Karen's EasyCare & Endurance Musings

Back from Mt. Carmel & Easyboot Contest Update

We had a great time this year at Mt. Carmel.  The weather was fantastic and the trails in great shape.  I love this ride because it is so colorful with lots of singletrack sections and some technical stuff as well.  A great variety of terrain - we ride in sugar sand, dirt, rock, coarse sandy washes, over slickrock, boulders, shale, through pine trees and pink and orange colored cliffs.  Turnout was good with 78 riders the first day. 

We had several riders in the EasyCare hoof boot contest racking up more miles.  Once all the results forms are turned in check for updates here at this link.  Terri and Oliver are still in the lead.  Have I mentioned before that Ollie is a gaited horse?  He is doing great in the boots, and is sure racking up a lot of miles! :)   

I rode Chief on days 1 and 3.  He had a really great ride both days.  He wore me out on the last day but then finally settled in a bit after lunch.  We went a little faster and that just made him want to go even more.  I used two Bares and two glue on boots on him.  They stayed on both days and really worked great.  He moves very nice in them.  Check out this photo and see if you can tell which hoof or hooves have the glued on boots on?  He had just been bathed and then had sand stick to him.  From a distance you can't even tell if the horse is barefoot or not.  Natalie and Cheyenne completed all three days together with the glued on boots on their hinds and EasyUp Easyboots foamed on the fronts.

You can enter the EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest for FREE! It's not too late!!

Here are the standings from this years contest so far.  It's not too late to enter - if you are participating in AERC or AERC endurance rides of any distance, with two or four EasyCare boots on your horse you can enter!  There is no fee to enter and once you have completed a ride and submitted your results to EasyCare you will be eligible for discounts and special promotions.  Plus you might have the opportunity to win some $$ to help with your ride expenses this year!  Last year the top 25 riders also received horse blankets, so even if you aren't going to ride enough to place in the top ten you could still end up on the receiving end of some really great prizes and awards.  Click here to go to the page to download contest entry forms. 

The current leader in the contest is Terri Tinkham, riding Oliver, who is a Tennessee Walker.  They are doing really well this year and have completed 665 miles so far in the 2008 ride season.  Last year they placed in the top ten AERC National Mileage and finished 2nd in the EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest.  Here is a photo of Terri and Oliver from the Color Country ride. 

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. 

2008 Hoof Boot Contest Verification Forms - New!

Here is an updated verification form for the 2008 EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest.  The changes will make getting the forms signed much easier.  If you are at a ride where there is a Team Easyboot member you can have them sign your form and that will be the only signature required.

We will update the easycareinc.com website soon with a list of the Team Easyboot endurance riders and the regions they are in so you'll know who to look for.  In addition, you'll be able to find them at rides because they will (soon) have logos, stickers and banners displayed and may also be wearing Team Easyboot shirts and hats. 

If you are interested in applying to be a member of Team Easyboot, more information can be found here along with the application forms.  We currently have 100 Team Easyboot members.  New applications will be reviewed and placed on a waiting list for later when we are able to accept more members.  For now we are going to be kept very busy keeping up with 100 participating members!  Be sure to check out the Team Easyboot blog.

EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest Results are Posted & Quote from the 2007 Winner: Dave Rabe!

Click here to see the 2007 EasyCAre $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest Results!  We are in the process now of finalizing the results and making sure everything is accurate before mailing out the ten grand in checks to the winners.  This year we are also going to be awarding a horse blanket to the top 25 riders! 

Entry forms, rules (there are new rules, so be sure to read them), and vertification forms can all be found at this link.

Here is a quotation from the winner of this years' contest - Dave Rabe.  Dave has won this contest for three years in a row now.  He does a great job with his horses and we're happy for him.  Go Dave!!  (don't anybody tell him that I posted another photo of him with pants on - ha ha!) 

The last two years I have ridden over 3500 miles using Easyboots, Epics and Bares on my barefoot horses with no problems at all.  I think that Easyboots give the horses less concussion and cuts out any chance of bruising of the soles, and there is less slipping on rocks and slick surfaces.  Much of my success in endurance rides is attributed to the Easyboot products.  The boots have helped me put 5000 miles or more on four different horses in AERC sanctioned events.  I have used them in over 40,000 total AERC miles.  I will always use Easyboots on my horses.  Thank you EasyCare for your great products!  Dave Rabe, Carson City, Nevada

2007 EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest Nearly Final Results!

Wow, what a  year!  We are still finalizing the results from the 2007 ride season. Riders in the contest did extremely well this year - the number of participants grew by more than 400% from the previous year!  In total, 81 riders completed more than 19,000 miles in endurance rides of 50 miles and up on bare-booted horses. 

It was no surprise that Dave Rabe should win again, his third year in a row!  He rode around 2500 AERC miles this year (not all of the results are in).  1625 miles were done on two of his horses - Rushcreek Okay and Lightning Strike.  He rides multiple horses, and only two are allowed to be used in the contest.   To see the rest of the rules on the contest, click here.  Please note two big changes for '08:  The contest is open to all horses using EasyCare hoof boots riding all distances!

The current standings (likely to change) show that three riders competing on barebooted horses are in the AERC National Top Ten standings!  Several of the riders are also in regional standings.  Also of note, more than half of the riders in the Top Ten mileage standings used Easyboots as additional hoof protection during the year. 

My own horse Chief had another successful year, completing 1370 miles, and passing the 7,000 lifetime mileage mark.  He should end up placing in the Top Ten in mileage for 2007, and may also stay in the Pioneer Standings, and together with Tigger should be first overall in my region's rider mileage standings. 

Here is a list of the top ten riders.  There may still be some changes as the deadline for results is 30 days from the last ride of the season, which was on November 30th.  The easycareinc.com website will be updated later this week with complete results. 

                                                           

1	Rabe	Dave
2	Tinkham	Terri
3	Herman	Natalie
4	Martin	Sarah
5	Briscoe	Cheri
6	Horn	Lauren
7	Benson	Sue
8	Yellow Hair	Eva
9	Frerking	Laura
10	Stoffey	Joyce

 

Stagecoach Ride

Looks like Tigger will get to do a 50 on Saturday.  I have to admit that I'm not particularly looking forward to doing this ride.  It's three days/155 miles -- I'm just going to go out and do one of the days.  Fortunately it is a close ride, only about 60 miles from my house.  I think the reasons why I'm not really excited about it (like I am for other rides) is because 1)  I'm not very fond of the trail and riding alongside highway 50 in a 65 mph zone  (been there, done that), and 2) because I'm not going to be riding Chief,  ;)  and 3) because I have been gone a lot and really want to have some time to spend at home for a change. 

I promised Chief that he would get a couple of months off between the ride seasons, after he did 5 days at Grand Canyon.  I like to let the horses have breaks after they have a big ride season, and Chief did do 1370 miles in 2007.  It will be good for Tigger to get to do this ride for conditioning purposes.  He has been really coming along well and I am really happy with how well he has progressed this year.  And, I did get to ride Chief yesterday so it's all good.  We had fun trying out some of the new boots that EasyCare is working on. 

EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest 2008 and 2007 Update

The ride season isn't over yet!  Current standings can be found here.  Riders have ridden more than 18,000 miles in the contest this year.  That number would have no doubt been higher if not for the EI outbreak in Australia this year.  I'm sure the riders there are suffering bad withdrawals from not being able to ride.  They have my sympathy.   

EasyCare is accepting applications for next years contest.  Entry forms can be found here.  The rules for 2008 are here,  and I will also post them below.   

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. 

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. 

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.

EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest Update - we are now over 16,000 miles!

With the most recent results 74 riders in the Easyboot Contest have ridden over 16,000 miles!  It's great to see so many doing so well with this.  We had a few riders at the Virgin Rim ride who are in the contest and they all did really well.  Three of us did both days of the ride.  I rode two different horses and Rick Leonard and Claire Toomey both rode the same horse both days using Epics or Bare hoof boots.   Their horses both looked great at the finish of a tough 100 miles! 

Here are some photos of Chief's boots that I used on him yesterday.  These boots had all been used before.  I like to use boots that have been broken in prior to any actual competition.  What is great is that you can see in these photos the dome shaped Comfort Pads are in all four of the boots.  I had used them also in advance several times so that they would squish down a bit as they will cause Chief's boots to turn if they are brand new and I start an endurance ride with them.  I had these broken in just right because Chief's boots did not turn at all during the ride and I am very pleased with how good they look after doing all that downhill and going over hard rocky footing yesterday.  Chief's legs are tight and cool today and he looks fantastic.  We'll be driving home tomorrow so he and Tigger are both getting to rest today.  The Bares in the photos have done several endurance rides.  The Epics have too, actually I think only one boot was fairly new and the others have all done at least 250 to 500 miles.  You can tell that Chief is easy on his equipment, which means he is also fairly easy on himself which is why he does so well doing all of these miles.  He is fast approaching the 7000 mile mark.  My remaining goal for this ride season is to try and achieve that milestone with him.  Fingers and hooves crossed!

Cool graphic of rider in the hoof boot contest

This is Kylie and her horse Jack who is wearing his Bares.  This is the second year they are participating on the EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest.  The photo is by Karen White Ellenbank Photography and the graphic is by Elizabeth Oates.  Kylie is riding in a Freeform saddle.

EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest Update - Over 13,485 Miles to Date!

It's great that there are 70 (yes, SEVENTY!) of us out there competing in rides of 50 miles or greater with bare booted horses.  Riders have now ridden more than 13,485 miles in distances of one day 50, 75, 100 and up to five day 250 mile multiday rides. 

Here is a preview of the September Endurance News ad with an update on the EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest.  It's not too late to enter. 

EasyCare Hoofboot Contest Results Update

Endurance riders in the hoof boot contest are racking up the miles this year - they just surpassed 12,000 miles ridden using EasyCare hoof boots over unshod hooves!  It's great to see so many riders being successful keeping their horses barefoot and using boots for protection when needed.  To date, 65 riders have completed rides.  We've also got several riders who are competing in limited distance rides and doing well too.  Rides under 50 miles are not counted in the contest results -- even if they were it'd take a LOT of rides to be able to get enough mileage to place in the top ten. 

We've been having a lot of fun with the contest this year.  Dave Rabe is the current leader with 1070 miles.  If you notice riders listed with 25 miles it is because they did a 50 with two boots.  Using two boots counts at 50%. 

Photos sent from EasyCare hoof boot contest rider

These were sent to us from Ginger in TX.  Her horse Crackerjack is the one wearing four Epics on the right hand side of the first photo.  The next photo is of Ginger and Crackerjack at an endurance ride.  They are currently in the top twenty in the standings!

Recent Boot Contest Results

Here are some of the recent results that we've received from riders in the EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest.  At Mt. Carmel we Easyfoamed on 12 boots on four different horses, and all 12 boots stayed on.  I'll post more info and instructions on how we did that later.  Riders are close to having ridden 7000 miles this year so far in boots!

Carol Layton and Squig 50 miles.  Bendemeer
Joslyn Seefeldt and Pasarab's Abierto 50 miles.  Draw I
Mary Lambert and I'm Bronze 50 miles.  MNDRA I
Lynn Mahoney and SA Fair Dinkum 50 miles. Milwaukee Road Rail Trail
Cindy Bradley and Amaris Knight Moves  50 miles.  Weiser River Rail Trail
Terry Tinkman and Oliver Twist 50 miles.  Grizzly Mountain

 
Mt. Carmel XP:
Kathy Backus and Ace  100 miles
Dave Rabe.  Lightning Strike 100 miles.  Holy Toledo 55 miles
Becky Hackworth and Casino Royale  50 miles
Liz Masters and SSA Bedouin 50 miles
Sue Benson and Rocky.  155 miles
Karen Chaton.  Granite Chief 100 miles.  Tigger 55 miles
Michael Elias and Freckles (EA Secret Agent) 100 miles

EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest Results So far

Riders in the EasyCare $10,000 hoof boot contest have ridden more than 4,200 miles this year.  Below is a list of the riders who are in the top ten.  That may change, as we are still receiving results from last weekends ride.  To date, 25 riders have completed rides, and there are a 100 entered in the contest.  I'll try to keep the standings updated every two or three weeks.  Check back in a couple days for new updates, as we are working on them now. 

I've ridden my horses 510 miles this year, plus Dave Rabe rode Rocky 50 miles, so they are up to 560 miles for the year.  (note: I'm not included in the standings)  Dave is riding multiple horses this year and since only two are allowed to be counted for the standings and awards, it is possible that somebody else might win this year.  I have a pair of Custom Easyboots to give to one of the riders at the Cuyama ride.  We also gave out a free ride entry to one of the riders at that ride.  As soon as we draw names for the winner of the free boots I"ll let them know.  Next month we'll have more cool prizes and awards to give out to riders who are actively participating in the contest.  Good luck to everybody! 

Current Top Ten (this may change as more results come in from rides last weekend)
Horn Lauren
Rabe Dave
Martin Sarah
Hackworth Becky
Briscoe Cheri
Herman Natalie
Tinkham Terri
Bell Cindy
Richardson Margaret
Farnsworth Diane

btw, the above photo is of Steve Lenheim.  He rode all three days.  On the first day his horse lost a shoe, so with the help of friends they foamed an Easyboot on and he was able to ride the rest of the 3 day/155 mile ride. 

2007 Hoof Boot Contest

2007 Boot Contest Entries and Results (so far).  Newest entries aren't listed yet. 

2007 Boot Contestants

We already have close to 50 entries for the 2007 EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest.  I'll wait a while longer before updating the entry list on the website.  It's great that there is so much interest and so many endurance riders who are willing to give going barefoot and using boots a try. 

I decided to cap the limit of the special starter packages to 60.  I put together a gear bag with boots and accessories for a special price for those that have entered.  It's a really great way to get started if you are serious about competing in endurance with boots in place of nailed on shoes. 

I remember when I decided to give it a try.  Chief had already been doing very well with shoes.  I still thought that he could do better, and honestly, I was getting tired of having to stop and check for rocks that were getting wedged in the plastic shoes he was using.  I had been reading and learning a lot about natural hoofcare and the whole barefoot 'thing' at the time and was intrigued enough to actually consider it.  I figured, what the heck, I should give it a try and see what happens.  At the very least, I would prove that it couldn't possibly work, that there was no way an actively competing endurance horse doing a lot of miles like I do could stay sound without having shoes nailed on.  Plus, being that my husband is a certified farrier, he can just slap some shoes back on the horse and we'd keep doing what we already know worked.  Simple, eh?

Well, it turned out that it worked better than I ever imagined.  I am the kind of person that needs to see something like this in order to believe it, and experiencing it was the best way.  Now after thousands of miles of competition and two full years, doing this with three horses successfully I can see the advantages and won't go back to shoeing a horse.  I can't believe I just said that! :)   

That being said, it's not for everybody, or every horse.  It does take more effort, education, and work.  Some horses aren't going to all adapt to using boots, nor will they be able to do the miles without any form of hoof protection.  For some, the time and effort required to fit the boots and figure out how to make them work for each horse is more than they want to deal with.  I totally understand that.  If you attend several endurance rides a year you are already working your butt off, so maybe that additional amount is just a bit too much.  The way I look at it is that I've sent dozens of hours getting to any one ride between the training, packing, driving and the extra twenty minutes it takes me to get the boots on each day (even with vetwrap if I need it) is just part of the drill.  I always used Easyboots on over regular shoes so it's really not that much of a change, other than it is easier to clean a barehoof out than a shod one prior to putting the boot on. 

Good luck to eveybody in the contest.  If you need any help, let me know.  If you have a problem, it's probably something that I've encountered and may be able to help you solve it. 

50 top mileage horses in 2006

Here is a post from Mike Maul on the top 50 mileage horses in 2006.  Turns out that both Chief and Zenos are on this list.  I counted four horses on the list that did well in the Easyboot contest.  I tried really hard to cut back on Chief this year, and indeed his 900 miles was less than half of the 2245 that he did the previous year.   

EasyCare Hoof Boot Contest Results

Here is a link to a pdf of the 2007 results for the EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest.  I just sent a Welcome Letter out to all of the riders who have entered the contest so far.  If you haven't entered yet and would like to, you can download the entry form from this link.  Verification forms are here, and the rules can be found here.  Click here to read about the 2006 Top Ten Winners!   

2007 Hoof Boot Contest - the first results are in!

Here are the first results from the 2007 ride reason hoof boot contest!  Two Australian riders and two US riders have completed rides so far!  We have had 38 riders sign up for the contest so far for 2007.  Good luck to everybody and congratulations to the riders on their successful first rides of the 2007 season this last weekend!  More info on the results from AU can be found on Garrett's blog.   If you are interested in entering the contest you can download forms here. 

2007 Hoof Boot Contest

The 2007 ride season started on December 1, 2006 and we already have had riders completing rides in both the US and in AU.  In fact, Marg Richardson of AU won the State Championship ride (93 km) using four Bares on Saturday! 

I've let everybody know who has entered in the contest that we have a really special deal available for them on a starter pack.  It includes everything they need to get started for the new ride season with their barefoot horses.  There are only a limited number of these special starter packs available.  To be eligible you must submit your entry form to us.  After this one starter special all future promotions and specials will only be available to riders who are actively participating in the contest (which means they are out there riding!).

Good luck everyone, I hope you all have a safe and successful 2007 ride season! 
 

Next months ad for Endurance News

It's hard to read it this small!  Basically it contains the names of the Top Ten riders in the 2006 EasyCare $10,000 Hoof Boot Contest.  It also contains the EasyCare booth # information for the AERC Convention in Februrary - we'll be there doing hoofboot demos.  We got permission from the Nugget to allow a horse inside the trade show -- so Chief gets to come too!  I can't wait to see how he'll do in the elevator.  Weaver came to the convention a few years ago to do boot demos, and he really enjoyed all of the attention.  Chief is also a big ham, so no doubt will also think it's fun!