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[RC] Epics after 5 days - DreamweaverHere are some photos, since people are curious about how the Epics are working for us. This was the first 5 day ride I've done in them. We had done a couple of three day rides, a two day ride and a couple of one day rides in them previously. Enough to at least figure out what I needed in order to make them work for us on a 5 day multiday ride.http://www.xprides.com/epics/Schellbourne/SCHELLBOURNEEPICS.html I'm not sure what is going on with the weather this year, but it seems that from the first ride I went to this year (Death Valley), I've been riding in extreme conditions. Rain, wind, mud, sleet, snow, hail, obnoxious water crossings, etc. I suppose it's already way too late to return the raingear I got for Christmas huh? ;) I think that since we did make it thru all 250 miles of Schellbourne last week with the Epics in the conditions we rode thru (lots of mud, bogs, water crossings, etc.) that it's pretty safe to say that they should work for us on anything! There are photos of the boots, and of the horses feet and pasterns so you can see how everything is wearing. I've eliminated the rubbing issue from the gaiters by wrapping the pasterns with vetwrap each morning. I don't think I would need to do that for just a 50 or two in a row, or on a ride where the conditions are dry and more normal (with only say a dozen water crossings instead of a dozen every mile <g>). I've been using the cotter pins and that keeps the buckles from coming up. The boots clean up really well, and each day have come off clean. I think part of it is that I have such a snug fit with the boots. I am also cutting the heelstrap off of the back of each boot. That is keeping the bulbs from getting any pressure on them, and it's working beautifully! Chief had previously been easyboot challenged, which was kind of frustrating for me. The Epics are a great solution for him, and I think he's been doing so well in them that I will probably keep him barefoot from here on out and use the Epics on him for actual endurance rides. The new boots are offering all of the support he needs on even these difficult rocky rides. I'm really impressed with how well they have worked out for us so far. We're up to 15 endurance rides in them now, I think 765 of his 965 miles this year. I still have not had to actually trim his feet since pulling his shoes off in March. He is active enough and I guess the terrain he lives in is abrasive enough to keep things worn down. All we've had to do is a little bit of rasping, and mostly that is just to smooth any rough edges. After the boots have been used a couple of days, they get easier to get on. I fold the back of the gaiter down over the boot and try to velcro it underneath when I put it on. That keeps me from pulling on the gaiter (and inadvertently damaging it), and also keeps it out of the way. I give myself about 20 minutes time each morning, and that includes cleaning out the feet, wrapping the pasterns with vetwrap, and then applying the boots. I think that each day I got faster and faster and probably by the 5th day of the ride was getting all four feet done in half that time. Getting them off is a lot easier, I just use pliers to pull the cotter pin out, a screwdriver to pop the buckle up, undid the velcro on the gaiter and the boots slip right off. I have not yet lost a boot or had one come off of Chief -- that is really saying a lot considering how much mud and bogs and stuff we went thru at Schellbourne. We were extremely lucky all week and never fell in a bog, though we did go thru a lot of areas where the mud was ankle deep. I think the boots also helped protect him so that he did not get scratches. It sure didn't hurt anyway, that his pasterns are blocked from sunlight during the day. More than you wanted to know? :) Karen & Granite Chief =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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