Glue on boots - long term use?

[Lifting_Chickk]

In light of the fact that Easycare is coming out with new, wider sizes of the Glue-on, which means they will FINALLY fit my mare with 152 x 152 mm hooves, I’m seriously thinking of trying them out this year.

Has anyone here used the Glue-ons for an extended period of time? (4-6 week intervals)

I was wondering about the boots performance and the condition of the hoof at the end of 4-6 weeks. I’ve heard somewhere that it was done, and done successfully, but I am looking for more evidence.

I’ve also heard of the Adhere Lock technique that helps set the boot faster than the Goober Glue alone can do…anyone used this?

…I’d be packing the sole and frog with Magic Cushion prior to glueing on the boots…heard very good things about Magic Cushion.

Any thoughts or experience?

Ultimately, if nothing works, I’ll have the mare shod again for hunting season, but I would much rather find an alternative that I can do myself. It just seems that those long trots on the paved roads would be much better cushioned by a rubber boot than a steel shoe! Of course, I could try Eponas, but I’d have to have them nailed on. The big mare would sheer off a glued on Epona in two steps, of that I’m certain!

Anyway, back to my original quesiton: If applied with packing material, can a glue on boot be used successfully for 4-6 weeks at a time and has anyone here tried it?

[chicamux]

Have you joined the barefootendurancehorses yahoo group? You might want to ask these questions over there, Also Easy Care has a blogs area where Team Easyboot posts their views, trial and tribulation on easy boot testing and use.

chicamuxen

[Lifting_Chickk]

[QUOTE=chicamux;5418977]
Have you joined the barefootendurancehorses yahoo group? You might want to ask these questions over there, Also Easy Care has a blogs area where Team Easyboot posts their views, trial and tribulation on easy boot testing and use.

chicamuxen[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I tried joining the Barefoot Endurance Horses yahoo group the other day, but the process was so lengthy I never finished it. If it is a really good resource then I should try again. Most of the info I currently have, I got from the Easycare site and blogs. I’m hoping to get more info from sources other than that tied to the manufacturer. Thanks!

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

[QUOTE=Daatje;5419101]
Yeah, I tried joining the Barefoot Endurance Horses yahoo group the other day, but the process was so lengthy I never finished it. If it is a really good resource then I should try again. Most of the info I currently have, I got from the Easycare site and blogs. I’m hoping to get more info from sources other than that tied to the manufacturer. Thanks![/QUOTE]

yes, it’s worth it. Lots of very knowledgeable people on there.

[chicamux]

Why not just use gloves? If they are making a wide glue-on, they’ll have a wide glove.

I had to use an easy boot on a horses foot for an extended period of time due to a resectioning of the hoof because of sever WLD. The boot was removed at least every other day for the hoof to dry but his feet got wet and soft. A friend competes her horses in glue-ons but trains with regular gloves. I’ve sent your question to her to see what she thinks.

chicamuxen

[Lifting_Chickk]

Awesome Chicamux, thanks! I have lost faith in the strap on boots as my horse (a BIG mover and heavy) throws them no matter what I do to ensure they stay on! I’ve used many different models in many different configurations over the years, and none have passed the foxhunting test. Trail riding at home, no problem, but I don’t need them there. I need them for the unforgiving terrain we often encounter at speed on the foxhunts.

I have thought of getting the gloves in Wide and perhaps trying them with the athletic tape, but I still have some serious doubts that they’ll stay put at a mad gallop. There’s always hope?

Thanks for passing my question along, and I’ll re-consider trying out the gloves once they come in wide.

Heck, I bet I wouldn’t have the problems I do with the Epics if they came in wide…I’ve always had the problem where she’s a size 4 in width but a size 3 in length. That’s probably why I lose boots…come to think of it…

I’d bet she’d be a 4 or 4.5 wide in the Gloves/Glue ons. I spoke with Easycare earlier this year, and not only are they making them wider, they’re making them bigger too. Very encouraging.

[txladybug]

I think the Gloves would stay on your horse at a “mad gallop” if they fit properly. Order the fit kit and try the new wides out. I think the hoof would get too mushy and thrush prone when left glued for extended periods. I think you would be happy with the Gloves, I have tested them hard on multiple horses in multiple disciplines… Correct trim + correct fit = Gloves that stay on. They don’t work on flared hooves, hooves with high heels, etc. Size them with a fresh trim. Good luck.

[chicamux]

chicamuxen posts a reply from a friend:

I don’t think they’re meant to stay on that long. Yes, foot will get
damp and thrushy (unless possibly she used a foot pack like Equipak CS).
But I also don’t think they will stay on that long. I left Miss K’s on for
a week or so after her last race and by the middle of the second week
she had pretty much flung them all off without me having to do anything.
(BTW, her feet were fine after leaving them on for 1.5-2 weeks, but I
did use the CS solepack.)

[Lifting_Chickk]

[QUOTE=txladybug;5419469]
I think the Gloves would stay on your horse at a “mad gallop” if they fit properly. Order the fit kit and try the new wides out. I think the hoof would get too mushy and thrush prone when left glued for extended periods. I think you would be happy with the Gloves, I have tested them hard on multiple horses in multiple disciplines… Correct trim + correct fit = Gloves that stay on. They don’t work on flared hooves, hooves with high heels, etc. Size them with a fresh trim. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

You guys are warming me up to the idea of trying the Gloves. I’ll have to keep tabs on when the Wides will be available and see if the rounder boot makes a difference in how they perform. The mare has a textbook perfect bare hoof, so if the boot size is right, they should have good contact all the way around.

…On one hunt, a rider next to me who happened to have a GPS “clocked” the field at 33mph, so yup, to me that’s a mad gallop. …and not when I’d want a boot to come flying off!

[CosMonster]

I also wouldn’t recommend leaving glue on boots for that long. I have seen a foot after 4 weeks with them on and even in the desert where we are the hoof was pretty thrushy. Packing material might help but I still probably wouldn’t do it. My experience is pretty much like Chicamuxen’s friend’s, where they’ll usually come off on their own after 1-2 weeks anyway. The one that was stuck on for 4 weeks was a bit of a fluke.

Gloves are pretty good. I don’t foxhunt but I have seen them stay on for what I would definitely consider a long mad gallop over harsh terrain. I believe a friend of mine who hunts uses them but I am not totally sure about that so take it with a grain of salt. I know she uses boots of some type, and I am pretty sure they are Gloves.

[Lifting_Chickk]

[QUOTE=chicamux;5419544]
chicamuxen posts a reply from a friend:

I don’t think they’re meant to stay on that long. Yes, foot will get
damp and thrushy (unless possibly she used a foot pack like Equipak CS).
But I also don’t think they will stay on that long. I left Miss K’s on for
a week or so after her last race and by the middle of the second week
she had pretty much flung them all off without me having to do anything.
(BTW, her feet were fine after leaving them on for 1.5-2 weeks, but I
did use the CS solepack.)[/QUOTE]

Thanks Chicamux! That’s what I would imagine would happen if they were left on that long, but on the easycare blog, I read of them being left on for 6 weeks or so and wanted to hear if anyone else had done that and what the results were. I’m going to see if the Gloves will perform and if not, I suppose I’ll just shoe her for hunt season like I did last year.

[Night_of_Songs]

Ditto on the Barefoot Endurance list on yahoo. Great resource. One of the hoof trimmers, I think from CA, did the longer glue-on time frame with an older horse that needed protection and it worked well for horse.

We used Glue-ons for two 4 week periods, with a few days off in-between, for a horse that would not grow enough sole. The casts would not stay on this guy in our mud. The Glue-ons stayed ON, through 6 inch deep mud with great traction (boots were checked several times daily during the first session as we were a little paranoid…). It did the job as he is now running barefoot and improving.

For the long term use, we used EquiPak CS (the blue stuff) to make a pad on the bottom of the foot and then glued the boot on with Goober glue and Adhere Lock method. Worked well and gave us time to spread the Goober glue along the boot edges to seal them. When we pulled the boots and peeled off the CS, which took some doing even after 4 weeks, the bottom of the foot was healthy, not a sign of thrush anywhere. The boots themselves did smell funky though, the dogs were way interested in carrying them off!

Easy Care has some videos on doing this. Pete Ramey did on one of his That’s my Horse DVD sets to rehab a horse as well. The Easy Care site shows another method of drilling some holes in the bottom of the boot to pump the CS in after gluing on the boot. They also mentioned they were using this method for pack horses in the mountains for about 2 weeks at a time with good success… They were indicating that they were not recommending over 10-14 days. We opted to make a pad first to make sure the frog crevices were fully covered by the CS.

Happy with the Gloves and power straps too.

[system]

EasyBoot Glue-On vs. Renegade Glue-On

I’ve been through the gammit of hoof boots: EasyBoot, Cavallo, Renegade, and more. I’ve tried the EasyBoot glue-ons and Renegade glue-ons too.

After all this, I’m back to Renegade boots. EasyBoot products seem to work okay if your horse has the exact dimensions of those boots. But, many horses don’t, and they’re not forgiving. So, they cause rubs or just don’t go on right if that’s the case. Also, the plastic in the EasyBoots falls apart after about a year (in Florida anyway), so that pair in the back of your tack room may look okay now but actually crumble when you go to put them on.

I tried both EasyBoot and Renegade glue-ons, and frankly, I’m done with both. Of the two, Renegade shells are definitely much better. Even though I’ve been my own farrier for several years now, I can’t get the boots to always stay on no matter how much Adhere I use, the temperature, or conditions. I can accept that it may have something to do with how I put them on or maybe my horse’s foot conformation (although the ones I’ve glued on my friend’s horse have never come off during a ride). I also don’t like glue-ons because mud packs in under the sole and can cause nastiness if it’s left there more than a few days. So, if you are going to go with glue-ons, keep them on for as short a period as possible.

If you need to temporarily raise a heel or provide protection, consider using Vettec SuperFast on a specific spot. Even though it only lasts a few days at a time (falls off), it’s a much better option than a glue-on boot for rehabilitation.

At the FITS (Fun in the Sun) pioneer ride in Florida this past week, I only saw Renegades (glue-ons and boots) and not a single pair of EasyBoots.

[gothedistance]

You know…I’ve gone the whole route of boots and shoes…and even tho my tackroom is filled with a zillion boots, it is the (aluminum) shoes that win hands down every time.

Much as I love the boots for those times when I want to give a foot a vacation and go bare…those darn boots always find a way to get flung off. I’ve seen those glue ons littering alongside the endurance trail, and I knew someone who had invested a ton of money in Renegades for their two horses…and they couldn’t get 1/2 mile down the road without the boot twisting so badly they finally gave up and went barefooted. I’ve even had the classic easy boot get thrown off a shod hoof. I’ve had the Glove lose a back screw and get caught around the ankle so that it was impossible to remove without sawing through the fetlock gaiter. Then I’ve had the classic easy boot with the metal prongs grab a shod hoof so tight it was a 10 minute sweating, cursing battle just to get the boot off .

I just.don’t.have.the-time to deal with boots on a daily basis, and I certainly would NOT NOT NOT leave them on longterm. Even a week is too long. Truthfully speaking, there have been times I’ve left them on for 2 days at a time – only because they do a great job over 48 hours softening a super hard foot that is difficult to trim/rasp.

Frankly, if you want to do any sport, and need to train every day or every other day for that sport over natural terrain, just suck it up to the fact that a pair of shoes - with pads if you wish - are going to be the absolute best option in the long run.

I learned to do my own farrier work decades ago. And it is something I would recommend to every horse owner. If your horse has a good foot, doing your own farrier work isn’t hard to do, it just takes education and practice. Get a good farrier that will teach you the methods and techniques, and guide you through the process of correct trimming and correcting shaping a shoe to the foot. Learning to put those nails in is scary at first, then it becomes second nature. What you learn is a major plus and benefit to both yourself and your horse.

JMHO

[Lifting_Chickk]

[QUOTE=joharder;5479466]
I’ve been through the gammit of hoof boots: EasyBoot, Cavallo, Renegade, and more. I’ve tried the EasyBoot glue-ons and Renegade glue-ons too.

After all this, I’m back to Renegade boots. [/QUOTE]

Yeah…I’d love to give the Renegades a try, but until they make a boot BIG enough for my horse, they’re not an option. She’s got a 6" x 6" foot.

[Lifting_Chickk]

[QUOTE=gothedistance;5479554]

Much as I love the boots for those times when I want to give a foot a vacation and go bare…those darn boots always find a way to get flung off.

Frankly, if you want to do any sport, and need to train every day or every other day for that sport over natural terrain, just suck it up to the fact that a pair of shoes - with pads if you wish - are going to be the absolute best option in the long run.

I learned to do my own farrier work decades ago.
JMHO[/QUOTE]

Yeah, this is the problem I had (and still have in a way). They just. don’t. stay. on. Not only that, she doesn’t move well in them. Labored almost. She doesn’t move great in shoes either. Bare is clearly best for her, but foxhunting is tough on the feet in our territory.

I’ve been doing my own trimming for 11 years. It wouldn’t take much for me to learn to shoe, but the farrier who probably would have shown me how moved away!

I had a great ride yesterday over some pretty rough, rocky terrain, her feet look fabulous right now and if they keep it up, I bet I could get some serious barefoot mileage (with a little Durasole for extra insurance) this season.

Thanks to everyone for the input! I’m going to keep her bare and as long as she’s working well, leave well enough alone. The aluminum shoes are an idea…but she’s big and wears through a set of steel shoes pretty quickly. I wonder how aluminum would hold up.

Anyway, I appreciate the help, thinking through the glue on boot option.

[CosMonster]

If you’re already doing your own trimming, I’d definitely recommend the Epona shoes. Really, nailing is the easiest part of shoeing–the trim is the hardest (and you’ve got that down it sounds like), and then actually fitting the shoe. Nailing and finishing is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. I bet you could find a farrier to teach you that easily. Just offer to do grunt work, most I’ve known are pretty willing and like to share their craft.

Learning all about shoeing would take awhile of course, but learning to nail/finish and then relying on synthetic shoes in the meantime seems like it might be a good compromise.

[Lifting_Chickk]

[QUOTE=CosMonster;5480156]
If you’re already doing your own trimming, I’d definitely recommend the Epona shoes. Really, nailing is the easiest part of shoeing–the trim is the hardest (and you’ve got that down it sounds like), and then actually fitting the shoe. Nailing and finishing is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. I bet you could find a farrier to teach you that easily. Just offer to do grunt work, most I’ve known are pretty willing and like to share their craft.

Learning all about shoeing would take awhile of course, but learning to nail/finish and then relying on synthetic shoes in the meantime seems like it might be a good compromise.[/QUOTE]

That thought had crossed my mind, but truthfully, nailing scares the crap outta me. I like the Epona Shoes, though they’re not quite cost effective when compared to having a farrier nail on steel fronts.

I had wanted to be a farrier when I was younger, but life took me in another direction. Maybe shoeing school is in my future?

[Eddy_s_Mom]

[QUOTE=gothedistance;5479554]

Frankly, if you want to do any sport, and need to train every day or every other day for that sport over natural terrain, just suck it up to the fact that a pair of shoes - with pads if you wish - are going to be the absolute best option in the long run. [/QUOTE]

Gah, I hate comments like this. There are plenty of us out there who successfully compete in endurance using strap-on and glue-on boots. So, no, shoes with pads are NOT the absolute best option in the long run for many people. It might be the best option for you, but don’t speak for others.

And I am sorry but if boots- either Renegades or Easyboots- are twisting, flinging or otherwise not working, they.don’t.fit. Period. Either the foot is not shaped correctly (long toe, low heel, flare, high heel, etc.) or the boots just plain don’t fit. There are plenty of horses who’s feet are just not good candidate for successful boot-using.

To the OP, I hope the new wide Gloves work for you!! If you’re on the Easyboot facebook page you can see a comparison of the regular Gloves to the Wides for reference. I too have a perfectly round-footed guy who will be the perfect candidate for wides. Can’t wait for them! If you need any additional help, send me a PM!

[katyb]

[QUOTE=Daatje;5419407]
Awesome Chicamux, thanks! I have lost faith in the strap on boots as my horse (a BIG mover and heavy) throws them no matter what I do to ensure they stay on! I’ve used many different models in many different configurations over the years, and none have passed the foxhunting test. Trail riding at home, no problem, but I don’t need them there. I need them for the unforgiving terrain we often encounter at speed on the foxhunts.

I have thought of getting the gloves in Wide and perhaps trying them with the athletic tape, but I still have some serious doubts that they’ll stay put at a mad gallop. There’s always hope?

Thanks for passing my question along, and I’ll re-consider trying out the gloves once they come in wide.

Heck, I bet I wouldn’t have the problems I do with the Epics if they came in wide…I’ve always had the problem where she’s a size 4 in width but a size 3 in length. That’s probably why I lose boots…come to think of it…

I’d bet she’d be a 4 or 4.5 wide in the Gloves/Glue ons. I spoke with Easycare earlier this year, and not only are they making them wider, they’re making them bigger too. Very encouraging.[/QUOTE]

Have you tried the Gloves with the power straps? They made the difference with my son’s mare, who paddles and kept tossing the boots (although they did stay velcro’d on, so they weren’t gone at least).