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Re: [RC] Old Mac versus EasyBoots - Karen SullivanResponding to Karen Standafer;s comments below.....a few more things to think about... <One other point I'd like to bring up with the shoes vs boots (NOT a barefoot debate............PLEASE) is that boots are much more bulky and for a lot of horses (not all of them) the stress they cause to the internal structures is greater than that or a correctly applied shoe. This is an interesting point it would be valuable to see some research....as there is the theory that nailed-on shoes impair normal hoof mechanism (frog, sole and heel not impacting ground; circumflex artery compromised, etc).....how do you feel boots stress internal structures; just from weight alone? < It seems (I've talked this over with Dr. Hilary Clayton) that the hooves that tend to grow underrun heels are affected adversely the most by the extra bulk of the boots. My belief currently is that underrun heels can be caused by many things....from genetic make-up of horse (inherited tendency or limb alignments), to not using back of foot correctly, which sets up atrophy of back of foot, etc..... current mare, who has always had tendency of underrun heels and long toes (looking at age 4 photo of her barefoot)....7 years in shoes made it worse and worse, and yes, tried all sorts of things, set back shoes, natural balance shoes...etc.....a year barefoot of correct trimming has made a world of difference to her and you can see how hoof shape remodeled, gait improved and stumbling went away. <It's the extra at the back of the boot and the extra at the toe (which can be somewhat mitigated by grinding a better breakover at the toe of the boot). I look at feet all the time, and I would say about 95% of the shoe jobs I have seen do not give enough support at the back of the foot (farriers are worried about horses stepping on branches)...plus heels are too high, or unbalanced laterally. <People just need to realize that anything you put on the foot will change the flight pattern, loading and breakover of the hoof/limb. Very true...horses do adapt to shoes and boots....and for every barefoot fanatic, there are very high mileage endurance horses that have been shod all their career that are functioning well.... But, a few other points...again, not necessarly the barefoot versus shoe debate, but boot, versus shoes...... 1. You can trim and shoe a horse and do a great job with balance......but given that the hoof keeps growing....2 weeks later it is beginning to be out of balance....how many people are willing to shoe every 3-4 weeks (cost) and how can the hoof wall take that many extra nail holes? So...by the 6th or even 8th week (what many folks do)...the hoof is REALLY long, dramatically increasing stress to the tendons and ligaments, etc.......? 2. shoe versus boots.....shoes are on 24/7..........boots come off after rides and horses then have at least the chance to move barefoot, helping callus the sole and frog....and wearing in the patten THEY need to.......so far I have not seen a problem switching back and forth from boots to barefoot; assuming the legs, tendons and ligaments are already somewhat developed..... Just some thoughts.... Karen To that end, you choose the product that works best for the individual. For a lot of endurance horses shoes will be a MUCH safer and healthier choice than boots. And, even within the selection of shoes, a specific shoe can be chosen to help a horse out that has "issues". It's difficult to work through "issues" with the very limited selection of boots on the market. Just my $.02 after trying to get barefoot, boots and shoes to work for my horses (and doing lots of research into all of the options). Karen =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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