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RE: [RC] [RC] hoof boot comparisons/update - terry banisterAll the boots currently on the market WORK to some degree, AS LONG AS THEY ARE THE CORRECT SIZE, and the EPICS even work when they are a little too big, and the gaiters for the Boas help take up slack in those, and you can use SHIMS on any kind of boots if your horse's foot isn't exactly the best shape. The Horse Mocs and the Swiss Boots are custom fitted to each hoof. So I have not seen fitting to be an issue with any of the boots. I have used them all for hundreds of conditioning miles. Mud has not been a problem with any of the boots, but water can be (they come off). I started competing with the Swiss boots, and later, the Horse Mocs. But I was afraid to start a race with any boots because I did not want to deal with one coming off anywhere in the first 15 miles, and I did not have confidence that they could go 50 miles without rubbing. So I always started a race barefoot and then would put boots on at the lunch check. I used to call my Old Macs my "Old Standbys" because they rarely came off, and tentatively started using Old Macs for competition at at 20 Mule Team 65 last year. I remember being on my hands and knees in the heat and the sand to make sure that inner strap was not too tight or too loose, then smoothing that outer cordura layer tightly over the velcro, and finally, getting that outer strap just tight enough without being too tight - on all four hooves. It took a good 10-15 minutes out of the lunch hour. We finished the ride and got a completion, but the hair on his hind pasterns was rubbed off and there was a rock the size of a nickel lying in that pocket of space behind one front pastern (There were no neoprene gaiters at that time). Had we done any more miles, he would have had a problem. Now the gaiters that are available, and are very helpful for those issues, but that adds one more step to the application/removal process. And the OMs fall apart sooner than other boots (The cordura top seperates from the rubber sole) and the tread on the soles wears down much faster (The "shock absorption" factor is irrelavent and immaterial, in my opinion - any kind of rubber beats steel). And the person I mentioned previously who has hundreds of competition miles in the OMs admits they fall apart, but he likes tinkering and has developed ways of fixing them with cable ties. I do not want to be bothered. Then the Boa Boots came out. They are much easier to put on and off (and the knob does not come up over the hairline on my horse, and if you don't over crank the knob, it does not put too much pressure on the hoof, or whatever). We rode two days of the Cuyama XP in all types of terrain (except sand), and the boots (WITH new-style gaiters) stayed on without rubbing. We got two days completions. Then we did Warner Springs and National Championship SAND, and one pastern rub out of four (25 miles) is still too many. Then the Epics came, and for the first time, I had confidence from start to finish on my last two 50s. Unless something prettier comes out, I will not compete in any other boot. But that is me. Go out and buy the boots that you think will work for you. I found mine. I challenge you ride 50 miles from start to finish in sand and water crossings without having to touch your Old Macs. Terry Try the NEW version of MSN Messenger available - it's FREE! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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