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Re: [RC] DVE Photos - Ground Control shoes - DreamWeaverJust 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 and Holly http://www.xprides.com/GOLDMEDALRIDERS.html#LYNNE%20LOW%20&%20SASHA,%202003 Hi Suzi -- I was skeptical myself at first and waited until I had talked to enough people who had used them with enough success to feel comfortable trying them on my own horses. The above link is to a rider who rode all of the XP rides (minus 1) this last year with the Ground Control shoes. I figured if they would last thru multiple multiday rides that are on the same terrain (and same rides) that I am riding on, then it was worth checking out. I decided to start with putting the shoes on one horse first. That went well, then we did the second one and now all three are in them. My youngest horse (who is 8 going on 9) is just starting his third year of endurance seems to be benefiting the most from them. He is rather short backed and while he did not pull shoes off before, he did forge. That constant clicking would have driven me nuts riding him a lot of miles. :+D It's like hearing a clock ticking when you are trying to sleep. I also have to admit (and this is embarrassing), that he is easyboot challenged. Yes, really. :+/ I have tried several times to ride him in easyboots. He just can't do it. So, we put these shoes on him two weeks before taking him down to Coso Junction in November. I rode him several times in them and he felt really good. He did one day there and moved really nicely in the shoes. Then, a couple of weeks later we took him to Silver State where I rode him on the 2nd and 3rd day of the ride and that went extremely well. I feel that the lighter weight of the shoe helps him to break over and he is no longer forging. It's QUIET now to ride him! Also, because the shoes flex like they do, if he does step on one it is less likely to be pulled off compared to a metal shoe. He has now completed 7 50's in the shoes and not pulled one off. In fact, he's had them on for two shoeings now (2 different sets) and been in the mud and snow and ice with them for weeks and those things are staying on let me tell you! The first set came off after 6 weeks and my farrier (also husband) :-) said that the nails were as tight as when he put them on. The shoes after doing the first three 50's were still as thick or thicker than the regular St. Croix metal shoes he had been in for the last couple of years. Dave thinks these are not any more difficult to put on than regular shoes, once you've done it a time or two. My other two horses seem to be doing well in them, at least on training rides. They haven't done any endurance rides in them yet. I brought Rocky to Death Valley but did not ride him (he'll get over it....eventually, lol). The website for the plastic shoes is here: http://plastichorseshoes.com/groundcontrol.html I rode Chief down the hill on the 2nd day at DVE, thru the mud and the icy sections with water and rocks and he did not slip. He did not slip on any of the pavement that other horses slipped on with metal shoes. I sure hope that these shoes continue to work well for him. He's happy, sound, and doing the tough rocky miles after being in the mud at home for weeks so we're going to keep using them. I'm really impressed so far. Happy trails, Karen in NV & Granite Chief, 655 miles (the baby) & Weaver and Rocky, almost 13,000 miles in easyboots :+)) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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