Day 1 at EMS...Chey and I are FLYING with his Easyboots and Gloves.
Why fix it? At least that was the working idea for the Eastern Mojave XP 4-day, 200 mile multi-day ride I went to over Valentine's. With all the new innovation in boots now, Barefooting is becoming increasingly easier to do. But there are still some aspects of the new booting systems, that are more time consuming or complex and have greater expenses, than some of the old ones.
For example, though I absolutely ADORE the new Easyboot Glue-Ons (they are so light weight, form fitting, and have no hardware to mess with or break down), the gluing process is still both a little expensive (using the Vettec products, which do work exceedingly well) and has a bit of a steeper (though anyone can learn to do it) learning curve to it. So sometimes I go back to the roots of the booting systems, and just go back to the good old way of foaming boots on.
Foaming is a tried and true method that has been around for a good long time and is relatively easy to do. As with all things, it also has a learning curve, but it is a fairly shallow one and with one in-person teaching session, I could have you all set. I will try and describe it a little here, and sometime get some pictures or video of the process as well (forgot to do so this time around). What I really like about it, is that the horse's hooves seem to tolerate it pretty well (not much thrush happening, and there are ways to stave it off if going to a very wet ride...and it doesn't stick much to the hooves after the fact and makes a fairly nice sole/frog cushion as well) and the cost is fairly low (all you need is the foam itself, which runs around 12-15$ for the set, and can foam 4-6 feet depending on hoof size).
This is the two part foaming kit....
There is, as with all things, a downside. The foam can be a HUGE mess to clean up and sometimes will permanently stay in the boots (I will get to how to help mitigate that in a bit). One way to solve this problem, is to use old boots. I have a whole stack of boots that have either fairly worn tread (but still usable...esp on a sandy/rocky desert ride) or slight issues that can no longer be repaired (like tears in the cable or screw holes). Another good source are OLD boots... the ones that had rivets and not screws, so hardware is really hard to replace on these. These you can find on e-bay or other places used for a really good price. This way, I don't feel bad if there is glue all over the boots and the price ends up being about the same as using Glue On boots, but with less overhead for the adhesive.
So here is what I do. First, I prep the boots. If you have really old boots (like I used this ride...just enough tread left for one last multi-day and then they were trash worthy anyway) you can do less of the prep, or even none at all if you feel like.. (I like at least a little prep, as I can often "harvest" parts off even old boots, like buckles or whatnot). But if you want to re-use the boots, then you want to get some duct tape and tape a single layer over the inside sides (not the bottom of the boot)of the boot, all the way around. Be especially careful around any places that have screws or hardware (to keep the foam off it) and some around the heel strap as well (LEAVE the strap in! I have seen too many ppl lose foamed on boots because they took out the heel strap, which helps pull the boot snug around the hoof, and by cutting the heels in back too far down, which lets foam escape out the back). If you have any hesitations about whether or not the boots will stick, just leave out more tape and the boot will stay on. I have not have any issues with losing boots taped up, but I know a few have...maybe it was the amount of foam used? Or the stickiness of the tape? But if you want to be safe, just tape less.
Next, the application. If you can, have a second person help you with this, and if possible do it with the same person (or few ppl) every time. After a few applications, you become a well oiled team that can do this is no time and with boots that stick (Terri and I have gotten really good at doing the foaming...she handles the foam, and I put the boot on the horse...works great!), but you can also do the foaming on your own with no problems as well. You just will have to be a bit more organized while applying them. Make sure you have lots of baby wipes, disposable gloves, and vaseline. Wear older clothes in case the foam gets on you, as it will not come out later . The vaseline you put all around the hairline of your horse's hoof and up in the area on the back side of the pastern. This helps keep the foam off the hair. Your horse will be fine if you don't do this, but it will have some glued together hair for a while :) I also tend to trim the long hair over the coronet band, the fetlock, and pastern hair...I do this much of the time anyway if I remember, as it helps in the muddy environment we have to keep those areas cleaner and in the desert to help with scratches.. I know, you are now saying this sounds like lots of work...but it really isn't and for gluing boots you would do most this anyway. This is just a different adhesive. Oh yes, also have some clear plastic cups and stir sticks (coffee sticks or kebab-sticks broken in half work great for this) ready.
To glue, just follow the directions on the bottles...pour and mix the two liquids, stirring with the stick. This is usually one partner's job, while the other one is cleaning out and holding the hoof of the horse at this point...having an old door mat or something for the horse to put the clean foot on helps, then you won't have to hold it a lot..baby wipes should be next to the horse, and a rubber mallet or something similar nearby helps to knock the toe of the boot on better. Oh! sheesh, here is another step I forgot (I think I will make a video of this at Cuyama in March for you all! It is so much easier when you "see" it)...get baling twine and cut some lengths (make sure there are no knots in the lengths) to put around the heel strap...this helps pull the boot on snug and the heel strap up slightly, and pulls out of the foaming boot much easier than the pull up straps that come with the boots... Once the liquid is just warming, pour in the boot, then when it is JUST starting to bubble, hand boot to the horse handler...this person swishes the liquid around the boots (getting it up the sides a little) and then as it bubbles a little more and changes color slightly (but if it is truly foaming, it is a tad late...you can still put it on, but it will be harder and might not stick as well), the horse handler puts the boot on the horse, wack the toe with a hammer, makes sure it is straight and sets the hoof down. While the hoof is down, pull up a little on the baling twine to lift the heel strap, then pull out the twine (or just cut off ends if it won't come out for whatever reason). Then buckle down the front of the boot fairly snug (use a cheap metal hoof pick to manipulate the cables if need be). Then start wiping away the excess foam with baby wipes as it comes out (usually most will come out the back between the heelbulbs) as it foams up. Repeat with all feet. I find a smaller horse (size 0 or 00 feet) will take less glue (the "pony" portion on the bottle or between pony and 00) than it says on the bottle (you can use the normal portion, but have lots of baby wipes ready!) and for large feet, I might use a tiny bit more if it is not foaming out well (like size 2 or higher).
Anyway, this seems to work great, and the other upside of the boots, is that removal is super easy...just pop open the buckle, loosen the cables, and use a flat screwdriver to loosen the bond (which after 3-5 days of riding is already loosening) and pop the boot off...takes 30 secs a boot to remove, which is easier than the glue-on boot (but arguably also less secure than the glue-on, though I have only lost two foamed boots (not enough foam and the weather while foaming was freezing and I didn't warm the foam first) and not a glued boot boot at all yet. A few tricks of the trade: if it is COLD when you are applying the foam, heat the bottles in a pot of simmering water first (you can even warm the boot this way as well)...otherwise it takes a long time to set and may not set right (this works for the vettec glues as well!). The opposite is true in HOT weather...if you want a little more time to fuss with the boot while applying (heat will make the foam start to bubble up and foam real fast), just leave the bottles in your fridge or cooler for a few hrs before the application (or freezer for a little bit).
Now to show you what the feet look like before, and after 5 days of foamed on boots (I foamed on the day before the ride, road 4 days, then pulled the boots about 1/2 hr after I got back in camp after the last day). We did all four feet on Oliver (Terri's horse) and the front feet on Cheyenne. I used Gloves on his hind feet as I was testing out a new gaiter (which after 4 days had ABSOLUTELY NO evidence of any rubbing...whoo hoo! I hope these come to market soon!) and only had a size that fit his hinds. Both horses finished all 4 days in fine form and their feet looked great. This was a desert ride of course, so we didn't have to go through lots of water or mud (though there was one bog on the first day and some snow melt creek/wet sand we had to go through on the last day). Which reminds me of another tip...if you expect to be riding in rain, mud, or lots of water crossings, I have a little anti-thrush trick. Get some cotton balls and soak them in betadine, or even coppertox...stuff them into the lateral grooves on either side of the frog, and if the horse already has a deeper central cleft from thrush damage, in their as well. Foam the boot right over the top of this (make sure the cotton is level with the frog and even, so no "lumps" form to cause pressure). This works like a charm! Also works well this way when gluing Glue-ons to the feet, or you can fill the sole area with the Vettec CS packing material, that has the copper sulfate already in it...
Before the ride...we stopped on the way to the ride somewhere in the desert between Bakersfield and Mojave I think it was..I trimmed them both up after taking all the pics (mainly leveled, rounded and brought back the toes a tad).
Chey's right front hoof...already drying out some from our muddy Humboldt climes, just from traveling in shavings for a few days...
And after the ride..this is his right hind I believe...this is on the way home, so he's gone a day without the boots on. His feet look great! The hinds had the benefit of not being booted at night, and only getting booted during the day, since I used Gloves on them... So they got a nice sand polish to them...
I think this is the right front again, after the ride...
Not bad at all for being foamed for 5 days...looks good!
And the left hind foot... another nicely polished foot...Oh if we could just get tons of sand at home...maybe I should buy beach front property when I get rich?? :)
Left front...looks great!
And both fronts after...you can see where I trimmed the hair above the coronets...
Day two....still having fun....We had the most perfect weather this year. T-shirts before noon!
Day three...back to FLYING again :) Having way too much fun! Terri and Oli are hot on our heels to catch us! RUN Chey, RUN! Can you believe he's 21? Barefooting has extended his endurance life, of that I am super positive... the concussion from shoes would have been bad for him....
And here is the next moment...I am just kissing him up from a canter, into a gallop... good thing we had lots of "runway" on a great, sandy, long jeep road...took a while to get a woah! after a no hands gallop, lol :) But what fun we had!
And finally, Day 4.... still looking happy and relaxed (and ghoul-face with sunscreen...I got tan this ride!)...Thanks to Steve Bradley for some awesome ride photos! I love this ride and it is so nice to get out to the desert dry every winter, out of our wet and muddy area. The Mojave Desert is so nice too..lots of variety in the plant life (a veritable garden of cacti) and the Joshua trees are so neat. Some really awesome and pretty canyons hidden in the mtns too...It's a ride not to be missed!
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