Written by EasyCare Customer, Elizabeth Stagno
A very wise ride vet once said “There’s a rock on trail with your name on it and it’s your job to avoid it”. To this day, I’ve not heard more truer words during a ride meeting.
When I first started campaigning my young mare, I realized very quickly that she has a stride so large that she snatches shoes. I went to the drawing board and consulted my good friend Nathan Busby who taught me to trim and mentors me. We both concluded her trim was not causing her to overreach that truly she does just have a giant stride, so modifications were in order. I started her in the EasyShoe Speeds and modified it by creating a heel rocker that was impossible to snatch, and it worked! We successfully competed in these for a few rides with no issues.
Then, we found the rock with our name on it in the middle of a 50 in Florida making me go right back to the drawing board. I spent an ungodly amount of money on some very popular hoof boots only for my mare to rip them off while laughing at me. I was determined to figure out what her special setup was without giving in and going a more traditional route.
That’s when I stumbled upon a post by EasyCare generously offering up sample shoes in an effort to thin out their personal stash. I immediately jumped to filling out the online form and expressed that I would love to try the EasyShoe One Glue as I had a hunch my mare would like them. A week went by and I got an email saying I was selected to receive some samples and to say I was excited would be an understatement!
Fast forward to time to prep for my endurance ride at Hunting for Bigfoot in Mississippi. I purchased Equi-Pak CS to fill the space in between the hoof and shoe to provide extra cushion and help block moisture. I also got a new toy! A Hoof Buffy! Holy game changer y’all! This new tool easily cut my prep time in half which also saved my back. I drilled a hole in the sole of the Ones to insert the mixing tip of my sole packing just above the frog. I popped the shoes on to check fit and marked the backs where I needed to trim them flush due to her stride and was able to easily shape the back with my nippers due to the forgiving density.
I set my wild little mare free and she ran off whipping her head back and forth, her own personal stamp of approval. Come ride day, she gladly gave me every gear she had without hesitation on every type of terrain you could imagine: dirt, deep sand, mud, gravel, and roots. She didn’t miss a single step where typically she is hesitant on gravel roads specifically. I am beyond please we finally found her perfect shoe. They were in fact, “the One”.
