Easyboot Glue-Ons immediately after application
I continue to be impressed by the knowledge and expertise of endurance riders and horse people in general. At the last couple events, I've had the opportunity to install Easyboot Glue-Ons and Easyboot Gloves with some smart people. During the installation process the dialog has opened my eyes to several things EasyCare can do better and ways we can better instruct consumers.
One of the people I had some great dialog with was David Shefrin. David spends summers in Oregon and winters in Arizona. I first met David at this years' Tevis Cup and then again at the Moab Endurance Event. David is the kind of guy who really thinks about a process and product and then asks questions that most don't even think about.
Prepping the hoof for an Easyboot Glue-On in the dark.
David and I had a great conversation as I applied Easyboot Glue-Ons in the dark. We talked about glue, where the glue goes after you slide a boot on the hoof and how do you know if you have enough or too much glue. The conversation was a good one and David asked if we could do a clear boot. I said yes and we discussed what a great tool it would be and how great it would be to really see where the glue is going. We did a clear medicinal boot in the past and it will be no problem to do some Easyboot Glue-Ons in a clear urethane.
A photo of an Easyboot Shell made in clear urethane. The shell is a bit dirty but it's easy to see through the material.
David and I also discussed the importance of having the horse bare his full weight inside the boot immediately after the glue has been applied to the shell and the shell is applied to the hoof. This weight bearing process disperses any extra glue in the sole area and eliminates any possible bruising. If the hoof and boot are held in the air as the glue dries it is very difficult to eliminate glue lumps and sole bruising can be an issue.
We discussed how important the grooves are inside the Easyboot Glue-On shell. The grooves give any excess glue a place to go.
Grooves inside the Easyboot Glue-On
I stressed the importance of keeping boots clean before the glue-on process. Keep the Easyboot Glue-On shells clean and dry before application. Keep them in the plastic bag, don't let people handle them and contaminate them with oils from fingers and hands. Use a "Fit Kit" to determine the proper size and use new, un-applied boots straight from the plastic bag for gluing.
Easyboot Glue-On staying clean in plastic
The EasyCare product line, application methods and testing methods continue to change and improve because of our great customers. If you have ideas for improvement we would love to hear from you.
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