Easyboots in Mud and loosening cables to get the boots off

Had a great ride today on Chief.  Took him out in the Freeform.  Afterwards it was nice enough that I was able to wash my HAF pads.  Chief's boots got a little muddy.  You can see in the following photos that the mud tends to clog up around the buckles.  That's where you just have to get in there with a hoofpick and grab onto the cable and loosen it then pull it out.  I don't really mind all of the mud - I just work the cables out and then on the next ride the mud will wear off as the trails dry out.  My horses have lots of mud riding experience so are pretty sure footed, at least (knocking on wood) they haven't ever wiped out with a rider going up and down hills in the mud.  Zenos is still learning but already does quite well. I hear riders all the time blaming their boots on why their horses slip in mud - and that may be true in some cases but more often than not it has to do with the horses experience level.  It takes a while for a horse to learn how to negotiate muddy terrain.  It really is a skill, and some horses do better at it than others.

I also used some of the frog support pads today in all four boots.  They stayed in place.  I couldn't tell any difference in the horse, and they didn't have much wear.  I used one density on the hinds and a different density on the fronts.  It's too early to tell anything, I'll need to do a few more rides to get an idea of what might work the best.  So far I think I still like the dome pads the best. 

Comments

[Kathy Smith]

Thanks EasyCare for the trial Dome pads.
My daughter and I split the 4 trial pads. Each of us taking 2 for our front boots. We completed our first 50 in Bares w/ the dome pads!
The horses did great in the new pads and we'd like to order more!
App'ily yours,
Kathy Smith

[Brenda Robson]

I ride my gelding in Epics with the EasyUp buckles on all four. The boots, size 2, are good fitting and do not turn or rub. Problem: The EasyUp buckles on the HIND FEET ONLY pop open when we strike off vigorously into a canter. I've never had them come open on the front boots, only the hinds, and only when he slams his hinds down hard on hard terrain during a canter (er, gallop) depart. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? I have the EasyUp buckles done up in their tightest possible configuration. I cannot fit his hind feet into smaller boots; his heel bulbs are too wide and full to fit in a size 1 Epic, even with the heel strap removed.