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Janet Schmidt
Member
Username: Sparky
Post Number: 113
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, Sep 1, 2004 - 8:55 pm: |   |
I have my gelding barefoot and use Old Mac's but right after a trim he is sensetive even with the boots on. You can buy inserts for the boots that are for tender soles but I needed them right away and didn't want to wait the 2 weeks for them to arrive. I thought of neoprene and wanted to cut up my husbands old wet suit but that was not approved - apparently it is still good. So I looked around the house in search of an answer and came up with a 'mouse pad'! Yup an old mouse pad is made of nice rubber and dense and thin and I just made an insert and away we went! You could also use this for a bruised foot while stall bound - just trace and cut out and duct tape on.
Some one else had told me to put a piece of foam and maybe an old wool sock to keep it in place and that is where I started thinking about the idea.
Janet |
Redmare
Member
Username: Redmare
Post Number: 5
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, Sep 4, 2004 - 11:35 pm: | |
Hi Janet-
Your horse should not be sore after a trim. This time of year the ground is hard and horses form a thick sole callus. This should not be removed unless it is peeling off by itself. |
Susan M. Herrick
Member
Username: Quatro
Post Number: 89
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, Sep 30, 2004 - 11:56 am: | |
Hi Janet, what a great idea for the mouse pad. I have a bizzillion of them around, and I just got the old mac boots to try. Levi has had a sole bruise, we thought it was an abscess, so I will try lining the boot. I just got the old macs yesterday, do you like them? are they easy to put on? I can send them back if they are not going to work for me, so I would appreciate your oppinion.
thanks
suz |
Janet Schmidt
Member
Username: Sparky
Post Number: 115
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, Sep 30, 2004 - 1:34 pm: | |
Susan - try and find the real old heavy rubber ones - they work the best - they don't last more than one ride though. I found with the Old Mac's that it is a bit of a pain to put them all on but you just have to give yourself time for tacking up so that the rest of the group are not waiting on you - only your horse should do that! I am looking at the new version of the BOA boot because I don't really like applying the Mac to the rear feet. You really have to get down on your knees to get a tight pull on the straps. It is not the safest place to be - I trust my horse but many people that trust their horse's have been injured in some way or another. The BOA boot has the front closure and looks like less hassle. I have not actually got my hands on one yet to look at. I found the old mac's twisted a bit on the back because of the way my horse plants his feet. I also got a few rub marks from the straps. That is all from my inexperience as to applying them and adjusting them. I was thinking of getting their gator inserts for some protection. Others have said to use a bit of vet wrap or keep it in your saddle bag just in case. I would recommend checking the boots every couple of hours or so in the beginning until you become familiar with how they fit. They stood up really well because I put them thru a pretty tough test. We kept laughing as we were chasing cows thru the muck wondering if they ever tested them this way. So I am still kind of on the fence as to my opinion. Most of the problems I had were probably my fault. Good luck.
Redmare - I just had him trimmed again - we are doing every 4 weeks right now to bring him back in the tow and get some heel - and for the first time after a trim he was not sore. He definitely is not tough yet but he walked and trotted away without being ouchy!
thanks
Janet |
Holly Zukowski
Member
Username: Cowgrl
Post Number: 364
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, Sep 30, 2004 - 2:32 pm: | |
Yes Redmare, you are definitely right about not removing the sole unless it is peeling by itself. This is the sole's natural protection and when it's removed, of course the horse will be ouchy. So many people don't understand why their horse is sore after a trimming or shoeing. Well, it's obvious when you take a look at all the "dressing up" the farrier does - pared down frog, pared down sole, etc. Sheesh! My farrier leaves all the old sole and frog on unless it needs to be removed for health reasons.
I use Old Macs on my mustang - just the fronts - and he does great with them. They are a little bit of a pain to get on but once they're on, I haven't had a problem with shifting. After a couple of short local rides, I used them on a 6 hour mountain ride where we covered all types of terrain - mud bogs, rocky mountain sides, creek crossings - and they held up beautifully. I used a little vet wrap bandaid to keep them from chaffing but I think my horse was more irritated by it than not. The last couple of rides, he kept stomping his front foot and nosing it and I kept getting off to see what was going on. Couldn't find anything and even took off the boot to see if that was the problem. Didn't think it could be the vet wrap. I rode him Sunday without the vetwrap and there was no problem. Such a funny little guy .
Good luck and happy trails. |
Redmare
Member
Username: Redmare
Post Number: 24
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, Sep 30, 2004 - 7:03 pm: | |
Hi Janet-
Glad to hear your horse is not sore this time! I like the Old Macs, but none of the boots are perfect. Yesterday I talked with a serious endurance rider who does her own trimming and uses boots; she's tried 'em all and decided to design her own! Incidentally, the Macs should not twist if they are properly fitted. As you mentioned, it can take some trial and error to get it just right. I wasn't clear on one thing you said, that you are trimming every 4 weeks to "bring him back in the toe and get some heel." I understand wanting to shorten the toe but what is going on with the heels?
Holly Z, glad someone else understands leaving the sole intact. When it's ready to come off it does so with ease and can even be removed with a hoof pick (a stout one)! I think this is a big difference between barefoot and trimming for a shoe -- a lot more can be removed when a shoe (and especially a pad) are applied, as the tender tissues don't touch the ground.
Here is a photo of a hoof right after trimming with sole intact.
 |
Leilani Clark
Member
Username: Leilani
Post Number: 71
Registered: 4-2000
| | Posted on Thursday, Sep 30, 2004 - 7:17 pm: | |
That is a nice looking hoof. |
Holly Zukowski
Member
Username: Cowgrl
Post Number: 365
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 1, 2004 - 11:49 am: | |
That is a very good looking foot and outstanding trimming. Do you do your own? |
Susan M. Herrick
Member
Username: Quatro
Post Number: 90
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 1, 2004 - 3:42 pm: | |
thanks everyone. I was wondering how the straps were on chafing when they were moving around. I cfound them to be really easy to put on, as opposed to the e-z boots i was using. I just am not sure how tight/loose they should be. I am going to try a size smaller before I decide to invest. They are spendy little devils. I saw the boa boots also, but they did not have his size at the time.
thanks again. My old farrier came back, trimmed his feet and put shoes on his front. He is trotting around like normal. Yeah!
have a good day
suz |
Holly Zukowski
Member
Username: Cowgrl
Post Number: 366
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 1, 2004 - 4:29 pm: | |
Susan, I'm glad your boy is doing better. The straps on the Old Macs should be just tight enough to fit a finger comfortably inside. If you go to the website, there's a list of authorized Old Mac advisors that specialize in answering questions and fitting the boots. I had one in my area come out and measure my boy up. He didn't charge me anything for it either. You may have someone in your area just to make sure you're getting the right size. That was my biggest concern.
Good luck. Happy Trails |
Redmare
Member
Username: Redmare
Post Number: 25
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 1, 2004 - 11:46 pm: | |
Hi Holly-
Yes, I do my own trimming. I didn't plan on it, as it's hard work, but I couldn't find a farrier who was realiable and/or did the trim to my satisfaction. I learned pretty much on my own following the Jaime Jackson methods. It's rewarding, and the nice thing about doing your own is you can maintain the trim over time; many people give up on barefoot because they wait 4-8 weeks (or more) then trim off a lot of material, leaving the horse tender. |
