Barefoot Stats

[guest@endurance.net]

K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net

Karen Standefer said:
> There were other people that I've been notified of since that
> are running barefoot, one that completed the Virginia City 100.

If you are talking about this year's Virginia City 100, this is slightly
inaccurate.  There was one person there (she was parked next to me) who
normally trains and conditions her horse barefoot but put EasyBoots on for
the ride.  I know, because I spoke with her quite a bit about EasyBoots,
how the foam is supposed to work, and then helped her to re-foam on her
the hind boots in order to ensure that they didn't come off during the
ride.

But make no mistake, this horse did not complete the Virginia City 100
barefoot.  The horse had on EasyBoots from the night before the ride and
throughout the entire ride.  If there was some other one, I am unaware of
it.

So if the “more than 80 completions” includes horses that are kept
barefoot mostly at home but are provided with some other form of hoof
protection for the actual competition, then the stats for horses that have
completed endurance rides barefoot are going to be slightly overstated.

And if those stats also include Robyn's completion at Silver State, the
stats are also slightly suspect since there is some evidence that though
Robyn's barefoot horse officially got a completion at Silver State there
is also some evidence that the horse was damn footsore for having done so.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

p.s.  Yes, I DO have something to say about the "we are willing to hear
anything except the negative comments" thing, but it is going to take some
time to compose if I want it to come off intelligently and be received as
well thought out with the hopes of it giving other people the opportunity
to think and/or respond intelligently too.

kat
Orange County, Calif.