We are currently testing a couple new plastic and rubber materials that we believe may be better than the current material we use for the EasyCare hoof boot line. The materials offer a bit more shock absorption but we don’t know if they will wear as well as the current material. The only real way to see how these materials wear is to ride on abrasive roads and trails. I have been fitting one of my guys with one of the new materials on one hoof and our current production material on the other hoof. Then going out riding on abrasive roads and trails to see how the new material wears compared to our current material.
Today I headed out on a chip sealed paved road. The road has little vehicle traffic and was a great opportunity to really accelerate wear. It was pretty cool trotting and cantering down the middle of the road. Listen how silent the horse is. The boots are absorbing the shock and really stick to the pavement.
We spent 4 miles on the paved road and then headed up an abrasive dirt road for roughly 3 miles. Then we headed home to see how the materials were wearing.
Hoof boot testing is a pretty cool job!
The new material wear after several rides. Good news. The new hoof boot material is looking good!
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.
