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[RC] MPGo Boots - Don HustonHello Dave,These boots are intended for competition use only, not everyday hacking or training and are expensive to get started. $60 each until June 1 and then $70 each. The glue and mixing tips and gun that are in a kit cost $214 plus about $40 shipping. Those 6 tubes of glue will install 8 boots more or less depending on fit. That means you could glue the fronts on for 4 different endurance rides so that averages (140+214+40)/4= $100 each for the first 4 rides, about the same as shoeing. Assuming you rode 300 miles on those 4 rides you would need to replace the soles at $20 each or the wear on the toes starts to make holes in the toe of the main shell, 6 tubes of glue at $120 plus $40 shipping = $200/4 rides and now it cost $50 per ride! Not bad and your horse is barefoot in between and you never have to worry about scheduling the farrier. I have a set with 8 50's that have holes in the toes and the sole tread is half gone but the boots are still solid and usable, they just look like crap. I have had a lot of practice gluing boots and know what to do to glue in a way that keeps these MPGo boots on solid for a minimum of 7 days which is exactly what I had hoped for. Long enough to ride a 5 day 250 mile XP ride barefoot with boots that are solid and trouble free as in no rubbing from straps or gaiters or flying off into (God knows where on the trail) as you put it. They are not easy to install or remove or clean but it is doable and there is no sticky residue mess from foam. The link below has several tutorials on what must be done and some photos. It takes 30 seconds to preload the videos so that there will be no pauses during playback. http://www.strideequus.com/ On the left side click "Marquis Glue On" If after watching the videos you want to give it a go then on the left side click "How to Measure" then "Self Measuring Templates" and print a few sizes. It is always possible that your horse's hoof shape is not compatible with the MPGo boots. Sizes 0, 1, 2 are new and suitable for making the foamboard trimming template I show in tutorial #1. New template sizes 3, 4, 5 are coming soon. If the hoof shape looks okay then the next step is to make a trimming template or two if the hooves are between sizes and trim the hooves. The closer you can fit the template the less glue you will use. The next step of course is to order the boot size corresponding to the template size that fits the hooves. Don Huston At 11:39 AM 5/23/2008 Friday, you wrote: Don: I understand you are involved with the Marquis Performance Glue-on Boots. I recently lost the two Easy Boot Epics I had on my Mustang's front feet (God know where on the trail) and am looking for an alternative. As a wild-caught mustang, Hermano has never had steel on his feet and has great hoof-walls, etc. But I've noticed that he tends to run along the side of the trails, where possible, rather than on the more hardened trail surface itself, suggesting that he's preserving his feet. This is particularly noticeable after a hoof trim. Therefore, I'm looking for foot protection for his fronts but am not willing to invest another $130 plus on more boots that can disappear as fast, and mysteriously, as the Epics did. What would be the total cost of a two-boot set-up for the Marquis product? Does this include the glue and other tools required? What is your opinion of them? Is it difficult to put them on and take them off? How long does it take to get them on and off? I'm just retired and now have to watch how I spend my money more than in the past. Any help would be appreciated. -- Dave Smith, Auburn, Ca. Don Huston donhuston @ cox.net SanDiego, Calif =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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