Transition Tuesday Week 6

The Instant Transition:

Redford Successfully Transitions Overnight From Shod To Barefoot Tough Training

Maverick Mountain near Prescott, AZ.

The last six weeks without steel shoes have been such a success that I decided to transition the last remaining horse in the herd into Easyboot Gloves and to experiment by instantly working him on some tough mountainous training miles.

The barefoot trimmer came on Friday to remove Redford’s shoes. I knew there was something going on with his feet from the way they were changing shape over the last couple of months. Removal of the shoes and pads revealed a mild case of white line disease, which was causing hoof wall separation within the hoof’s non-pigmented layer. It should clear up fairly quickly now that the hoof is open to the air.

The trimmer left most of the false sole untouched so as to offer the horse short-term protection and assured us that the sole would wear down quickly in our paddock.

Redford’s front left foot: you can see how much sole remained when the foot was first trimmed. Because the horse had been in Natural Balance shoes, there was very little toe on the hoof. The separation at the hoof wall is evident. The brown color is from the Jim Ricken’s Foot Formula # 1, which helps harden the sole and keeps thrush at bay.

The hind feet also looked in need of some love.

I am not a shoeing expert, but I confess I was surprised to see so much sole still there and wondered how it would affect the horse’s soundness. Application of the Ricken’s Foot Formula revealed a very thirsty sole – the foot absorbed the liquid quickly.

The next morning, the horse was still sound on the lunge line and was showing no pain whatsoever. He got loaded into the trailer with Rocky and we trailered up into the mountains near Prescott for a weekend camping trip. We went out for an afternoon seven mile jaunt with size 0 Gloves on the front and size 0.5 Gloves on the hinds with Power Straps attached.

An evening jaunt along some rocky trail.

Rocky sets out to conquer the mountain – and succeeds.

We were not able to get the hind boots on over the athletic wrap on Redford, so he went without. I had added Power Straps to the boots, which makes them less easy to fit because they stretch less as they go over the hoof. I like the added security of them, particularly on the hinds, but I have also not tested the Gloves much without them – I’ll save that for a future story.

We rode along a variety of rocky and mountainous trails. Redford showed no signs of discomfort during the seven mile ride, and the boots stayed on snugly. He seemed a touch clumsy over challenging footing – as if he was still getting used to the boots. When we got back to the trailer I pulled the boots off: there was no rubbing and no debris in the boots.

Back at the trailer after a short ride.

Redford’s front right – you can see the sole has worn down to the same height as the hoof wall. The lines on the bottom of the hoof confirm the boot fit is snug.

The right hind: no rubbing from the gaiter; lines on the sole confirm a snug fit.

It was cool enough at 5,500 feet to start a camp fire at dinner time. Sweet.

The next morning our good friend, Julia Lynn-Elias, set out with us to show us an 18 mile loop up and over Maverick Mountain. We were looking forward to discovering yet more trails in the beautiful Prescott National Forest . We were not disappointed: there were some serious climbs ahead of us. Over the 25 miles of training in two days, we would climb more than 10,000 feet.

We crossed water on numerous occasions, being sure to stop to let the horses drink and make sure the boots got nice and wet before climbing up and over the mountain.

Julia leads us out into the wilderness.

Redford was noticeably more sure-footed in the boots on the second day – he did not trip or stumble the way he did in steel shoes at the race the previous week.

Our trail guide would take us up and over the mountain on the horizon.

The desert flora: quite incredible.

This was one of the most dramatic climbs – amazing hills!

The boots in action.

Rocky at another water crossing.

This was the first time in his life Redford has worn boots with gaiters – and 25 miles of mountainous terrain through water, rock and sandy trails in 70 degree heat caused no rubbing whatsoever.

Redford’s feet are unscathed after his first 25 miles in boots.

The feet look good under there too.

Redford’s boots went through some very challenging terrain and they did not twist of come off. They held up very well to the work and he was sound every step of the way. I am so impressed by the speed at which you can make the move to boots. The 25 miles this weekend proves to me that you can make the transition to boots overnight. I would have been completely at ease in taking this horse to a race and competing on him.

Redford looked good again the next morning – he was sound out in the paddock in his barefoot state (I lunged him to make sure). This week’s experiment was very encouraging. Once those first few miles were under our belts, he was very sure-footed in the boots. He did not show any of the signs of tripping on the trail the way he did when he was in shoes at the race last week. He did not take any of the tentative steps over the rocks the way he did in steel shoes.  His legs had no windpuffs in them on the next day – something I could be assured of having with shoes; and the sole wore down quickly and naturally in the two or three days following his barefoot trim.

I’m well pleased to have a paddock full of sound horses – and I can hardly believe that I have gone barefoot with all the horses. Bring on the next ride.

Keep up the boot legging!

Kevin