Submitted by Karen Bumgarner, Team Easyboot 2015 Member

Look what came in my mail box!! Oh to have a quarter for every one of those miles!

Looking back it seems like I was a child when I began this sport in 1977 at a mere 23 years of age. Since then I’ve ridden 18 different horses to accumulate this many miles. Some were ridden on only a ride or two, a couple borrowed like the famous Tulip, but most of my horses have over 3000 miles.

In 1977 I met Neil Glass who was the original “Easyboot Guy”, I even rode a few miles with him. That was quite an honor! I used my first Easyboots at the Mt Burney ride in California. The Easyboots were placed over the shoes on my big Appy Sunny Spots R for added rock protection. In the early years of the sport, that’s what we did with Easyboots. Then along came the EZ foam which filled the spaces, kept out the dirt and was also somewhat adhesive.

The new boot designs started rolling out in 2007, I think, and Team Easyboot was started and I was happily part of that. I used the Bares on Rushcreek Hollie. When the new Epics came out I used them on Z Summer Thunder. Ahhhh, but then the Gloves were released. These are my favorite, my standby, my “go to” boot, the boot that I use on every horse I own! They seldom come off, they’re easy to put on, they wear better than iron and they provide my horses plenty of rock protection.

Owyhee River Challenge, and three of my horses in Gloves. Left : My daughter Andi Sorrell riding Z Blue Lightening, myself aboard Z Summer Thunder, and my good friend, Junior rider Beth Nicholes on The Big Brass. We finished 8, 9 & 10 overall with Beth being First Junior! Photo by Merri Melde

I’m guesstimating over 5000 of my AERC miles have been ridden on horses wearing Easyboot Gloves! Hard to say how many miles I rode in regular Easyboots over shoes or using Bares or Epics but they added to the total. So I have to say, mile after mile, thanks EasyCare for helping me be successful!