Karen's EasyCare & Endurance Musings

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!

2002 Easyboot Article on Easyfoam

This is a few years old but some may find it useful.  Easyboot 101 For Endurance Riders, Part 2.

Be sure to check out my category on Easyfoam for all of the posts on that topic.

I did the whole 2001 XP using Easyfoamed on Easyboots on Weaver and Rocky.  They did a total of 1925 miles between them and the foamed on boots worked fabulous for both of them. 

Endurance.net still has my journal from that trip online, which you can find here. 

Preparing the horses hooves and Easy foaming boots on. Part 3 of 4.

Below is the list with links to the sections on using Easyfoam that I have completed.  This is part three. 

1. Preparing your Easyfoam kit (what items you need to get together)
2. Preparing your boots for Easy foaming
3. Preparing the horses hooves and Easy foaming boots on - see below
4. Removing foamed on boots

To begin with you'll need to prepare your horses hooves.  Here is a list of items to run through prior to foaming a boot on:

1. Clean the entire hoof thoroughly, making sure to get the crevices in the frog as clean as possible.
2. Disinfect the frog and sole area of the hoof.  I use iodine and spray it on.  Allow to throughly dry.
3. Pre-apply each boot to each hoof to make sure you have the correct size and to get an idea of the cable and buckle or bungee (if using a Bare) settings you want to use.
4. Apply Vaseline (petroleum jelly) around the hairline of each hoof.

Once you have done those things it is now time to get everything together that you'll need for the foaming job.  See part 1 in the link above to make sure you have all of the items that you will need in advance of starting.

1. Begin by shaking both bottles of Easyfoam.  You may notice that the white bottle may have it's contents separated.  Be sure to shake both bottles thoroughly prior to each application.
2. Make sure that the boots you will be foaming on are clean and dry.
3. Measure out how much foam you will be using in separate cups.  Make sure you have equal amounts of each.  How much you use will depend upon the size of boot you use.  It's better to use more and then adjust down accordingly for each subsequent boot.   If it's your first time use the amount that is recommended on the bottle and in the instructions.
4. Make sure you have your rubber gloves on and baby wipes handy!
5. Check one more time to make sure your horses hoof is thoroughly clean, disinfected, and dry.
6. Pour the two foam mixtures together and stir well.  Read the instructions that come with the foam kit as it will tell you how long to mix for (that's my way of getting you to read the instructions)
7. Once the foam has been thoroughly mixed, pour it into the boot.  Hold the boot with the toe facing downwards so the foam doesn't spill out the back of the boot.
8. Apply the boot to the horses hoof.  I like to wait for the foam to become a little thicker than the watery mix it is when you first stir it together.  But don't wait too long, you want to get the boot on before it starts to foam up.  How quickly it foams will vary depending upon the temperature.  Faster in warm temps and slower in cold temps.
9. Have the horse set it's hoof down.  If need be, pick up another hoof to ensure that the horse is standing and bearing weight on the boot with the foam as it expands.  If you don't do this you could have the foam expand and cause uneven pressure which is going to make your horse very uncomfortable so be sure and get that foot weight bearing.
10. Adjust the cable and buckle on your Easyboot.  Be sure to use rubber gloves and a hoof pick if necessary to work the cable.   
11. If you get foam anywhere during the process, wipe it up immediately with baby wipes. 
12. After the foam has expanded around the outside of the boot you may wipe it off with a baby wipe.
13. If there are any gaps around the edges of the boot when you are all finished you may wish to mix up a little more foam and pour in around those areas to seal them off.
14. Use a baby wipe to clean off as much of the Vaseline around the hairline as you can.
15. Keep the horse standing quietly until the foam has set up.  This will take less time in warmer weather and more in colder.  I usually let them stand from fifteen minutes to a half an hour after the last boot is put on.

Some advice: 

• Don't foam on a boot with a gaiter.  Only foam on a regular Easyboot, or a Bare WITHOUT A GAITER.
• Wear old clothes that you don't mind getting messed up.  Often if you get foam on something, it is permanent. 
• Which is why you need to wipe it off with a baby wipe immediately if it gets on something other than the inside of the hoof boot.
• While you can do this alone, it helps to have an assistant.
• I find that it is also easier to do at home in a quiet environment.
• Going for a ride in sandy or soft dry footing prior to foaming can help with cleaning the hoof and having it be thoroughly dry.

Next I will work on part 2 which will show how to get your Easyboots ready for foaming.  In that section you'll learn how to prepare the boots as well as various techniques and tips for foaming boots on horses that may have difficulty keeping boots or shoes on.  I will also explain various ways to make foam removal easier once the boot has been removed.

I will also put together a more thorough pictorial showing the entire foaming process for the EasyCare website. 

Successful use of Easyfoam and Easyboot Bares

Here are some comments sent with the photos by Carol Layton:  Hello from Australia.  I had a great ride on the weekend on Omani Mr Sqiggle trialling the Easyfoam with four Bares at a endurance ride held at Windeyer, near Mudgee in NSW.  I needed to trial the foam for the Shahzada marathon in the last week of August and now I know this is the answer for us.  I am totally delighted with the result, no need to be concerned about the possibility of rubbing from the gaiters.  I mean I have been able to do 160km rides and 400km marathons with boots and not had any rubbing from gaiters but this foam means it doesn't need to be on my mind. I don't have to fiddle with Sportstape or vetwrap.   It was easy to mix the glue together and put the boots on, we just removed the gaiters.   Ride photo by Peter Jackson.

Removing Easyfoamed on Easyboots, Part 4 of 4

I still don't have all the photos I'd like to have in order to put together a really clear tutorial on how to Easyfoam the boots on, or getting them ready to foam (which is actually pretty easy).   So even though this is part 4 of 4 in my Easyfoam series, I've only gotten part 1 done.   I'll make a category (see left hand column) called "Easyfoam" so that once I have all of the parts together they'll be easy to find. 

How to remove an Easyfoamed on Easyboot.  You'll see in the below photos that  I am actually removing a foamed on "Bare" boot.  I have been foaming Bares on with the gaiters removed with really good success.  I love using Bares on my horses hind hooves. 

1. Get together everything you will need:  One or two flathead screwdrivers, water hose, horse, elbow grease, scissors, wire brush.
2. Easyboot:  Use the screwdriver (or hoofpick) to flip up the buckle and then loosen the cable
3. Bare:  If uncertain about whether or not you will stretch the bungee to the point of breaking, use a phillips screwdriver to unscrew each end where the bungee attaches to the boot
4. Start by inserting the end of the screwdriver in between the boot and the hoof and gently prying the boot apart from the hoof wall. 
5. Slowly work your way around from one side to the front, to the other side
6. If it looks like some foam is stuck to hair, use the scissors to carefully separate the foam/boot from the hairline. 
7. Hose down the horses leg and thoroughly soak the boot/hoof
8. Now for the easy part:  let the horse move around - take him/her for a walk, or turn out for a couple of hours, or even until the next day
9. Repeat 4 through 7 one more time (unless you are in a hurry to get the boots off, then go to the next step).  Hint:  If you are at an endurance ride, do steps 4 through 7 above before trailering home, use a sponge and bucket of water to wet things down. 
10. Insert the end of one screwdriver on the side of the boot near the quarter of the hoof on one side and pry apart so that the boot begins to pull away from the foot
11. Insert the end of the second screwdriver on the opposite side of the boot - or, use the same screwdriver and work back and forth
12. The boot should now come off by working back and forth.
13. If the boot is still really stuck on good then try doing 4 through 8 again.  Don't make it any harder on yourself than it needs to be.  As long as your horses hoof was cleaned thoroughly before foaming the boots on, and you haven't left them on for an ungodly amount of time* -- leaving them on another day or two isn't going to hurt anything. 
14. VERY IMPORTANT: Immediately after removing the boots pull the foam out!  It will dry rock hard very quickly and become much more difficult to pull out later.  If you can't do it right then, at least put the boots into a bucket of water and get to them as soon as possible.  Needlenose pliers work well for removing the foam.

*The boot you see in the above photos was foamed on Tigger at the Strawberry Fields Forever ride on June 21, and removed today - July 4.   I brushed "Hoof Heal" on his entire hoof after removing the boot, and it looks as good as new.  His foot was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to foaming the boots on.

Easyboot Easyfoam Ramblings

I keep intending on posting a photo pictorial showing the other three steps on using Easyfoam.  So far I've only gotten step 1 together.  I wanted to get it right before I started trying to explain to others what to do.  I've done a few experiments at multidays this year using the foam in my gaiterless boots (i.e.,--regular Easyboot or a Bare with the gaiter removed), and I think that based upon the results from Fort Schellbourne that I've probably got it dialed in pretty good now. 

Using Easyfoam, Part 1 of 4

This is the first of four parts detailing how to use Easyfoam.  I've put this stuff together into small plastic containers that I found at the dollar store and then those containers all fit into one larger plastic bin. 

Here is a list of each area that I'm going to cover: 

1. Preparing your Easyfoam kit (what items you need to get together)
2. Preparing your boots for Easy foaming
3. Preparing the horses hooves and Easy foaming boots on
4. Removing foamed on boots

I pulled out all of the items that I keep together.  Many of these items are things that you'll already have.  Here is a list:

1. Easyfoam kit (top left in photo)
2. Plastic cups.  I like a clear plastic cup, and they don't need to be very large - 8 oz. or a little smaller will do
3. Gentle iodine spray.  I've used this for years to make sure the crevices of their frogs are completely disinfected before applying  a foamed on boot.
4. Lately I've been using hoof-heal on a regular basis and I think it works well but does not dry as fast as the iodine. 
5. Baby wipes
6. Wire brush (you really need to get the hooves clean!)
7. Utility knife
8. Plastic spoons
9. Latex gloves
10. Vaseline
11. Hoof pick
12. Scissors
13. Channel locks
14. Duct tape
15. Screwdrivers in assorted sizes
16. Plastic bag for waste collection (not shown) 

If you get all of these items together you'll have everything you need to get your boots ready and for foaming them on.  You may not need all of these things.  It's still a good idea to have everything together in one convenient place.