Karen's EasyCare & Endurance Musings

GO with the flow ;)

In our search for stability we can seek a life in which there is no change.  We become like a mollusk attached to the side of a rock, indifferent to the tides of change and the waves of new situations.  People who never change escape from risks, but they also miss all the energy and excitement of new life.  The river goes by unnoticed.  Stability is necessary to all of us, but the constant newness of the flow of life gives us an excitement and a beauty that are also absolutely necessary.  Go with the flow.

Edward J. Lavin

Leaving on vacation!

Tomorrow morning we are flying from Reno to Beijing.  I will probably be out of touch from email and cell phone for the next two weeks.  We're going to get to do a lot of sight-seeing and I'll also do a little work. 

Here is the first days itinerary.  The next day after that we get to see the Great Wall.  We finish up in Hong Kong and then fly back from there to Reno.   I can't wait!

Today you will first visit the historic Tiananmen Square, and then the magnificent Forbidden City. In the afternoon, you will marvel at Beijing's splendid Temple of Heaven.
- The Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) Square: the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, where the national flag is raised exactly at sunrise everyday.
- The Forbidden City: located in the center of Beijing, used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years, it is the grandest integral palace complex still remaining in China.
- The Temple of Heaven: the place which was visited yearly by the emperors who performed intricate rituals to insure a good harvest for the whole nation at ancient times.

Living Green

Here is an article called "10 major myths about living green".  Below is an excerpt, from myth #2. 

How would you like to save $50 this year with a few simple clicks of your computer mouse? You would? Then turn off your screen saver, says Powers. Instead, select the "sleep" or "hibernation" mode for periods of inactivity.

Screen savers, which were created for old-style CRT monitors, are relics of a bygone age. The constantly changing pictures kept images from getting burned into the screen. These days, most people are using LCD monitors, which don't run the risk of burned-in images. And with today's software, sleep modes are a lot more responsive and user-friendly, says Powers. So, unless you still have that 1990s dinosaur, turn off the screen saver and use that cash for something you'd really like.

Team Easyboot Selections

We have been receiving dozens of great applications from people for Team Easyboot.  We'll start making selections in December.  That will give people the month of November to find out about it and to get their applications in.  By January I hope to have several of our new or improved products in the hands of the Team Easyboot members for testing and to get their feedback. 

Once we have Team Easyboot rolling, these riders and hoof care professionals will be our core testing group.  We are looking to have a wide variety of people participating.  We want those who come from all backgrounds and disciplines of riding.  We also hope to have Team Easyboot members in as many US states and foreign countries as possible. 

For more information on Team Easyboot, click here.

Glad to be home again

I got home late last night from Tucson and my connecting flight in Phoenix was late, so I didn't get home till almost midnight.  First thing I did Saturday morning was take Cheefy out for a ride.  I was having withdrawals!  I think that Chief was too, as he was literally bouncing off of the 'walls' (or trail, rather).  Dave says to me "is he always like this", and I replied yes, when he hasn't been ridden regularly.  He laughed because Chief just did 5 days of the Grand Canyon XP less than two weeks ago.  I felt the same as Chief did, too full of energy and enthusiasm and totally restless even though I had ridden Tigger 100 miles last weekend.  I hope I can get in a couple more rides before leaving Tuesday evening for our vacation.  While Chief is in hyper-drive I smile and enjoy that he isn't lazy, or losing interest in getting out to see the world. 

I used Tig's size 2 Epics with the dome pads still in that I had used at High Dessert last weekend on Chief today.  They worked well.  I usually use size 1's on him, but he does measure in the size 2 range.  I just have to get the cable a bit tighter. 

The New Easyboot Name is......

The winner of the contest to name the new boot -- Pete Ramey!  Pete was the only person to suggest the name Easyboot Edge.

It took a lot of time to narrow the names down.  We had nearly 1600 names submitted, in which over 1200 were unique (not duplicated).  We narrowed them down, then voted, narrowed down and voted some more.  Discussed which ones we liked or didn't like, and why.  Then FINALLY late this afternoon we came up with the name of the new boot.  Easyboot Edge!!! 

We will be doing more testing of the new boot and only when we are satisfied that it passes all of our tests will it be released to the public.  I am already confident that this boot will be better than any other boot on the market.  It's going to be a really nice boot! 

Applications are still being accepted for Team Easyboot, for those that are interested in helping out with the testing process. 

The next Easyboot

We're still working on a name for the next new boot.  It has been narrowed down to two names, and we hope to have a final name tomorrow!

If everything goes well we'll be launching the new boot sometime around the first quarter of 2008.   

The new boot is not going to be a copy of any other boot.  It's going to be something much, much better.   :) 

Some cool tips for using MS Word

Here are some great tips on using Word, from Web Worker Daily.

Hoof Boot Contest Update

Here are the updated results from the 2007 EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest.  Riders have now ridden over 18,000 miles.   

This photo is of Dave Rabe, who is the first place rider in the contest.  I took this at the High Desert ride last Saturday. 

Southern California Wildfires

The news is bad and getting worse about the wildfires in Southern California.  Here is a report on what is happening from thehorse.com. 

This blog also has a lot of information about the fires in the San Diego area. 

The KTLA website also has a lot of info on the fires, probably a little more detail than some of the national news sources has.  Here is a Google map showing the locations of the fires.

I'm from Ventura (SoCal), and have a lot of friends and relatives that are in danger that I'm really worried about.   My heart goes out to the ones that have lost their animals, and their homes.  This is such a tragic event.   

100 Miles in Epics - Photos of Tigger's Pasterns & Feet

Here are a few photos I took just this evening.  Click to enlarge.  I left Tig's boots on after the ride ended on Sunday night and took them off tonight.  I had regular Epics on his front feet both days of the ride, with dome shaped comfort pads in them.  On his hinds I used regular Easyboots and used Easyfoam in them.  One of the boots was on his foot (pictured) for two full weeks.  The other one just for four days.  I'm really pleased with the results.  I was sure glad to have the pads in the boots for the sections of trail that were rocky, and also for the parts that were hardpacked.  I also was glad to have the boots on for the deep sand sections - the boots help to keep the horses from sinking as deep in the sand as a horse that is regularly shod.  Check out how clean the boots look inside too, after doing 50 miles in all that sand!  I did not vetwrap on day 2 and you can see there is not even a small rub anywhere on either pastern!!  I did vetwrap the first day because I was testing some new gaiters that hold promise  (I can't post photos of those yet).  On the first day I took off one of his front boots at lunch to check inside and they were completely clean inside.  It's all due to the boots fitting him so well.  It really helps with Epics to flatten down the metal teeth and cover them with duct tape.  That lets you get a closer fit around the top of the hoof and reduces the chance of anything getting inside.  If stuff still gets inside, using plumber's putty can help with that.  I didn't do that this time and still had a clean boot both days after riding 50 miles.  I'll try to get a photo album up soon of the ride.  I still need to get photos together from the Grand Canyon ride.  I get a little behind when I do a 5 day ride one week and then a 2 day ride the very next weekend. 

High Desert Endurance Ride

This is a photo the ride photographer took of Tigger and I today at the High Desert ride.  I took a photo of it, so it isn't very clear here.  It's my first ride photographers photo of "little t"!  He had a great weekend and completed both days safe and sound.  This was his first ride where he did two 50's consecutively.  I think he may have the makings of a halfway decent endurance horse!  We do have a few things to work on though.  We need to keep practicing trotting out, and picking up his feet. 

This was our last endurance ride of the season, so I'll have time in the next few weeks when I am home to work with him.  I've been picking his feet up often, and sometimes he's good about it and sometimes he is not.  Today when I put his Epics on his front feet, I didn't vetwrap - and he came through without any rubbing at all!  I used regular Easyboots on his hind feet.  One of the hind Easyboots was foamed on his foot on October 8th.  I did that one at Grand Canyon because I figured if I were to ride him there I wanted to use an Easyboot on the one hind foot that he had the rope burn on.  It's healed nicely.   Then ended up riding Chief 5 days at GC, while Tig played "trailer ornament".  Worked out well, he got to do a local ride.  The fall colors were gorgeous.  Water is way down in the Carson River.  The first day ride start was delayed an hour due to high winds.  The ride was actually quite pleasant though and the winds helped keep the horses cool.  I really didn't think it was windy (think Death Valley, lol).  This morning was beautiful - no wind - but COLD!!!  It was 20 degrees when we started.  Ice on the buckets.   It was Tig's best ride start so far, he just calmly walked out of camp and maintained his composure just like he knew what he was doing - I was so proud of him!  This was his 7th ride so far.  I hope he continues to improve and learn because he is really a sweet horse.  He has a good mind and isn't spooky or stupid.  I sure do enjoy riding him, though after the first day when he was difficult letting me pick his feet up to put his boots on that morning I contemplated coming home (ride was less than 60 miles from my house) and getting Chief.   Glad I didn't.  We have lots to work on.   I love a challenge! 

Dome Pads are Here!

Finally - the EasyCare Dome Comfort Pads have arrived in SIZES!  They are in stock right now in sizes small, medium, and large.  They fit into the Easyboot line of boots, size 00 through 6.

These are my favorite pads to use for endurance riding.  I think they are great for my horses - they give them extra cushioning and support while providing additional stimulation to the bottom of their hoof.  I've used them while transitioning a horse to barefoot that was taking forever with excellent results as well.   Here is an article on peripheral loading and the pad effect. 

Tigger's Upcoming Weekend

The little guy gets to go to the High Desert ride this weekend.  I've been referring to him as my "Trailer Ornament".  He did a real good job of that at the Grand Canyon XP. 

High Desert is a two day ride, close to home.  I'm only taking Tigger so if all goes well this will be his first ride of two days consecutively. 

The ride should have a good turnout since there have been so many ride cancellations in my region this year.  This will be my last endurance ride of the season, since Desert Gold was cancelled (Thanksgiving ride). 

Snopes - Unusual Encounter Proves True

It's always a good idea to check out Snopes.com when getting emails that are likely to be an urban legend.  This one turned out to be true - check out the photos of the polar bear and the sled dogs!

Hoof Boots on Ebay

Check out this collection of hoof boots on Ebay!  There are quite a few boots here.  Highest bid takes all 100 boots!  Auction ends on 10/22. 

Marquis: 4 boots
Saber Sneakers: 2 boots
Horse Moc: 2 boots
Bosana: 2 boots
Hoof Wings: 4 boots
Davis: 39 boots
Swiss: 24 boots
Cavallo Simple: 23 boots

Email Catchup Not Going Well

I've been playing catchup all day.  Drove home 650 miles from the Grand Canyon yesterday.  I don't think I have even made a dent in the emails yet.  Haven't even unloaded the trailer or unpacked anything yet.  Sorry about that for those of you who are waiting for a response from me!  I have a lot of questions to answer, plus dozens of Team Easyboot applications to look over.  We have also been receiving a lot of entries for the contest to win a pair of Easyboots, taking place over on Garrett's blog regarding changes in the 2008 Hoof Boot Contest.  So far most of the responses have been incorrect!  We even posted the correct answers in one of our blog posts.   

We are also still working on selecting a name for our new boots.  We received over 1500 names so it has taken awhile to narrow it down and choose only one.  To make things more complicated, we have decided that we really need to work on two new boot styles so are in fact trying to choose two new names!  As soon as we get that far we'll post about it in our blogs and on the Easycare, Inc. website. 

Thanks for your patience!  Once I get a little more caught up, I will put together an album of the photos from the ride last week.  It was really a gorgeous ride.  Chief completed the season with 1370 miles (I think), and will now get a nice several week long break from any competition.  Tigger gets to finish my ride season off with the ride this coming weekend at High Desert.  Now to get back to work....

New Google Feature - Google 411

Day 5 Grand Canyon

Chief and I made it through all five days.  Below are some photos of the trail today. We rode on the Rainbow Rim trail on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The weather was perfect, and the scenery was fantastic.   In the afternoon a few clouds came in, but they faded off without doing anything other than making the scenery even more stunning. 

A total of 9 horses made all 5 days.  8 riders completed all 5 days on two horses. 

Overall first was Lois Wifall riding Spring Thunder and overall BC was Blayne Chenowith riding Corinthian DV. 

Two riders (myself and Cheri Briscoe) in the Hoof Boot Contest rode all 5 days on the same horses using Easyboots!  We also had Dave Rabe ride all 5 days on two horses with boots.  All of our horses are unshod underneath the boots.  More than half of the overall horses had Easyboots on, the rest just regular shoes or shoes and pads.  All of the riders who rode the same horse all five days received an Easyboot as an award.  The five day riders also will receive an embroidered jacket or crewbag (their choice).  This was the third time that Chief has completed all 5 days at this ride. 

Easyboot Hoof Boot Contest

I recently posted the press release that EasyCare put out about the 2008 Hoof Boot Contest.  Riders can win a total of $10,000 (top ten placings) by accumulating mileage using EasyCare hoof boots in AERC and AERA endurance rides.  We changed a couple of the rules for 2008.  Check out Garrett's blog for information on how to win a pair of Easyboots by submitting an entry telling what two rules have been changed. 

The basics of breakover

This is on thehorse.com

Breakover is important - that is why I like to use used hoofboots so much in an actual endurance ride.  The boots (Easyboots, Epics, Bares) come with a slight bevel on the toe area.  You can add an additional larger breakover area by using a rasp or a grinder to grind a bit more breakover onto your boots.  I used to do that before the boots started coming with the bevel that is on there.  Now, I find that they work just great how they come and by the time I've used the boots on a few conditioning rides they are broken in and ready for an endurance ride.  I've said it before and will say it again - I hate to use new boots on an endurance ride. 

It will help to add an additional bevel or roll on the toe of a boot on a hind foot to speed breakover if you need it.  It can also be helpful if you need to speed up the front, so the hind foot isn't hitting in the back of the font boot. 

Chief's latest milestone

Chief made 7,000 miles today on the Grand Canyon XP!  Here we are riding in towards the finish, Chief is snacking and Dave Rabe is next to me.  Today was another day with great scenery.   This was the third day of the ride.  Three down, two more to go! I don't know if I will ride Chief tomorrow or not.  Tigger is getting awfully tired of being a trailer ornament.  I guess we'll see what Chief thinks about doing another day.  He's done all five days of this ride twice so far.  I'm really happy that he has managed to make this mileage milestone this year, I wasn't really expecting to get this far with him until next season.  He's doing great with his foamed on Easyboots.  We've had three riders here that are riding with foamed on boots and that have done the first three days so far.  There are also dozens of riders using Easyboots over shoes. 

EasyCare Press Releases

The latest EasyCare press release is about Team Easyboot.  Check it out.

For those of you into contests - check out Garrett's blog in the next couple of days for your chance to win a pair of Easyboots. 

Grand Canyon, Day 2

Another fantastic ride today- beautiful weather and incredible scenery.  Today was also the best ride I've ever had on Chief.  Yesterday was, until today....;)

We had 42 riders and 40 finished.  It is a shame that more riders aren't here to enjoy such a nice ride.  The fall colors here this year are the most brilliant that I can remember them ever being. 

Here is a video of Chief that I took yesterday, he was walking while Dave's horse was behind us having to jog and trot to keep up.  Chief can walk at 5.4 mph, which is incredibly fast.  He doesn't go that fast all of the time, but when he really gets motoring along at a walk he is really fast. 

I had the best ride ever today!

I think that every ride I've ever had on Chief has been the best ride I've ever had.  Today was no exception.  I sure do love riding that horse.  He makes every day spent on the trail with him worth living for.  He so loves his job and is so enthusiastic about it that you can't help but see how wonderful and beautiful everything is, even in the most adverse conditions.  Today wasn't adverse though, it was beautiful.  Absolutely stunning!  The sky was the bluest blue ever.  The green and brown pine trees just lit up with the yellow and orange and white aspens against that bright blue sky and green grass on the trail.  I am having flashbacks right now of it all!  We rode on the north rim of the Grand Canyon so some of the scenery was pretty spectacular as well, in addition to the perfect weather. 

At lunch I watched several horses trot out.  Nearly every horse I saw had Easyboots on!  The trail is quite rocky and it's nice to see so many riders want to add the extra protection to their horses feet.  It will pay off over the course of this 5 day/250 mile ride. 

Today we had 53 riders with 51 finishers. First and BC was Howard Kent and Doso.  I'm really looking forward to tomorrow! 

The do not do list

This is a good blog post, for those of you who have tons to do, and struggle to keep up. 

I've been able to catch up on a lot of things here the last couple of days, simply because I haven't been constantly interrupted by the phone, and because I haven't been constantly checking my emails.  Some of the time the internet hasn't even been available, so that has forced me to "just do it", and GTD (get things done!).  It's actually a good thing, once you realize how much the interruptions cost you.  It's nice to feel like you've been able to get something accomplished, even leading up to a 5 day multiday endurance ride.  Riding Chief tomorrow, I can hear him eating out the window from where I'm at.

2008 EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest

Tucson, AZ – October 9, 2007 – EasyCare, Inc. will award $10,000 to the riders who complete the most American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) or Australian Endurance Rider Association (AERA) miles during the 2008 AERC ride season (Dec. 1-Nov.30) using two or four EasyCare hoof boots. Throughout the year special promotions and discounts will be made available to those participating in the EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest.

Winners will receive:

● 1st Place - $3000 ● 2nd Place -$2000 ● 3rd Place - $1000 ● 4th Place - $850 ● 5th Place - $750 ● 6th Place - $650 ● 7th Place - $550 ● 8th Place - $400 ● 9th Place - $400 ●10th Place - $400

Contest Rules and Information:

1. All mileage must be in AERC or AERA sanctioned events of any distance.
2. Each horse must complete the entire ride distance with two or four EasyCare hoof boots.
3. Mileage will be counted at 50% for horses completing the entire distance with two EasyCare hoof boots.
4. Riders can compete on up to two horses. Mileage will be combined.
5. All mileage must be verified with the "Hoof Boot Contest Verification Form". This form requires signatures from the ride vet and two other riders completing the event. The signatures verify that four boots were used on a barefoot horse for the entire distance of the event, or that two boots were used for 50% mileage credit.
6. Non-verified mileage will not count toward 2008 Hoof Boot Contest totals.
7. Riders falsifying results will be disqualified from the contest.
8. All riders must mail or fax the “Hoof Boot Verification Form” to EasyCare no later than 30 days after each event. Forms received over 30 days after the event will not be accepted.
9. Mileage updates and Contest Entry and Verification forms will be posted at www.easycareinc.com
10. All riders must mail or fax the Hoof Boot Entry Form before recording any ride miles.
11. There is no fee to enter the contest. Upon completion of at least one AERC or AERA sanctioned event of 50 miles (80 km) or more using two or four EasyCare hoof boots, riders will be eligible to receive special offers and discounts on future purchases of EasyCare hoof boots.

Upon completion of at least one AERC or AERA sanctioned event of 25 miles (40 km) or more using two or four EasyCare hoof boots, riders will be eligible to receive special offers and discounts on future purchases of EasyCare hoof boots.

Arabian mare dies of horse 'flu

This is really sad - news from Australia.

The 13-year-old Arabian horse died along with its unborn foal on Monday night at Toft Endurance - the nation's biggest endurance horse operation - at Marburg, 100km west of Brisbane.  Click here to read more.

Here is another article with info on the influenza outbreak in Australia. 

Trick Riding....sort of

Endurance riders are so nice, and are the horses really loose?

I just wanted to share this photo from Virgin Rim.  This is my first ride photo that I've got in a frame of myself on Tigger!  This was given to me today by Rick and Cindy, who took this photo at the ride last month.  Aren't they nice?  (most endurance riders are)  It's really nice to get stuff like this that is unique and different, not your typical 'ride photo'.  I also like that you can see how well Tig is riding through the herd of sheep, he really is a good boy. 

Next photo is another one of Chief and Tigger grazing in camp a few days ago.  Once more riders got here, they have been tied up and cannot graze without me holding their lead ropes any longer, I don't want them to bother anybody.  I don't let the horses graze without another horse or horses being here in corrals or tied to trailers - just as a safety precaution.  When we did this, they had two buddies in camp, and we took turns allowing them grazing time.  Horse are herd animals and mine are no exception.  Besides not wanting to leave their other buddies in camp (which, btw, is where they end up at most of the time--standing next to the buddies) they are also very attached to their own trailer and "food".  They are geldings also, which helps, and creatures of habit - they know when it's feeding time!  You can tell from most photos of Chief that he lives for food, and he is also very bonded to me.  I know horses are always good at proving you wrong and humbling you, but so far in the almost 7000 miles I have ridden Chief and all the years of camping with him, I have never had him be difficult to catch.  When I say he is bonded with me, it is in a way that I've never had with any other horse even though I have had some really close relationships with others.   I generally do only allow one horse to graze at a time, but since I was watching them the entire time and knowing how bonded these two are and that Chief is the leader and he will not go far, I wasn't concerned.  I really enjoy getting to watch and see them interact and play.    I sure wouldn't do this if we were close to a highway, or other campers or other trail users. 

Grand Canyon w/ Easyfoam and Easyboots

The 5 day, 250 mile Grand Canyon XP ride starts on Wednesday.  I decided to go ahead and Easyfoam Chief's hoofboots on today.  I don't know yet how many days I'll ride him but hope to ride him at least three days.  I foamed Easyboots on his fronts, and Bares without gaiters on his hinds.  I followed the newly updated instructions and everything seemed to make sense.  It is sure nice being able to glue Chief's boots on for the entire week and not have to worry about them.  I'll probalby use Epics or Bares on Tigger, as he'll likely only do one or two days here.  You can see in the photo with the horses that there is still a lot of color here.  It's going to be a really gorgeous ride this year especially on the Rainbow Rim trail -- we are on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona.  I have internet access here, but no phone or cell service.  I use spinvox (it's great!) to have my voice messages converted to text and then it is emailed to me so I can still get all of my voice messages while I am here.  Nifty!

Updated EasyFoam Instructions.

I've been working on updating the Easyfoam instructions. 

Click on the link to see what I have so far.  Did I miss anything that could help make these instructions easier to follow? 

Let me know if you have any suggestions.  Thanks!