What kind of experiences have people had with this product? How well does it hold up in winter? on trails?
thanks in advance!
Since no one else has answered you, I’ll post my experience, but it may not be what you are looking for. We used to use it as pad material with shoes for a horse that needed the firmer support it provided, and it lasted better for us than the other pour-in materials. It was kind of an “off label” use that worked for well for us.
But I bet you are looking for using it as intended, without shoes, and I have no experience there. I think at the time my farrier had tried it that way and was not terribly happy with how well it lasted, especially in our wet climate. I hope someone with more direct experience will post to help you out.
I have used it once. It only lasted about 2-3 weeks. Now that could have been due to a less than ideal prep…that is very important. When it started to lift on the edges little pebbles and rocks worked under them and horsey was not amused so I popped it out. I found it kind of hard but until the edges started to let go, she was happy.
I just need some kind of protection in the summer. High desert, dry, dry dry and rocky. I have gone to boots but have thought about trying the Sole Guard again.
Susan
I tried it on a barefoot horse with thin soles. I won’t spend money on it again – I got 10 days on one foot when it stayed dry, but the other foot was gone in 4 days. When we tried to reapply, it didn’t last more than about 36-48 hours.
IMO boots are a better option. If you are looking for something on 24/7, using a pour-in pad with a shoe (glue on a shoe if you just hate nails) is more cost-effective, or casts if your horse has enough heel for those.
I did observe, and farrier agreed, that it is definitely affected by whether your horse’s feet have some significant concavity to them.
If I was made of money (ROFL!) and I just wanted something to ride in for one or two days, then it would probably work for that. It is easier than fitting a boot.
Thanks folks. This was exactly the information I was looking for.
I used it in connection with the SuperFast and was happy with it. I had gotten a horse in for resale several years ago, and her poor feet were totally horrendous. I got her trimmed up nicely, made a “custom” barefoot shoe using the SuperFast, and filled with the SoleGuard. It lasted about 4 weeks and allowed her feet enough time to get comfortable enough to then go 4 more weeks with just the SuperFast as a barefoot shoe. Then she was grown out enough to go to regular shoes and sold right about then. My conditions weren’t ideal. Wet pasture, stone dust ring, and rocky trails. It wasn’t exactly how they SoleGuard is labelled to be used, but worked for me. I only used it the once.
I have used Sole Guard inside glue-on hoof boots for an added layer of protection. I’m not sure it did much, and wasn’t convinced enough to use it on its own. I have used Hoof Armor, and found it lasts between trims (3-4 weeks) while riding barefoot on abrasive terrain (sand and rocky trails) and seemed to decrease wear. This time of year my trails are soft enough to not need anything.
This was pretty much my experience except I’m pretty sure I didn’t even get 10 days. Fortunately I was only out my time and 1 tube since I used other vettec products and had the equipment.
Environment plays a big deal with this stuff. In a dry arid environment it probably works much better than a wet environment.
I tried it when it first came out. It lasted about a week or so. I didn’t take a torch to the feet back then so I’d imagine I could get longer with more prep work.
As a Farrier, how can I charge for something that might only get 3 weeks use.
If a horse owner knew how to prep a foot and applied it themselves, that might get them through whatever they’re trying to get through.
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