I removed the Easyboot Glue-Ons that I applied with Gorilla Glue and athletic tape on Tuesday. As I anticipated the bond between the boot and tape was super solid, the bond between the tape and hoof was not as solid. The boots stayed in place well but I would not trust the technique for a tough mountainous event or a 100 mile event. The nice thing about the application method is the boots clean up easy. The tape pulls the glue away from the hoof wall and the boot is ready to go again.
After I removed the boots I decided to give the technique another try with a little twist. I applied Gorilla Glue to the hoof first in hopes of increasing the bond between the tape and hoof. Here is what I did.
1. Clean up the hoof well.
2. Apply Gorilla Glue to the hoof wall. Use a brush to apply a thin coat.
3. Wrap the hoof with athletic tape.
4. Dampen the athletic tape. I use a grooming brush that has been dunked in water.
5. Apply Gorilla Glue to the athletic tape.
6. Apply the Easyboot Glue-On shell and let the horse stand still for 30 minutes. The Gorilla Glue will expand and set.
I'll let you know how this technique works. It's easy to apply and very cost effective. Time will tell.
In my opinion the Vettec products are still the best adhesives to apply an Easyboot Glue-On. The application methods with Adhere and Equipak CS work outstanding. The Gorilla Glue and athletic tape may be a cheaper alternative. Chris Martin's Goober Glue is also a great solution. I personally like to test all options and give EasyCare consumers a variety of choices.
At $12 a tube the Goober Glue might be close in price to the Gorilla Glue and Tape. The advantage I see right off the bat is that you can fill the hoof cavity for a little sole pressure if you want. If you don't fill the cavity you can probably do 8 boots, as you have 300ML of material, which I am sure makes it cheaper. I am not looking for cheaper though, just want works. Keep up the good work, and keep testing. These boots are the best thing since sliced bread, I just hate that we have to tell the competition about them!!
Posted by: Chris Martin | May 20, 2009 at 09:26 AM
I've used Goober Glue for 2 resets now, and it works nicely. Since it is PU like the glue-ons, I customized a boot for one of my horse's "special" hooves, filling in the front wall portion for a better fit.
I've tried athletic tape w/o add'l glue and they didn't stick once I went offroad. I bought some 2-part craft epoxy and thought to glue them to the athletic tape with that...may try that on one horse and Gorilla Glue on the other this weekend.
Posted by: Cyn | May 20, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Cyn- Chris sent me a couple tubes to test. I have boots on one horse right now and I've been super pleased with the results. I love how the material sets up and how it cushions the foot. Good stuff. I need more time with it before we recommend it or sell it.
Garrett
Posted by: Garrett Ford | May 20, 2009 at 01:37 PM
I was very happy with the gorilla glue and athletic tape technique and I was happy with the way the boots could be removed fairly easy. I was trying to find an easy way for training rides. I tried the same technique a second time using less glue. The boots stayed on for a tough 12 mile ride, then I skiped a day and then on the third day I lost a rear boot about 7 miles into the ride. Bummer. 4 people tried to find the boot - it must have flipped off into the bushes.
But I learned that gorilla glue and athletic tape is good for a one day training ride.
For competition I'm going to stick with Adhere and EquiPak in the bottom.
Posted by: Lauren | May 24, 2009 at 09:01 PM
How do the boots clean up using this method? Are they at all usable for another ride or even two? I'm going to try this out tomorrow up in the rocks and then down in a sand wash by the river.
Posted by: Denise | May 25, 2009 at 05:09 PM
Denise- The clean up is actually very easy. The tape pulls the glue away from the shell.
Give it a try I think you will have good success.
Garrett
Posted by: Garrett Ford | May 26, 2009 at 07:18 AM