Natural Hoof Care

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

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


Stay tuned for more updates and news on the collaboration. 

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!

Gail Snyder recently wrote an interesting two-part article for Natural Horse Magazine on the best practices for managing and preventing thrush.

"Thrush is as controversial a topic as any in the equine world. Everyone has a tried-and-true remedy with free advice for you. If you doubt that statement, type "horse thrush" into an online search engine. In this two part series, I'll cover the topic of thrush in detail."

Natural Horse Magazine graciously gave us permission to make the article available to our readers. Simply click on the links below to download a PDF version of the articles. Note: this function requires Adobe Reader to be installed on your computer. If you don't have it yet, you can download Adobe Reader by clicking on http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Here are the downloads to the articles:

Thrush: Restoring Hoof Health Naturally - Part 1
Thrush: Restoring Hoof Health Naturally - Part 2

Let me know what you think of them.

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".

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?

Happy New Year from EasyCare. I am always amazed at how quickly time passes. I joined the EasyCare team just over five years ago and it seems like a single blink. As each new year begins, I write my professional and personal goals and reflect on years past. In December I was thinking about all the changes I've seen in alternative hoof care in the past five years. Our market is on fire! I see it not only on a day-to-day basis, but also when I travel (both within North America and abroad). Alternative hoof care has teeth! 

One of the greatest things about working for EasyCare is the pace we move as a company. Take a second and think about some the product launches that have taken place at EasyCare since 2007:

Easyboot Grip
Easyboot RX
Easyboot Glove
Easyboot Glove Wide
Easyboot Glue On
Easyboot Glue On Wide
Easyboot Edge
Easyboot Trail
Fit Kits
New Gaiter design
EasyUp Buckle
New Buckle design
HiTie
Over 120 product Videos
Over 23,823 Facebook Fans
Over 1,500 segment relevant blogs
Hoof Boot Contest

OK, I think you get the point. Our foot is on the gas, so hold on! 2012 will be more of the same because EasyCare is going to continue to develop, improve and grow. Thank you for all you do to help us continue be the world leader in hoof boots and natural hoof care.

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.)

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

A man of faith, Mike weaves his clinics with horsemanship and life lessons. Coinciding with all this is stewardship of the horse and talk about natural hoof care and what means for the horse and owner. Mike has found many people don't give a lot of thought to their horse's hooves and he wants to change that.

Mike's story begins as someone who kept his horses bare simply because it was practical. If and when he needed to ride somewhere rocky, he would end up shoeing his horse for the trip. The expense for a one-time shoeing didn't really add up for Mike and he began searching for other options. He picked up a pair of EasyCare hoof boots and became a barefoot and booted fan for life and hasn't looked back.

Mike believes providing your horse with a natural lifestyle encompassing diet, exercise and barefoot hoof care is as close as we can come to giving them the life nature intended. 

Mike also contributes to the blog at the Houston Herald in Missouri. 


Will you be hosting a clinic in 2012? We'd love to tell others about it. Please drop me an email at dschwiebert@easycareinc.com with details.

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.


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.


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. 


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.  

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. 
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This blog was hard for me to write. It is very personal to my heart but I feel the direction in which hoof boots are taking natural hoof care is nothing short of revolutionary.

A few weeks ago, I have a friend who, with her beloved horse Yankee, completed their first 75 mile endurance ride. She competed in Glue-Ons all around and vetted out with straight A's. She and Yankee were on top of the world! Once home, she left the boots on. With a heavy work week and the holidays coming up, it was safe to let the boots be for a while and pull them the following week.

A week after the ride, Yankee was rushed to the local equine hospital. Yankee was in dire straights with a serious intestinal bacterial infection unrelated to the ride. I wont go into details, but the situation was not in favor for Yankee. On top of everything else, due to the tremendous amount of toxins and edema in Yankee's system from the infection, laminitis was a huge possibility and probability. 

When Yankee was admitted, the vets were curious about the Glue-Ons, how they were applied, and why Yankee was still wearing them. After a thorough explanation in detail regarding the boots, (they weren't familiar with them, but loved them after a description of what was on his feet, how it was done, and why) the vets all concurred it was better for Yankee's feet to have the support of the Easyboot Glue-Ons and to leave the boots on. They were hopeful that the added padding from the Goober Glue and the overall boot support, would aid in the prevention of Laminitis and Founder. Whether or not it would actually help is moot. The fact that the vets were on board and supportive of the Easy Boot hoof boots aiding in health issue is huge!

Yankee is finally home and on the mend after spending eight days in ICU, and he appears to have avoided that dreaded laminitis! Did the Glue-Ons help in warding off the Founder? I don't know. I'd like to think that they did. 

Thank you KF for permission to post this.

I have made my Easyboot Epic love affair known. I have successfully infiltrated a southern Louisiana racehorse training center and sprinkled Epics throughout the grounds, from Barn D where they can be found in droves, all the way down to Barn M where a few people have heard of "that barn" that trains their horses barefoot, and that one horse in their barn (M) wore Epics to sooth his aching feet.

With a little encouragement, I decided that it was time to step away from the Epics and try my hand at something I'd never done before - Glue-Ons. Because I'm a virgin gluer, I invited my mentor, Marie Daniels, and her replacement apprentice to join me in my attempts to become more... sophisticated. After all, now that Garrett Ford has developed an EasyBoot Race prototype, this "practice run" would be the first step towards racing Louisiana thoroughbreds in glue-ons instead of metal shoes.


We had two horses lined up for this little project: My star, Lil' Rick's Gal, who was scheduled to race in just over a week from that day, and Banfish, the two-year-old who was in light work at the track.

We began with Banfish. Right from the beginning we had some real challenges. His feet, still in the early rehabilitation phase of natural hoof care, did not fit any of the Glue-On shells as well as we would have liked. We finally settled on one 0.5 wide and a regular 1, however there was some bulging at the quarters that was definitely not ideal.


We fitted the shell and cleaned the top of the hoof.

Goober glue was applied to the inside of the shell and Adhere was lathered on the hoof wall.

After waiting about five minutes for the shells to set, Banny was allowed to go back in his stall.

He was walked, trotted, and cantered each morning for about half an hour over a 7 day period. He was worked in straight lines, circles, and serpentines. The rider said that Banfish was working very well in his "slippers", and that he hadn't even noticed the first few days that the horse had the glue-ons on his feet.

However, Banfish had already lost one of his shells after only 7 days of light work. Would these shells have stayed on the characteristic 10 to 14 days if the fit had been better, or if we had prepared the hoof better before application? Possibly we did not brush the top of the hoof enough. We didn't put rubbing alcohol on the hooves at the time of application; maybe this extra step would have made the difference. Or maybe the shell fit was just not good enough. We will never know exactly how he went about losing that first shell. Nonetheless, 7 days seems like a terribly short time when you consider how many horses keep these shells on for weeks, all the while going through sticky mud and knee-deep rivers.

Someday, I would like to be a Glue-On guru like so many of you. Today, however, I'd love to hear what you think. Should Banfish's boots have stayed on longer than 7 days? Is there something that I could have done better, or did Banny just not fit well enough in those shells? After all, he did have the worst feet in the barn!

Next time, I'll let you in on how well Ricky faired in her Glue-On "slippers"!

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.


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.





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.


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.

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.


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.

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

Submitted by Kris Goris

Catchy title huh? Let me explain how we are going to make this work: here in the Southwest (New Mexico and Arizona), the average price for a shoeing is around $90, a trim around $50. Let’s say your local Forest Service district has eight animals: horses, mules and in some cases a few donkeys.

These animals are shod on average every eight weeks. Let’s call the first four to six months a wash, since a proper trim needs to be applied every four to six weeks and we have to supply a pair of boots. After the transition period, however, we should be trimming every ten to twelve weeks.

Projecting out, we find that over the next 12 months, the savings amount to about $350 dollars per animal, times eight makes $2,800 per year per district, times 45 (the approximate number of districts in the Southwest region) makes for $126,000 in savings per year.
 
Alright, enough about figures. Bottom line: it’s all about the horses.


By way of introduction: I used to shoe horses in New Mexico up until about seven years ago when I made the switch to natural hoof care. As a horse lover I do what I do for the sake, health and well being of these noblest of creatures. Unfortunately, there are no twelve step programs for people like me: we’re on our own.
 
I tried for a number of years to get a (booted) foot in the door with the local Forest Service districts. Having ridden with them on a few occasions I knew there was work to be done. As some of you know: it's tough enough here in the Southwest to convince a rancher or cowboy to go the barefoot route. A governmental agency is a whole different story altogether.
 
Last winter, I was given the chance with a few of the districts here and so I went to work. The general consensus, of course, was that it couldn’t be done. Be aware that we ride on granite here throughout the Gila Wilderness.

I knew that the initial skepticism would give way to acceptance and recognition, provided I could transition their stock properly. To start, most horses were on stilts, meaning hoof capsules twice as long as what they should be, lots of side bone, deformed capsules, cracks, laminitic grooves, traces of founder and rotation: nothing unusual. The nice thing about these service animals is that they get most of the winter months off, so the initial transition period was to be easy on them and gave them time to heal up some before spring. The second trim was applied four weeks after the first one, then six weeks, then we were able to go a full eight weeks and now we are on a ten to 12 week trim cycle in two districts.

Some of these horses have logged between 200 and 400 miles over the summer months, no boots anymore either during the latter stage. I knew I had believers after the first three or four months since each and every one of those stock managers invited me over to their home to start their personal horses barefoot as well. Then a few of their neighbors started asking questions.
 
Well there you have it: if you want to grow your business and help out a bunch of horses badly in need: go talk to your local Forest Service rangers and stock managers.


Winter is coming real soon. Set up a meeting where you’ll find that three or four people will attend, sometimes even their local farrier. Prepare a solid outline and make sure to have concise written material with pictures to leave them with after your presentation. Don’t forget to take a pair of Boa Boots as well as Trail Boots with you: show and tell has never looked this good.
 
Below are before and after pictures of three of the Black Range district horses.


Hint: equine feet will adapt to the terrain they live/work on and the workload they are subjected to. Nature proves this time and again and shows us great examples to follow. All we really need to do is help out a bit in the beginning and during the transition period. Thanks to EasyCare we have the means to what we do: the Boa Boots and now the new Trail Boots are tools we need.
 
My heartfelt thanks go out to Jaime, Pete, Tom and a few other pioneers in the natural foot care movement who have willingly given us the means to do the necessary research and due diligence, shared their knowledge and expertise, thus enabling us to educate ourselves and hone and perfect our craft.

It is not an exact science after all: it is an art. Horses remain our best teachers since they are all different and require a unique approach; it truly is a spectacular journey!
 
Kris Goris

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. 

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. 


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!


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.

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

"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!


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

1. Healthy, functional frogs
2. Diseased and unhealthy frogs
3. Recovering frogs
4. Pick and **clean**
5. Treatment Recipes (Thank you Laura Florence, barefoot trimmer and body worker)
6. Soaking Recipes (ditto)
7. Thoughts on Out Running Thrush

1. Some Healthy Frogs


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.


(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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.


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.

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. 


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. 


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.
 
Brenda and Phoenix

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

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

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

Dr. Redden's classification of club hooves:


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

How do these club hooves happen or develop?

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


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

Other causes for club hooves:

- Excessive pawing and consequently deep flexor tendon shortening

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

-Epiphysitis

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

-Suprascapular nerve damage

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

-Muscle injuries and adhesions

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

-High/Low syndrome

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


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

Correctional measurements: feed higher above the ground.

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


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


Slowly getting deeper into the fissure.


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


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


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

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

Training considerations:

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

Trimming considerations:

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

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

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


Notice the big dish on this habitual club hoof.


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


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

Protective Horse Boot considerations:

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


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

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


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

Your Bootmeister

From the Global Endurance Training Center in Moab