For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
Since I took my mare barefoot almost 3 years ago I have flip flopped back and forth about how to handle her still tender soles. Do I keep her barefoot, do I put shoes back on, do I just use hoof boots? Does anyone else agonize about these silly kind of decisions?
When she first went barefoot, she was being trimmed by the farrier who had always shod her and he did a good job but I never could ride her immediately after a trim...she would be too sore. I tried a pair of Easy Boots but they were too hard to put on and I sent them back.
I wound up buying Boa Hoof Boots for her and they worked well except the cable laces would loosen during our rides and I would have to dismount several times and retighten them. The cables would also fray and have to be replaced several times a year.
I got tired of replacing cables so the next boots I got were Cavallo Simple Boots. These boots are great, stay on well through sand, mud and water crossings. The only thing is they alter her gait at a canter - maybe because they are a little bulky. For over a year now we have been using a Natural Hoof Practitioner and she is never sore after a trim anymore, however we still can't walk on limerock roads or rocks without the boots.
Since it's about time to order new boots, I have been wondering if I could justify spending the extra money and purchasing a pair of Renegade Hoof Boots. I have been looking at these things on line for over a month or so and had lot's of e-mails back and forth with the owner and inventor of the boots about our sizing dilema. Stylin's front feet are now wider than they are long and the Renegades can be altered to a certain extent without additional cost.
I sold some items recently on e-Bay so that I could have a little extra funds in case I wanted to buy myself a new pair of boots....so instead of getting new boots for me- I'm getting them for Style. I made the final decision tonight , pressed the button and purchased a brandy new pair of copper colored boots. You can read the testimonials on line where these boots are used sucessfully on endurance rides and hopefully I can add my own testimonial soon.
When she first went barefoot, she was being trimmed by the farrier who had always shod her and he did a good job but I never could ride her immediately after a trim...she would be too sore. I tried a pair of Easy Boots but they were too hard to put on and I sent them back.
I wound up buying Boa Hoof Boots for her and they worked well except the cable laces would loosen during our rides and I would have to dismount several times and retighten them. The cables would also fray and have to be replaced several times a year.
I got tired of replacing cables so the next boots I got were Cavallo Simple Boots. These boots are great, stay on well through sand, mud and water crossings. The only thing is they alter her gait at a canter - maybe because they are a little bulky. For over a year now we have been using a Natural Hoof Practitioner and she is never sore after a trim anymore, however we still can't walk on limerock roads or rocks without the boots.
Since it's about time to order new boots, I have been wondering if I could justify spending the extra money and purchasing a pair of Renegade Hoof Boots. I have been looking at these things on line for over a month or so and had lot's of e-mails back and forth with the owner and inventor of the boots about our sizing dilema. Stylin's front feet are now wider than they are long and the Renegades can be altered to a certain extent without additional cost.
I sold some items recently on e-Bay so that I could have a little extra funds in case I wanted to buy myself a new pair of boots....so instead of getting new boots for me- I'm getting them for Style. I made the final decision tonight , pressed the button and purchased a brandy new pair of copper colored boots. You can read the testimonials on line where these boots are used sucessfully on endurance rides and hopefully I can add my own testimonial soon.
5 comments:
This is very interesting. We trim, do not shoe, ad rarely ride. But when we do want to ride.. then my Zoe is off just a little. My farrier said she has tenderness in her frog area and recommend pads...hmm this looks very interesting..
I keep my Arab barefoot. She has only had shoes on twice in her 14 years. I just had shoes put on her fronts the other day due to her hooves being sooo tender for the first time ever. My farrier says it's being caused by our extremely dry weather this year. My Paint has to have shoes on, due to very thin, weak soles and flat feet, but only on her fronts. She is the dominant mare in the pasture, so I won't shoe her hinds, in case she kicks.
I hope the new boots work for you! I'll be interested in hearing how they do.
Loved your lil' video of girls having fun...that is fun!!
I've had to come to the reality that some horses can go barefoot and some can't...or just can go barefoot sometimes.
My mustangs have never had shoes, but even though they are on rocky dry ground on a daily basis, they'll still get sore footed when we do a camp trip and ride for multiple days in a row. In those instances I keep their boots handy and use as needed.
Then on my older domestic horses, they had been shod for years and had flat, thin soles and never gained concavity like my mustangs. I decided that that was just the way it was going to be and to keep them most comfortable, I put shoes on them when needed (usually in the summer).
Now our two younger horses that get ridden the most get shoes in the summer. There is absolutely no way that we can go out and gather cattle for 6 hours on rocky ground barefoot. I don't trust the boots to stay on when I'm off chasing a wily calf either. So, it's a must for our situation.
The comfort of the horse is most important to me.
OK...I'm done...you asked, so I had to answer ;~) Enjoyed stopping in. Happy Trails~~
Hello KD
Can't wait to hear about the Renegade's; I've considered them also over the past 7 years.
Did you know you can send in your old boots for 1/2 off an Easycare model upgrade? I just returned a pair of Edges that were too small and have a pair of Gloves coming. Right now I'm riding in a pair of Bares. I think it's www.easycareinc.com
Rode Commanche in Old Mac's for years until I got tired of bruising his heels if I put on too many miles.
It's always a learning curve. Back in 2002 we were trying to carve concavity into the sole with the Strausser method; today we don't touch the sole or bars per Pete Ramey and Jamie Jackson methods.
Commanche's feet are the best they've ever been.
1. Feeding per Pat Coleby's "Natural Horse Care," including toxic "boron"
2. Living environment on "tract" per Jamie Jackson's Pasture Paradise, including a river rock section for toughening soles.
3. Trimming per Pete Ramey and Jamie Jackson
Take care.
Hope to see you on the trail soon.
We're headed to McCulley's for Labor Day; where are you headed?
Jean McKnight
Wow, those are futuristic! Stylin' will be stylin' in those flashy colored boots, for sure. They are like the Jimmy Chu of shoes for horses! lol!
I see they have cables, though. Do you think that will become a problem like the other boots? Have you tried the Old Macs? I've not read or heard anything negative about them yet and I had been thinking of getting a pair of them right before I fell at Christmas.
~Lisa
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