I would certainly agree with Nic, and think I was also in the very fortunate postion of what seems many many years ago trying a pair of easy boots, at a pleasure ride only to return to the venue just wearing the gaiters!! This was the one and only occassion I have ever worn boots on any of mine, I think it is much easier if you have never had to use them, but I agree with some horses for periods of time they may require them.
My view would be that they would certainly hinder the conditioning work I do, I also am a bit of a stuburn pig when it comes to competing in that I really want to show those vets out there what performance can be achieved totally bear!
But at the end of the day it is what suites all and there is no right and wrong way, we should just be out there enjoying our horses,
We have tried boots on Dots - but her feet changed so fast they only fitted for a month.
We ummed and ahhed with Snips, but so far have managed without, although its been worrying at times. Esp when we had some questionable advice from a non UKNHCP source.
Having thought I would struggle to ride and lead the girls because Snips is quite quick to kick and we have to hack on roads, we actually managed it today - so that will make keeping them exercised much easier. We did do lots of supervised practice before today's effort.
Snips who used to crawl around in agony on anything other than grass when we got her in April 08 is now really rather forward on a variety of surfaces. Not yet tried limestone crush, but we are working towards it.
Nearly ended up cantering down the road today, but fortunately both girls know their word commands. Slightly alarming when they decided to have a trotting race, but again they were good enough to bottle it when asked.
Although she is on grass it is restricted to foggage and track.
Although I am sure it is highly questionnable I am experimenting with Athletes Foot Spray for Pics dodgy frogs - which smell of feet rather than 'thrushy'. So far so good.
[quote="Terry"]I would certainly agree with Nic, and think I was also in the very fortunate postion of what seems many many years ago trying a pair of easy boots, at a pleasure ride only to return to the venue just wearing the gaiters!!
Yes, that was very amusing Terry
This was the one and only occassion I have ever worn boots on any of mine, I think it is much easier if you have never had to use them, but I agree with some horses for periods of time they may require them.
My view would be that they would certainly hinder the conditioning work I do,
I wouldn't use boots for conditioning work either
I also am a bit of a stuburn pig when it comes to competing in that I really want to show those vets out there what performance can be achieved totally bear!
That's OK if you are totally confident that everything is will be fine because if not they are bound to say say that you have failed because the horse is barefoot
But at the end of the day it is what suites all and there is no right and wrong way, we should just be out there enjoying our horses,
Exactly It would be so nice to live in an ideal world but may of us out there have to do the best we can with what we have, horses are an expensive luxury for most of us and the reason we have them is to ride and enjoy them without compromising the horses' welfare
We bought 000 boots for Bramble as soon as he went barefoot - and he was out of them within 6 weeks when his feet suddenly decontracted and his heels wouldn't fit in them - had to go up a size. Unfortunately for him we need the boots to cut down the concussion on his feet when he is driving on the tarmac at fast trot (had lami last year). There will come a time we hope when he won't need them, but at the moment I'm reluctant to risk the concussion.
On to other things...
Here are a couple of xrays of Link's feet - some very interesting things going on with bone remodelling. I'm not too worried about any of it and wonder just how much of it is due to him coming out of shoes and responding to a different set of streses and loading. I must say I was most fascinated at the quality of the digital x rays over the conventional plates.
Click to see full size image
Click to see full size image
I was chatting today with one of my clients in Vancouver who has 4 horses. May get a chance to go riding in the foothills of the BC rockies this weekend if the weather keeps up. Work can be so hard sometimes
we need the boots to cut down the concussion on his feet
Bruce, just to thoroughly queer the pitch for you there is research into human footwear that has found that those lovely big cushioned trainers that people run in DON'T actually stop concussion.
What they actually do is fool the proprioceptors in the foot so that they think they are running on a soft surface. In fact the impact forces on the joints remain just the same. This can cause problems in people running on roads (including Andy!) as they lengthen their stride because the surface "feels" less concussive, and actually make the concussion on their joints worse Running barefoot (people and horses), this doesn't happen, and they naturally shorten their stride to reduce concussion because proprioception tells them that its a concussive surface.
Those nice pads you can put in boots will have the same effect, I am betting
I thought you were there Helen, gosh that seems ages ago when I had the eayboot experience!!
Nic, Bruce, interesting regarding the cushioning in footware and the advise regarding minimising concussion. Most people in endurance think I am a bit of an obsessive with feet, but luckily respect what I do as I don't preach or even try to speak barefoot to other advanced riders, however, what they don't realise is I am keep a bit of a log on their results and how they train and compete. Most pad on all four feet and try to achieve speeds in excess of 19km/hr over tough terrain, can you remember Cirencester Nic when we used your little gadget for measuring heat in the feet?? Any way it has been fascinating to see how in the main the horses achieving the higher speeds padded all tend to have muscular/tendon injuries post competition due to concussion despite being padded.
I just struggle to see how people cannot see the common sence approach, where there is softer going why they don't use the grass verges, but they seem to think I'm padded so that's ok I will do extended trot down a slippery tarmac road, I just wish I had my video camera and could slow the filming down to then show the strain the the check ligaments as they go!!
Any way that's their loss and mine and my horses gain
Our little QH is probably the soundest she has ever been. Forward going, really striding out and enjoying her jumping. But if anyone looks at the soles of her feet I know we are going to get lots of ear bashing and disapproval because they happen to have rather a lot of bruises on them.
Now I understand that bruises can take a long time to come out on soles, so I guess they probably happened before Christmas, but it still looks really bad
We were thinking of doing a 24km NCR on 22 March but I wonder if we should wait until the bruises have gone?
The problem is that when we compete in endurance barefoot it's not a level playing field (no pun intended ) People competing with shod horses (and possibly padded as well) will travel at higher speeds over terrain that our barefoot horses might sensibly want to slow down on and shorten their stride, therefore the shod horse would have the advantage. This is when one might be tempted to use boots. Using boots might help you on the day but similar to the shod horse, long term damage caused by concussion could still occur. I can see that argument, so perhaps I shouldn't be doing endurance unless I can do it without hoof protection OR I could look at it another way and think well my horses don't have metal shoes nailed on to their hooves 24/7, they are correctly trimmed with all the benefits that brings to their 'hoof health', if I boot them a 2 or 3 times a season to do a competitive ride, how much harm in the wider scheme of things is that going to do?
Hi Helen - it was lovely to ride out with you and Sarah - inspiring stuff.
I feel safer unbooted cos I feel more confident about his traction. NOT that I had any bad experience slipping in boots but I just felt like we might so I held back. Then, when I watched Carly and Foxy, they just seemed to me to be just more confident in placing their feet than Jake. Made me fink
Getting out everday now to condition their feet; useing grass verges here and there just to vary the terrain.
Yesterday was magic: I had no time at all but promised myself he would hit tarmac everyday, so just slung on single rein + halter and legged it out bareback on fat and furry TB stromping along the lanes. Fabulous
Haylage delivered this week quite strong - no effect on J feet as far as performance. Been bit picky about food since tasty haylage came, but grated an apple in it this morning and it went down.
Just for record: Current feed is Breakfast: small scoop alfalfa nuts + scoop speedibeet (soaked = very sloppy) + 500g mic.linseed + 50ml scoop seaweed + 30g MgO + 50g surelimb VitMin + tbsp salt + 2 nat.vit E capsules + spearmint + + slosh cider vinegar + bit of carrot/apple.
Tea - Handful of alfala chop and scoop of speedibeet (again sloppy) + 50 ml scoop seaweed. Speedibeet and alfalfa increased according to workload.
Tikki (the 30 year old retired mare) -- 2 cups Allen and Page Fast Fibre
Rooster - 8 year old arab in work - 2 cups Fast Fibre and one cup Calm and Condition (Allen and Page), half cup of Baileys Outshine. 15mls Mag Ox
Carly - 15 year old arab in work, (a poor doer and fussy with it ) 2 cups calm and condition, half cup Fast Fibre, one cup of Outshine, 15mls Mag Ox
I do not feed alfalfa because Carly won't eat it and I am not prepared to starve him until he does plus it seems make Rooster go rather more nutty than he can be already!
They have 3 full nets of haylage each per day, access to 3 acres of rough grazing, a large hardcore area partly under shelter where they eat. It is not my own property so I am unable to install a track system, much as I would like to (I should have worked harder at school or married a man with financial potential )
On the whole Carly and Rooster's feet work very well, but we have occasional blips which I am sure are down to subtle diet changes (haylage from a different source for instance) changes in the weather or workload.
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It would be so nice to live in an ideal world but may of us out there have to do the best we can with what we have, horses are an expensive luxury for most of us and the reason we have them is to ride and enjoy them without compromising the horses' welfare 
there is research into human footwear that has found that those lovely big cushioned trainers that people run in DON'T actually stop concussion.
