We are often asked for articles on Natural Horse Care, Natural Hoof Trimming and Barefoot Trimming. Over the years EasyCare has compiled a nice database of articles on these topics and many others about the barefoot horse. Easy boots for horses and natural trimming techniques go hand in hand.
Articles on EasyCare boots and natural trimming can be found by clicking on the education section of the website and then clicking on articles. Articles are then sorted by Hoof Boots, The Barefoot Horse, Natural Horse Care History and Education and Ride Stories.
Here are some of our staff favorites.
1. Is Shoeing a Necessary Evil? By Dr. Neel Glass. “What then, is a better way? We have seen that barefoot is best if there are no hoof protection, traction, or treatment needs. Often there are these needs, but usually not continuously. After all, even a well used horse spends most of its time in the stall, corral, or pasture where hoof protection and traction aren’t required. People don’t usually go to bed with their shoes on. Why should a horse be forced to?”
Dr Neel Glass holding one of the first hoof boots
2. Boots and Pads: A True Breakthrough in Healing. By Pete Ramey. “When I started my own journey away from fixed metal shoeing and into the “barefoot world” in ’98, I looked at hoof boots simply as a crutch to help me through “transition”. When you pull shoes off a horse with truly healthy feet, or if you start natural hoof care early, with a foal there is little or no need for boots. In fact, we usually only need them long-term, when the riding terrain varies wildly from the living terrain. When you pull shoes off a horse with unhealthy feet, though, the boots are wonderful for keeping the horse and rider happy while we wait for the hooves to become healthy.
3. The development of the Easyboot. “In 1972, Dr. Glass decided to conduct his own test of Easyboots in endurance riding. Other riders were beginning to use Easyboots as “spare tires” in such rides. He decided to use them throughout the entire race. He tied for 5th place in the first Los Alamos Endurance Ride in 1973. Easyboots were a success! Over the next several years he and his wife, Lucille, each rode more than 5,000 miles in American Endurance Ride Conference sanctioned rides. Essentially all of the miles completed by Dr. Glass and Lucille, were with Easyboots over bare hooves. Easyboots proved their worth in these events. “