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Kathy Sherman said:

> Most horses I've seen don't move any differently in boots, 
I am guessing that this is because she hasn't/cannot (?)?look closely enough.

Hillary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS?at the McPhail Equine Performance Center did 
a study on this with her force plates, video analysis, etc. and found that both 
metal shoes and protective hoof boots change the flight phase of a horse's leg 
while moving.? If I can find the reference to the study, I will forward it on.
?
I USED to think that one of the disadvantages of nailed on shoes is that the 
horse had to wear them all the time.? I have now changed my opinion about this, 
and consider the fact that horses CAN wear them all the time to be one of the 
ADVANTAES of nailed on shoes.
?
Ed said:
?
> This doesn't seem to bother some horses that are campained in boots.?
> ?I wonder why?
?
Probably because, contrary to popular belief (and what this conversation is all 
about), HOW a horse's feet are managed and how they are protected, doesn't have 
a huge effect on the performance of the horse in endurance riding as long as it 
is done regularly and conscientiously...and the horse has decent feet to start 
with.
?
As far as I am concerned, Karen Chaton has pretty much successfully 
demonstrated this.? We have, for years now, seen how she has done thousands of 
miles of endurance each year with wildly different hoof protection practices 
(steel shoes, Easy Boots, foamed on Easy Boots, Ground Control plastic shoes, 
EasyBoot Epics over bare feet, and now, I think she is working with Renegade 
Boots both strap on and glue on.? And all of them successfully (except I think 
she DID say something about leaving the glue ons for three weeks didn't work 
for her), and often different methods for the exact same horses, depending on 
which year we are talking about.
?
Personally, I have experimented with a lot of different hoof protection (or 
not) methodologies, and I started at it 20 years ago (rather than the ten that 
most people have been at it) when I first rode a barefoot horse (one time after 
getting permission from the head vet) in 50 mile endurance rides.? The 
technology for temporary hoof protection (which is what hoof boots are) has 
improved dramatically since that time; however, I have come to the conclusion 
that if my horse is ridden enough that it needs hoof protection often, then 
nailed on, usually steel (but I have used, and do still use, shoes made of 
other materials), shoes are the best option (assuming I have access to a 
competent farrier), and it is only on horses that aren't ridden enough to 
really need any hoof protection (so they can be ridden barefoot almsot all the 
time), or those for whom nailed on shoes demonstrably don't work that one 
should not just nail on shoes.? In my experience, there
are few horses for whom nailing on shoes simply doesn't work.
?
It is not new that horse owners are trying to come up with alternatives to 
nailing on steel shoes.? It is something that has been going on for thousands 
of years.? Some of the materials and manufacturing techniques of hoof 
protection alternatives are new (and therefore worth investigating????), but it 
is not by accident or nefarious intent that nailing on steel has, for 
centuries, been the standard practice.
?
So for me, IF a horse is ridden enough to need hoof protection, the FIRST thing 
that I will try is nailing on steel, and only if that demonstrably doesn't work 
will I try anything else.? And rarely ever doesn't it.? What "else" I try 
depends upon why the nailed on steel isn't working.
?
kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)
?
p.s.? The things that I have tried personally include (and would consider them 
if steel doesn't work):
?
EasyBoots, Foamed on EasyBoots, EasyBoot Epics, EasyBoot Gloves
Old Mac Boots (before they were owned by EasyBoot)
Ground Control Shoes
Soft Bar Heel Pads
?
Things I have tried and would probably not try again because they didn't work 
very well:
Boa Boots
Hoof Armor
?
Things that I haven't tried and wouldn't from seeing other people's experiences:
?
Slypner Shoes (actually had a set, but never got them on a horse because they 
weren't shaped right for any of the horses I considered trying them on, and had 
been told that if you do much reshaping, then the inserts don't stay in very 
well)
Equithotics
Marathon Shoes
?
Things that I haven't tried because I consider them cost prohibitive or because 
the idea doesn't appeal to me:
Renegade Boots (although I may change my mind on this if I have a horse that 
nailed on shoes doesn't work and EasyBoots don't either)
Epona Shoes
EasyWalkers

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