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[RC] Plastic horseshoes - sharon1359Hi all, Need feedback on all the different kinds of plastic horseshoes. Easy Boots aren't going to cut the mustard anymore, he's still losing them occasionally and I really don't want the worry. A bit about his feet, just so you know: he's got really great feet, very hard and well-shaped. The only reason he can't go barefoot all the time is because we ride so much that they wear down faster than they grow. Zephyr is 7, and as far as I know, he's only ever had shoes on for 6 weeks; he hated them. There wasn't enough traction; he couldn't keep his feet even on our concrete barn aisle. I've been doing the barefoot trim specified at www.barefoothorse.com on him, with periodic supervision from my farrier (who says I'm doing great). I would continue this path if the gosh darn Easy Boots would stay on, but they don't. Can't use Old Macs because all our rides are ECTRA-sanctioned so of course they're not allowed. Other than traction, there is another reason he can't have metal shoes. If he has metal shoes all around, he will have to go outside alone... can't do that to my very social guy!!!! I haven't yet had a chance to discuss all this with my farrier; he's not due back until the end of September. Until then, I was hoping y'all could help me narrow the field as far as what shoes I should consider using. I think the big problem is going to be the following: At the moment he's got a little bit of hoof wall separation because I'd been trimming him a little less often (bad Mommy). So the solar view of his foot right now has very little hoof wall showing; I've done a mustang roll back to the edge of the white line, and rockered the toes on his front feet. He's been moving much much much MUCH better since then. So... where do the nails of a horseshoe go? Will my farrier be able to nail a shoe on his hooves the way they are right now, or will we need to wait until this separation resolves and there is hoof wall visible on the solar view again? Will having shoes on make the problem reoccur? Are there some shoes that are worse than others when dealing with a foot that has had this problem before? Ground Control horseshoes look good to me, but what prevents rocks from getting under the middle section and bruising him???? So far I've heard of Ground Control shoes and Mustad shoes, but the Mustad website doesn't seem to be working right. What other brands of plastic horseshoes are there, and what are their websites? Thanks for any and all help, -Sharon K. and Zephyr's Elegant Gift (who was galloping around the field getting his buddies all riled up, after he got back from his comeback ride up Streaked Mountain and back... YEE HAW!!) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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