Easyboot Glove and Easyboot Glue-On shell applied with sports tape

I saw a couple posts from Australia regarding the application of Easyboot Gloves with sports tape.  At first I just read through the posts and didn't pay much attention.  Then I received a couple e-mails from other Aussi endurance riders who tried the technique.  They said the technique really worked and almost glued the boots in place.

I tried the technique today in the office with a plastic horse leg, Mueller Athletic M Tape and an Easyboot Glove shell.  I tried to duplicate the application methods used by the clever Aussi riders.  See photos below.

Wrap the hoof with the athletic tape.  I applied the tape to the areas of the hoof that would be covered by the Easyboot shell and stayed below the hairline. Sticky side of the tape against the hoof. 

 

After the hoof is wrapped slip on the Easyboot Glove or Easyboot Glue-On shell. 

The technique works amazingly well.  The Easyboot Glue-On shell is super secure and feels glued in place.  It's very difficult to remove the shell, it takes a bunch of strength to budge it and you can't twist it.  I'm super impressed and believe it may keep a shell in place without glue and without a gaiter.

I'll give it a shot today on a real horse on a real ride.  It works so well I'm gonna give it a shot with the Glue-On shell first.  I'm not sure if it will work with the Glue-On shell for all conditions but it will make a huge difference on an Easyboot Glove.  This technique used with an Easyboot Glove will be incredible combination!

Thank you Australia.  Who was the first rider who tried this?  I need to send you a boot care package for thinking outside the box. 

Comments

[Dunc]

Hi Garrett

It was Duncan Satchell who discovered this little trick, Carol Layton has his address details.

This technique was found by accident.He has one particular horse that get concussed when wearing shoes for more than four or five rides so he thought he would give the Gloves a go (he didnt like the previous boot models - too heavy). The horse was getting some rubbing at the coronet so he used the tape to push the boot away from the hoof a bit. As a happy coincidence he found that the warmth from the hoof causes the glue in the tape seeps through the tape and bond to the hoof wall, making this super secure fit (I bet it works better on your real horse than on the model). Duncan S is a very thoughtful trainer (he plays around with a lot of different shoeing and management techniques).

[Natalie H.]

huh...that is really neat! I will have to try that... Anybody try it in wet (lots of creeks) or mud? I imagine on a desert ride with only sand and rock it could work well...

[Jenny Moncur]

Yep - had great success with it on this past weekend. We had four horses wearing gloves and did it for all their hind feet. Not one boot moved and they were quite difficult to remove afterwards. A really great trick!!

Jenny Moncur

[Natalie H.]

So does any sport tape (like from the drug store) work, or does it have to be this one particular tape? So the tape is only sticky on the inside, but not on the side that the boot is on?

[Garrett Ford]

Nat- I believe all sports tape will work. Most are white, I just happened to have a box of black.

The sticky part is against the hoof. The little bit of heat in the hoof causes the glue on the hoof side to go through the tape and get tacky on the boot side. It works well.

Hope that helps.

Garrett

[Tracy B]

Would vet wrap work too or elasticon??

[Megan Matters]

I've tried it a couple of times now, once using sports tape and once using elastoplast. Doesn't seem to matter what the tape is as long as it's sticky. I wrapped the hoof once only, just below the coronet.
Fantastic result. Really hard to get off.
And it has been really wet and muddy here, fetlock deep or deeper at times. 15 to 20 km rides at all speeds over very varied terrain.

Megan

[Tanja Hanisch EQUIPOD - Natural Hoof Care Specialists]

Hi all,

The tape trick sounds really good. Here's another trick to add to our list: if the gloves' gaiter or epic gaiter rub a bit in the pastern area try using tennis socks underneath the boots. You can buy different thicknesses of tennis socks to make your boots fit really tight, then pull them up the leg, close the gaiter and fold the leg bit of the sock over the gaiter and back down. I have done all my quailifying rides 80 km and 90km in epics and tennis socks in 2008 with no rubbing at all. And really - human athletes wouldn't wear shoes without socks!!

Tanja
EQUIPOD - Natural Hoof Care Specialists