Transition Tuesday Week 2

This is the second post of a weekly series called "Transition Tuesday".  Transition Tuesday is written by Kevin Myers and documents the transition from iron shoes to barefoot hoof care and hoof boot use.  Rocky and Far are both seasoned endurance horses and have been in iron shoes for several seasons.  Transition Tuesday's weekly blog posts will document the process and learning curve involved in the transition to natural hoof care.  Feet will change shape, boot fit will improve as feet change and the learning curve will decrease.  The good, the awesome, the not so good, and what happens along the way.  Enjoy!

The Stuff That (Endurance) Dreams Are Made Of

3 Days; 16,000 feet of climbing; 45 miles

There are a few fleeting moments in life when everything comes together just right. This weekend was one such experience. Our ride plans changed mid-trip and we enjoyed a challenging three-day test experiment at Groom Creek in the mountains near Prescott, Arizona.  I’m pleased to report a perfect ten for the glue-ons: I’m convinced.

We had the first rain in Arizona in months for the two days leading up to our departure. The trimmer came out the day before we were to apply the boots to get the hooves looking nice and balanced. For Rocky, the rain and the trim would make him too sore to ride. Far would have no issues with tenderness.

The rain stopped long enough to prepare Far’s feet for the glue-on boots. This horse is now at almost three weeks since his shoes were removed and has adapted nicely to barefoot. His hoof wall is breaking out a little where the nail holes are, but there is nothing that concerns me. The rain seemed not to soften his feet that much, and we set about drying his feet out by using the heat gun on the sole and around the outside of the wall. You can tell when the feet begin to dry because they change color.

The trick is to have everything at hand. Here is a photo of the materials we used to apply the boots.

We cleaned the sole with a wire brush and then used the rasp on the hoof wall. We were not aggressive with the rasping because the trimmer had just been out the day before. These photos show drying the foot with a heat gun and then cleaning it with a wire brush.

This photo shows us rasping the hoof wall.

We followed the EasyCare preparation and glue instructions. One of the things that has prevented me from trying barefoot is my perception of the work involved. I really don’t know why I waited so long. The instructions are easy to follow, and although we were not as efficient with the EquiPak application as Garrett is in the video, I was surprised at how easy it is to do. This photo shows liberal application of the EquiPak Adhere to the inside of the boot.

This photo shows us using a rubber mallet to make sure the boot is snug. The mallet may be overkill, but it is reassuring to know that the boot is completely snug. Once we are more proficient, I suspect a couple of controlled twists to the boot will suffice.

Once the boot was attached, we applied a seal of EquiPak Adhere around the top of the boot and then injected Equipak CS into the base of the boot.

We arrived at the horse camp just before lunch and set off on a ten mile loop up to 7,700 feet. I made sure I stayed in the lead so my riding buddies could let me know when the boots came flying off. It would prove to be a great strategy to be up front for three days, but none of the boots would come off. My only regret was having to slow down for the other two horses who were not in boots: they became foot sore on the rocky trail.  Here are some photos of some of the trail footing and the obstacles we came across.

On Day Two we rode 25 miles across mountain ranges; through shale, across rock, through creeks, mud, sand and roots. We even got lost, and I was wondering if we would make it back to camp, but that is another story. I could not believe the boots stayed on in such challenging terrain, but they did. Here are some photos of more trail obstacles and rocky footing.

This is the view from the look-out tower at 7,700 feet.

I really like how light the boots are – Far was extending out nicely and his breakover was early and easy. The boots are so small and tight-fitting that it was difficult for my riding buddies to tell whether or not the boots were on. Far did not take one sore step on the rocks over the three days

On Day Three, Far’s legs were not stocked like the two shod horses and we rode nine miles at a fast clip. He stretched out more than he had done on the first two days. Some of the trail was sand forest service roads and Far’s hoof print was harder to find than the  prints of the horses with shoes. The prints suggest the boot spreads the weight out more evenly than a shoe does.

I was surprised at how little wear there was on the boots – I will feel very confident trying them at a five-day. Here is a picture at 45 miles of very rocky terrain.

Removing the boots was much easier than I expected. I simply used a flat head screwdriver between the boot and the hoof. Starting at the back, I worked my way around the hoof to the other side. You can hear the glue pulling away from the hoof wall as you work your way around. I then pried the boot off and cleaned out the glue from the sole. Each boot removal was less than seven minutes and I bet I will do it faster with practice. Here are a couple of photos of the removal process: starting by prying the screwdriver between the boot and hoof.

I took a video of removing one of the boots. I think a slightly larger flat-head screwdriver would be even better. The feet seemed fine after four days of being booted. The frog peeled away nicely after removing the boots and the sole still seemed quite hard. Some water had penetrated the boot, but the EquiPak product had kept the boot snug against the hoof wall and sole.

The following photos show the foot once the boot is first removed, and the removal of the remnants of the EquiPak CS & EquiPak Adhere.

This is the boot after removal – you can see there is actually not very much glue left in there, which is why I might try using these boots again.

Here is a photo of the front feet with one boot removed: you can also see how little wear the other boot sustained.

I was surprised at how nicely the feet looked under the boot – Far’s frog was peeling away easily, exposing a concave sole and healthy frog.

I really like the way his feet are looking. Here are the front feet after the boots have just been removed. Note the lack of glue build-up and the nice mustang roll on the toe.

We climbed more than 16,000 feet over the 45 miles. We hand-galloped, loped, trotted and walked. We went through water, mud, rock and sand – the boots did not even budge. I’m really looking forward to our next multi-day – these boots seem perfectly designed to meet the challenge. I’m thinking I might even use the same boots again.

Keep up the boot legging!

Kevin

Comments

[D'Arcy L. Demianoff-Thompson]

Kevin,

That is absolutely amazing. Thank you! Answer a lot of questions.

[Natalie H.]

Aren't they fun? The boots are easier to get off if you don't put that extra seal around the top...you don't need it...they really stay on well with the normal gluing...

[Brian Coss]

Everyone needs to find their own acceptable balance between stuck-on-tight and reasonably easy to remove safely. I feel this is an art, because there are many variables. One key variable is how well the boots fit your horse. I have trouble with the fit on the back feet on my horse. Another factor is the importance of avoiding losing a boot during your event. You may decide not to carry a spare boot [glove]. Another variable is the condition of the trail, another is the sensitivity of the horse’s feet – condition of the hoof wall, distance you need to go - the list goes on. It is a balancing act.
In the beginning I was also an advocate of not putting that extra seal around the top after spending many hours working to remove a set of boots back when I had minimal experience with them. The bead is ugly when compared to a nice clean boot top. But going with the no bead decision I lost two back boots during the 50 mile No Frills race. My horse has very good feet so we continued at more or less full speed for the last 25 miles with no problems at all, other than the mental anguish I carried about whether I had made the proper decision to continue the race. Had I lost a front boot, I was carrying a spare of that size. So even though the bead at the top is less attractive, I am an advocate of the bead. The bead keeps the boot from starting to peel off in extreme conditions and keeps dirt out, and I’d rather worry less about the boots staying on. But this is just me. Everyone’s values, objectives and conditions are not exactly the same.

BTW - this is a very well done article – good job Kevin Myers.