasyCare's hopes for this boot have come through.

4. EasyCare has promoted the $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest since 2005. Although the Hoof Boot Contest has been very successful and has helped promote hoof boots and barefoot horses in one of the toughest equine sports, 2011 will bring an end to the successful $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest and we will soon launch the inaugural 2012 International Transition Challenge. The Transition Challenge will showcase horse owner and hoof care professional horse transitions. The new contest will highlight the importance of routine hoof care maintenance, proper nutrition and exercise. The change of direction will take our contest focus off long distance racing and put money and energy into a contest where improving the lives of horses will be highlighted and rewarded. More information will be coming soon.

Before and After transition photos showcased in That's My Horse #2.

5. Advancement, another area of focus for EasyCare in 2012. It's 2011 and in many areas of the equine industry we are still using products and methods developed hundreds of years ago. Why do other sports like cycling, skiing, climbing, and running continue to advance? If you look at a bike developed 20 years ago you would think it belonged in a museum. If you looked at a saddle developed 20 years ago you would think it looks just like the saddles being made today. One of EasyCare's goals moving forward is to borrow technology from other industries and bring it into the equestrian industry. Time to look at things differently.

Garrett Ford

President & CEO

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

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

Work or Play the Easyboot Glove Shows Why It's Here to Stay

Monday, January 2, 2012 by Debbie Schwiebert

Easyboot Gloves protect 1st place horse.

Central Coast cattlewoman Janine Layman, doesn't have time for things that don't work. She will look you straight in the eye and tell you she was more than skeptical about hoof boots yet in the same breath tell you how impressed she has been with the Easyboot Glove.

Janine questioned how much could really be done on a horse wearing hoof boots? I agreed that having to do a job horseback was a whole lot different than taking a trail ride. Throw into the mix her horses were not always kept on on tight trim schedule. Regardless, in her situation I felt it could be done. I fitted several horses and the test drive began. Needless to say we had great success and she is sold on the concept. Janine admits before the Easyboot Glove keeping horses barefoot and in use on the ranch was simply not an option.

This fourth generation cattlewoman calls Pozo, CA and the Torro Creek Ranch her home. Her go to horse is a fancy gelding named Muy Bueno, a five year old Paint that proudly carries the ranches +M brand. Patrick as he is fondly called is regularly used around the ranch and has proved to be a solid investment. When it comes to getting a job done horseback be it gathering, sorting or moving a few bulls Janine has found the Easyboot Glove to meet her every expectation. Janie says, "I'm pretty traditional, but I recognize the benefits of a barefoot horse and have come to find I can truly depend on these boots. They've earned a place in my tack room."

Recently trying her hand at her first ACTHA competitive trail challenge, Janine turned some heads. Her flashing gelding maneuvered the trail with ease in his Easyboot Glove hoof boots. Janine and Patrick proved they have what it takes, winning first place in their division and claiming the coveted buckle.

Janine and Patrick weren't the only entries turning heads in the Gloves. Also attending and sporting EasyCare hoof boots was hoof care practitioner Rhea Benko of Central Coast Hoof Rehab who had a great day taking fifth place. Frank Brinar put the Easyboot Glove Wide to good use on his mount and yep I held my own to a nice second place showing with the Glove Wide as well.

All grins, Janine Layman and Debbie Schwiebert.

The ride was held on the beautiful Midland School campus encompassing 2,860 acres of amazing country in Los Olivos, CA. The campus neighbors the Los Padres National Forest, the San Rafael Wilderness area and the Michael Jackson Neverland Ranch. I hear a repeat is in the works for next year so if you are in the area grab your pony and your EasyCare hoof boots and come out for a great day of riding.

The Glove hoof boot never ceases to impress. Work or Play the Glove is here to stay.

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.

Everyone Needs a Fit Kit

Monday, December 12, 2011 by Alayna Wiley

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

A size 1.5 Fit Kit contains three boots: sizes 1, 1.5 and 2.

When I received the kit, I put the size 1.5 on and right away I could tell it was too big. It was a little better on the left front than the right but the V did not expand much on either foot and the boots were not difficult to remove. Next I applied the size 1 and was surprised to see it fit much better; the V expanded nicely. There did appear to be a slight bulge near the quarters but I felt confident I could keep it to a minimum with regular rasping. The size 1 Glove has worked well for Cal and to date we have not had any boot losses. I started trimming Cal full time a few months after purchasing the Gloves and moved him from a 6-week trim cycle to a 4-week trim cycle. Over time, his toes have gotten shorter and his fronts now measure 118mm x 122mm and 116mm x 120mm but the size 1 is still the best fit.

Cal wearing a size 1 from a Fit Kit.

Fast forward to today and I have a new horse, Bruiser, a five year old Peruvian Paso Quarter Horse cross. I have had him for a little over a year and started him under saddle this past spring. Now that we are settled in Arizona, it’s time to start putting some trail miles on. When I purchased him, I was worried the regular Glove wasn’t going to work due to his round hoof conformation. He has never had shoes and his front feet measure 114mm x 114mm. In my next blog, I am going to discuss fitting Bruiser for Gloves. I was convinced the new Glove Wide would be the best boot for him, so imagine my surprise when I tried the size 0W on and it wasn’t a perfect fit…

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.

Natural Hoof Care in Europe

Monday, December 5, 2011 by Christoph Schork

Dresden, a pearl a the river Elbe in Germany, was the first stop of a 4 week Hoof Care Tour last month conducted by me, The Bootmeister from Global Endurance Training Center.

I have been going to Europe now for the last two years, sharing some gained hoof care and hoof protection Knowledge with riders, horse owners and farriers. The demand for more knowledge is high, people are eager to learn about Natural Hoof Care and the newest Hoof Protection products on the market. EasyCare is the undisputed leader in the world with research and development of hoof boots of all kinds. R&D is of utmost importance to the EasyCare staff. Horse owners worldwide know that. Hence, it is only logical, that EasyCare boots stood in the lime light of my presentations.

View from the Frauenkirche over the Castle and the Elbe.

After an indoor anatomy session and PowerPoint presentation, the 20 participants had ample opportunity to train their eyes during conformation analysis sessions and study first hand how conformation affects hoof growth. Afterward, the riders who brought their own horses, in total over 10, could practice mapping out the sole and rasping the hooves of their horses. I placed a lot of emphasis on developing the skill of reading the sole. Aspiring hoof trimmers generally fare well when following the principle of trimming a hoof no further than to the live sole. It is a safe approach and everybody can learn it quickly.

The second day was devoted to Hoof boot selection and application. I explained and demonstrated the usage of Easyboot Edge, Trail, Glove and Glue-On and afterwards everybody could practice. It is important to actually do things. We humans all learn most by doing, we easily forget when just watching and listening.

Demonstrating the use of Vettec Glue gun and application of Adhere to the Glue on shells.

Finished gluing job.

These coaches in downtown Dresden provide visitors a feeling of stepping back in time. After looking at the hoof protection of these carriage horses, we all agreed that they would travel much more comfortably with Easyboots.

Next stop was Hannover. Well known for the Hanoverian breed, this city has a long horse tradition.

The on-site organizing committee had invited over 45 Hoof Trimmers, farriers and veterinarians. After my initial presentation about the different Natural Hoof Care schools and philosophies in the USA and Europe, we discussed NHC and trimming techniques as well as hoof pathologies and remedies. I presented the thesis and studies of Dr. Brian Hampson of Australia, who did the most thorough studies on the hooves of wild horses so far.

If someone were to conduct a study, for example, on the hooves of one herd of wild horses in Nevada or Utah, the two driest states within the USA, where horses have to travel many miles over rocks and sand to find water and food and then propose to use that feral hoof as a benchmark model for healthy hooves for all domestic horses in the world, would that be a realistic and fair conclusion?

Hampson studied and examined hooves from various areas in Australia, wild horses living in arid areas and others in wet areas with lush vegetation. The hooves of the wild horses living in the wetter areas looked a lot like the average domestic hooves. Does that mean the hooves adapt to the environment or are the hooves shaped by the substrate the horse travels over?

An answer to this question might be obtained by looking at the following photos, provided by Brian Hampson.

The left hoof has the appearance of a typical domestic hoof. Recessed frog, under-run heels, flares. Yet, it is a wild horse hoof. After moving several horses with these hooves to a different (drier) area, the hooves were remodeled by the ground the horses traveled over. The hoof on the left is void of any mustang roll. Does it not need it? Within 16 weeks the rocks and dry ground reshaped that very same hoof. The mustang roll is clearly visible now. The question might be asked, how important is the mustang roll then, when we as natural hoof care trimmers applying it to all horses, yet only a small segment of wild horses worldwide even display one in the wild?

The study also showed that only three hooves out of 100 assessed were free of abnormalities. In fact, he found a 67% incidence of chronic laminitis within the horses living in the dry climate and the hard substrate. When the majority of the wild horses display this pathology, is it still a pathology or is it physiologically normal now? Who makes these decisions?

Not everything wild is necessarily good solely because it is wild and natural. The wild horse paradigm model of desert horses' hooves may not be applicable across the board to all horses worldwide.

The discussions were very interesting and we were only scratching the surface of all the ramifications of the Hampson study.

Discussions of Natural Hoof Care in Hannover.

On I went to Kassel, stop for the next seminar.

Similar to the USA, Germany experiences also a shortage of farriers who are willing to offer services beyond the traditional iron shoes. Many do not know about bare hoof trimming and alternate hoof protection like plastic shoes and hoof boots. Therefore, more and more riders and horse owners want to learn to trim their horses' hooves themselves.

I set up several stations, where people could work on their horses hooves simultaneously. That way, everybody had ample time to practice and learn.

Working at stations.

Onwards to Belgium. near Brussels, I conducted the last clinic. My French is very rusty, to say the least, so everything was translated by Leonard Liesens, a famous and successful Belgian endurance rider.
I learned to speak slowly and to include only essential information in my sentences. And I got my message across as well, without lengthy and repetitive wording. An exercise in disciplining speech.

The historic Market Place in Brussels.

Leonard Liesens checking the fit of the Easyboot Glove he had just applied.

At all the seminars, I also showed slides of the Tevis ride. With all the Europeans now coming to the Tevis next year, we better all put our entries in early to avoid being placed on the waiting list.

The Europeans were all very eager to learn and try new trimming techniques. They are pragmatic and want to use the trimming and hoof protection that works best for their horses. They do not believe that Natural Hoof Care and Bare Hoof Trimming is an ideology or a mantra. For them, it is not an absolute, rather a better and healthier way to take care of their horses' hooves. They do not want to listen to self righteous statements of cult-like organizations. The welfare of their horses is important. That is a reason why Pete Ramey stands in such high esteem in Europe, his open mindedness, his tolerance, his knowledge and non judgmental approach to hoof care puts him in a class of his own and a big step above everybody else.

I did stress the importance of looking at each horse as an individual. The trimming procedure that works for one horse, might not be the best approach for the horse right next to it.

Europe has many more horses than the USA. Per capita, Germany has 70% more horses than the USA. Horse owners and riders want to learn and improve and use modern and better hoof protection methods.
Already now, I have booked several more clinics for next spring, this time in addition to Germany also in France and Switzerland. Natural Hoof Care, Barefoot Trimming and Easyboots are on a roll and gaining ground and popularity throughout the whole equestrian world.

Golden statue of August Der Starke (August The Strong), former King of Saxonia, in Dresden.

A special Thank You goes out to my liasons and support persons who organized the events on site. Without them, it would have been very difficult to impossible to conduct the seminars:

Dresden:     Veit Koppe

Hannover:   Patricia Nastoll and Kathrin Ewen

Kassel:        Martin Boesel

Brussel:       Leonard Liesens

The Bootmeister, reporting from Europe

Fixing Under-Run Heels

Saturday, December 3, 2011 by Hoof Boot Stories

Like most people, I used to depend on my farrier to keep my horse trimmed and did barefoot trims every 6 weeks. Living in Washington, there isn't a big choice of farriers with barefoot trimming experience. Some say they know they barefoot trim, but not all of them do. My mare soon developed under-run heels, so I kept looking for the perfect farrier to deal with this.

Before.

I eventually decided to do it myself. I'm somehwhat of a perfectionist and so I read every book I could find and I and watched every video I could find. Now, a year and half later, my mare is getting perfect feet. We've gone thru a lot together, but I would just read about how to deal with the issues I was having.

After.

Education is amazing. We are now in a Size 1 Boa Horse Boot and before she was a 0. Pictures are before and after, and we are still at it.

Name: Shellie
City: Oakesdale, Washington, USA
Equine Discipline: Trail
Favorite Boot: Easyboot Glove

December 2011: Jenkins Hoof Care

Thursday, December 1, 2011 by Dealer of the Month

Matt Jenkins is a relative newcomer to the hoof care industry. He was burnt-out from long hours working at the feedlot and ready for a change in careers. His father called him one day and said he was having trouble with a farrier and unfortunately this wasn't the first time. Instead of dealing with the frustration of finding yet another farrier, he suggested Matt attend shoeing school and at least learn how to trim and shoe their horses. Matt signed up for school and after the first week, he knew he had found his new career.

EasyCare Dealers at the American Hoof Association Conference in 2011

American Hoof Association Conference 2011: Ida Hammer, Matt Jenkins, Mark Rudenborg, Ada Uphoff.

Four years later, Matt had a client horse he could not keep sound, nor could he keep shoes on it. Fellow farriers came to the barn to assist him, but to no avail.

The horse's owner was in his late seventies and rode every day. On one of Matt's visits to the barn, he handed him one of Pete Ramey's books. Matt was not impressed at first and told him it wouldn't work. The owner was very persistent but a full year passed before Matt took the leap of faith and pulled this horse's shoes. In six months, the horse had recovered completely. "I was amazed and confused," said Matt. "This mentality was so different from my schooling and how I was taught to raise horses."

Matt secretly started to transition his own horses and could not believe the changes in them. He ordered his own copy of Pete Ramey's book and started reading everything he wrote. Soon he started asking his clients to allow him to pull the shoes to rehabilitate their horses. Today, Matt has a client base of more than 450 horses.

He gets excited when he talks about the many advancements in the hoof boot industry. "There have been tremendous improvements in the quality, fit, and ease of application in the past few years. I have to admit I put down the boots in the beginning and would tell people it's okay for a spare tire but nothing will replace the steel shoe."

Returning from 22 miles in the rugged Shawnee National Forrest on the River to River trail (all barefoot horses). Matt is in the black hat.

Matt comes from a modest family farm south of Marion, Illinois, where they raised cattle, vegetables, rabbits and horses. He has a bachelor's degree in Beef Nutrition from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. He paid his way through college by training horses and driving trucks in the summer.

Today, Matt lives with his wife, Rachel, in Vienna, IL. As an owner of ten Quarter Horses and one Missouri Fox Trotter, Matt attributes his success to patience with people and genuine care for the well-being of horses. All of Matt's horses are booted: "We use Epics and Gloves. My favorite is the Glove but I still have a special place in my heart for the Epic."

Matt has been an EasyCare dealer for about 15 months. He carries Epics, Gloves, Glue-Ons, EasySoakers, Rx and recently added the Trails. His bestseller is the Easyboot Glove.

He graduated from the Kentucky Horse Shoeing school in 2003. He also attended any certification clinic or educational class that he could find. "While transitioning my own thought process to barefoot, I worked at the Agronomy Research Center in Carbondale, IL."

The most rewarding experience Matt has as a trimmer is seeing the look on people's faces and the hugs and tears shed when a horse has been successfully rehabilitated. Most of these clients thought they had done everything and as a last resort they reluctantly tried barefoot. "Yep, their lame horse with no hope walks again."

He can remember standing in a barn with a sad family, a vet and another farrier. The prognosis for the horse was grim: nothing more could be done. He remembers the vet saying to the owners "say your goodbyes, we need to put him down right away." As the farrier and the vet left the barn they looked at Matt and asked if he could fix the situation.

Matt wasn't practicing barefoot hoof care at the time and this would be his first founder rehabilitation using barefoot methods. "The coffin bone had penetrated both front feet. His frogs were almost non-existent, destroyed by thrush. What was I thinking?" He drove an hour one way every week for several months, then went every three weeks, then every four. Eventually, the horse was doing much better and he moved him to a six week trim cycle. "I am proud to say that the horse is alive and well and guiding trail rides at a local camp. Later I ran into the original farrier. He just shook his head and told me I just got lucky."

When discussing the key to success as a trimmer, Matt's first response is the ability to admit when he has made a mistake. "It goes along way in retaining clients as well as picking up new ones. Obstacles are forever present throughout life and someone is always watching to see how you overcome them."

Matt's leading mentor is Ida Hammer. He also gives credit and an honorable mention to Eric Knapp, Randy Hensley, Jeanie Wright and Debbie Schwiebert from EasyCare.

In his opinion, the barefoot industry is moving forward at a rapid rate. "Everywhere I go, people are showing more interest in barefoot hoofcare. As rule books change in the competitive arena and barefoot horses start out performing shod, change will happen. I also believe barefoot success is parallel to boot success."

My name is Alayna and I am a Hoofoholic

Monday, November 28, 2011 by Alayna Wiley

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

Calatar competing barefoot at a Trail Challenge in 2010.

My obsession with hooves developed over time and for the past several years, I have done my best to absorb as much knowledge as possible. After reading books and articles by Jaime Jackson, Pete Ramey, Gene Ovnicek, KC LaPierre, and The Horse’s Hoof, I was ready for something more hands on. I participated in a trimming and dissection clinic taught by Marian Figley, who started trimming my horses when we moved out of Cindy’s service area. The dissection was a huge confidence builder and I recommend at least observing one if you plan on trimming. Once you understand the internal mechanics you are better able to recognize the external landmarks. I have seen many diagrams of the equine foot but they just don’t compare to being able to see things first hand.

Marian Figley trimming a sore older horse. Look at her stretch!

Shortly after the clinic, I moved out of Marian’s service area. When I asked her for a recommendation for a new trimmer, she laughed and told me I was more than capable. Now, over two years later, I have been trimming my horses full time and have loved every minute of it. Learning how to trim was such an empowering experience and I have developed a huge appreciation for the hard work of hoof care professionals. When I started, each new tool felt clumsy in my hands, but with the help of some great mentors, I became confident using them. Trimming your own horses isn’t rocket science, but anyone who wants to follow this path should work closely with a qualified trimmer or farrier. I think every horse owner would benefit from learning how to trim even if they choose not to do it regularly – but consider yourself warned, you may wake up one day and come to the realization that you too have become a hoofoholic.

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.

Thinking Outside the Box (Or is it Bottle?): A Glove Twist/Loss Solution

Saturday, November 26, 2011 by Team Easyboot

Are you still twisting those hind hoof Gloves, or, worse yet, losing them completely? Even with the proper use of Mueller Athletic Tape and a good trim and boot fit? I do... Why? Well, look at my mare's legs in the pictures, and you will see why! She is a great horse, but took the philosophy that a little cow-hocked is fine in a horse, and ran with it a bit too far. Thus, she toes out a good bit and with her nice, Morgan/QH rear end (wish her brains were there too: lately the Arab half has come out on that end), she powers along with a good twist to her hind leg movement.

This means every boot (EC styles and competitor brands of all kinds) has not stayed straight on her hoof, and can come off altogether at a canter. Glue-On boots solve that for multi-day rides, but for a single day ride, I don't want the hassle or expense. So I had to come up with a solution for her. I tried varying ones (Goober Glue, Vet Tech products, etc) and finally found a cheap and fairly easy solution: a bottle of Gorilla Glue and some athletic tape.

How it Works
1) Use athletic tape on the hoof as you usually would (see how she toes out? Add a "twist" with every push off of the hoof, and you have a lot of torque on the boots).

2) Put on the Gloves as usual. I put power straps on the inside here, but also use them on the outside. With Gorilla Glue, the boots are totally re-useable. This is the fourth gluing on these particular boots.

3) Gather your tools: Gorilla Glue, flat head screwdriver (smallish is better), gloves for your hands, and more athletic tape or duck tape if you prefer.

4) This is where it can get tricky if your horse is new at it. Having a helper hold up one of your horse's front feet to keep them from picking up the rear one or walking off can help until (like my mare) they figure out you want them to keep the foot down and still.

Insert the screwdriver between the hoof wall and the boot, gently prying hte boot away from the wall and exposing a gap. Start near the back where the gaiter attaches and work all the way around the hoof (see photo below).

5) Insert tip of the GG bottle into the gap, and squirt glue down into the boot. You will figure out with trial and error how much you need. Just like with Adhere and Glue-On boots, some horses need more or less. Try at home before you go to an event. Do this all around the boot from gaiter edge to the other gaiter edge. I have not needed any in the rear of the boot so far, and a little will flow back there anyway on its own. Using two hands works best. I had to take a picture with one hand, so had to figure out how to balance the bottle and screwdriver in the other.

Below is a close-up of the glue down in the gap. GG foams up as it dries, expanding and thus filling in some of the gaps that cause the rear boots not to fit as well, as well as providing 'stick factor'.

6) Take your roll of athletic (or other) tape and wrap it around the top edge of the boot, all the way behind the heels and the front. A few times around is usually plenty. This helps keep things in place while the glue dries (it takes a few hours) and puts a little pressure on the boot to help the glue foam into all the gaps, instead of out the top of the boot. You can see the foamy old glue on the outside of the boot.

Both feet finished and waiting to dry. Do this after a ride or anything else that will cause your horse to move around too much. Remember, it takes a few hours to really set up nicely, and you don't want it to set up twisted on the hoof. I do this the night before an event and just leave the gaiters loose overnight, then tighten in the morning.

Removal and Cleanup
Removal works just like with Glue-Ons. Using a flat-head screwdriver and a rubber mallet, carefully pry the boot away from the hoof. This works best if you stick the screwdriver head between the hoofwall and the athletic tape. Once you get the boot off, just pull the tape out of the boot, which removes most of the glue.

I actually like some of the glue to stay in, as it creates a custom shimming in the boot, so I can use the boots on training rides with minimal twist and no glue. Just mark the boots so you know which goes on the right and left hoof. The glue comes out pretty well, and it is 'softish', so leaving some residue in the boot (even on the soles) doesn't bother the horse.

This was a shot of the boots after three gluings, just before I put them on for this one.

You can see how the glue and some left over tape has lined the inside of the boot, making it somewhat of a custom fit boot.

And the other boot: much less glue stuck to this one. You can see the power strap a bit better on the inside as well.

I hope this helps a few of you. It works great on my horse, and we tried it on a little gaited horse that also twists off Gloves. It worked great for her too!

Natalie Herman

An Epic Fitting Solution

Friday, November 25, 2011 by Sabrina Liska

Submitted by Sabrina Liska, Team Easyboot 2011 Member

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

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

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

My fingers showing 10 to 2 on the boot.

I then put a bead of the Goober Glue inside the boot.

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

Here's a picture of one of the boots after the ride. Waddya think?

Sabrina Liska

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.

Horse Hoof Trimming

Thoroughbred Feet are Just Fine: Meet Garwin

February 2012: Easyboot SA

Minerals Are Good for the Hoof

Starting From Scratch - Part 3

Starting From Scratch - Part 2

Starting From Scratch - Part 1

Procrastination

5 Ways To Sharpen Your Knife

2011: The Biggest EasyCare Natural Hoof Care Moments & Changes Of The Year

January 2012: Epona's Natural Hoofcare Services

What I Learned in 2011

Work or Play the Easyboot Glove Shows Why It's Here to Stay

Everyone Needs a Fit Kit

Natural Hoof Care in Europe

Fixing Under-Run Heels

December 2011: Jenkins Hoof Care

My name is Alayna and I am a Hoofoholic

Thinking Outside the Box (Or is it Bottle?): A Glove Twist/Loss Solution

An Epic Fitting Solution

The Worst Feet in the Barn

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