Renegade Hoof Boots, Oct 2012

Disclaimer: I work for Renegade Hoof Boots as of January 2012. My original review of Renegades was written in August 2008 and can be found here. Everything I wrote then still stands today. Four years later, I'm offering some updated tidbits and feedback garnered from putting thousands of miles in with these boots, as well as a few "things I've learned" both in using the boots for an extended period of time as well as working for the company.

Moving well for 19: Despite her fused hocks, Mimi still moves
well. Letting her go barefoot and booting to ride has allowed her
to stay sound. An easy-to-use, worry-free boot means booting
for just about every ride is no big deal.

I personally started using Renegades five years ago: "sometime" in the summer of 2007, after watching Dad use them for about a year (and waiting for him to wear through enough boots that I could snag a pair of the worn ones to test out).

IIRC, I think I tested them for about a month or so, then ordered my own pair...the same week as the upcoming ride I intended to use them at.

Blind faith, sheer stupidity, or desperation?

Nah...more like a way-too-intimate understanding of all the things that can go wrong using boots, and a rather fatalistic "How much worse could it be?" perspective, based on using and losing boots for the past four years of Mimi being barefoot.

I was a paranoid bundle of nerves at that ride, prone to either  calling to Dad or leaning over to check whether my boots were still on every time we:
-Went up a hill
-Went down a hill
-Went through rocks
-Went through sand
-Cantered
-Power-trotted

which meant I was doing a boot check every 5-10 minutes. Probably good we were doing the LD. But I finished the ride very impressed...and doing a 50-miler 3 months later with absolutely no problems sealed the deal.

In the course of five years, I've had very few problems with the boots. The few issues I've had have been related to user error, and with a better understanding of the mechanics of the boot and better trimming, I've had absolutely no problems for the last two-and-half years.

It's taken a bit of experimenting, but I've finally found Mimi's ideal sizes and I'm really happy with how they're fitting her.

In no particular order, things I love about the Renegades:

- The design on the heel captivator and the way it moves with the horse means no rubbing or interference: the horse's pasterns are allowed to flex and move comfortably. I've not encountered any kind of rubbing or pressure spots, even with riding in all the sand around here, plus some wet, rainy rides.

- The tread design provides great traction (excellent peace of mind for the times I ride the paved streets around the barn). As mentioned, I've done several rides that have involved wet stuff falling from the sky. Not all of them were in the fast-draining desert, either. One involved slick, slimy mud, wet leaves, narrow, technical trail, and an uphill climb. On that particular occasion, I credit the boots for keeping a minor slip from turning into a major wipeout.

- I also feel that the tread design is such that it provides excellent protection over rocks and rough terrain. Mimi is very surefooted and doesn't take "ouchy" steps in her boots.

www.renegadehoofboots.com

- The colors! Maybe that makes me a shallow airhead...but I've always said if I can't ride fast, I gotta ride pretty. I'm particularly attached to the orange: It's bright, it's visible, and it's instantly recognizable. The copper is also very pretty (matches surprisingly well with a multitude of colors), and black is always a classic for a reason.

- Still super easy to apply and remove. I can boot my pony in two minutes. Removing them is even faster.

- Made in the USA. Support small business, independence, and entrepreneurial minds. Buying within the US supports a local economy as well as our national economy. Every part of the Renegade is made and assembled here in the USA. Doing so enables the company to provide closely-monitored quality control, catch and resolve any potential problems very quickly, provide local jobs, and give fast, reliable service. 

To address some of the previously-mentioned potential 'cons':

- "The velcro is the weak spot" It was: until the material was updated as of the spring of 2012. The hook-and-loop (Velcro) material is much stronger and grippier, and has been holding up well to mud, water, and sand.

- "Attaching to the saddle is more difficult" This can still be true...factory recommendation is to not leave them clipped off to the saddle, as the bouncing can stress the cables. Instead, check out the boot bags that SnugPax has made specifically to fit the Renegades. The bags easily attach to the saddle, and unless your boots are huge and take up the whole bag, I can fit a boot + stuff like horse snacks and e'lyte syringes in there as well.

- "Cost" No, at first blush, they're not the least expensive option out there. But sit down for a moment and price out all of the other options out there, both shoes and other boots. How often will you have to bring a farrier out? Do you do your own trimming, or do you have to bring a trimmer out? How frequently? Are there any other add-ons to contribute to the base price? Can you replace parts if they break or wear out? What do they cost? Renegades are $169/pair. Each part is individually replaceable.

Four years later, I am even more excited about these boots. I can't even begin to describe how thrilled I am to be working for the company, doing something I love, being able to share the passion I have for these boots, and I'm eagerly looking forward to things to come!

If you're curious, or would like to discuss boots with me, leave a comment or email me at ashley@renegadehoofboots.com. 

We

LOVE

Our

Renegades

!!!

Fun With Boots

Destructo-Pony. Or, "Hoof Boot Crash Test Dummy"

Don't let the sweet face fool you.  This innocent-looking little pony has been responsible for more personal property damage than multiple horses put together.  And by "personal property" I mean:

- fly masks

- lead ropes

- tail bags

- hoof boots

In her younger years, she was extremely oral.  The ends of lead ropes were her favorite victims of her chewing fetish, and the local tack shops loved me because I predictably was in to buy cheap nylon lead ropes every couple of months.  When I wasn't buying lead ropes, I was buying fly masks or tail bags to replace the ones she had shredded beyond repair.

Fortunately, she eventually outgrew the chewing habit, I stopped using tail bags, and flymasks usually last at least a year+ these days.

But she is really hard on hoof boots.  I pulled her last set of shoes in the fall of 2004 and started using boots.    And she promptly started destroying them.  I tried everything that was on the market at that time available in her size.  With each boot I'd try, or boot modification/fix made, she'd find a new way to wreck it.  If there was a part that moved or was somehow attached, she'd find a way to either break it or detach it.

I went for a period of time there were just about every week, I was getting a box in the mail with either a new boot or spare parts, and I tip my hat to the truly patient customer service people at, what was at the time, Sportack.

I'm not sure what it is about this pony that makes her so hard on boots.  Her movement is very low to the ground... half the time, she just can't be bothered to pick her feet up if the footing is good.

Fast forward through a couple of years of Interesting Times and Expanded Vocabulary to the summer of 2007, when I first started using Renegades on her.  That's five years now that I've been using them and they've withstood the most pony abuse, even through the different trial-and-error sessions of figuring out what size works best for her.

In five years, she's ripped one boot shell and broken one cable.  Worn out countless boot shells and Velcro straps, yes...but that's only after 500-or-so miles of training and competing.

But even after five years, she's been a head-scratching exasperation to size, especially her front hooves.  She's gone back and forth between a size 00 and 0.  When freshly trimmed, her measurements were a classic size 00.  But the shape of the boot didn't match her hoof quite right, so she always had a gap on the front, and I had to remain diligent in keeping her hoof constantly maintained.

So I'd try a size 0.  The boot shape was perfect...but they were big on her.  Not sloppy, but not ideal either. So going back and forth between sizes has been the story of my booting life with her...until recently.  Y'see, I forgot to take my own advice when it came to boot sizing: Their feet grow and change.

I've gotten so used to her "tiny" feet that I've been determined to keep them that way...not taking into account that, no, she's not "getting long" but that her feet might naturally be getting larger.  I've been, in essence, "over-trimming" her and doing a major no-no in trimming the hoof to fit the boot, instead of evaluating the hoof for itself and then fitting the boot to match.

So Mimi got a break from my zealous over-trimming, and after letting her grow out for a month or so, I had more of a clean slate hoof to work with.  A minor trim later, I re-sized her for boots, and she's moved up almost an entire size.

Her fronts now fit into a size 0-Narrow with a Cutback on the length, and her hinds fit into a 00 with a cutback.  And then we got to the fun part: the box of shiny new boots with her name (okay, mine, since that's what's on the mailbox...) on it.

Every girl loves to get new shoes boots

And yesterday, we had some fun putting them to the test in the roundpen.  Her outlook on the roundpen is a somewhat haphazard, no-holds-barred, cage-match type of game.  Which usually involves bucking, spinning, sliding stops, fast starts, sudden sprints...all the things that make me cringe and wait for her to go crashing into one of the panels.

In short, things that will test whether a pair of boots will stay on or not.

And I actually got pictures.  (Testing my camera to make sure it's all systems go before Tevis.)

She starts off all slow and innocuous.

So I love the bright orange boots.  They look so good on her and they're so noticeable.  The yellow looked good, but I love these even more!

Pausing to show off just how pretty she is. Once a show pony...

She's actually good about giving herself a slow warm-up on her own.  Ambling along, checking out the scenery, until...

THIS happens. Something made noise next door and that was
all it took to set her off.

Once she's going, she stays going.  Most of the time, she sticks to a trot.  And what a trot she has...still.  There's a reason that she can keep up with 15+ hand Arabs that are cantering while she's still trotting.  And while I rarely allow the big trot (cringing at the thought of tendon/ligament damage), it is pretty to look at.

All four off the ground!

I would have loved to GPS her.  Based on GPSing while riding, I know she's capable of hitting 13-14mph at the trot.  She can make those little legs GO.

And go some more. Her roundpen canter is fast, and usually
involves one of her shotgun, drop-and-dig gymkhana starts.

Her canter isn't the greatest anymore...fused hocks tend to make an already- rough canter even worse.  So she usually prefers to trot, and under saddle, I have to really hold her in a frame to encourage a good canter.  But in the roundpen, she really digs in and lets fly.

With all of her sliding stops, spins, and crowhops, I was kind
of glad not to be on her back.  Really, she's 19...

I think she enjoys playing in the roundpen.  I've always kept it low-pressure, choosing to go for more of the fun, "let's dance" route, versus the "drive you around in fast circles until your little eyes are bugging out and you're begging to stop" approach.  So consequently, it's more of a game for her.  She would do some laps, then she'd slow down and come into the center where I was.  She'd pause, I'd scratch her head, then she'd send herself back out and pick up the speed again.  I generally let her pick her pace and change directions on her terms, stepping in once and a while to make sure she ends up going both ways an approximately equal amount of time.

She really likes her boots. I get the best movement out of her
when has them on. She's capable of going bare, but at this point,
she still prefers her boots. We're working on it.

She had quite a little 'tude going yesterday...in a good way.  Lots of changes of direction that involved her skidding to a stop, spinning around, crowhopping and kicking up a few times, leaping, half stepping on herself, then sprinting off.

Pony + Mare 'tude

All maneuvers that are pretty hard on boots.  She put a lot of torque on them, and the roundpen is all sand.  When we were done, there was a collective teaspoon or so of dirt/sand in the boots.  I'm sure stuff was getting in the boots as she was going...you can see how much sand she's kicking up in some of the above pics.  But the open-back design of the Renegades allows most of the sand and dirt to filter out.

And the best part was that after her workout, her boots hadn't budged.  The pic of her displaying her new boots in the barn aisle was actually taken after her workout, and they hadn't shifted or re-adjusted at all, which is a really good sign that I've got the fit down and they didn't shuffle to a "better fitting" position.

The roundpen is a good start for testing, but now I can't wait to get out on trail and really see how they do!

So today's take-away lesson?  Horse's hooves can change, even ones that have been barefoot for a while.  Periodically check and reassess boot fit and sizing. 

Oh, yeah, and I love my Renegades.

So does my pony.

playing catch-up

Been rather busy for the past couple of weeks...nothing monumental, just lots of stuff that's been keeping me occupied.  My parents and I did a massive garage consolidation and reorganization over the past two weekends.  It looks great, really organized and easy to find stuff now...I need to put a few finishing touches on some of the drawers where I store most of the horse stuff, but for now, it's out of sight-out of mind...mostly.

And look what came in the mail earlier this week:

"Official" Renegade orange boots

We're official now!  The orange is Renegade's signature color, so we felt it only appropriate that my pony be sporting that color on her boots.  I've grown really fond of the orange, and it even looks good with our existing purple color scheme.  After all, purple/orange has worked for the Phoenix Suns for years.

Could we be any more matchy-matchy?

Mimi has decided that June is her favorite month this year...she's feeling very good, flirting with everything that has four legs and hooves.  *sigh*  Her hormones didn't get the memo that she's 19.

Shameless flirt, talking to her favorite boyfriend

She got a really good workout this morning, breaking in her new boots with an hour in the sand arena.  We definitely put them to the test, messing with the fit of the hind boots.  She's technically a size 000, her hind feet are so tiny.  But we've always been able to jerry-rig the 00 boots to fit, thanks to doing some custom shims in the sides.  

The only catch?  I always got my new boots at rides, where Kirt was on hand to be able to do the shims right then and there for me.  Since I'm not going to rides with the pony anymore, that sort of takes away that option.  However, it's also one of those little tricks I need to learn to do anyway, so I'll probably be messing with that in short order.  Once I do, I'll definitely get pictures and post about it, since it's bound to be a novel experience.

All spiffed up...the bright orange looks good
on her! Ignore her grumpy looks...she is really
not fond of mornings.

Really not sure what else I might have missed...like I said, staying busy and trying to duck the worst of the summer heart.  It's officially monsoon season now, which brings at least the hope of afternoon monsoon storms.

Tevis 2012: 9 Weeks and Counting

Okay, so anyone who knows me or has followed this blog for any period of time knows I am a certified (certifiable?) Tevis NUT.  Never mind I've not gotten to the point of actually riding it...but just crewing has been enough to get me hooked.  Actually, just reading about it was enough to get me hooked.

And as cliche as it is, wanting to do Tevis was why I got into endurance riding.

So that's a bit of obligatory backstory.

But I'm super-excited because I get to go up to Tevis again this year!  In an official work capacity, no less.  I'll be up there several days ahead of time to help with Renegade booting, and then get tons of pictures and generally provide a helping hand to our riders throughout the ride.

In my world, attending the ride is the next best thing to finally being able to ride it.

I've already made plans to meet up with a couple of blog-buddies, which is super-exciting, as well as being able to re-connect with friends that are in the area.  If you're planning to come out to Tevis, either to ride or spectate, come find me!  I'll be at the Fairgrounds Wednesday and Thursday, booting, then Robie Park Friday, and doing the whole "follow the ride" thing Saturday.  Just look for the bright orange boots!

New and Upcoming from Renegade®

There's been some new and exciting stuff happening in the Land of Renegade® Hoof Boots!

First of all, we've got a new blog/news site!  Check it out at http://www.renegadehorseboot.com/.  It's got a whole brand-new news section, a FAQ section, photos, videos, and more!

To go along with that, we're starting a newsletter!  Sign up by June 30th and be entered to win a pair of Renegade® boots and one of our awesome Renegade® t-shirts!

Finally, did you know we recently upgraded the hook-and-loop material that makes up the toe straps?  It's a much sturdier, very sticky material that has been holding up great to water, mud, and sand. I tested them out on Sunday's ride and I can concur: These things are sticky!  Rode through our standard desert offering of sand and rocks, came back to the barn and hosed the boots off, and after that, couldn't even tell the straps had been used!  Check out the full announcement on the News Page!

A long post with a lot to cover

As mentioned earlier, Yay, I got to ride out today!!!

Pre-trailer loading snack time

We had a really nice ride...in typical Memorial Day fashion, the weather gave us a brief reprieve...it was only in the 80s today, and just a light breeze.  Perfect riding weather.  The trails were shockingly uncrowded.  I really expected more people to be out enjoying the weather, but maybe people actually traveled out of town this weekend?

Trail buddies for the day: Kenda & Spirit (chestnut);
Chris (Barn Owner) & Tuudy (grey)

Spirit is a big, experienced goofball that walks out at 5mph (*is jealous*) so he was in the lead the whole time.  Tuudy is young and green, so we sandwiched her.  Tuudy was also testing out a pair of Mimi's Renegades on her hind hooves...first time trail test.  Even though I was really confident in how the boots would would stay on after seeing her work in them, it gave me a chance to keep an eye on them and watch how Tuudy did in them.  

Before, bare in the rear, she was pretty tentative on downhills, weighing her front end and protecting her bare back feet.  Today, she planted those rear hooves, tucked her haunches under her, and flew down the hills.  Very cool to see such a difference.

Rear-guard pony and surprisingly happy about it today

I was really tickled with how Mimi did today.  She's been somewhat...strong of late when we've gone out, giving me a bit of an attitude about slowing down, pushing her limits with the s-hack, and she was disturbingly strong against it a couple weeks ago riding around the neighborhood.

Enter remedial training:

Myler Eggbutt MB27PB

This is a Myler Eggbutt MB27PB mouthpiece.  It's a Level 2-3 mouthpiece, I picked it up about a month ago on a crazy-good deal, and have been playing around with it in the arena ever since.  I won't go so far as to call in a miracle bit...nothing will ever make Mimi love a bit...but she goes surprisingly well in it.  The port is low enough it doesn't interfere with her palate, and for the first time ever, she's actually light in the face.

The upper level bit is also making her extremely conscious of what I'm doing with my hands, and it's forcing me to ride lighter, to rely on seat and legs first, then the bit.  Maybe there's a correlation between my lightness and her lightness?

Whatever the case may be...I had BRAKES on the trail again today.  All it took was a couple of light finger taps on one side or the other when she'd start rushing, and she'd back off.  The real test will be speed work, but we kept it pretty much to a walk today.  (Except for a few times she snuck in a bit of a trot.)  But we did a ton of up and down hills and gullies, and she did really well.  No head tossing, no fussing, and minimal pulling weird faces when we'd stop.

Happy Pony

So now I'm convinced there is something to the Myler levels and the fact that giving an advanced horse who understands and respects cues and signals a more advanced bit is a good thing.  (Bit dealers across the country just sent up a rousing cheer...)

And then these got put to the test:

Don't judge my bathroom unless you wanna come clean it

They're the new Tropical Rider tights I got..."PrixTec" variety, in Mango.  They're also the first pair of full-seat tights I've ever gotten or worn.  I really liked the grip and security of the full seat.  I got the microsuede patches versus deer or sheepskin...I don't know if it makes much of a difference or not.  I wasn't as wild about the fact that the full seat isn't quite as cool and breathable.  But that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it means extra stickiness in the saddle.  But it wasn't so sticky that I felt like it interfered with my posting or ability to get out of the saddle.  Also, the full seat means the mango color doesn't end up giving the "pumpkin butt" effect.

Photo from barn buddy Angela who was hiking with us

As much as I love pictures, I rarely get ones of myself riding, unless it's at an event.  Since pics are a great visual feedback of what you're doing wrong, this is both a good and bad thing.  Looking at the above...*cringe*  

Could I be any more unbalanced?  Scrunching my left side, but weighing my right?  Wonder if that's related to spending more time on the computer?  I don't know what my right arm is doing, flailing off to the side like that.  I alternate between riding one-handed and two.  I know two-handed is more balanced and effective, but sometimes I like to switch it up...sometimes it's laziness, sometimes it's the need to fish something out of the saddle pack or grab my camera.

But riding posture aside...I love my orange tights!  And they color-coordinate nicely with all my Renegade shirts.

IDing Boots, An Experiment: Part One

irish horse had a great question in my post about differentiating between pairs of boots about actually IDing your boots.  It's not something I've ever done...the times I've lost a Renegade, I've always known immediately that I lost it (something about the pony hopping up and down because she's wearing a boot as an ankle bracelet is hard to ignore), so could get off and fix it right away.  So none of my Renegades have ever parted company with my horse.  However, the couple of times Dad lost one of his boots, the horse stepped entirely out of it and we had to backtrack to find it.

But I can definitely see the value of having some way to ID your boots...if you do loose one, hopefully some kind soul will find it and return it.  Dad did this with one of his early pairs of Renegades...a pair of boots we still actually have.  His method was permanent Sharpie marker on the inside sole of the boot.  He wrote on it when the boot was brand-new and didn't have an embedded dirt.  I think this boot is probably four years old and has maybe 500-600 miles on it?

Ink is faded, but still visible. Surprised it didn't get rubbed or
worn off, between hoof pressure and the sand we ride in.

I'm going to explore another option: Duct tape!

I grabbed an extra pair of Mimi's boots (this is why I keep all my old/extra boots...endless experimentation!) and sat down to test a couple of ideas.

First, I cut a piece to fit inside the channel where the toe strap sits.  It's thin enough that I don't think it will interfere with how the toe strap actually fits.

Trimmed the lower corners so it doesn't interfere with any
movable parts of the boot.

Then I grabbed the Sharpie:

The test will be to see if the Velcro toe strap rubs the writing
or the tape.

My second test was the same location on the matching boot, minus the tape:

Again, will the Velcro smudge or rub the writing?

My thought behind the duct tape is if it does start getting rubbed or smeared, you can remove the tape and reapply a fresh strip. You can only write over smudged duct tape so many times before it turns into an illegible blob.

The only downside I can see to this location is once the toe strap is in place, you can't see there's anything written behind it...so if the boot comes off with the toe strap still in place, there's no guarantee people will undo the strap and see the info.

Step Two: I'm going to take these boots for a spin and see what happens.

I'm still surprised at how well the writing on Dad's old boot held up.  We ride in a very dry, sandy environment, so I don't know if mud and water will fade that writing faster or not.

Stay tuned for Step Two and the results of this experiment...which will probably happen some time next week.

Tips for Distinctive Boots!

I was recently asked if I had any suggestions for how to tell two pairs of Renegade boots apart when your horse wears the same size and color all around.

Permanent marker isn't all that permanent and rubs off rather quickly. Ditto trying to get any kind of paint to stick to the boot material.

So my suggestion was to take a colored hair elastic and wrap it around the pastern strap, next to the o-rings.

Unvelcro the pastern strap entirely and wrap the elastic off
to the side of the o-rings. Orange would have made more of
a statement, but blue was what I had at hand.

It's bright and colorful, but low-profile, unlike ribbons that might unravel, get tangled, get caught, or otherwise get in the way.

This afternoon, I thought another option: colorful duct tape.

I found this stuff at a craft store and added it
to my stash of stuff.

Same deal...tear off thin strips and wrap around the same stop on the pastern strap.

I don't know if it'll be as long-wearing as the elastic.
I'll have to test it.

Mix and match! Both the tape and the elastics are available in a variety of colors. They're cheap and easily replaceable. They're low-profile and won't interfere with the boot function.

(And if you're like me, you have close to a zillion hair elastics floating around.)

How Renegades prevented a couple of riders from becoming splats on the pavement

In case you're curious, I was one of those riders.

And the story isn't actually as dramatic as the title might suggest.  Except for in a few parts.

And no pictures, because my normally-sane, take-pictures-off-my-back-with-no-reins pony was acting like she was closely related to a fire-breathing dragon, and taking my hands off the reins and fumbling with a camera just might have resulted me becoming that aforementioned splat on the pavement.  I need to get one of the helmet cams that are becoming so popular.

As I've said before, I board in a semi-urban area.  It's a very horsey "neighborhood" in Queen Creek, no official subdivision designation, more like a loose coalition of streets containing horse people who have all migrated to an area free of CC&Rs and HOAs.  The whole area is bordered on two sides by state trust land desert...which is currently "locked gate access only," and you have to get an access permit to get a key.

After yesterday, I think I'm just going to pony up the $$$ for the access permit so I can ride out on that state land again, versus running the Gauntlet of Pony Death that is riding on the streets around the neighborhood.  It used to be open access several years ago, and that was my training ground for when I started to move into endurance from NATRC and needed some good areas for adding speed work to our workouts.

This being semi-urban and a neighborhood of sorts, "streets" = pavement.

I really hate riding on pavement.  Probably something having to do with getting tossed onto and going skidding across it years ago.  It was probably a minor miracle that the worst casualty of that incident was my favorite t-shirt, and that I came off none the worse than some road rash and mental trauma.

So that sets the stage for why I hate riding on pavement, even under the best of circumstances, so the thought of doing anything that could make the situation worse -- such as riding in pavement on shoes (yes, Mimi was shod in the above incident) -- really makes me cringe. Slithering and slipping on pavement does not a fun ride make.

Yesterday, I'd had it with arena circles.  Plans were initially in place to trailer out, but enough outside circumstances conspired that it just proved more convenient for Boarding Barn Owner and I to stick around the barn and explore around the neighborhood.  The original plan was to see if we could find access to an unlocked trust land gate, but we nixed that plan partway through after realizing the National Guard was using the runway they have in that section of trust land for practicing helicopter water-retrieval exercises.

(Fire season is approaching, so they're sharpening their "dip the bucket in the water and dump it in the right area" skills.)

For some reason, sharing space with large helicopters with weird, tire-looking things dangling from their undersides didn't seem like the best idea.  How does one even go about desensitizing a horse to something like that?  Park a helicopter in the roundpen?

So we ended up just doing a large, exploratory loop around the neighborhood, about 4 miles in all.

I put Mimi boots on when we ride out, no so much for protection, because she can handle the street terrain just fine.  It's for the grip and traction and peace of mind I get from knowing that she's not going to unexpectedly do the splits on the pavement if she spooks at something.  Yes, she probably gets decent traction going barefoot.  But since her favorite spooking methods involve very fast movement, usually around and to the side, I'd rather just know she's going to have the grip needed to stay upright during evasive maneuvers.

It also gives me a really good chance to see how she's wearing her feet...for some reason, I can read the wear pattern on the boots easier than I can read her feet themselves.  And after yesterday, the boots were telling me she's wearing faster on the outsides.  Time to reevaluate the trimming.

Barn Owner is also currently testing out an old pair of Mimi's boots on her mare.  She's been curious about the Renegades, and really likes how easy they are to put on and take off.  She's currently got front shoes on her mare, but is bare on the back, and had been looking for a booting option for rockier terrain.

So I'm letting her test out an old pair of Mimi's.  They definitely got put to the test yesterday, since this mare is young, still pretty green, and somewhat of a "looky" and reactive Arab.  There were several moments that involved some fast maneuvers, spooks, and whirls on the pavement, and when I didn't have my hands completely full of fire-breathing Pony doing her own spooks, I was able to observe how much traction her boots were providing.  This is a very smart mare, and she quickly figured out how much grip and security she had from the boots, so when she'd spook, her hind end would be securely anchored in place while her front end danced lightly around.

We finished our ride none the worse for the wear, all body parts counted for and no splats on the pavement.  The boots came back with a darker patina of asphalt tar staining on the bottoms, but all fully attached, even through some interesting spooks and antics.

I've been a believer in these boots for a long time...and now I've got another convert.

Pony shenanigans, caught on video

I've been meaning to take some video for a while, and today I finally managed to get all the stars to align for this:



She put on her full fireworks display of romping, kicking, and in general having way too much fun.

Part of why I wanted a video of her moving at liberty is for work-related purposes...her shenanigans put any boot to the test.  I call her the crash-test dummy of the hoof boot world: if it can be broken, she will find a way.  The above is Exhibit A as to why.  She is flat-out hard on hoof wear.

(I guess that says something that she has only busted one Renegade in almost five years.)

I've also been curious to analyze her movement, frame-by-frame.  She has short, fairly upright little pasterns, but I'm amazed at how much flexion actually happens when she's moving at speed.  And I'm very pleased to see she's got a very decent landing, for her.  She's naturally high-heeled (pony feet!) and a heel-first landing is something we struggled with for years.

She used to go through the toes of boots embarrassingly fast, but ever since I took over her trimming, I have made a conscious effort to work on her heels and keep them in check.  As a result, she's wearing her boots much more evenly now, and she's landing pretty evenly.

I know I'm biased, but I just love watching her move.  Today, I was having a hard time remembering she's 19 and has fused hocks, because she was moving really well.  The warmer the weather gets, the happier (and less crunchy) she is.

Before and After

It was Pony Bath Day today.

The Before:

I just noticed the tongue sticking out!

I took the worst pictures today.  Seriously, my adorable pony looks like a hippo.  But I wasn't thinking when I took this first picture...should have stepped further back.

Funny thing, you can't tell how dirty she actually is.  She is practically day-glow white in pictures even when she's dirty, so no one actually believes me unless they see her in person and see how much dirt she packs into that coat.  Especially after I curry her.

She got a really thorough bath...fingernail scrubbing down to the roots of her mane and tail, rubber bath mitt all over her whole body, especially getting the scurfy stuff off her legs.  Sprayed her mane and tail with this avocado moisturizer spray stuff I really like (EQyss Avocado Mist) and left her in the washrack to finishing drying while I sized and fit Renegades on one of the barn owner's horses.  

I really enjoy the whole process of boot fitting and sizing...it always interesting to see static fit versus dynamic fit -- just because it looks like it fits at a standstill doesn't always mean it's the right fit once they start moving.  But that's worth a whole other blog post.

Back to the pony, who was cooling her heels and getting cooed over by the two young daughters of a friend of the barn owner.  As a final touch, she got Show-Sheened on her mane and tail, fly sprayed, and this was the end result:

Again, my apologies for the hippo-head quality of this shot.  She kept making a bid for the grass the second I would try to step away far enough to get a decent pic.  So it's her own fault.  And she really needed to be out in the sunshine for the full day-glow effect.

And I did this to my helmet:

Racing stripes!!!

They're reflective, too.  I haven't been using the velcro-on Salamander Beak visor of late, because I'm finding that sunglasses + tiny visor on helmet is really enough coverage, and it doesn't block my upward vision quite as much.  If Mimi was a head-tosser, I'd be more concerned about not having a stiff visor to block potential upward head movement, but she tried that trick once, years ago, when I wore a Troxel helmet with a longer, stiffer visor.  She smacked her poll into the visor edge, and she hasn't tossed her head upwards since.

Tomorrow's supposed to be another triple digit day...I think I might hibernate next to the a/c vent.  Next weekend is supposed to be a reprieve down to the 80s (How you know you live in AZ: When the words "down into the 80s" is considered a reprieve) so the barn owner made some noises about hauling out to ride for one last chance at nice weather.

The one perk of hotter weather: Lees people out on the trail.

Double Standard

A Cautionary Warning: There is much generalization and use of the term "people" in the following post.  I'm not trying to say "everyone" does this, but rather, a broad spectrum of generalized behavior that I have noticed over the past several years.  This is not intended to be critical of anybody, but rather, my personal view and opinion on behaviors and attitudes.  Consider it, or take it worth a grain of salt.

Recently, there's been a flurry of discussion activity on Ridecamp about hoof boots.  Every winter, it seems, the topic of "shoes versus boots" gets dragged out.  Thus far this winter, people are confining themselves to boot...comparisons.

While I could probably write a dissertation based on my opinions of the topic, that wasn't really what stuck my fancy today.  What I wanted to touch on is the seeming "double standard" that exists for hoof boots.

Everyone seems to be concerned with finding the "perfect boot."  Their standards for that boot seem to be: easy to fit, doesn't rub, easy to put on, and never comes off.

All I have to say on that is, "When was the last time a horseshoe never came off?"  Please, someone, share with me that they've never, in their entire career of horse ownership, had a horse that has lost a shoe.  Pretty much impossible, right?  So why are people so critical of a hoof boot coming off? 

It seems to be an unfair expectation...as soon as people hear a story of a boot coming off, they write it off as being "no good."  And yet, shod horses that pull shoes get pass after pass, get the shoe nailed back on, and nothing more is said.

As a hoof boot user, I've had my fair share of them come off, some of them in places never to be seen again.  I've calculated that I've got probably about $200 worth of hoof boots and hoof boot parts scattered across Arizona and southern California.  But did that mean boots were worthless?

No, it just meant that something wasn't working.  It took some experimentation, time, and willingness to think outside the box and my comfort zone, but I eventually found what works for Mimi.  One of the nice things about the popularity of the barefoot/hoofbooted movement taking off is the availability of different hoof boots on the market.  There's virtually something for almost anyone and any horse. 

(Note the virtually and almost: I do believe that it's entirely possible that boots might not work for every single horse out there.  Dad's first horse, a Foxtrotter mare, had an extremely exaggerated sliding action in her hind feet.  Boots gave her too much grip, and made her movement too abrupt and jarring on her joints and muscles.  It's possible, given time, and knowing what I know now about hoof trimming, that we could have worked more with and gradually adapted her to using boots.)

And incidently?  Mimi has lost at least one of every footwear I put on her.  Regular shoes, padded shoes, aluminum shoes, regular Easyboots, glued-on Easyboots, Epics, Bares, and Renegades.  No one thing out there is perfect.

I'm sure this is a topic that will never go away as long as there are metal shoes to be nailed on, and hoof boots to be fitted, and horse hooves that need protection.  And that means the double standard will likely live on, too.