Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hmmm, we just did Davenport Darei, which had tons of deep sand, and there 
was no rubbing or collection in the heels or gaiters of the Epics on front 
or the Bares on back. But, I don't cut the heel strap down, so maybe then it 
doesn't give the sand a place to go.

Howeve, in the past, with another brand of boots, there was rubbing by the 
time we reached the lunch stop, and my horse was slightly off for the trot 
out, so I simply removed the boots and completed barefoot (sandy, 2004 
Warner Springs Natl. Championship). Having done several LDs and 50s (sixth 
place, rocky Tecopa Hot Springs), as well as the majority of our 
conditioning miles barefoot, it helped peace of mind to know my horse's 
capabilities. When I wanted to move up to doing 100-mile and multi-day 
competitions, and before I had confidence in using boots for competition, I 
started all the races barefoot (didn't want to take a chance on boots flying 
off during the first frantic miles), and put the boots on at the lunch stop 
to finish the 50s (didn't want any lameness pulls to be blamed on being 
barefoot). It worked, but it made for a very short lunch hour.

So, for those who are considering transitioning the horse out of shoes, the 
new, undamaged hoof could take almost a year to grow in fully, and boots 
will help prevent a lot of downtime. But do work on allowing your horse to 
build calloused hooves and not be totally dependent on boots. Make sure your 
horse's living conditions allow for plenty of self movement. And ride some 
conditining miles barefoot and gradually extend the mileage, and note the 
hoof condition (don't panic over some chipping, etc.) Keep a regular 
trimming schedule so that the hooves don't have a chance to get too uneven. 
The correct trim is what is critical for healthy hooves, even for shod 
horses. Then eventually, try to use boots just as a tool to prevent 
excessive wear, and to protect from nails and sharp objects that might be a 
race ender. If you lose a boot and don't carry a spare, there should be no 
problem removing the other one and barefootin' to the next vet check where 
your crewbag would have a spare boot or two.

Knowing how many miles your horse can travel barefoot on ANY terrain will 
give you some peace of mind during competion. I do not ride my barefoot 
horse any differently on rocks, sand or gravel than my friends ride their 
shod horses. True, living in the arid Southwest is an advantage, and those 
living in the wetter states may not be able to build the tough hoof callouse 
that has been acheived by some, but I believe a lot of people underestimate 
what the naked hoof is capable of.

I also feel that the true reason more people don't transition from steel 
shoes is that the boot concept is still NOT USER FRIENDLY enough. But stay 
tuned, I think you will be reading more and more success stories with the 
current hoof-boot evolution. I believe the tides CAN turn and mountains CAN 
move :-D

Terry
Freethefeet!

_________________________________________________________________
On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to 
get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=