I removed the Easyboot Glue-Ons that I applied with Vettec Adhere (walls) and Goober Glue (sole area packing) after a bit over two weeks on the horse. The feet were in excellent shape and I'm now convinced that Goober Glue is the best hoof boot packing material you can use. It's soft but offers just the right amount of cushion.
To refresh your memory I posted about the application technique a couple weeks back. I used Goober Glue in the sole area of the hoof and made sure to level it as to not cause any pressure points. Read about the application here. Goober Glue was applied to the sole first before the shell was applied. No holes were used in the shell.
Leveling the Goober Glue with a piece of cardboard.
I did a bunch of training rides with the horse over the past two weeks. The horse was in and out of water, streams and bogs. The biggest thing I noticed with the Goober Glue was less of the squish, squish sound you get with wet hoof boots. It was like the water had nowhere to go inside the boots. In addition I noticed the horse being more comfortable and confident in hard and rocky ground (increased stride length).
Back boots before removal.
Front boots before removal.
As I removed the shells I used my thumb to push into the Goober Glue
that remained inside each shell. The cushioning was perfect. Giving
but resilient.
There has been talk lately about packing used in hoof boots and possible pressure to the hoof. I personally don't see packing as an issue when properly applied. Of course you don't want to apply unneeded pressure and fill the boot with a great deal of packing. It would be like using an arch support in your shoe that is much to big! A bit of common sense goes a long way when booting. If you choose to inject material inside your boot make sure you use two holes. It's very hard to inject too much packing material when excess material and air escapes from the second hole. The holes also let material escape when the hoof is set back on the ground prior to the material setting up. If you apply the packing material as I did above level before you apply the boot.
I did a short video to show how the Goober Glue flexes and gives as I probed the impression areas of the frog with my thumb. If my thumb get's this kind of movement think how the Goober Glue packing will move under the weight of a 800 lbs horse.
Tonight I'm going to use your method to (hopefully!) install custom pads in Gloves - now that summer is here I am not glueing on very often, but I want that same padding inside the Gloves for the 4-wheel ATP (all terrain pony) over rocks.
Posted by: Cyn | July 02, 2009 at 08:38 AM
Where does one get goober glue?
Posted by: barbara | July 02, 2009 at 09:46 AM
Garrett: I have used both methods, one hole and two. Four pumps and it starts coming out the single hole. If you just turn them loose and let them walk around it will seek the level it needs. Because it takes awhile for "GOOBER GLUE" to set it is very forgiving.. MONK loves his boots.. I do my hole filling in the paddock so I don't make more of a mess in the barn...
My Gloves have the GOOBER GLUE in them also, I think the wedge effect may help the boots stay where they need to be. I have used my GLOVES until they were gone and the GOOBER GLUE was still firmly attached inside the boot.
You probably do not need to do this unless you have a horse in HARD training, but it does make a difference in how they travel. I am trying to keep everything the same and still keep MONK barefoot. I have used the GLOVES without the "perfect fit" and do notice a little difference.
Posted by: Chris Martin | July 02, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Barbara- Chris Martin sells it. Learn more here.
http://feiredhorse.blogspot.com/2009/05/goober-glue-instructions.html
Garrett
Posted by: Garrett Ford | July 02, 2009 at 09:13 PM