<<I have to agree whole heartedly with Karen on this one. I've done lots of miles in glue-ons, with success. BUT, they are a pain in the butt as she said, expensive, and not foolproof. Evidence of that -- Monk, the winner of the NC 100 in glue ons, lost one. This is evident in the pics from the finish line. So even with the BEST application from the most experienced people, you can lose a boot. Naomi>>>
I have to both agree and disagree... it is a "depends" scenario. First off, losing boots happens with strap and glued boots...heck, it happens with shod horses with the "best application" by the best farriers. That is not a valid reason to use or not use boots, glues, or shoes... NOTHING is foolproof...so unless we stop riding, we might as well not use that as a measure of whether or not to use something. Personally, I have yet to lose a glued on boot (in fact, one of the only DOWN sides of the glued boots, is that they are TOO hard to get off when you are done with them, lol...though I tried a new glue at Bryce and was very pleased with it so far...easier on and off..have to find out the name of the stuff...) I do agree that they do have a learning curve that is higher than a strap-on boot. But once you figure it out, it isn't too hard. The expense it getting WAY less as new glues are being tested (Vettek, though very effective, has a pricey gun and glue...now we are using glues that use a 5$ caulking gun and glues that are in the 8-15$ range, not the 25-30$)...the boots themselves are also reuseable and thus make it cheaper in the long run... As to health of the hoof...I would not leave the boot on for more than a week, BUT...if used in that amount of time, there have been no negative issues noted with the feet. The boots are not MEANT to be left on forever, so not sure why that is even coming up...they are made to be applied for an event (a multi-day, 100 miler, packing in the mtns for a week, whatever), then taken off... I do think for anything less than a multiday (I'd prob not even glue for one 100miler...anything totaling 150 or more is when I switch from straps to glues), the strap ons are easier and cheaper...but glues are much easier and the price kinda evens out, when going further distances. As to trims...well, I can say I have seen plenty of shabby trims on both bare AND shod horses (and sometimes I wonder that these horses never come up lame at rides)...but that is a whole nother kettle of fish and has nothing to do with the kind of boot one uses...I do have to say that glued boots "look funny" on the hoof..not sure why, but it just does. Every pic I have seen with glued boots...but watching the horse move in them looks great...they are so form fitting and light weight, that as long as the base trim is decent, the flight and landing of those feet is a nice thing to watch... I do have to say, for my old, getting arthritic horse, the strap ons with dome comfort pads, sure make him move much nicer...until I can find a pad/fill material for the glued boots that give him the same support, I might be going back to strap ons with him...even if it IS easier to glue, then forget about it, he likes his "insole sneakers", LOL.... Anyway, just my 2 cents...not as many miles as some, but enough to make a difference, and so far no issues with the glues (less so than strap ons for sure, esp rides where scratches are an issue! :) ) Nat
“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down
like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person
whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life
will be radically changed.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson.
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