Transitioning the farrier

Easycare have released a very interesting article by Steve Karshner regarding transitioning the traditional farrier to a natural barefoot farrier. Barefoot trimming is not radically different to the traditional trim, but there are distinct differences and issues that need to be addressed in order for it to be successful. When taking a horse barefoot, the whole horse needs to be addressed, not just the foot. After all, the horses body grows the hoof you have to trim; healthy body= healthy hoof! Hoof boots are there to assist the transitioning process from shod to barefoot, and any well prepared barefoot farrier will carry a few pairs of the most popular sizes on his van with some comfort pads and accessories for horses that need a little initial help.

Old Macs continue to grow!

The Old Mac G2 Hoof Boot is one of the best selling hoof boots in the UK, and is continuing to grow in popularity. The Old Mac G2 is a very forgiving hoof boot, and fits a round or wider than long foot best, which is a common front foot shape.

The Riders Rasp- medium course blades

The riders rasp has now got a new option to its blades, with a medium course blade now available. The medium coarse riders rasp blades are ideal for people used to trimming hooves, giving a more aggressive cut than the standard medium blades supplied with the rasp. The riders rasp is a tool designed for use by the horse owner to maintain the horses hooves between trims and should be used in conjunction with a hoof care professional and under their advice. By maintaining the mustang roll and keeping flare in check between trims, the hoof is able to grow more consistently and thus the horse produces a stronger hoof capsule and pathologies resolve more quickly.

Comfort Pads

The Easycare comfort pads are available in 3 densities; soft, medium and hard. The soft is good for horses that are sore, or as the top pad in a stack for a laminitic pony for example. The Hard are ideal for lifting the foot up in a boot, for example when the horse has a low heel and the coronet band is too close to the top of an Easyboot Epic hoof boot which could cause rubbing. The medium density comfort pad is a good pad for general use when transitioning, 6mm for use as an 'insurance policy' or 12mm when the horse needs extra comfort for example when fresh out of metal shoes.

Booted horses triumph again!

Easyboots wiped the floor with the competition at Bryce Canyon XP, all 5 days the 1st place horses and best condition were won by horses wearing Easyboot Gloves or Easyboot Glue on hoof boots! The list of success of horses in hoof boots over their shod counterparts is growing by the minute, and at the top level. Barefoot and hoof boot doubters will soon become an endangered species!

Is Barefoot the Future?

At Trelawe Equine it is no secret we are big advocates of barefoot horse riding, however it caught our eye that human barefoot running is also hitting the headlines at the moment!

A quote from a recent article in the New York Times reads: “The shoe arguably got in the way of evolution,” said Galahad Clark, a seventh-generation shoemaker and chief executive of the shoemaker Terra Plana, based in London. “They’re like little foot coffins that stopped the foot from working the way it’s supposed to work.”

With this in mind you ahve to ask the question "what on earth a metal shoe nailed to the horse hoof would be described as!?"

I have tried running barefoot, and with a little practice it certainly does feel more natural and less effort. So why not give barefoot a go with your horse? You'll be pleasantly suprised.

More Easyboot Glove Testing

More hoof boot testing has been going on in Durango this weekend, including a new gaiter for the superbly popular Easyboot Glove!

Watch this space for the new design and any upcoming news if and when it is released!