Oh yeah, that double-sided tape is a no go I didnāt even try to apply a shoe with it, I just used it to attach a leather pad to a shoe. My mare managed to lose it in the pasture, and the pad didnāt even stay stuck to the shoe. Others sheās thrown, the super glued pad has stayed on.
My struggle is my 1500# warmblood turned out on corrugated pasture, I think the shoes just flex and then the tabs rip off. Iāve abandoned the sticky fingers tabs, and am experimenting with the Wolf Busch tabs. One of those ripped off within 48 hours, but I think with the different material, I was learning and didnāt get a solid weld. Iāve learned to weld the first inch, and then let it cool enough to harden before continuing. Otherwise, for whatever, reason, the WB tabs will tend to slide and get out of position. Iād really love to get one of the Duplo welding tables, but Iāve sunk too much money into this venture for the time-being.
Iād also taken a break from trying to keep the hinds on, and my mare was working well without. But I put them back on with a leather wedge the other day and I think she did better with the extra traction. Was thinking it might help retention to put her in the speeds with the metal insert to reduce flexing in turnout, but of course her size was the only size sold out last time I ordered supplies. So if the current super glued pair (Versa + Stealth tabs) doesnāt stay on, Iāve got some VetTec Superfast and the glue cuffs on the way for our next round.
Add me to the list of glue on triers! My very kind (yet skeptical) farrier came out this morning to trim and apply the shoes. The tabs did not align perfectly with my mareās walls naturally, but glued tight after the recommended plastic wrap set period. Sheās currently tied up to let the glue fully cure before I turn her out. I shouldāve dyed them before I put them on because if they come off I wonāt be able to find them. Has anyone dyed / spray painted their shoes after application?
The Rit DyeMore does not seem to have any effect on glue adhesion. However, it wonāt work to use on the hoof. I did see a post in the FB group where someone spray painted shoes and it did not go well.
I am a fan of EasyCare and SoftRide boots for all sorts of issues. Hereās my rundown of how to make them work for various weather conditions / seasons / over night or light day time turn out:
EasyCare Epic: Great for all season overnight / day time turnout ā Iāve even left them on for 48 hrs. Sprinkle Gold Bond foot powder (blue container) inside boot to help prevent funk or pack frog grooves with putty of choice. Sometimes I squirt White Lightening in the boot after itās on. I also cut the ācomfort strapsā out of the bootsā I donāt use them.
The ski boot type latch should be really hard to push down. That means a nice tight fit. A hoof pick should be needed to lift it back up. If fit is loose Iāll shove a hoof pad down the front of the boot before latching = tight fit. Or Iāll use a bit thicker pad to raise the hoof up a bit.
Many ways to adjust fit by looping the cable (one side only or both) over the opposite (round metal) keepers rather than just letting them ride between the keepers.
I will rasp off a bit of hoof (flares) near end of cycle if boot wonāt go on. These boots have a bit of a learning curve to get on ā what works well is to get boot centered on hoof and partially pushed on, then let horse put weight on hoof and it will go right into the boot.
Easyboot Cloud ā I avoid using these in the summer for both overnight turnout and/or lengthy day time turnout. Heavy material turns into a sweaty hot box = coronary band can get mushy + heel bulbs can rub raw. Great for cooler months. I wrap gorilla tape tightly around the velcro closure area to insure boots donāt come off + GoldBond.
I find that the Clouds stay on really well once they are broken in ā they get softer + easier to put on/pull off although they are pretty easy to begin with. Very forgiving when getting near end of cycle (usually donāt need to rasp hoof) and they stay on well (if taped up) even if the fit is a bit loose. Actually I prefer a bit of a loose fit. A tight fit can create a suction issue (especially when boots are brand new/stiff and especially wet) making them hard to pull off. Two pairs are convenient because they take a while to dry out if soaking wet.
Easyboot RX: I love these boots. Easy to get on /off. Best for daytime light turnout in the summer tho I have used them for overnight and in a pinch in the winter. Forgiving fit but since these boots arenāt all that sturdy I put a SoftRide gel pad inside. The toe tab helps prevent the front of the RX from coming apart from hoof/toe pressure; the RX will last a lot longer by doing this. SoftRide pads can be used in the Clouds as well.
SoftRides are great so long as the horse doesnāt mind a clunkier boot. Iāve left these on 24/7 for days at a time. Hoof is never funky ā boots have excellent air circulation. Best in dry weather and summertime. Fit is crucial or boots will get wrecked; there is a low angled sidewall on these boots and if your horse pulls his foot away before boot is on and smashes these down, they can rip. This has happened to me quite a lot ā fix is to use a hoof pick to pry the sidewall back up into position before it has a chance to rip.
The SoftRides will accommodate Cloud pads which is nice. Lastly I have sliced down the frog support on the SoftRides for horses that do better with a flatter stance.
When one of my horses needs boots for whatever reason, I often will use a different type each day/night depending on weather, length of turnout time etc.
If I remeber correctly, Magic Cushion was a nightmare ā dried into a hardened sticky mess that was impossible to get out the boots. Had to throw boots /pads away. Maybe slapping brown paper or plastic wrap on bottom of hoof after applying would work tho.
Well yāall, I said I was doing boots as the glue-on process was getting a bit intimidating. I may be eating those words. Boots are staying on fine but Iām struggling with enough protection vs bulk on one of mine - he seems to do better in shoes but we canāt keep them on him!
I do have a couple questions still:
what glue/wall attachment works the best in wet conditions? Superglue or? Tabs vs cuffs? My horses live out for the most part, so they are on dew and sometimes mud. We went from rock hard dryness to slippery mud overnight here.
the EasyCare line seems to have frog support but not a solid bottom - are these intended to be used with pads or if the horse is comfy can the shoes be applied as-is? The horse in question twists a bit behind and my farrier says the regular shoe + pad is just so much material for the nails to hold against that torque. We are trying clips but if that doesnāt work, itās going to be glue ons. Reducing the number of layers between his foot and the ground would be great.
Would yāall agree that as far as support and protection (assuming a good trim and all that), from least to most would be: bare, boots, composite, metal shoes (with pads)?
Hard to tell. Iād have to find someone to video!
He is better after we did some preventative maintenance on his stifles - hyaluronic acid. I havenāt done anything specifically to his hocks, but Iām thinking about Adequan just for funsies.
EasyCare sells a plug for the Versas of you want to keep debris out without a pad. I use a thin leather pad. Acrylic glue is supposed to be best for wet conditions. Iām still having retention issues with the hinds. With the shoes coming off and having to prep the hoof my mare has a little wall damage, so Iām holding off on resetting her hinds, but Iām going to try Duplos, which have a metal insert so theyāre more rigid. Iāll probably pair them with the EasyCare glue cuffs and Vettec Super fast.
Iām having pretty good luck with the Wolf Busch tabs and super glue on the fronts. Iām going to reset with this same package next weekend. Of course itās hot, so sheās not running around in turnout and stressing the tabs.
I applied some new Versa Octos the other day and wanted to share some pictures of the modifications I make. I use an angle grinder to adjust breakover and landing, the top shoe in these has been modified while the bottom is out of the box. I use the Versa Plugs to keep debris out, alongside a small amount (maybe golf ball size? more or less depending on the concavity of the foot, thickness of sole, etc) of DIM. For this horse I also use Scoot Boot pads cut into a rim pad shape since he likes the extra squish and it gives me a bit more room for error on the DIM (he gets sore if I use too much, and the hole in the middle of the pad gives it somewhere to go without creating pressure points). Right now Iām using Luwex sportpak but most any extra soft DIM will do.
And these are applied. Not the prettiest job Iāve done but heās comfy. I didnāt get great angles in these pics nor did I set him up to be balanced so try not to judge the HPA too closely, lol. You can see the scoot pads. I have them screwed in at three points, at the toe and on either heel. You can also see the opaque spots towards the bottom of some tabs where thereās air. I did wind up popping a couple tabs loose with my nippers and re-gluing them. Iāve found that sometimes the fresh out of the box tabs are almost too slick and donāt bond to the glue as well, and I actually get a cleaner bond on the subsequent resets. If Iām up for it Iāll sometimes pre-dremel or sand the tabs to rough them up, but I didnāt bother this time. Theyāre still hanging in there although Iāll probably pull and reset around three weeks instead of my usual four.
The horse in these pics twists REALLY hard on his LH and less so on his RH. Honestly Iāve had the best luck with Octos on him, heās just twisted straight out of the larger cuffs but Iām pretty sure thatās user error on my part. I donāt usually use a pad on his hinds, just a plug and DIM. This cycle Iām playing with a pad just on the lateral side of the LH to try correcting for some m/l imbalance caused by SI issues higher up. No pad on the RH. Iām liking what Iām seeing so far. Theyāve been on a week and holding on strong but Iāll report back.
I always cut out the debris guard, and almost always use the plugs. Itās not a requirement, but it helps with keep debris out and DIM in, and saves me from trying to fish around in there with a hoof pick. For pads, I use a leather pad on a different horse who really likes those, he doesnāt need squish so much as the height. Sometimes I cut it into a rim pad (usually when I have a plug handy for the shoe size he wears), and others I just use the flat pad and some magic cushion (for when I donāt have a plug and I just use the leather pad to cover the hole). And for other horses I donāt use any pad at all, just some DIM and the plugs. Iāve also used the Castle pour-in pads with success, but I prefer the plugs.
The shoes can absolutely be applied as-is (with the debris guard removed IMO, I really hate that thing ngl). But I havenāt found any retention issues when using pads, JME.
Garrett Ford and Easycare are also working on several new options that should be available soon with more solar coverage and differently-shaped frog support. Iām excited for them to come out. Itās worth scrolling thru his stuff on FB if youāre on there.
RE: moisture, Iāve had the best luck with superglue followed by acrylic. Urethane does NOT play nice with wet conditions.
RE: levels of support and protection Iād probably go bare -> boots w/o pads -> open heeled composites, some of the thinner ones like the EasyCare 3D -> well-fitted boots with pads -> metal shoes with pads -> composites like the Versa Grip Glue & Octo, some Duplo models, EasyShoe Performance, etc with the right combination of hoof packing and padding for the horse.
And a short video of him tromping along the trail in this package. This is a less rocky portion; I tried to get a video of him over the really rocky bits where he looked just as good, but came across some mountain bikers and didnāt want to be trying to video and wrangle and cause any problems.
Popping back in to update on my journey and saw the thread updated! Hopefully my experience helps.
I was having retention issues with the Octos and superglue, so I started experimenting with the Equilox. It works SO MUCH better for me! The only shoe Iāve lost with the Equilox is from my mare grabbing and ripping it off - all the tabs stayed attached to the hoof wall, so it was most definitely not a glue bond/hoof prep issue.
I didnāt love the Equilox with the Octos, it was messy and the finish looked like crap, even for me who generally has zero cares about if things are pretty. But I decided to switch to the cuff style Versa glues since theyāre made to be used with that kind of adhesive. I just got done applying my first pair after she got trimmed yesterday and OMG so much easier and neater than the Octos. Weāll see if these stay on, but Iām thinking they wonāt be any worse than the Octos.
My farrier shaped these shoes for me again, but it would have been NBD to do it myself now that Iāve seen what he does to them (rockers/bevels the toe and debulks the heel). I could easily do it with a Dremel, it would just take a little longer than his bench grinder.
I get being intimated and the learning curve is intense, I wonāt lie, but itās totally doable - and super satisfying when you make progress towards what will work for you and your horse.
Edited to add: agree with cutting out the debris guard. I donāt use plugs, but can see why youād want to. Iāve had one gnarley rock get wedged in one shoe, but otherwise I donāt find it too cumbersome to pick out the mud and dirt. Get a Dremel if you donāt have one! Itās super handy for a lot of things in this process.
Iām so glad itās working well for you!! Many folks seem to feel this way, so I do wonder if Iām just weird in my preference for superglue, or maybe my climate just makes it easier than in places that are more humid, even though I do have good luck with superglue in the winter.
Agreed that using anything but superglue with the tabs is messy and clunky-looking, IMO. The cuffs are much better. And itās great because they are definitely more forgiving of wonkiness in the hoof walls, since you can fill space much easier!
Oh wow, thanks!! Great that yours are working for a twisting hind foot!
This is encouraging. Especially helpful seeing the breakover you cut into them! How did you determine what to take - trial and error? Do you do a pretty even radius all around?
It makes sense to me that tabs would work better for twisting vs cuffs. Maybe, if I go this way, Iāll try tabs on the hinds and a cuff on the front first. Itās also good to know that the heavier duty glue ons could feasibly offer more support - one of mine really seems to need it right now.
Okay - letās say I was thinking about starting this glue on journey. What would I need, supply-wise? Iām not committing yet, but I want to price some things.
shoes themselves
pads (optional)
plugs (optional)
DIM/magic cushion (optional)
glue of choice
electrical tape? for setting the cuffs/tabs
nippers
rasp
heat gun?
angle grinder or dremel
hoof stand (optional? My back is pretty bad though)
I donāt know that you need a heat gun, unless you plan on learning how to weld on new tabs/cuffs as needed to get more life out of the shoes. Itās a good skill to have and a good tool to have, but not necessary IMO.
I would really struggle without my hoofjack; theyāre expensive but they last forever, take a beating, and have some resale value.
I suggest several pairs of good shears, for cutting out the debris guard, trimming pads, cutting the electrical tape off after glue is set, etc. I have a million pairs of Wiss EZSnips from Amazon scattered around my tack room and grain area and house lol For trimming the scoot pads, I recently got a pair of special farrier shears that are AMAZING but they werenāt super cheap: https://www.farriersdepot.com/farrier-grade-shears-by-sound-horse-technologies.html and Iāve been afraid to use them on anything but scoot pads though Iām sure theyād handle trimming the debris guard and possibly leather pads, too. The Wiss shears did the job with the scoot pads but it was rough.
If you end up doing Equilox or Adhere/SuperFast, youāll need their respective dispensing guns. Theyāre ~$70ish? Maybe less or a bit more? But theyāll last for ages. Thereās also Equilox stubbies which can be used with a regular caulking gun if you donāt want to deal with a whole tube.
For the shoes with cuffs, I prefer to use plastic wrap since the electrical tape kinda gets stuck to the equilox. Other folks havenāt had a problem though so YMMV.
Iām fortunate to have a partner with an addiction to tools so I have access to an angle grinder, dremel, and belt sander. I donāt use the belt sander much because I find it kind of annoying to set up, but when it is set up itās easier to use than the angle grinder for changing breakover. But the AG is portable and I like it better for grinding off old tabs if I want to weld new ones on, so I use it pretty exclusively. I use the dremel for grinding down small clumps of glue or debris that may have settled on the sole of the shoe over the course of the cycle, and for cleaning the tabs to reuse.
If you can swing it, I highly recommend a Hoof Buffy. They make the prep process soooo much easier, especially if youāre getting ready to re-glue and need to flatten the old glue. Youāll need a drill, the buffy, a handheld bicycle pump, and the sanding sleeves. I think I use 80 grit. I get a ton of life out of one sleeve, I bought a ten pack in January or so and I think I just replaced the first one I pulled from the pack? I do deflate mine in between uses since sometimes it sits for a few weeks just to protect the bladder but a lot of folks keep them inflated 24/7. I just find the buffy SO much easier than trying to prep with a rasp, and safer than trying to use a sanding disc on an angle grinder.
I also suggest a wire brush you keep just for brushing off the hoof walls after prepping, and a small butane torch for when itās really wet out, or to torch any funkiness in the white line. Iām also a big fan of using artimud under the shoes to help with gunk.
Pretty much trial and error to see what the horse likes, but for the most part I take a pretty even radius all the way around for all the horses I do. It just helps with omnidirectional breakover and landing (gives more of a āsledā slope to land on, vs what to me can be a bit of a hard clunk with the default back of the shoe because of how much material there is, if that makes any senseā¦) and ensuring Iām not adding leverage to the foot when I glue.
I didnāt even try to apply a shoe with it, I just used it to attach a leather pad to a shoe. My mare managed to lose it in the pasture, and the pad didnāt even stay stuck to the shoe. Others sheās thrown, the super glued pad has stayed on.
