Hoof boots
This message is from: Sam Sue Banks [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have used Old Macs, Boa Boots, original Easy Boots, and Easy Boot Epics on my 2 Fjords. The reason I have used so many is that I ride pretty hard with them conditioning and foxhunting my horses, so certain boots do wear out, rub, or just don't work well under those conditions. Consider your horse's foot shape (round or oval) and the type of riding (fast with turns needs secure fit or slower speed can handle a looser fit), and your own strength and patience quota. Someone asked if just 2 or all 4 feet. I mainly use just the front feet booted. All boots decrease traction compared to barefoot in mud. If I am working along the gravel roads with no shoulder, I do put boots on the hind feet. Follow some of the links on the web site below to learn more about barefoot hoof mechanism, and why back feet are usually tougher than front feet (not what we learned years ago). For my summary. Old Macs - easiest to put on, hardest to clean (with clay mud and weeds, the velcro is a mess), poorest durability (I wore a pair out every hunt season with occasional use) but have the roundest shape foot which matches my barefoot Fjords. I get no rubs, but some people report rubbing from the straps. These fit above the hair line. They fit rather loosely to the foot and are bulky, so can increase tripping. The following boots are made by Easy Care, most have parts that can be replaced, and all can take the optional cleats. Boa Boots - medium easy to put on, easy to clean, wear well, neat and easy tightening mechanism. Big disadvantage is that they fit above the hair line (can cause rubs) and they are shaped for a more oval foot. I must over-tighten them to keep them from spinning on my round foot horse under fast conditions, not a good thing, and they are bulky. Original Easy Boots - should be named Hard Boots. The old ones are, again, shaped for a much more oval foot, but have an adjustable strap in the back. Everything fits below the hair line, for me, I have to trim the boots down to get them low enough. There are cleats on the side wall that are pulled into horse's hoof wall by a cable mechanism. I can't recommend them to the average person as they are very hard to get fitted, hard to put on, and the cleats do damage the hoof wall (I wrap the foot with vetwrap multiple times, and I have squashed the cleats down some). Good points, wear very well, many parts can be fixed (unlike the Old Macs), seem to interfere less with my horse's natural movement than the previous 2 boots. Easy Boot Epics - My first choice now. The Easy Boot's shape has been changed somewhat (and see below exerpt, it may be changed again in the future) to a more round hoof shape, the heel strap and cleat system is slightly changed, and comes with a rubber cover for the cleats, this cover will not fall off. Still harder to put on than OM or Boas, I have been using my boots with the cleat cover on, it is bulky and a little harder to get on than without it, but the whole boot opens up better than old Easy Boots, and no more gouges in the hoof wall. The best part is the new gaitor, it covers the heel bulbs and wraps around the pastern. This has really helped stabilize the boot with my horses' round feet, and I have read below some people are even removing the heel strap, and able to keep the boots on - I don't think this will work with my horse's round feet yet. My horses move very well in these boots. The following exerpt if from web site http://www.hoofrehab.com/end_of_white_line_disease.htm#Updates - Pete Ramey. Scroll down the page to find articles about Boa Boots and Easy Boot Epics. = Added September '05 Easyboot Epics Well, Garrett has outdone his own Boa boot with the new Epics. When he first told me he had designed a boot that outperforms the Boas, I was very excited until I saw them. I was disappointed to see that this new superboot was just an old Easyboot with a gaiter attached. That's not new, I said! I was so wrong. The gaiter stabilizes the boot so well, we don't need the rear straps, the teeth or the tight fit that was necessary with the Easyboots. I almost always use a razor knife to remove the rear straps and the tooth covers, then use pliers to squash the teeth flat. This usually makes a smaller boot size fit the hoof. I have also found that the tongue of the boot usually hits the coronet, so I trim about 5/8 inch off the tongue of the boot with a razor knife as well. The result is an incredibly stable, light, compact boot that is very user friendly. The big advantage is that all of the rigid parts fall below the coronet. They are less likely to rub than anything I have used. Garrett plans to have a new model out very soon that is even lower profiled and has these changes already made, plus a sole that is shaped more like a bare foot. This will increase traction in wet conditions. Sue Banks, Mattaponi, VA, where
Re: what do you tow with? -- please don't rule out the dodge!
This message is from: Lisa Wiley [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ann, You must live near me I am in Bethany. I pull my horse trailer with a Dodge Dakota. It is similar to the Durango. The difference is mine is a quad cab. Has a towing package and a V-8 engine. I am pulling a 14 foot stock trailer and have no problem. I love my truck and the better gas mileage and smaller size suit me better. I am not saying this is the best truck for the job. Just that it works for me. Lisa Wiley Turnabout Portuguese Water Dogs Connecticut State Director Ponies With Purpose Corresponding Secretary FASTeam http://www.myturnabout.com
Re: Which horse boots to buy?
This message is from: Jean Ernest [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have not ridden with horse boots, but recently used the Boa Boots on my 30 year old Fjord gelding to get him through the Frozen Lumpy ground stage here. We had a lot of rain which turned the corrals into a muddy mess, then it froze, creating a jumble of frozen rocks and lumps! 30 year old Bjarne has had his shoes off since last spring, after wearing shoes continuously for 13 years (hoof problems) and just got trimmed a few days before things froze up.. He was just stumbling around in the frozen rocks and was hesitant to even move. I put the new Boa boots on his front feet and the change was amazing.. he was soon moving as well as the other Fjords. I left the boots on for three days straight..which is not recommended, and finally decided I just HAD to take them off for at least a couple hours while he was in the stall eating his breakfast. His hooves were wet and stinky (I had not been able to clean off all the dirt when I put them on) but otherwise just fine, no rubbing at all. Since we had some snow to smooth the ground out a bit I let him out of the stall with no boots to see that he was now fine, his feet didn't bother him any more..His hooves dried off and looked normal. Granted, He didn't trot or move around a more than a walk but with the rough frozen ground and ice, the boots performed well, gave enough traction, and didn't rub. They were very easy to put on and take off and were secure even while he stumbled around through the ice Boulders. I used the Size 3 Boas on Bjarne but just bought a pair of size 4 for my big gelding Bjorken, as I had his shoes taken off this fall also, and hope to keep him shoeless if I can. I know that there has been a lot of discussion of boots on the CD-L and the Recreation Equine Driving list and Barb Lee uses the Easy boots on her morgans . The new Easy boots have been redesigned to be easier to put on and many folks really like them. Jean in Fairbanks, Alaska, cloudy and mile, 30 degrees this morning, will reach 40 today. I I want to have a set of boots on hand to use and wanted some advice. Do people just use them on the front or on front and back? The boots I have read about are: Easyboots, Easyboot Epic, Boa Boots, Old Mac's Boots, Swiss Horse Boots, Marquis Hoof Boot. I'd love to hear from anyone who has used any of these successfully or unsuccessfully. We will not be doing endurance rides, climbing up and down rocky slopes or going on paved roads. We will be on hard packed dirt roads and hopefully trails in county parks. Thanks in advance for your advice. -- Genie Dethloff Ann Arbor, Michigan
Re: what do you tow with? -- please don't rule out the dodge!
This message is from: Ed Sullivan [EMAIL PROTECTED] This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] .. because of the rotten luck with the Durango I have ruled out the ram. Hi, ganders 31. I think you might be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't test drive ALL the full size pickups out there. JMHO, but I wouldn't want you to miss out on the Dodge trucks because of the Durango -- that's more of a soccer mom's vehicle, apples and oranges, huh? Everybody save your flames, my kid plays soccer too. If you're looking at extended or crew cabs, make sure you do more than just climb into the back seat, go for a spin as a backseat passenger. I think my friend's GMC has the roomiest back seat. Don't know about the GMC beds, but we did find that the 4-door cab on the F150 made its bed shorter than that of the 4dr Dodge, and we needed those few inches for carriages and ramps. I read recently (maybe on this list?) that the GMC trucks have the best resale value. Our old pickup died about a year ahead of schedule, so when we looked at new trucks, Ed wanted to get a 1/2 ton, as we were getting a trailer in the same year. This seemed like a huge sacrifice to me, I was certain I'd need at least a 250 for the trailering I wanted to do. Boy, was I wrong. We have the Dodge Ram 1500 with the Hemi in it (!) and it has been all the truck we need for a 2-Fjord bumper pull with dressing room, all the gear necessary for showing with riders and drivers, a Kuhnle marathon vehicle in the bed, and a family of four in the cab. Usually a little dog, too. This truck has always been more than equal to every challenge, even the hills going up to GMHA. This truck/trailer combo isn't quite the thing for combined driving, but I only get out to a few CDEs a year, and we're only doing training level, so we make it work. Like most Pony Clubbers, we haul often -- most of our trailering is within an hour radius from home, several times a week. We do longer trips a few times a year. For info on true long-distance hauling, I'd refer you to Curt P, Vivian, or Sue G, or the out-west listers who have to drive two whole days to get to their shows! I took four friends to Amish country in the Ram -- a 4AM to midnight daytrip -- the cab wasn't quite big enough for five adults for that many hours. Next time we'll leave Pam home and take my Riverdog instead! News of our Fjords -- Maggie and Riena (Myrstein x Kariena) received their Pony Club's dressage award this year, and Biddy's Maryke (Hjerter Knaegt x Carla) was named the best all-around P Club mount !! hey Vanessa from Westbrook, look for us at the Lower CT Hunter Pace or the Horse Trials coming up at Mystic Valley -- I've been looking forward to meeting you and your new Fjords! Ann in New Haven County CT not a Dodge employee -- actually, Ed has just signed on to a project with AM General, so we've got a slight GM connection for a few months.
Re: towing
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] We tow with a Chevy 2500 HD Duramax Diesel, with Allison tranmission, we could tow our house. We had a 1500 but going up hills it was a dog. For the additional money get the 2500, you will not be disappointed.
Re: Sleigh Pulling Pony
This message is from: Lisa Wiley [EMAIL PROTECTED] I had a POA driving pony. We taught her to drive by pulling a forecart. When it was time to pull a sleigh I just hitched her and went. She had learned that sometimes you had to pull hard from the forecart. Don't know if this helps any but it worked for me. She never had any trouble. Lisa Wiley Turnabout Portuguese Water Dogs Connecticut State Director Ponies With Purpose Corresponding Secretary FASTeam http://www.myturnabout.com
Hay Testing
This message is from: Catherine lassesen [EMAIL PROTECTED] Joyce, (and others) Your local Farmers Coop or County Extension Service (they governing body of 4-H FFA in most states) should be able to tell you where to send your hay samples in and how to read the results of the hay test. They will also tell you how to get a proper sample of it. Hope this helps. Catherine Lassesen Southern Oregon Where... We are digging for a new water system. We have lots of Fjords for sale at all levels of training and ages. We are the second Døle Farm in the USA. (Another Native Norwegian Horse Breed) This is where Amy Evers is training Fjords in driving and doing an excellent job with them. And this is where Rune is not here but in Australia with his ship. :-) He says hello to all. :-)
Re: Hunters, and Fjords that hunt =))
This message is from: Ruth Bushnell [EMAIL PROTECTED] Speaking of orange vests, there's a place near me that sells them for horses ... Any other thoughts for fall riding in the state forest? Vanessa WE LIVE in the heart of hunting country here in the northwest and always have a concern for the safety of our animals in this season, which starts off with a literal bang this Sunday. We have bright orange saddle blankets and always wear orange ourselves. We buy orange plastic survey tape and tie it onto the tail dock, forelock, and sides of bridle, so that the orange is visible from any angle. We also post our perimeter with orange markings, as our Fjords pasture forage. Gene is still chuckling over yet another Moose/Fjord encounter here on the ranch. A few evenings ago he was rounding up part of our Fjord herd for the day when he spied a cow Moose and calf centerfield... their paths converging before him as he came along behind on the 4-wheeler (feeling safe =)) ...he says the Moose crossed the trail first, headed for the timbered mountains, and the Fjords as one whipped a left turn, hot to chase after them! he laughed all the way home. We have seen the Fjords chase Moose out of here before, they are fearless! One of the foremost reasons folks love Fjords so much probably; they can always make you smile, and sometimes downright laugh out loud. =))) Ruthie and Gene, nw mt US http://www.frontiernet.net/~fjords
Genie's : Which horse boots to buy?
This message is from: M. Denmark [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have 5 Fjords and mine are all barefoot. I too have been thinking about temporary boots for those really rocky roads as you couldn't pay me to go through the hassle of shoes ever again. Here is the website for Hoofwings that are used by Martha Olivo, the lady who trains many of the barefoot trimmers in the US. I figure if she likes them for her horse they ought to be good. If you take the plunge and buy some boots I hope you'll let the rest of us know how they do for you.Take a look: http://horsneaker.com/hoofwings.htmI know that many folks love the Horsneakers for their semi custom fit, too. Here is Martha Olivo's site also with much good information to think about on barefoot horses: http://www.marthaolivo.com/index.htm Hope this is useful. Milli Ann Magnolia, TX -- Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 09:32:57 -0400 From: Genie Dethloff [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Which horse boots to buy? This message is from: Genie Dethloff [EMAIL PROTECTED] Congratulations to all who have been going on great fall rides and drives and thanks for sharing your exoeriences. Finne and I walked down the country road by our barn for the first time yesterday and he was great. I hope to get out and do lots more road riding now that the bugs are gone and the heat is down. Finne is barefoot and has been his whole life and has beautiful feets (his farrier loves them!) but the roads can get pretty hard and rocky. I want to have a set of boots on hand to use and wanted some advice. Do people just use them on the front or on front and back? The boots I have read about are: Easyboots, Easyboot Epic, Boa Boots, Old Mac's Boots, Swiss Horse Boots, Marquis Hoof Boot. I'd love to hear from anyone who has used any of these successfully or unsuccessfully. We will not be doing endurance rides, climbing up and down rocky slopes or going on paved roads. We will be on hard packed dirt roads and hopefully trails in county parks. Thanks in advance for your advice. - -- Genie Dethloff Ann Arbor, Michigan
Re: Which horse boots to buy?
This message is from: Lauren Sellars [EMAIL PROTECTED] What would the average size of mac boots be for your fjordies. Do you think I could use a pair on several simalar sized fjords. Just wondering if I shoe 3 horses or try these boots. Also where is the best place to buy them? Riding gets more serious here in everybodies off season. we are alittle backwards. Everyone else is pulling shoes off. And I am think ing of putting them on. Thank you. Lauren Cheryl wrote: This message is from: Cheryl [EMAIL PROTECTED] Genie, I use Old Mac's. We trail ride ..through water ,mud ,gravel you name it. They take half a second to put on ,they don't rub anywhere ,they don't fall off. I LOVE them!!! I put them on the fronts only because my mare is tender footed on the gravel. Cheryl Gioia, Owner Joy A Fine Fjords http://www.finefjords.com
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2005 #234
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 10/17/2005 7:27:13 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Speaking of orange vests, there's a place near me that sells them for horses Has anyone used these (or bells) on the trails at this time of year? If I get them, what size do I get? Any other thoughts for fall riding in the state forest? Where would I get bells. How best should they be worn etc??? We've got lots of hunters around here but gorgeous trails that I don't want to waste. Vanessa Hi Vanessa, You can get bells at any craft store and put them on breast collars (I find they jingle best there), etc.. with shoe strings. Here are some links to Orange stuff for horses. _http://www.protectavest.com/_ (http://www.protectavest.com/) _http://www.stevenshobbyfarmhttp://www.steven_ (http://www.stevenshobbyfarm.com/hunting.html) _http://www.adamspetsupplieshttp://www.adamspetsupplies_ (http://www.adamspetsupplies.com/store/index.php/cat_439) Shari PS.. who also just loves hearing all the stories about the wonderful rides and drives folks are having!!! VBG
Ref boots
This message is from: M Korose [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi List In response to the boots question We have successfully used Old Mac boots for driving. We have used them in a small show, no problem. We have even used them to cover both front feet when we lost a shoe on one and still had the other, used the Old Macs on both fronts (1 still with shoe) and continued on with the show. I have used them on one horse in a pair and not the other, didn't get any interference. Watch the inserts tho. I have pretty large sizes (5/6) and they seem to be a bit too wide, but when we put in inserts, the horse brushed the inside backs so much, we wore off a strap. I asked a judge about them as I was using them to protect one horse's poor feet (usually shoes, but fixing a problem at the time) and they were pretty non-committal. We received no penalties. I know Muffy Seaton used them for awhile and we had her advice too. We keep a couple pairs in the trailer now for emergencies. Horses who wore them seemed to accept them with no problems or worries (they were Fjords after all!) Marsha in VA
Re: hauling from FL to PA and back 10/28-30
This message is from: Nancy Newport [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello List: I will be picking up a horse just north of Philly traveling from Gainesville, FL and back 10/28-30. I have a stock trailer and could take 2 horses up in separate stalls or 4 if they would tie together. I could also transport 2 carriages up. Coming back I could handle 2 additional horses or 1 carriage. This is a last minute trip, so if anyone needs a horse or carriage shipped let me know asap. Nancy Newport Gainesville, Florida 352-331-0356 Access over 1 million songs. Try it free. http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited/
test
This message is from: Carol Makosky [EMAIL PROTECTED] Just testing to see if my messages are getting out. I don't seem to remember the one about my church drive. -- Built Fjord Tough Carol M. On Golden Pond N. Wisconsin
Re: towing
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 10/17/05 9:29:18 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've been looking at pickups ...ford f150/f250, Chevy 1500/2500 because of the rotten luck with the Durango I have ruled out the ram. Anyone towing with these vehicles? i am no expert, since i only haul about twice a year, but hubby, the truck guru, just bought a small chevy 4x4, 1500, specifically because we could haul our 2-horse (1 fjord) trailer securely with it. is has a towing package and is geared for good mileage (for a truck), too. before that we hauled it with his ford lightening f150, also with a towing package and it worked fine. just my two cents... laurie and oz
