I have been using equithane
(hoof pack) for over a year now, I have tried it on several multidays and Tevis
and this is on 4 horses at each time as we all ride. Now since the
convention I have been trying a competing product called hoof-it II as well
as continuing to use the hoof pack. I also use easyboots on some feet. All
three products got a great test at the just finished XP ride.
Out of 16 feet (4 horses x
4 feet) I used easyboots on 2, hoof it on 9 and hoof pack on 5. This
included some side by side tests, hoof pack on the RR for example and hoof it on
the LR. The results and my conclusions follow.
Easyboots, best shock absorbtion and
concusion relief, fairly easy to apply for me, about 6 to10 cents per mile
to use (300 to 500 miles on a boot). Downside, larger foot area so
more leverage on the tendons and ligaments and an increased chance of
interference.
Hoof pack, softer and more
resilant consistancy than hoof it, excellent rock protection but a life
span of only 100 miles (depending on the foot shape and surface ridden) Highest
cost, $10.00 to $15.00 per foot, 100 miles equals 10 to 15 cents per mile.
Also harder to apply than easyboots and a learning curve. The foot must be clean
and dry and cleaned well with a wire brush. Then held up level while applying.
Expect to lose some pads early while learning how to apply it. With only one
horse to learn on it could take some time. It usually won't last in the
foot of an endurance horse for weeks unless a mesh is applied at the time of
shoeing. I don't want the pads in except for the rocky ride, so this is not an
option for me. Some people who have had it applied by their farrier two
weeks before a ride lose it very early in the ride. It has already started to
come unstuck from the foot in the 2 weeks before the ride started.
Hoof it II A
harder product than hoof pack. The same difficulty in applying as hoof pack. I
was worried about sole bruising since it is harder than the hoof pack. But it
flows and applies well enough that this didn't seem to be a problem at XP. I did
not lose the hoof it from any of the 9 feet it was applied to. This was 7 feet
that did 150 miles and 2 feet that did 250 miles. There was some wear and
loss from right over the frog, but the clefts and sole area all stayed
protected. We just pulled the last of it out Saturday, 1 week after coming home
from XP. The cost is about $7.00 per foot, so on a multiday this is very
cheap. About 3 cents per mile at 250 miles. Of course if you do a
one day 50 the cost per mile goes up for the instant pad products while the
easyboot cost stays the same.
The application process I wrote about before, I use
Jennifer Nice's method, mix the product and pour it in the foot that is covered
with duct tape. This works quit well, but make sure the product is kept cool,
below 50 degrees or it sets up too fast to get mixed and poured in the foot.
At this point I will probably buy more hoof it and
phase out hoof pack. I'm starting to like easyboots even more and will probably
use them on the horses front feet that don't have an overreach or interference
problem. I seem to notice less filling and blood vessel enlargement when I use
them. Also since the convention demonstration I realize I should cram a 1 on my
horse with cut down heel straps. This smaller boot size means less leverage than
the 2 I used to use. So I like this option a lot now. We never had an easyboot
fall off at XP, 150 miles in the top 20 all 3 days I did. And these were not
foamed on and I didn't use any vet wrap. I did put duct tape over the teeth as
per karen. This stops the wear on the hoof wall, but they stuck on like glue.
Anybody want to buy some hoof pack guns 1/2
price????
Jim Mitchell