From The Horse's Mouth

EasyCare Hoof Boots featured at Valley Vet

We just received the spring Valley Vet Catalog and were pleasantly surprised with the exposure that has been put on the EasyCare hoof boot products.

There is a full page photo of Debbie Schwiebert (EasyCare's hoof care practitioner and vet sales rep) on page #3.  On page #4 the Epic, Edge, Grip, Bare and Comfort Pads are featured.  On page #5 you will find the Easyboot, Glove, Rx, Glue-On, Old Mac's G2 and Boa.  

EasyCare has many great dealers and distributors but Valley Vet stands out as one of our best.  Valley Vet stocks inventory, they have knowledgeable buyers, they carry a wide range of our products, they advertise and they pay quickly.  They are an incredible partner and a asset to the equine community.  Valley Vet is a great company!

Listen to Julie and Lori talk about some of the great new products Valley Vet now carries.  Here is a radio episode from Stable Scoop where Valley Vet talks about the new Easyboot Glove. 

Take a look at page #3 of the Valley Vet catalog below.  Debbie and Cyclone take in the Durango scenery.

Old Mac's Distribution in the United Kingdom

EasyCare selects Battle Hayward and Bower for distribution of the Old Mac's product line in the United Kingdom. 

"Old Mac’s Multi-purpose horse boots, designed and developed in Australia, are a revolution in the equine world and are now available exclusively from Battles. Old Mac’s are manufactured by EasyCare Inc and distributed worldwide from their base in Tucson, Arizona.

Old Mac’s are just part of the range of hoof boots and associated products from EasyCare Inc, whose long time UK distributors, Battles, relish the opportunities offered by this increase to the range of products. EasyCare is the market leader in hoof boots and the range already includes the renowned Easyboot, Easyboot Epic and Grip plus the unique Boa boot."

Black Heritage Riders Galloping with Easyboots in the Rain!

Miles Dean and his horse Sankofa in their "Easy Wear"; Old Mac G2's in the front and Easyboot Epics behind, all with Comfort Pads. Miles is riding across the country to bring awareness to the historic role of African Americans and horses in the development of our nation.  Click here to track their progress!

New Barefoot Tool

I just received an e-mail from Dave MacDonald.  Dave is the inventor of the Old Mac's and is now working on some new products. 

Dave is about to introduce a product called the Barefoot Sculptor.  It's a handy little tool that holds a rasp and makes trimming much easier.  It should be available in June.

Old Mac's at the Asian Games

Steve Jefferys, an Australian Horse trainer, fitted horses with Old Mac's to safely perform at the Asian Games.  The Old Mac's gave the horses traction and protection needed to perform at this unique venue.

A horse took centre stage at the Opening Ceremony of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006. For the first time in the history of the Games, a horse was involved in the act of lighting the cauldron.  Final torchbearer Sheik Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani (fitted in Old Mac's) cantered up a steep ramp the height of the stadium to light the flame.

Steve is now back in Australia working with the NSW Mounted Police.

G1 and G2

We still get several requests a month for boots that will fit wide feet.  Although more horses have feet that are longer than wide, some horses have feet that are wider than long.  As a general rule the Old Mac's Original G1 is the best boot for wide feet.  If your horses feet measure wider than long, the best boot will be the G1.

In the photo below the G2 is on the left and G1 on the right.  It's easy to see the wide shape of the G1.

Pastern Wraps to Gaiters

We have updated the Old Mac's pastern wraps and are now shipping all Old Mac's with an improved patent pending gaiter, rather than the old pastern wrap.  Instructions for the new gaiter can be found here.

Here is why we made the change. 

1.  the diameter of a horses hoof and the hairline are in most all cases much larger than the diameter of the pastern.  The old pastern wrap had to be pulled over the hoof resulting in a baggy fit around the pastern.

2.  If the pastern wrap is baggy and does not fit snug around the pastern it can cause rubbing.  Debris and sand can collect between the pastern wrap and the pastern.

3.  The new Old Mac's gaiter opens up and allows the system to be tightened snugly around the pastern.  A snug                                                                 fit keeps debris out and prevents rubbing.

                                                                4.  The diameter of each horse's pastern is different.                                                                      The new gaiter is adjustable and will fit snugly around                                                                     any pastern.  The old pastern wraps are not adjustable.

Use of Gaiters

The first thing we changed when EasyCare started distributing the Old Mac's line was to add gaiters/pastern wraps with each pair of Old Mac's sold.  Although many people have had great success using Old Mac's without gaiters/pastern wraps, the success rate goes way up when gaiters/pastern wraps are used.  We didn't think it was right to offer them as an accessory when they made such a big difference.  All Old Mac's now come with a pair of gaiters/pastern wraps in every order.  The addition of these gaiters/pastern wraps has not increased the Old Mac's price per pair.  Several competing boots offer boots at a lower price and then recommend you purchase a pastern wrap when you have problems.  We would much rather give the customer everything needed with the initial purchase. 

Boa Horse Boots also come packaged with gaiters.

Old Mac's G2 Fitting Tip

When fitting the main webbing strap on the Old Mac's G2, make sure the strap is snug but don't over tighten.  You should be able to comfortably slip a finger between the strap and the pastern.  Fastening the main webbing strap in this manner will prevent rubbing.

To view a video on the Old Mac's G2 fitting click here.

Old Mac's G2 Buckle

The first production run of Old Mac's G2's had a rear buckle that many of our customers didn't like.  It was a touch hard to open and close.

Based on the customer feedback we have changed to a new buckle design on the G2.  Everyone is very pleased with the new buckle.  Many changes and improvements to our boot line have been made by listening to customers.  Thanks for the input.

Old Mac's Original vs Old Mac's G2

We get a bunch of questions about the differences between the Old Mac's original and the Old Mac's G2.  People wonder what is a better choice for their horse.

 

Although the G2 has many improvements, the biggest difference between the original and the G2 is the shape.  As a general rule the G2 is shaped for feet that are slightly longer than wide.  The original is very round and accommodates a hoof that is equal in length and width.

When selecting an Old Mac's do not just select the G2 because it is new.  Select the G2 if your horses feet are shaped for the boot.  The Old Mac's original may be an older design but they are still superior when fitted on round feet.

New Old Mac's Gaiter

The new EasyCare Gaiter will be shipping with all Old Mac's G2's very soon.  After many complaints about the previous Old Mac's pastern wraps, we have decided to offer the patent pending EasyCare Gaiter with each pair of Old Mac's G2's.  Dealers will start seeing the new EasyCare Gaiter packaged with the Old Mac's as early as next week.

Boa Horse Boots currently ship with the EasyCare Gaiter.

Old Mac's Pastern Wraps

Since Easy Care and Old Mac's joined forces I have been working on a better solution for the current Old Mac's Pastern Wrap design.  The current design is difficult to get on and the hook and loop features are cumbersome.

I recently spent half a day with our sewing team working to redesign the current pastern wrap.  After looking at many different concepts and fitting them on a horse with an Old Mac's, we all decided that our current Boa Gaiter is the best solution.  The Boa Gaiter is easily fitted, it is adjustable for different pastern diameters and doesn't require wrestling with a bunch of hook and loop.

All Old Mac's are packaged with a pair of the current Old Mac's Pastern Wraps.  Expect to see an updated version of the Old  Mac's Pastern wraps by mid 2006.  The new pastern wrap will be very similar to the patent pending Boa Gaiter.