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AW: [RC] Ground Control vs. Equiflex - NEED HELP! - Hilga HöfkensHi Sharon, so I may offer my findings in the use of Ground Control and other plastic stuff. GC Pros: 1 This is the most durable urethane (and I have tried almost every plastic horseshoe available here). 2 The form is a very good one to fit (shape to) the different types of hooves (my mares, both standardbred are the long and small type, no other shoe fits like this) 3 The frog support works really nice. The frogs grow strong, big and healthy with the pressure and no bruises are found when cutting back. NO stone works its way underneath, and even if they would, its easy to slip the hoofpick underneath to check. 4 No studs needed for any surface I could think of riding on. Even on wet grassy downhills (killer to most plasticshoes) you´ll have as much grip as barefoot. Did you ever ride in plastic before? You´ll certainly not need studs on concrete or tarmac at any speed. 5 They are fairly easy to install. I do the feet of my horses for 5 years now, and find GC just second to Marathons when it comes to installing. Marathons sadly do not fit long small hooves. GC Cons: 1 ahh, let me think... 2 oh yes: as the are so tough, it´s hard to shape them with a rasp like other plastics. So you have to do that before putting them on. Just puting them on, and then rasp the exess off would take all day. Hold them under the hoof, draw a line and use a grinder. 3 Oh, and then they seem to be more expensive. Having used Marathons, Trotters, Easy Walkers, Equiflex (called Hippoflex here), Haflex, Hippotec, Hippoplast and Idontknowwhats the GSs are te only ones to hold up (on my horse) to a 100miler and the training miles after that until I have to reshoe for the next ride (around 4 weeks). Others (most) do not hold up to the 100miler (or 75miler, that one we do more often) alone. Reshoeing in the middle of a ride is really something I can do without. So for "normal" horses and "normal" use they can surely be used twice, and then they are not that expensive anymore. 4 IF you would decide you´d need studs, no they can not be removed. EF Pros: 1 They can be shaped to lots of different forms due to the different sizes of bridges. 2 The area to place the nail gives you more choice as there are no pre-drilled holes. EF Cons: 1 first you have to assemble them (find the correct bridge and screw it on), then drill the holes, then go ahead as with other shoes. 2 On my shoekillerhorse they lasted fantastic 2 trainingweeks (much less than most others). Then the bridge went off becaus they where worn thin. So, now you can well see what I prefer to put on my horses feet. Funny thing, that they come from the US, and you might use shoes manufactured in Germany. Before I found out about GC (through ridecamp :-)), my favorite shoe was the Marathon. They are even easier to install, hold almost as long, and are a lot cheaper (to me, german product). The downside for me: they just won´t fit really. As they have nailholes you can´t just use one size larger to get the extra length my horse would need. For most other horses (other than Standardbred) the fit is ok though. To confuse you further, this is the HP for Marathons:http://www.marathons.de/englisch.html In US you can get them at hoof-it I think. This was only my 2 cents. Others might think differently, and hopefully you´ll get a lot of posts on this. If you have any further questions or don´t hesitate to write. I would be interested how you decide in the end, and how it works. Happy trails Hilga from Germany -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]Im Auftrag von sharon1359@xxxxxxxxxxx Gesendet: Freitag, 5. September 2003 18:43 An: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Betreff: [RC] Ground Control vs. Equiflex - NEED HELP! Hi, I've been searching for a non-metal shoe for my gelding, and have narrowed it down to either the Ground Control or the Equiflex. Here are my pros and cons as I see them; I'd sure love feedback and opinions on these two types! GC: PROS Support bar for frog, which I think makes great sense. I also like the fact that it will act as a pad to protect the frog from bruising on rocks. GC: CONS The farrier who will be putting them on for me (and teaching me how to do it myself) doesn't think she likes the idea of the support bar for the frog. She thinks rocks will get stuck underneath, and/or the bar will put TOO MUCH pressure on the frog. EF: PROS Cheaper by about $6 per pair. No frog support (might be a pro or con depending on who you ask). EF: CONS No frog support (might be a pro or con depending on who you ask). They seem to be pretty similar as far as what kind of traction they give. I did see that the EF offers screw-in studs... does anyone know if that is something that can be removed between rides? If so, that would be a BIG benefit for me. I can't keep Zephyr in the pasture he's in (with his buddies) if he has studs or metal shoes, but I would like to use the studs when I ride. I already talked to the GC folks and they said their studs aren't removeable between rides... you have to take the whole shoe off. Does anyone know which would last for more miles? Would one shoe be easier for me to learn how to "install?" (Sorry, I have a computer background.) Specifically, did I read correctly that the EF does not have predrilled nail holes, just a recessed groove in which YOU have to drill the holes?? If that's true, it seems like the GC would be a lot easier. NOTE: I'm ONLY considering shoes that are entirely plastic/rubber/poly, with no metal core. And no, Easy Boots aren't an option for me. Thanks in advance for your thoughts! -Sharon K. and Zephyr's Elegant Gift =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ____________ Virus checked by G DATA AntiVirusKit Version: AVK 12.0.547 from 27.08.2003 Virus news: www.antiviruslab.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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