Hoof-it Natural Flex Shoes

Two weeks out from our first show of the season meant that it was time to put some shoes back on Daatje.

It had been six weeks since her last trim so the timing was pretty good. :)  As happy as I was with the Ground Control Shoes we used last year, I really wanted to find a urethane shoe that wasn't borderline too small.  The largest size the GC's come in was *just* large enough at the time of shoeing.  By the time she needed a re-set, her hoof had expanded over the edge of the shoe, which was not ideal at all.  It worked, no harm done, but not great either.  If they came in one size larger, I'd probably still be using them, but in there was an alternative I was going to try it.

A conversation on Facebook with a farrier led me to seek out the Natural Flex shoe made by Hoof-it.  They are slightly different than the GC's in that they are a harder durometer plastic (perhaps they won't "flip-flop"), come with a toe clip (which I nipped off), and instead of a full frog protector they just have the bar across the back of the hoof.  The GC's trapped a lot of dirt under the shoe and often (like twice a day) I had to take a screw driver and remove the wads of turf/mud/dirt that was stacking up between the shoe and the hoof.

The stiffer plastic and lack of full frog coverage should mean less dirt getting trapped *under* the shoe.  We'll see.

I started around 10:30am and worked first on the fronts.  I took several photos from different angles on each foot before trimming, after trimming and after shoeing to document the process.



Left front, pre-trim, lateral view.

Left front pre-trim anterior view

Left front pre-trim, solar view

Left front pre-trim heel view

You can see she grows a pretty even foot.  Not too much to do here but clean up the retained sole, frog and trim the bars a bit.

Left front trimmed, lateral view.

Left front trimmed anterior view

Left front trimmed solar view

Left front trimmed, heel view

I didn't dress the toe back on this trim as that will be done after I apply the shoe.  If I were trimming her to leave barefoot, the toe would have been dressed back to improve break over. 

Left front shod, anterior view.

Left front shod lateral view.  Here the shadows make the hoof appear to lip over the toe of the shoe.  This is not the case, as you saw in the trim photos, the hoof is flat and level all the way around.  I set the shoe back to ease breakover.  Daatje seems to move better (and forge less) if the shoe is applied this way.

Left front shod solar view.  Here you can see the difference between the GC shoes and the NF shoes.  I use Delta Combo 5 City Head Slim nails, 3 on each side.

Left front shod, heel view.  You can see here the room for expansion in the heels with these shoes.

Left front shod heel/solar combo view.



Right front pre-trim lateral view

Right front pre-trim anterior view (sorry about the lighting here)

Right front pre-trim solar view. 

Right front pre-trim heel view

Right front trimmed lateral view.  You can see the shod left front in the background for comparison.  Note I did not dress the toe on this trim as I would for barefoot.  Toe is dressed after the shoe is applied.

Right front trimmed, anterior view

 

Right front trimmed, solar view. 

Right front trimmed heel view

Right front shod, lateral view.  Shoe set back as with the Left front.  Toe is now dressed back to ease breakover.

Right front shod anterior view.

Right front shod, solar view

Right front shod, heel view

Right front shod heel/solar combo view

Well, that took me about 2 hours.  I'm not fast, take lots of breaks and document with photos so I'm s.l.o.w, but thankfully the horse doesn't mind and snoozes through most of it.  After each hoof we went out to the field to graze for 5 minutes and between the fronts and the hinds I turned her out for 30 minutes while I went inside for a rest and a cup of coffee. :)  The freedom of shoeing your own horse while not on a time schedule. :D  After my coffee break (and her sanity break) I returned to the barn to work on her hinds.

Left hind pre trim lateral view

Left hind pre trim anterior view.  Note the lateral flare and very straight medial wall.  This is normal for her and must be addressed at each trim.  Not to change the way her foot grows out, just to keep the flare in check so it doesn't get wonky.  Nailing into that upright medial wall took some getting used too though!

Left hind pre trim solar view.  See the lateral flare and laid over lateral frog and bar?  She also had a bout of thrush in this frog over the winter that we've been addressing.  Note the deep cleft in the central sulcus.  She's sound and comfortable and it's drying up.  Been stuffing the sulcus with Magic Cushion.

Left hind pre trim heel view

Left hind trimmed lateral view.  Toe is not dressed as that will be done after shoeing as with the fronts.

Left hind anterior view.  Note the flare has been reduced.

Left hind trimmed solar view

Left hind trimmed heel view

Left hind shod, lateral view.  I did not set the hinds back as far as the fronts.  I did this to reduce the likelihood that she'll forge at the trot.  Faster breakover for the fronts and a little slower behind seems to work well for her. 

Left hind shod anterior view.  Note the adequate support of the larger size shoe.  I'm very happy with this.

Left hind shod solar view

Left hind shod heel view.

Left hind shod solar/heel combo view

Right hind pre-trim.  She's prone to chip out the quarters, especially on these lateral flares on her hinds.  Keeping her shod really helps keep her feet together.

Right hind pre trim anterior view

Right hind pre trim solar view.  Less flare and consequential lay over of bars and frog on this hind, but there is still some.

Right hind pre trim heel view.

Right hind trimmed lateral view

Right hind trimmed anterior view

Right hind trimmed heel view

Right hind trimmed solar view.

 I couldn't resist this picture!  I'm working on Daatje's last hoof, look out the stall doors and see Rainbow, flat out, soaking up the early spring sun. :)  She's so adorable!  This little mare will turn 21 years old in two weeks!  Hard to believe we've had her for that long. :)

Rainbow the 20 year old mini, snoozing in the sun.

Right hind shod lateral view.  Same as with the left hind, not set back quite as far as the fronts.

Right hind shod anterior view.

Right hind shod heel view

Right hind  shod solar view

Overall these shoes were easier to apply than the GC shoes.  I did not pre-drill any nail holes.  Nailing right through the shoe and into the hoof worked out quite well.  So, after all was done, I brought her out for a quick lunge to make sure she was comfortable and moving well.  She's a bit cautious on the grass footing (she's no dummy and knows it's slick this time of year!) but I'm please with how comfy she seems and she's not forging at the trot, which is great.

http://youtu.be/F9YziwUgF_U

http://youtu.be/CxBtn4ldwgE

http://youtu.be/uKJWSGnn82s

 

 

 

 

 

 



I still exsist.

Hi all,

Long time since I've posted!  I've been very busy between work (necessary evil) and working on the house (wicked fun!) but spring IS here, and that means show season is right around the corner!

Daatje and I are going to be focusing on Dressage this year.  I miss it, she's half way decent at it, and it's a fun thing to pass the time until August when hunt season starts. :)

Our first show is Sunday, May 4th, at THE Farm in Tewksbury, MA.  we'll be warming up with Training 2 and First 2.  The late spring and poor footing has kept me from practicing, so this first show and the one after (NEDA Spring, May 10th!) we'll just have to wing it.

After that, I'll probably feel more prepared. :P  Or not.  We'll just have to see!  We have a great season planned, showing First 2 and First 3 at the UNH June Dressage, NEDA Summer Dressage, and Oyster River Dressage at UNH.

All of these shows, with the exception of the schooling show, May 4th, are USEF rated shows!  We're going "big time" this year.  :D

I'm putting shoes back on her today.  If you recall, last year we tried the Ground Control shoes with great success.  My only qualm was that their largest size, 2, was a bit too small.  At the suggestion of a farrier acquaintance, I'm trying a different composite shoe this year, the Hoof-it Natural Flex shoe.  They come in sizes generous enough to fit her properly (throughout the entire shoeing cycle, not just at the beginning) and seem comparable, if not a little better, than the Ground Control shoes.

I've just put the front pair on (taking a break before putting on the hinds) and have taken lots of photos pre-trim, post-trim and post-shoeing so you guys can see what they look like.

Of course, I'll be reporting on how they perform during the dressage show season.

Well, off I go to put on the hinds.  Be back later today for a full report with photos!

Handgun 101

I've always wanted to learn how to shoot so for Christmas this year, I asked for tuition to the Handgun classes at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping. 

They offer a variety of classes taught by well qualified professionals with law enforcement and military experience in firearms and tactical training.  Having no prior experience, I signed up for the very basic introductory course to handguns, Handgun 101.

I say "basic" and "introductory" but honestly, this was an 8 hour course with 4 of those being classroom training, 2 actually shooting on the range and 1 breaking down, cleaning and reassembling the handguns.  (we broke for 1 hour at lunch)

The shooting experience was far more intense than I had expected!  The instructor began with a demonstration, having us gather around him while he fired his .40 Sig pistol at a target from 3 yards.  He put three bullets through the exact same hole in the target.  What impressed me more than his accuracy and precision was the percussion felt when the gun was fired!

If you've ever been to a concert and stood close to the speakers on the stage you've felt the reverberations to your very core.  It was kinda like that.  And loud!  Even with the ear protection.  Granted we were indoors, but still.  I suppose the 35,000 psi that builds up in the barrel has to go somewhere!

After the demonstration, we were put through our own exercises with 9mm Sig Sauer P229's.  The sensation was incredible.  The smell of the gunsmoke, sound of the simultaineous gunfire, feel of the brass shell casings raining down on you as you tried to focus on the tiny spot on the target and  put those bullets through the first hole that you made. 

It took me a few minutes to adjust to it all and settle the nerves, but once I did, oh what fun it was!

I've already signed up for the second class, Handgun 102: Basic Practical Handgun Skills, that will take place on February 23rd.  It's another 8 hour class, and I can't wait to learn more.

Brass flying as I shoot for the first time.

Millennium Mile 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

The 2013 hunt season has come to an end, the holidays have come and gone and as I sit typing this, it's a balmy 1°F outside with a substantial wind chill factor. 

I pulled Daatje's Ground Control's a few weeks ago and her hooves looked fantastic!  Plastic horse shoes definitely go on the list of amazing things we tried in 2013.  I'll be certain to use them again next season.  For now she's barefoot and enjoying her extended vacation.  I'm lucky if I ride once a week this time of year and quite frankly, I hate riding when it's cold and snowy.  No worries though.  The time off does her good, I think.  Me too, actually. :)

So, what does this girl do when the riding season has all but come to a halt?  She runs! :D

I'm training for a half marathon on March 30th, so my running schedule has become much more regular.  In the midst of training, I'm throwing in some road races; the most recent of which was the Millennium Mile run on New Years Day!  What a blast.  There were over 1,700 people lined up to race down a one mile stretch of road, down hill for the most part.

I have never raced a mile sprint before, so was not sure how fast I could really go over the distance.  I figured between a 7-8 minute mile so that's the corral I chose to start from.  I ended up with a 7:15 time....just 15 seconds from being in the 6 minute mile range!  Not bad!

I'm not a fast runner, never was.  More of the distance type.  Long, slow distance. :)  Anyway, that time put me in 444 place out of 1700 and in 33 place out of the 224 women in the 30-39 age category.

Here are some photos, sponsored by Geneia (runners get digi photos for free! :D )


The masses lined up at the start

I'm left of center in the green, number 385.

Coming down the home stretch

At the finish line!

I love running.  It's so much fun!  Wednesday's race was so cold, I must have had 5 pounds of layers on.  Not very flattering, but warm!