Karen's EasyCare & Endurance Musings

New Endurance Horse Electrolyte Research

Click here to read all of: Electrolyte Supplementation for Endurance Horses: Effects on Fluid Losses and Performance

Here is an excerpt: In conclusion, despite greater water intake with HD, this treatment did not result in faster competitiontime or provide any detectable competitive advantage in the horse and rider teams that participated in this study. Although BM loss was not attenuated by greater water intake with HD, a reason for this discrepancy was not clearly determined. Next, HD resulted in hypernatremia and hyperchloremia, yet at the same time, produced a subtle improvement in owner-perceived performance; it was also associated with detectable improvements in bicarbonate concentration and blood pH.; However, development of hypernatremia and hyperchloremia with HD, in these endurance horses, remains a concern, and until more definitive data becomes available, it has led us to decrease our current recommendation for electrolyte replacement to no more than one-third of the estimated deficits incurred by the exercise bout. 

Driving to the airport

This was one of the more clear moments driving through Washoe Valley this evening on the way to the Reno airport  Made it!  Not everybody did, we saw the outlines of some wrecks and upside down vehicles

Now I just have to hope the flight goes - so far it's on time, though most other flights listed are delayed a couple of hours.  Fortunately they have free wi-fi here, and I've also got a book to read

Looking forward to nicer weather in Southern California! 

Going to Equine Affaire in California

I'm leaving in a couple of hours on my way to Pomona, California for the Equine Affaire.  If you are going to be in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello to us in the EasyCare booth - I'll be there with Nancy and Marcie and also one of our Team Easyboot members.  We are in booth 841 in building 8.  I'll be back in the office on Tuesday the 5th.  I can't wait to see all the new horse related goodies!  It is always fun to window shop, even if I rarely buy anything. I should probably go ask the horses if they want anything - if they could talk, they would probably tell me that they'd like to get fed more. 

Interested in podcasts to learn how to use Easyboots?

If you are not entirely sure what a podcast is or how to listen to podcasts, this post is for you. Podcasts, short for the ever-popular portable iPod and the word “broadcasting,” are revolutionizing how consumers listen to music, continually stay informed, and take media on the go.

Would any of you listen to any podcasts on how to use Easyboots? Or any particular boot.  If so, let me know by leaving a comment!  Thanks.

Items I carry on my saddle for endurance riding

This photo shows some of the items that I carry with me on my saddle for endurance riding in.  I will make a list below that covers eveything I carry when I ride.

I will post again showing how I attach everything securely, so that it doesn't bounce and so that everything is easy to access and not in my way when riding. 

Pictured items go into the front Stowaway pack on the saddle.  The Deluxe Stowaway Pommel pack I use also carries two water bottles.  I don't use a pack on the back (cantle) of the saddle because everything I want to access easily is kept in the pomel pack on the front.  I put items on the back of the saddle that I seldom ever need - like the Easyboots.  I can also tie a jacket, raingear, or a rump rug onto the back of the saddle and like not having anything else there for that reason. 

1)  First aid kit.  It is fairly basic - bandaids, some different types of medications: pain pills, allergy meds, etc.  Everything neatly fits into the green zippered pouch. 
2)  Toilet paper in baggie
3)  Multi-plier tool
4)  Chapstick
5)  Vetwrap
6)  2 Easyboot Epics (one size 1 and one size 2)

I also attach or carry with me everytime I do a ride the following:

snacks (Gu, Cliff Shots, licorice, jerky)
hoof pick clipped to side of saddle

To attach and carry everything, I use the following:

Deluxe Snugpax for pommel
Elastic bungee cord (bought by the yard at the fabric store)
Caribbeaners
Tie-strings

Next up I will show how everything is attached securely. 

Tack Maintenance & Cleaning Day

We got another 6 to 8 inches of snow last night, and more coming down now.  I did manage to get out on the trail a couple of times this weekend with Chief.  The rest of the time is perfect for working on my saddle.  I took everything off of it, cleaned it all up and put it back together again. 

The first thing I did was clean and then apply leather conditioner to the saddle.  Checked the Chicago screws on the off billets.  They are on with lock-tite so should be good, but it never hurts to check on stuff like that!  Checked over everything else - stirrup leathers, stirrups, clips, tie strings and D-rings. to make sure everything is in good order. 

I cleaned up my sheepskin cover and also leather conditioned it as well.  It gets dirty and sweaty during the year from my leg, and becomes crusty and hard.  A good washing, then conditioning does wonders for it.  You'd never know how many hours and miles this particular cover has done - it is definitely holding it's own very well.  I'm using the Bob Marshall cover, and incidentally it works super well for my Freeform saddle too. 

Next I'll post photos with a list of the items that I carry with me on my saddle.  I will also show how I secure everything so that nothing bounces.  I like to have everything easy to get to.  When I get time I'll do the same for the Freeform saddle. 

Horse Blankets for the Top 25 Riders in the EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest

Finally got a moment to take a photo of Chief modeling one of the blankets.  They are embroidered on both sides with the EasyCare horse and Award insignia.  The blanket itself is nice - it's lined with a smooth liner and is waterproof on the outside.  Since the embroidery was done before the blanket was sewn together, the only thing touching the horse on the inside is the smooth liner.  It's perfect for using at rides to keep a horse clean, or dry.  I know I will like using mine because it folds up so nice and will be great to use in a crewbag.

The top 25 riders from the '07 hoof boot contest are going to be awarded with these horse blankets at the AERC convention in Reno Februrary 29-March 1, 2008.  In addition to the horse blankets to the top 25, the top 10 riders won a total of $10,000 between them!  Another $10k is up for grabs in '08.  Click here to learn how to enter the contest - if you are using EasyCare boots you shouldn't pass up the opportunity - in addition to the prize money we will also be giving away a lot of other things like boots, ride entries, etc!  We have gotten in results from several riders for rides completed this season already.  We will work on getting an updated list of the '08 results on the website this coming week. 

Here is a list of the of the ride results and boot contest winners from 2007.   The contest grew by over 400% in 2007 over 2006 by number of riders.  That is a pretty big increase!  I expect that it will keep growing simply because more and more horse owners are learning about the benefits of natural hoofcare.  Using boots during competitions while allowing the horse to be barefoot the rest of the time is a great way to balance having a natural lifestyle that is both beneficial and healthy for our horses.  I think that many riders will also discover that using boots in place of shoeing a horse can also be a cost savings, which is another great benefit.  It'll be an even bigger savings for an average horse owner who can ride for an entire year in a set of boots. 

Remember - if you are an endurance rider who has been using EasyCare boots and need repairs done on them to let us know!  Bring them to the AERC Convention and get them repaired.  Click here for a previous blog post explaining how it works. 

How to Install an Easyboot Gaiter on an Easyboot

On the EasyCare website in the Education dropdown menu there is a new section called "Repairs".  We have the first how-to up on installing an Easyboot Gaiter on an existing Easyboot.  You'll be able to view step by step instructions with photos to show how to do this.  Everything you need to know in order to turn a regular Easyboot into an Epic is right there. 

If you'd like to see a tutorial on something in particular, let me know.  We will be working to include many more topics that will help end users do their own repairs to their boots.  I'm also going to be working on improving the quality of the educational videos that are on the site.  I'm still researching what type of video camera to get that would work the best for this.  Suggestions welcome!  I need something that will take great quality video AND audio, and doesn't have a huge pricetag. 

Getting OUT of your In-Box; how to survive in Outlook

I survived my first week using Outlook 2007.  How did I do it?  Well, I found this nifty little add on program (it's free!) that installed easily and has been working flawlessly.  The program is called Xobni, which is in-box spelled backwards.  I have certainly felt this week as if all of my email was backwards that's for sure!  Xobni has done a fantastic job and definitely made the changover to Outlook a lot less painful.  Click on the Xobni graphic to learn more:

The biggest issue is that since Outlook did such a poor job of importing things from Eudora for me, I had to start with no contacts, so each time I've emailed somebody new I have to type in their address, or go look it up in Eudora.  It has been a real productivity killer. 

Even with the frustrations with email this week, it hasn't been all bad. Last weekend I got a new phone - a HTC Tilt.  So far, I love it!  It does quite a lot include syncing my email, calendar and contacts (now that I've got them organized, somewhat).  I did learn the hard way (oops) when the boss called for a meeting that the speaker button on the touch screen is right next to the mute button!  You can see in the photos of the phones how the Tilt (left side) compares in size to my previous phone (Blackberry on right). 

Have you lost your confidence as a rider?

Here is a great post from Grey Horse Matters called "Respect Your Fears".  Havinig fallen and broken my clavicle while riding Chief on his first endurance ride, I know all about getting over fear.  It's not easy sometimes to get your confidence back.  Fortunately for me, it was an accident and the horse turned out okay (ya think? 7,000+ miles later--with no accidents!).  :) 

I found this group on Facebook and know a few people who should join!  Check it out:  My Horse is Trying to Kill Me But I Love Him Anyways

Description: A support group for all those who find themselves in an abusive relationship with their horse, but are unable to leave and save themselves due to their crazy love of said horse. If your horse tries to kill you on a regular basis and you have been through several near-death experiences, then this group is for you. 

I'm still kind of new to Facebook, so if you are on there, look me up!

EasyCare Trivia Contest - Your Chance to WIN a pair of the new Edge boots!

Click here to learn more about the 2008 EasyCare Trivia Contest.  It's really simple - you just have to correctly answer a few questions (answers are found on the website), and you'll be entered for a chance to win one of ten pairs of the new Easyboot Edge boots when they are released.  If you win you will be among the first to get your hands on these new boots!

The contest runs through March 31, and winners will be announced in the May 1st EasyCare customer newsletter. 

To learn the latest on the Edge boots, check out Garrett's blog.  Click on the category "Easyboot Edge". 

AERC Convention News: Get your Easyboots fixed and help AERC Trails at the same time!

If you are going to be attending the AERC convention and tradeshow in Reno February 29-March 1, 2008 please stop by the EasyCare booth and visit with us!  Chief and I will be there and will be able to answer your questions and show you all of our tricks and tips on using EasyCare boots.

If you let us know now what parts you need, we will be happy to repair your Easyboot, Epic, Bare, Grip or Custom boot (2005 and newer models, so no riveted/older boots).  All we ask is that you make a donation to the AERC trails fund.  Keeping our trails open is very important and we need to do everything we can to help make a difference.

New horse vaccination guidelines

Here are the new guidelines on equine vaccinations from the AAEP.

Ride Across the Americas - An Epic Journey with Easyboots!

We just received a letter from Vladimir Fissenko about the movie that is in the works and will be released in several film festivals in the US.  He also included a DVD for us to see.  The movie is about their expedition.  He finishes the letter with this note:  "Thanks to Easyboots our expedition was so much easier and relaxing.  Best regards, Vladimir"

For more information on long distance horseback riding treks, check out the Long Riders Guild.

Louis Bruhnke & Vladimir Fissenko            

In January of 1988, Louis (American) and Vladimir (Russian) began their voyage on horseback starting from the Tierra del Fuego and finishing 29,000 km farther in mid-September of 1993 on the edges of the Artic Ocean in Alaska (Prudhoe Bay).

At least one Criollo made the trip with them. It is interesting to note that during the trip, they used Easyboots rather than traditional horseshoes. They had excellent results with the Easyboots, and thus avoided dependance on local horseshoers.         

Vladimir is, to our knowledge, the only long-distance rider to come out of Russia.

Equestrian Quotation

For true equestrian art there are no recipes and no tricks, regardless of what saddle we ride in. One has to learn that the greatest attention must be paid to the seemingly easiest things and that that is often the most difficult thing. One of the most important principles for a rider is always to put the horse first, in other words, to look out for his wellbeing in his stabling, care, and training. The moment the human starts working with the horse determines whether he will become a great athlete and artist who will be able to look back on a long, healthy life, or whether his path ends all too soon due to poor handling and incorrect work. With knowledge, time, discipline, and body control it is possible to bring the horse almost without training aids into a relaxed position by honest work. You don't have to reach the highest level, but you must always have the feeling that whatever you have accomplished was accomplished well and with honest work. Then you and your horse will always be content. Im Damensattel: Eine Reitlehre für die Frau, Olms Press - 1997;  translation: T. Ritter

They dragged me kicking and screaming into Outlook 2007

Yesterday was one of those work days you never want to repeat.  We knew that the email exchange server at work was being changed over.  Unfortunately we all believed that the migration over would be no big deal.  Ha!  I'll save everybody from all of the painful details but suffice it to say once the transfer over was made, it was determined that I can no longer use Eudora for my email.  I've been using Eudora for years and quite enjoy it's ease of use and how well it is able to filter and categorize my emails for me.  It took a lot of time to get it set up and working this way!

Now - I have to basically start over.  It's like Email hell!  Since there was no extra cost I downloaded Outlook 2007 and figured I'd give it a try.  I already in the past had tried the 2003 version and didn't like it at all.  Turns out, the 2007 version isn't so bad, and even though I had to be forced kicking and screaming the entire time into Outlook, I think I'll be able to manage the changeover.  Last night I was able to view some training videos from Lynda.com and that helped get me back up to speed, though it will still be some time before I'm back to being as efficient with email as I was.  Here are some other videos from Microsoft on using Outlook 2007.

Email server is down

We just changed email servers at work, and it's not working.  If you need to reach me, use my gmail address.  I'm sure they will get it fixed asap, but in the meantime I am not able to receive or send email with my work address.  Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Return to the Wild: The Barefoot Option

Click here to see the entire article. 

Virtual Horse

My Horse Virtual Pet

I may need to call the vet because I think I fed my virtual horse too many apples!  :) 

(at least there's no manure) 

This works with igoogle.  If you haven't already tried igoogle - give it a try.  It's great how you can add various tabs and add in gadgets and blogs in different categories to keep them all straight.  You can even customize your backgrounds. 

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

I think it's great that there are so many new things out there on the net to learn about and explore.  A couple of those things are social sites where you can interact with others including people you know.  It's kind of fun, so check it out! 

LinkedIn  In the top right corner of my blog is a link that goes to my profile - just give it a click.   Feel free to link to me! 

Facebook   Check out the Team Easyboot group that one of the TE members set up here.

Twitter  yet another way to stay connected with family, friends and co-workers.

Death Valley Ride Results

Results from the 2007 Death Valley Encounter can be found on the sunriseranchrides.com website.

In case you missed the photos, you can find them here. 

Next year the ride will be completely different!  It's going to be great so stay tuned to the SRR website for more information.  It will still be point to point but will start and run opposite of how it was this year, with different camps.   We will have a much better location for the New Year's  party.  Yay!!   

Bin Laden Son Wants to Be Peace Activist - by doing a 3000 mile endurance ride

Here is an article from AP about Bin Laden's son and how he wants to be a peace activist by riding 3000 miles on horseback.  I like that he's trying to make peace, and he can't be all bad if he wants to ride a horse that far and help children that are the victims of war.  That won't be easy. 

Too Proud to Ride a Cow

I just received a personally signed copy of  "Too Proud to Ride a Cow" from Bernie Harberts.  Bernie is currently on another expedition/adventure right now with Mule Polly. 

Bernie likes using Easyboots on his mules.  In his book on page 98 he says "Finally, I'd come up with a hoof care system for long distance horse travel".  He shows a photo and explains the modifications he has made to his Easyboots. 

In the back of the book is a great photo of his mules standing on the "center of the world" with their Easyboots on.  We even have a page on the EasyCare site for Bernie - check it out to see what some of his latest adventures are!  He's quite a character and I am sure is having the time of his life.  I love this video of Bernie and Mule Polly attending a drive-in theatre. 

Proposed State park Closures - State of California

If you know somebody who lives in California, please pass this on to them.

Interest and Commitment

There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient.  When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.  Kenneth Blanchard

Netflix goes unlimited

I got this email from Netflix today, which is no doubt in response to Apple launching their new movie download service.  Click here for an article on that from ZD net.   I haven't yet tried downloading anything to watch on my computer yet - it was lucky that I even read this email rather than deleted it, but I figured that it might be worth looking at knowing what was going on with Apple today.

Dear Karen,

As part of your current Netflix subscription, you have the option to watch some movies and TV episodes from the Netflix library instantly on your PC at no additional charge. Now, we've made it unlimited!

So watch instantly on your PC when you want, and as often as you want. Select from our separate, smaller library of over 6,000 familiar movies and TV episodes available to watch instantly.

- Your friends at Netflix

Horses playing with their ball!

Chief and Zenos are having fun here playing with their ball in the field next door.  Once Zenos got tired of playing with his big brother, Chief carried the ball over to Tigger and now they are playing with it.  It's funny to watch them throw it in the air and run after it.  Everything is a muddy mess here - you can see that the horses have blankets on.  I ordinarily don't like to blanket them but sometimes it's necessary to keep them clean, otherwise it takes longer to clean them up for a ride than I have time for. 

New Symposium added to EasyCare Event Schedule

The EasyCare event schedule has been recently updated and now includes the AANHCP Symposium for the Humane and Natural Care of the Horse. 

It is going to be in Reno, Nevada February 24-26, 2008 at the Nugget. 

This event is now also open to the public and would be a great educational opportunity for those that are interested in the topic of hoof care! Click here for more information.

See you there! 

EasyCare money back guarantee

This is actually old news (over a month old, to be exact).  If you buy an Easyboot (or an Epic, Bare, Grip, Boa, Old Mac, G2, Soaker) -- TODAY -- you can try it out and if your horse absolutely hates it or it doesn't fit, you can send it back for up to 30 days for a full refund.  Seriously. 

My horses are all thinking "you aren't sending MY boots back!"  They all really seem to like their boots.  I know Chief is a dedicated Easyboot fan because one time I tried to use a competitors boot on him, and as soon as he saw me coming towards the barn with them, he immediately whacked his leg and caused it to bleed.  You think I'm making that up, but I'm not - he really did!  And aside from that incident, he has never once done that.  Weird, huh?  ;) 

Book reading

I just realized that on this last trip to the Denver WESA show I finished four books!  I read two books that were in print, and listened to two other books.  I just updated my book list in the blog so you can see the last four books.  I get a lot of my audiobooks from my library - they are always updating their selection.  I get the rest of my books usually from amazon.com or audible.com.   It's nice to be able to listen to a book (or music) while waiting in the long security or check-in lines at some airports. 

These are the two print copy books that I read - each one on the flight to or from Denver (from Reno).   Both are fairly short and easy reads - I got through them in a 2 hour flight. 

Who Moved My Secret by Jim Gerard was hilariously funny.  You may need to have a warped sense of humor to enjoy it though.

Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin is the best book on marketing that I have read in a long time! (well, okay maybe the best only since the last Seth Godin book I read)   Here are some of the quotes that I liked, and I won't do too many because the book is filled with a lot of great gems! 

We make what people buy.  If it doesn't sell, it doesn't get made.

The new marketing doesn't demand better marketing. It demands better products, better services, and better organizations. 

In any normal marketplace, if you give people more choices, revenue goes up.

Got any good book recommendations?  Let me know!  thanks.

Tips on winter horse care for a barefoot horse