I just signed up for the Ridecamp digest a couple of weeks ago and this is the 1st that
I've sent anything in. A short intro - I'm and equine sports massage therapist, a
horsewoman of over 40 yrs., I ride BLM Mustangs, and compete both in competitive trail
and endurance rides. Not too many endurance rides since I lost my best horse in a barn
fire the end of 1993, but I did finish my first endurance ride this year since 1991. A
personal triumph for me.
Anyhow, I both ride and drive my horses year round and am a big proponent of pulling the
shoes off for a couple of months in the winter to give the feet a rest and let them grow
out the nail holes. Granted, where I live now, New Jersey, is primarily sand so leaving
horses barefoot in the winter is easier than if I lived someplace where it was very
rocky, but I did find what worked out best for me last year when footing was less than
ideal. I bought Easyboots so that I had 4 for each of my 2 horses and my big pony.
Then put in the ice cleat inserts that are sold for Easyboots so that you can put screw
in borium tipped cleats for ice and bad footing. They worked GREAT! You get 3 inserts
for each boot, which allows you to have 1 toe cleat and 2 in the heals which gives you
level support on each foot. We had a tough winter last year with lots of ice, I share
many trails with ATV's and snow mobiles which leave the trail packed into a sheet of
ice. With the Easyboots on and cleats screwed in I had perfect traction. They allowed
me to drive my one Mustang and my big pony on the trails with no problems. If there was
a lot of fresh, new snow I didn't bother with the boots, but when I needed tractions
they were the perfect answer. No snow balls up in them and the cleats are great. I
popped the inserts out of the boots to use them over the summer. I left them in all
winter and just put plugs into the holes when I took the cleats out. I have also used
them just plain when I wanted to go on a longer ride that covered some rocky terrain.
This might work for some of you out there too.
Glad I could finally add my 2 cents to a discussion. Hope it helps someone.
Lyn Kamer
Jackson, NJ.