An Inevitable Component of The Holistic Barefoot Transition: Riding Barefoot

I’ve read that one of the changes that takes place in a horse’s foot when you go barefoot is that the circulation of blood throughout the foot changes. The nerve endings re-awaken and the foot comes alive again. Compare it to the feeling of your leg waking up after it has fallen asleep. It’s a wonderful image to think of the foot going through this rejuvenation process.

In fact they say the tenderness we see when a horse lands toe-first is because the feeling in the foot is beginning to return. And the best thing we can do for a horse that is showing a sign of such discomfort is actually to get out and about and moving to increase the circulation of blood. I find that fascinating.

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Getting Ready For Tevis: Trying Out The Latest Boot Design

Our plans changed this weekend for a variety of reasons and we did not make it to the wonderful Fort Stanton Pioneer ride in New Mexico. It turned out I had to work on Friday and Monday, so we went back up the hill to Prescott for some more hill work. I just counted the number of trips we have made up to the horse camp: we have been to that area seven times in the last nine weeks. Now that the temperature in the Phoenix area has hit 115 degrees, the temptation to get out of Dodge is even stronger.

All of this training in the mountains has made us three very fit horses – so much so that I decided last week to enter Far in Tevis. A sound, fit horse is a terrible thing to waste, and he has impressed me so much over the last couple of months that I think this is a good year to take on one of endurance riding’s ultimate challenges. A big part of my decision is based on the level of confidence I have in the Glue-Ons: they provide dependable, lightweight protection and make me feel more comfortable about pointing my horse down that coveted trail. Far has been going nicely without boots on training rides around my place in northeast Scottsdale, but I will be enjoying the definitive hoof protection of Easyboot Glue-Ons for the Tevis on Saturday, August 1.

There are exciting things going on with the design of the Easyboot Gloves and Glue-Ons. I got to try out some of the new technology this weekend with the latest incarnation of the Gloves. Easycare seems to be devoting a great deal of time and resources to get the technology just right and I really like these latest boots.

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Play Around: Feel Free To Tinker With Your Boots

I spent five glorious days up at my home away from home over the Fourth of July weekend. I am addicted to the trails and to the summer weather at 6,300 feet at the Groom Creek Horse Camp. Knowing the reserved spots were all booked for the weekend, I took three horses and hauled the 2.5 hours up to Prescott on Wednesday afternoon. It seemed to be the most likely way to get the one of the ‘first-come, first served’ spots. I pulled into the camp at 4:00 PM and got the last spot. Phew.

The three horses racked up a total of 61 miles and more than 15,000 feet of climbing between them in Easyboot Gloves over the five days – and not one boot went amiss. We rode up sharp climbs and rocky mountain trails; we rode through hail and pouring rain; we rode along single track trails that became small rushing rivers. And the boots stayed on.

One of the greatest barriers for me to go from steel shoes to barefoot was the perception that I did not have the time, inclination or ability to manage a barefoot horse. A steel-shod horse seemed so much easier to manage: the farrier comes to the barn, and presto: your horse is set for the next five or six weeks of riding. Low maintenance is good, right? Eight weeks into my experiment, I’m not so sure.

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