Suzi
wrote:>>>>Just now ordering my first set of Ground Controls....I was
wondering how = many of you use them and are they 'all that'? We're
affectionately calli= ng them 'Holly's little Orthopedic
Shoes'...<<<
Suzi- I have
been using them for a couple years now, and put them on for other endurance
riders. As I have said here before, I think they are the best shoe
invention in the 23 years I have been shoeing. I used them on my mare
Equal Terms when she won the Ft Valley 100 last year (Old Dominion trails) and
they were fabulous. She walked solidly up over the rocks up the gaps while
I heard horses ahead and behind us slipping and scraping on the rocks.
They are great for riding on roads as they grip the pavement and provide
concussion absorption.
You will need a
horse with a fairly dense and 'tidy' foot to keep them from allowing them to
spread the foot too much - but all the horses I have used them on have done
fine. I like them because I can leave a good amount of shoe behind on my
mare's hind feet to give her more heel protection and support - she is naturally
low in the heels in back.
I also use them
in the winter here in Western New York (near snowy Buffalo). They do not
ball with snow and in most cases of footing, provide protection without
skidding. Though I have a friend that says she slides in the
winter...I find them to be comparable to
barefeet.
I have not had
them flip flop, nor have I had stuff underneath. My mare did have an
abscess in her frog that broke and then seemed to abscess again - I think
because the bar of the shoe mushed the drain hole closed. I put her
in steel for awhile and have put her back in the GCs now with no
problem.
