Cosy winter boots

Dublin Eskimo River Fleece Boots Was - £139.99 Now - £119.99

These gorgeous boots are the ultimate in horsey chic for the discerning rider! These Dublin Eskimo River Fleece Boots include the RCS Tough Tec durable rubber sole, which offers lightweight flexibility and a traction control grip. They are completely lined with synthetic fleece for a fashionable edge, warmth and comfort. Treated waterproof redskin leather with a new improved membrane system and waterproof insole to keep the boots breathable and the elements out. www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk

Are you a retailer looking to sell hoof boots for barefoot horses?

Here is part one of our advice on retailing hoof boots - Retailers should always emphasise the importance of three elements that the barefoot horse requires, when recommending hoof boots for barefoot horses: A good, regular trimming schedule. A good diet based on food the horse’s body evolved to thrive on. Exercise, including encouraging natural movement in the field and little or no confinement. The following tips will also help you provide the best service to customers - All hoof boots require the customer to take the measurements of their horse’s hooves after a fresh trim, and have a growth tolerance built in. Consider purchasing a ‘fit kit’, which some manufacturers offer – this is a set of ‘shells’ that helps customers choose the correct size of boot. You could rent these kits to customers; in fact, many retailers offer hoof boots to hire or try, in the same way as bit hire. Advise customers to take the hooves’ width and length measurements in mm for accuracy. Boots that only require one measurement (eg instead of length and width) should be looked upon with caution. The width of the hoof should be taken to the widest point; the length is taken to the buttress of the heel so the weight-bearing surface of the hoof is measured.

Barefoot horse in "glue-ons" wins 100 mile race

The Fury wins the 100 mile Tevis Cup Easycare CEO, Garrett Ford, with his Arabian horse The Fury, won the 57th Tevis Cup this month, finishing the 100-mile ride comfortably. Ninety-eight horse and rider teams completed, while 107 teams withdrew or were eliminated by vets stationed along the course. He crossed the finish hand-in-hand with his wife, Lisa and her horse Cyclone, who were placed second – Garrett was fifth last year. "It was great; we had a good ride," Ford said in understatement, adding: “A successful effort at Tevis requires a massive crew effort. I started asking for crew help months before the event and we secured the best crew I've ever seen at Tevis. Our success was a massive group effort and would not have happened without the help, knowledge and hard work of many, many folks.” All riders who complete the Tevis Cup receive a completion buckle, and the top 10 finishers are judged for the Haggin Cup, awarded to the horse judged most fit to continue riding at the finish. This prize was won by Garrett’s training partner Rusty Toth with Farrabba, a combination that placed fourth overall in the Tevis Cup. The Fury and Farrabba both wore Easyboot Glue-Ons; in fact, five of the top 10 Tevis finishers wore them!

Garrett and Lisa Ford, pictured.

20% off hay analysis!!

Barefoot hoofboot distributor Trelawne Equine is working with feed manufacture Dengie Crops Ltd to help educate horse owners about the availability of hay analysis, which is used to assess a horse’s nutritional status.

Dengie’s forage analysis service normally costs £20 for the basic analysis which includes protein, fibre and oil, or £30 for the comprehensive test which includes minerals. However the company is offering 20% off this price to customers that quote this code:

DHFPRIM2012

 
Simply email feeds@dengie.com with your personal details, quoting this code. You will then receive a ration evaluation sheet which should be returned with a sample from your regular hay ration.

A New Lightweight in the Hoof Boot World

Did you know.... The new Easycare Trail hoof boot is on average around 20% lighter than a similar size in a Cavallo Hoof Boot? The lighter weight the hoof boot is, the easier it is for your horse. People don't think about the weight of a metal shoe and how it influences the horses movement, and boots are no different! You shoudl condition your horse to regular boot use before using them to do extremely long rides, the same as you should build a horse up in work with meal shoes. All of the Easycare range of hoof boot are designed with these little important details in mind and will help to ensure you have a brilliant booting experience!

The NEW Easyboot Trail- Could THIS Hoof Boot Really Be The Easiest Boot In The World?

The Easyboot trail hoof boot from Easycare has arrived! This simple hoof boot is so quick and easy to use, but unlike some other 'easy to use hoof boots' already on the market these boots offer superb traction from the trusted pattern of theOld Mc G2 hoof boot and will not come off (when used correctly of course!). The size chart for the new trail boot is the same as the Old Mac G2, and this boot will accomodate around 6-8 weeks of growth making it ideal even for farrier/ pasture trimmed horses. 

How Not to Fit Easyboot Gloves!

Primrose Hill, our little barefoot ambassador is growing up fast, and we have been trying to get her out and about in the forest to get used to the great outdoors before she starts to be ridden in the spring when she turns 4. Unfortunately, with the bad weather we have not been able to get out as much and coupled with the enforced confinement to the yard she had to endure for 6 weeks due to an injury to her hoof, it has meant that she is starting to feel the stones on the tracks when we take her out. We decided to introduce her to hoof boots to help improve her feet (as we can use the comfort pads which have great therapeutic value) and protect them from the sharp stones so as not to ruin her confidence and enthusiasm for going for walks. Being young, she is not he most patient of young ladies, (although she is generally very polite!) so it was an interesting experiment to make a compromise with her boot fit.
The Easyboot Glove is my personally boot of choice, and her feet are luckily a good shape for them. Her front measure 110mm x 110mm, which put her between a 00 and a 0. Using the fitkit, I determined that the 00.5 was as small as she could go, but with pads in the boots they were a little trickier to get on so a compromise was made and a size 0 was used. Now, as you can see from the picture, they are gappy and even the gaiter is loose! They do not grip the wall as tight as I would like, and there is a clear channel at the front of the boot but much to my surprise, they have not moved an inch during our outings! I must make it clear that we are only walking and trotting in hand for no more than an hour, and she does have straight movement which I am sure helps, but there have been a few 'merry moments' along the way which I would have expected to cause a problem! She is about ready to go down into a smaller size now as she is used to having the boots applied, but I thought it was interesting to see and testament to the superb design of the boots that even when they were incorrect size they would cope with a basic amount of work. Of course we don't advise that the boots be fitted like this for riding, but it does support the idea that a well fitting glue on hoof boot (without the glue!) can be used to lead horses to and from the field, or to an arena and back for example and be used a bit like a very quick and easy 'slipper'.