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I'm a firm believer in pads if a horse needs them; don't worry about air
circulation - the hoof is porous and has no problem "breathing" with a
pad under it. However, do be sure to put some kind of packing between
the pad & sole to prevent stone, sand, etc. from working into the space
(my farrier puts a triagular shaped piece of sponge & it works fine). My
appy, who is 21 and still doing 50 milers (he did the Old Dominion 100 3
times & finised all 3), has rather flat feet and is less comfortable
without front pads, so he wears them all summer & fall with no problems,
& has for years. There's nothing wrong with easyboots, but they are a big
pain, as you are always looking down to be sure you haven't lost one, &
when you do lose one, they walk away never to be found again, and are
expensive to replace. I carry one as a spare in case a shoe is pulled,
but that's it. You will hear all varieties of advice on this subject,
because everyone's experience is different, and what it comes down to in
the end is you have to experiment and find what is right for your horse.
Good luck.
Patty
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