From The Horse's Mouth

Goodbye- The Last Blog Post at "From The Horse's Mouth"

It's hard to believe that "From The Horse's Mouth" blog as been up and running for over 3 years.  The blog subscribers and readership has steadily increased over the years, giving us the ability to pass on more information about hoof boots and natural hoof care.  "From The Horse's Mouth" will stay up but all future content will posted under a new blog platform.  The new platform will have more contributors, more content and more interaction.  If your enjoyed "From The Horse's Mouth" you are gonna love the new blog.  Make sure you sign up for the new RSS Feed.

EasyCare is happy to announce a new EasyCare Blog platform that combines “The Horse’s Mouth” “Hoof Boot News” and “EasyCare Customer Help Desk” blogs.  The current blogs will be phased out and the all new EasyCare blog content will be found at one convenient location.  Bookmark the new web address and come back often. 

The new platform also allows horse boot users to submit hoof boot success stories at www.DoYouBoot.com.  These success stories will post directly to the new EasyCare Blog.

We are also looking for “Guest Blog Posters” to contribute stories and blurbs that are relevant and interesting to people in the natural hoof care and hoof.  Guest authors will be compensated with schwag and eligible for EasyCare Ambassador pricing. 

Check out the new EasyCare Blog and sign up for the new RRS Feed and get daily updates.

I have added the new links to our main and sub blogs below.  All sub blogs feed to the main blog but if you want to concentrate on one reader you can just view the sub blog.

Main EasyCare Blog.  http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/easycare

Garrett Ford's "Hoof Boot News".  http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news

Kevin Myers "Bootlegging".  http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/bootlegging

Brian Mueller  EasyCare Dealer News.  http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/horse-boot-dealer-news-and-tips

EasyCare Customer Service Team  EasyCare Customer Service.  http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/horse-boots-customer-help

Debbie Schwiebert  Barefoot Horse Professionals http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/barefoot-horse-professionals-news

Transition Tuesday Week 29

How To Increase the Size of Your Horse’s Feet:

A Status Report on The Great Barefoot Experiment

Wendell Berry is a fascinating farmer, poet and author who writes prolifically about a way of living he values. He believes in the interconnectedness of life through sustainable agriculture, the purity of food, husbandry, healthy rural communities and a connection to place.  His poems are divine, and he just published Leaving, his first book of poems in five years.

I’m not a tree-hugger and I don’t eat organic food every day (although I know I should). But I do think Mr.

Berry’s wholesome philosophy translates well into better understanding the principles of managing a barefoot horse.

Here are two interesting topics for you to ponder.

Gaining One Boot Size in Six Months

One of the four horses participating in our barefoot experiment has actually increased by one boot size in six months. Rocky’s front hooves have grown from 00.5 to 0. He’s only 14 hands so the hoof to height ratio is not bad.

Before: Rocky being sized using a Fit Kit six months ago.

After: Rocky in Gloves at a training ride last Sunday.

I attribute this change to the following four conditions:

1. The heels on this horse were significantly contracted. Before pulling the shoes, his feet were contracting and there was an abundance of toe (one obviously goes hand in hand with the other). His hoof capsule has benefited from the opportunity to spread out – and his frog is bigger, wider and flatter.
2. Regular work. This horse has regular work every few days, even if it means lunging him in the round-pen when time doesn’t allow for miles on the trail. When he was going through times of sensitive feet, he would wear Gloves for 12 hours a day while out in the paddock.
3. Regular rasping. One of the tips we got from Duncan McLaughlin was to work on bringing back the toe every few days. Depending on growth, we have been beveling his toe right back to the white line at least once a week. We rasp the hoof from below first, then from above. Bringing the toe back has really helped the heel spread out.
4. Strict attention to diet. This horse balloons in weight if his diet is not properly managed – and he becomes foot-sensitive if he gets too much starch.
   

Rocky’s foot today.

Which is the Right Candidate For Booted/Barefoot?

Don’t assume the only barefoot candidates are the ones who have tough feet. Think again: sensitive footed horses are the very ones who might benefit most from an alternative approach.

Redford

is another interesting case: I resisted pulling his shoes because he was always so sensitive in rocky conditions. He has had his share of adjustment challenges throughout this process. But now his white line disease is all but grown out and his feet are looking balanced and tough.

I took him out for a couple of 12-mile training rides in Easyboot Gloves last weekend. I don’t like to tempt fate just before a multi-day ride, but this horse has never felt so sound – even when he had shoes on with pads and packing.

Discovering my own connection to place.

Put Your Boots On

Wendell Berry’s poems honor investment in quietness, solitude and watchfulness on the world. That should remind you of the kind of fulfillment you reap from a good ride on a solid horse. So put on a set of Gloves and get out there. Maybe I’ll see you on the trail.

Keep up the bootlegging!

Kevin