What are hoof protection options besides boots or nail-on shoes?

[LMH]

I have a horse and I want to look into a longer term protection than a PITA boot.

Casts-though not the best traction as I have experienced.

Epona shoes seem to be very popular with the formerly BUA.

Can Epona's work without nails?

For trimmers that now use Eponas as an option-do you apply them? Have a farrier do it?

If you do it, did you attend a clinic? Just buy and try your best? Have a farrier show you?

What other glue on options are out there?

thanks...

[Daydream Believer]

Easyboot and Renegade both have glue on shells now and they do work quite well from what I'm hearing from users. They will also stay on for 4-6 weeks however it's not really recommended to do so. I hear the foot can get soft and icky in the boot...again...this is hearsay only. I have some glue on shells in stock (easyboot) but have not yet applied any. Hopefully soon I'll do a test on one of my own horses.

I do believe there is an Epona certification that you can get...and I may be mistaken, as I have not used them, but they generally stay on a lot better with nails than just glue.

Of course there are other glue ons like Sigafoos also but I'm not sure that's easy to do without some ability to shape the shoe.

[Patty Stiller]

There are other urethane shoes besides Epona on the market. Epona is just better marketed. Any urethane shoe can be glued on. These include the Equiflex line of shoes. As well, metal shoes can be glued on in various ways.
This requires a farrier for best results as the metal shoe needs to be well fitted to a perfectly flat foot.
Fabric 'Sigafoos cuffs' can be applied (by a farrier) to metal shoes for conversion to glueing.
Lightweight Aluminum shoes can be glued directly to the foot by a farrier without the cuff.
However all of these processes are expensive, so unless there is some problem with the hoofwall that prevents nailing, why not just get regular nailed up shoes?
Properly fit metal shoes on a properly balanced foot does do no harm and is the easiest and cheapest foot protection that requires no maintenance in between applications. :)

[FatPalomino]

However all of these processes are expensive, so unless there is some problem with the hoofwall that prevents nailing, why not just get regular nailed up shoes?


^^^^^
That. Eponas, Sigafoos, are great, have used them on many horses. One of mine that's getting wintered and not riding, and we're saving money, is in Soleguard. It's been 3 weeks and it's definatly helping.

[LMH]

Any new feedback on the Quixshoe?

It just looks so uber-cool.

[RidingAllDay]

The Quixshoe looks great but is far from available. I see it appealing to the barefooters since it will fit into their ideology since there are no nails. Although, some seem to fear the glue as well :confused:

All plastic shoes are not equal. For instance, you cannot glue on Ground Control shoes.

Epona's are not the same as other plastic shoes or nBS. Nor are they the same as steel, but that is a topic for another day.

I wouldn't ride a horse in casts, especially in a climate that has lots of mud.

I also wouldn't learn how to apply Epona's from someone who is not certified or taught by the Craig's directly.

There is a methodology that is unique to the Epona shoe and learning it correctly will save you a lot of grief.

No point in cutting corners, when doing it right just makes so much sense.

[BumbleBee]

No sure if you are trying to avoid nails, or metal but Equiflex polysteel shoes are great.

[FatPalomino]

Very curious, why are you avoiding nails/steel shoes?
Glue-ons can work great, but the prep work and cost aren't justifiable if you don't need them, at least, iMHO ;D

[LMH]

Very curious, why are you avoiding nails/steel shoes?
Glue-ons can work great, but the prep work and cost aren't justifiable if you don't need them, at least, iMHO ;D

Don't take this wrong and I don't mean to sound abrupt...

Considering the way these threads go, let's just leave it as I am looking for the options I listed in my original question.;)

In the meantime, I found the answer to my questions...so thanks to all.