Glue ons and studs

[DMK]

I’ve got a fjord pony who is coming 12 and never needed shoes, never had a nail get anywhere near his wall even though he regularly trots 12km up and down a dirt/gravel road for fitness. For this I’m eternally grateful!

He’s been my combined driving pony for the last 5 years and he’s never felt like he needed shoes. The one or two times he’s slipped are places that everyone was slipping, studs or not, so I’m pretty confident that barefoot is mostly the best option for him (and my pocketbook).

But we started advanced CDEs this year and there are two marathon venues that give me pause because of the type of grass and because we are faster than we were at the lower levels (and trying hard to be even faster, of course).

I’ve thought about putting glue ons that are drilled for studs for maybe 10-15 days. I don’t care if they are on longer, but I don’t want them on for just the 4-5 days of competition, I want to be able to work him in them both with and without studs for at least 7 days in advance.

So early research - how well do glue one in general and those with studs in particular stay on in a high torque environment? This pony powers around tight turns with a lot of power even in a sport known for that sort of thing.Do you have recommendations for some systems that stay on better than others? Has anyone gone the DIY route? I wouldn’t be opposed to having my regular farrier do the important stuff (trim) leaving me to glue the shoe on, especially if we happen to be on the road for an extended period.

[Christa_P]

Not sure if it would work for you, but you can get hoof boots with studs. I know Easy Care has that option, and AFAIK Scoots and Renegades do as well.

[luvmyhackney]

@DMK

how well do glue one in general and those with studs in particular stay on in a high torque environment?

Depends how good your farrier is at adhering them.

I don’t think you would have any issues if adhered properly, they usually last a good 4 weeks or more.

[barnesthenoble]

They hold up well when applied properly. I know several eventers running around in these and loving them: https://easycareinc.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=BBCDC9E5005743288A014BCD7857D824

Application is really straightforward. You can use urethane (Vettec Adhere, Superfast, HoofTite, EasyCare sells some too) or acrylic (Equilox, Glue U, EasyShoe Bond). Urethane is cheaper and faster, but is fussier about prep (you need DRY amd clean feet, definitely recommend buying a hoof buffy or having farrier do the prep if they’re experienced with glue). Acrylic is slower and more expensive, plus has a bit of a noxious fume, but more forgiving, and you can buy tubes to fit regular caulking guns so no need to buy a special gun for gluing.

[anonevent]

How well glue-ons stay on is highly dependent on how properly prepared the hoof is, so I would not DIY it. The preparation/application depends on the type of glue-on. For the steel shoes we use, the hoof is trimmed, filed, sanded with a power sander, and a blow torch is used on the sole. The hoof has to be held up for a few minutes while it dries. It’s about twice the cost of nail-ons. There are other types (like Glu-Shu) that can be cured/set with the hoof on the ground though.

My horse was losing nail-on shoes like it was his favorite hobby. His glue-ons stay on in all conditions (deep mud, sprinting and turning at Kentucky Derby speed in turnout). There’s nothing to “catch” on his style of shoe. They’re actually pretty hard to remove when you want to get them off.

[DMK]

I use scoots when the road is freshly grated and full of big rocks, but I’ve ruled them out for several reasons. They actually give less traction than barefoot in tight turns on slick wet turf, also the road/ice studs I’ve seen for boots are just not enough stud to get the job done unfortunately. But mostly after years of using them, I’m just not comfortable they would not twist during a serious spin around a box. Maybe not a lot of twist, but early on in competition with another 7km of hard work in front of us worries me that I could really cause him discomfort/soreness.

I have looked at the easy care glue ones (the competition maybe?) that are pre drilled, which is what bought on this thought experiment.

[DMK]

I wouldn’t normally think that I could just do them myself except that I regularly did vettc work in the past, doing pour ins and the hard sole pads for barefoot horses, so I’ve got some basic familiarity with the concept (and probably most of the equipment). But that’s all secondary to “will they handle the work?”. I appreciate the eventer feedback! Honestly, if there was a barrel racer out there, then my mind would really be at ease. But barring that, if you’ve used them do you think they can handle this?

February 27, 2024

[cayuse]

My pony is in EasyCare Versa glue ons and they don’t budge. He has gone 6 weeks in them although 5 is optimum for him. He has tiny studs put in during winter.
The prep is very important and you have to work fairly quickly so I’d have the farrier do it the first few times so you can watch and get a good idea of the procedure.
I pay about $275 for a trim all around and shoes applied and this may be a bit below the going rate. Front shoes only.

[HiJumpGrrl]

Hey D–We did glue ons for one cycle last year when we cut a mouse hole for a spot of white line, and I ran a prelim in them with studs. They were great. I have an awesome farrier, though

[barnesthenoble]

Barrel racers are using them, too https://blog.easycareinc.com/barrel-racing-trail-riding-and-more/

And after watching the video, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for what you’re doing. I’d probably do a test glue or two before a big competition just to get the process down pat, but I think they’ll stay on just fine.