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Re: [RC] Do Easy Boots change a horse's gait? - Jon . Linderman
For clarification this was boots over shoes, yes?
I would think going from shoeless to boots would have an effect if you
don't train w/them very often. Just a guess.
I use boots in front early in the year before we compete, say up to April.
I haven't noticed much of a difference, but early in the year we are going
slow, very slow. Lots of walking up hills, trotting on really nice ground,
walking through the slop & bad areas. I've never tried competing in boots
w/out shoes because with boots he still doesn't move on the gravle up front
the way he does in shoes.
Come April I shoe thru our last event in October. Because I have found my
horse goes best in aluminum shoes (bevelled front, blunt on the hinds) & I
train alot on rocky gravelly areas I use boots over shoes to extend the
life of the aluminum. Again I don't hammer in training rides either, just
put in quality miles. I waffled on pads vs. boots over shoes for our last
ride of this past year in October (arab nationals) after my horse cut his
sulcus & I layed him off to heal up. Lots of gravle roads at that ride
site. At that same venue in June I noticed Cei Reis had front boots on for
part of the ride. I don't think all of the ride because I saw her take
them off in the afternoon, didn't notice if she put them back on.
I forget whats the weight of an ez boot compared to say a shoe and pad?
I have also had to finish loops or finish rides w/a boot on & never noticed
any asymetry in his movement either in the saddle or when he trotted out
for the vets, but then hes used to them.
Jon
Truman Prevatt
<tprevatt@mindspring. To: Ride Camp
<RideCamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
com> cc:
kstandefer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent by: Subject: Re: [RC] Do Easy
Boots change a horse's gait?
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxx
durance.net
02/05/2004 06:42 PM
They will change the gait. You are adding a lot of weight on a long
lever, you are changing the breakover point of the hoof - you bet they
will change the gait. However, the impact on this depends a lot on the
horse. When I went to the ROC in '96 we were coming from FL to Utah. The
mares feet were soft (all horses feet in FL are soft) and the rocks were
sharp. Padding would have only protected the bottom of the feet. What
became clear is the rocks were digging into the outside of the hoof and
that needed protection because it was not toughened up. Sure they would
have become tough and they did before we came back home but they would
still be soft by the time the ROC ran.
So weighing the opions I started riding her in easyboots. While I would
have perfered not to do 100 miles in easyboots I knew she was a big
storng mare that tended to accominate to just about anything I did. I
learned endurance on her and she seems to take all my screw-ups in
stride never missing a sride. I don't think I could hurt her if I tried,
and she wouldn't let me either (got to love mares). This was not a
sensitive horse to what she had on her feet and she was strong enough to
carry the extra pound (hell she was probably strong enough to carry and
extra 10 pounds) on the end of her leg 100 miles and she did.
So like anything it comes down to knowing your horse and making the best
decision based on that knowledge, the conditions and the feeling deep
down in your gut.
If I had gotten out to Utah a week earlier I would probably gone with
pads, but we finished and she was sound, happy and hungry afterwards so
that is the only thing that counts in the long run.
Truman
Ridecamp Guest wrote:
Please Reply to: Karen Standefer kstandefer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Anything you put on the hoof changes the horse's way of going. The difference between shoes and boots is that shoes they wear 24x7 so they adapt to always having the weight and the change to the breakover. With a boot, the change is abrupt and short lived and if it is a huge difference to the breakover or the weight then it could add to stress and fatigue (my opinion and limited experience). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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