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[RC] Followup to URGENT: Easyboot Bare sizing/fitting question... how it all turned out (with pics) - Sharon LevasseurOK... here's how it went. 1. For crying out loud. 2. For Pete's sake. 3. Oh dear Lord. 4. Holy Mary Mother of God. 5. Stand still you idiot. 6. Ouch! 7. If you don't stand still I will kill you. 8. Sh!t. 9. AAAAAEEERRRGHHHHH! 10. Oh for Christ's sake!!!!! 11. GAAAAAAH! 12. F****** A!!! 13. *wipes up blood* 14. Oh OK, there it goes. That wasn't so hard! Pics... Right: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/Sharon1359/IMG_0111.jpg Left: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/Sharon1359/IMG_0113.jpg Top: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/Sharon1359/IMG_0115.jpg Heel: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/Sharon1359/IMG_0118.jpg Thoughts... There should be a certification process. "You must successfully use Easyboots 50 times before moving to Epics, and then use Epics AT LEAST 50 times before you are allowed to buy Bares." There should be a big warning on the packaging... "DO NOT, under any circumstances, even when your life is threatened, ever remove the gaiter!" Cheap duct tape doesn't stick to Easy Boot plastic. Forget what the instructions say, you really CAN tighten the bungee while the boots are on the horse... as long as you're going from the loosest hole to the middle hole. Forget what the instructions say, even with the boot on the workbench you CAN NOT tighten the bungee all the way. You can only go to the middle hole. The rubber just won't let you. Do not ever, under any circumstances, leave the washers stuck inside the tiny depression they make on the outside of the gaiter, without the screws. You will lose them even if the gaiter does nothing but sit on the workbench and look at you menacingly. Ditto for the little brass thingies you put the screws into. For projects like this it's really handy to have your only set of crossties be in your attached garage, so you can just step into the house and get a band-aid (or Valium) from the kitchen cabinet and still only be 15 feet from your frustrated and bored horse. Those little brass thingies you put the screws into are really hard on the pads of your fingertips. Wear gloves. Wear WORK gloves. Your riding gloves aren't up to the task. Unless you wanted new ones anyway, that is. The steps... First I rasped a good mustang roll onto the outside edges of both front feet. Then took the gaiter off of one boot, and put the boot onto each of his front feet in turn. I really didn't think either foot ever made it the whole way into the boot but I couldn't really tell, there wasn't enough room to get my finger in there and feel. So I took the boot off, cut out the heel strap, and put the boot back on. I wish I'd taken a pic at this stage, his foot filled up the boot so completely that even without any screws holding it together, when I removed it I swear I heard the suction let go. Wow. So then I took the second boot out of the box and made the same modifications. Afterwards I spent almost an hour trying to get the gaiters back on. (I couldn't safely cut the heel straps with the gaiters attached.) That's where most of the swearing came in. Those damn holes DO NOT line up. Finally got the gaiters back on and managed to get the boots on his feet with the bungees on the loosest setting. Wasn't easy though. The gaiter straps really don't seem long enough, the neoprene barely overlaps and the velcro certainly doesn't. The instructions say the velcro usually overlaps. Maybe he just has thick pasterns? I rode up and down the paved driveway bareback for a few minutes in the snowy twilight, and they seemed fine. He could walk, jog, and foxtrot easily. The only weird thing was that the walk didn't sound like da-dump da-dump, it sounded more like da-da-dump, da-da-dump. I couldn't tell whether it was the front feet or the hind... sure didn't sound like the front... but then I was on top and it was dark, so I couldn't really see. Maybe next time. With the boot itself so tight I wouldn't think it would move around enough to make noise. I did the twist test after my ride and there was NO movement that way. Dunno. I'll be interested to see whether I can get them on his feet next time with the bungees already in the middle position. I don't think I rode enough to get them stretched out that much but we'll see. I'll also be interested to see whether I am able to tighten them to the smallest setting after we use them for a while. So far I doubt it. -Sharon L. in Maine -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sharon Levasseur Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 2:07 PM To: ridecamp Subject: Re: [RC] [RC] URGENT: Easyboot Bare sizing/fitting question Under the theory that someone else out there has the same issue... here's my plan of attack (after all your responses and after calling Easy Care again). First, some answers to my questions. Easy Care's official story is that they will not accept boots for exchange if they are not in totally new condition. I wish I'd gotten that service rep's name last night, because she said they WOULD. There is a .25" difference in the interior width of a size 1 and a size 2. There is a .44" difference in the interior length of a size 1 and a size 2. OK, here's the plan: 1. Remove gaiter to get it completely out of the way so it doesn't slide under the heel even a little. 2. Rasp a thorough mustang roll around the entire outside of the hoof, thereby creating a smaller hoof. (If the size 1 goes on this way, then by the time the hoof grows out again the boot will be broken in.) 3. Soak the boot in hot water to soften the rubber. (Don't soak the gaiter, it will show wear!!) 4. Try to put the boot on. 5. If it goes on, reinstall the gaiter ("training it" overnight first if necessary), and then go ride... problem solved. 6. If it doesn't go on, take out the heel strap entirely (but do not let him walk around). 7. Try to put the boot on. 8. If it goes on without a heel strap, order heel tapers to replace the strap. (Cutting the strap leaves sharp edges, which may or may not cause a problem.) 9. If it still won't go on without a heel strap, order a size 2. Hope this works... -Sharon L. in Maine =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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