Submitted by Sue Basham, Team Easyboot 2016 Member
My horse Kismet Cognac (KC) has enjoyed great success on the endurance trail while wearing Easyboot Gloves and Glue-Ons. They have protected her feet during most of her 2,455 endurance miles. She has competed in CA, CO, WY, ID and UT through a variety of terrain, mostly mountainous and rocky.
Our booting success began in July 2012 soon after we became a team. Her owner, a good friend of mine, asked me if I would like to ride her the rest of the season and I readily agreed. I felt this little 14.1 hand, 700lb Arab mare might have a little run in her. She had been carefully started and had quite a few LDs, some 50’s and a 75 under her girth.
Our first competition, just a few days after I brought her home, was at the Shamrock Pioneer ride in WY. At that time KC was shod and I was a bit dubious about the shoes ability to last 3 days on the notoriously rocky Shamrock trail. Without a farrier available at ride camp we started the first day hoping for the best. Day 1 went well and the shoes stayed on.
Day 2 was good but the shoes were giving it up. The clinches were getting loose and one shoe had come off by the 25 mi vet check. Luckily I was able to get that shoe replaced and the other clinches tightened so we could finish the ride. After running 3rd the first day and 4th the second day we were in a good position to win the overall if we could complete the 3rd day. The decision was made to pull KC’s shoes and put Gloves on instead. My boot using friends helped me get the Gloves fitted and we were ready and able to ride the 3rd day.
Having the option to use Easyboot Gloves allowed us to finish all 165 mi of this tough Pioneer ride. Prior to the Shamrock ride I had used Easyboots as “spare tires” but after seeing the ease of use and the superior protection the Gloves provided, I became a “booter.”
If that wasn’t good enough, KC’s championship at Shamrock set the stage for our most memorable success with EasyCare boots. First KC went from being borrowed to being MY horse. Second we made plans to go ride Tevis! KC was just 7 years old and had never done a 100 mile ride but I was confident this feisty mare could complete. I was convinced that Glue-On shells were the way to protect her hooves even though she and I had no experience with them.
Being young, fit and a newcomer to the gluing process, KC’ shenanigans made it difficult for the EasyCare gluing team. Despite some serious misbehavior on her part, they got the boots on and we were ready. KC has a serious competitive streak and she ate up the Tevis trail. With so many things to keep in mind while riding this long difficult trail, it was a relief to know the boots were staying on and protecting her hooves from all the rocks and providing good impact protection on the hard roads.
KC flew up the wilderness trail and came into Robinson looking great. My family and friends were surprised at how fast and well she was handling the trail! She is a confident sort of mare and the protection the boots gave her added to that confidence. Long story short, KC completed her first 100 mile ride, the Tevis, in 9th place. She was tired but sound and looked great.
My proudest moment was when Kismet Cognac, the mare who might have a little run in her, was presented with her Top 10 Tevis blanket and ribbon at the awards banquet! KC’s Easyboot Glue-Ons played an integral role in our success, allowing her to traverse 100 tough rocky miles with happy hooves. You know the old saying, “Don’t try anything new at an endurance ride”, well this was one gamble that paid off sweetly!
2012 was just the beginning of our EasyCare saga. KC has completed Tevis 4 times now, all in Easyboot Glue-Ons. You can read more about her Tevis adventures in this blog, No Worry Tevis Hoofwear.