Eli's Easyshoe Journey

When Eli came off the track he suffered from the same condition that many retired racehorses suffer and that would be long toe, low heel syndrome. He has had very little in the way of heel the entire time that I have owned him and it has always been a struggle for my farrier to pull back those toes.

He has been competing successfully in endurance since 2009, during which time he moved up in steel shoe sizes until he was eventually in a size 2. He would occasionally have a heel grab injury and his two lameness pulls were as a result of that. His first pull, he reached up and grabbed his shoe, twisted it and proceeded to puncture his sole with a nail. His second lameness pull was in a 75 mile event at around 42 miles when he reached up and severely bruised and blooded the back of his heel bulb. It was at that point that I decided to do something and see if my farrier, my vet and myself could not work together to help manage this issue a bit better.

Healing heel grab injury that required about 6 weeks off

I pulled his shoes and gave him a couple months barefoot but he didn't do well in boots and needed more support for his underslung heels and slightly prolapsed frog. In January of 2014, my vet did xrays and determined that his internal structures were healthy but he did need more heel support and a considerable amount of toe to come off.

XRays

So, with x-rays in hand, my farrier could now do his work with the knowledge of what was going on internally. So, from January to June, he was shod in traditional steel and some improvement was made but he was still somewhat sore in his heels. 

Photos January 2014

We continued to work on better balance but we were still struggling with his heels. I had really been wanting to try the new Easycare Easyshoe N/Gs on him so we decided to give them a try. 

Foot prior to first application of Easyshoe N/Gs

 Note the prolapsed frog below the hoof wall

 Note the excellent support for the back of the foot

 19 Days

 28 Days

The improvement in his comfort and movement proved almost instantaneous. The width change in his foot in 5 weeks was remarkable. So, the remodeling of the foot began. Within a month the frogs no longer had the prolapsed appearance and his heel soreness disappeared.

September 2014

 Frogs no longer prolapsed

 Now in a Size 3 Easyshoe N/G

 Great width achieved!

We have finished up a perfect season in AERC competitions and he is moving better than ever. I firmly believe that the Easyshoe has created real change in the shape of his foot capsule. His trot has extended from 13mph to around 16mph before switching gaits. He has done everything from mountainous 50s to 50s in the Sandhills in these and he is always moving great.

November 2014 Foot

Update December 2016

Eli is still doing phenomenal in the easyshoes and I can't recommend this product enough for horses with Long toe/low heel syndrome.

JD's Carolina 55

After a really amazing season of endurance, Dody and I headed down to JD's Carolina Ride for the last ride of the season. I took Eli for the 55 and Dody took Finn for the 30 mile ride. We arrived early on Friday morning and set up camp. We were joined shortly by our good friends Tim and Lara and their boys for the 55. It was lucky for me that Tim was there because he is also my farrier and it turned out we needed to reset one of Eli's shoes because he had pulled two nails out. 

The horses vetted through great. The vet told me that Eli had tied for lowest heart rate with a check in rate of 32. He continued to eat great throughout the day and we relaxed and got ready for the next day. Dody had to ride at 7:30 and I would be out at 8am.

We went up to the start with a few minutes to go and started in the middle of the pack. He was polite but very strong. The first loop would be a 25 mile adventure in strength and endurance. I was not feeling my very best, however, Eli really was on top of his game.  We left camp at 8am and we completed that long loop by 10:39am. My legs were jello from trying to keep up with my big horse and it took me a few minutes to adjust to walking again! He vetted through super and did well in his first hold. I ate and got myself feeling better as we prepared for the second loop.

East Meets West, aka "Eli" on the first 25 mile loop

Photo by Becky Pearman

Eli coming in off of the first loop and still going strong.

Photo by Becky Pearman

 Heading out on the 2nd Loop

Photo By Becky Pearman

 Trotting away!

Photo By Becky Pearman

 The second loop was close to 14 miles. We didn't see a soul for at least 8 of those. Eventually, Foster Olson caught up to me and we ended up riding the last two loops together. Our horses matched up nicely. Eli was feeling really great and led the way.

After the hold, heading out on the last loop.

Photo Dody Sutton

 Foster was waiting for me after the hold and we rode the same 14 mile loop again and Eli led every step of the way. We had a great ride and nice conversation. The weather was perfect and we came in at 4:33 in 15th and 16th. Our ride time was 6 hours and 53 minutes for the 55 mile distance. I was very proud of his time for the distance as that was our personal best for a 55 and he did it easily. He vetted through super at the end and the vet even commented that he'd had terrific scores all day!
We have had a perfect season and completed our 5th year of endurance competitions. On to year six!

Final vetting

I also just realized that this vet was also the one that gave him his first 55 mile completion 5 years ago!

 A well deserved rub after a long ride!

 His ride card...

SandhillsStampede30

Sandhills Stampede 30 mile Ride 2014

Dody and I decided to take Finn and Jazeb to the Sandhills Stampede and compete in the 30 mile ride this year. Jazeb had been battling some saddle fitting issues. He has a very short back, laid back shoulder and was tending to get loin sore. About three weeks before Sandhills, I tried a Freeform on him and he LOVED it. It took some getting used to on my part but I was willing to sacrifice for my baby boy. I ordered a knock off of the Freeform and it worked out beautifully for him and he completed the Stampede with all As on back.

New Saddle

 

We arrived on Friday morning and set up camp just below the arena at H. Cooper Black. The horses had corral panels and settled in to eating immediately. I was so proud of Jazeb and he ate and drank well on the entire trip. We were able to crew from our camping area and that made the ride so much more relaxing.

Jazeb in his corral

 

 He vetted in great with all As and he weighed a whopping 880lbs! That was up 80 lbs from last year. He has lots more muscle and strength than he did just a year ago at JDs Ride. I had a plan to take him down to the pond for the start so that he could ride out of camp and it worked very nicely. He had a slight hump in his back but he walked right out of it and was super on trail from the beginning. I was sponsoring a Junior rider, Caroline Guy, and we all rode together on the first loop and had a ball. We were out at 8am and back in camp by 10:45, covering the 19 mile loop in very good time. Jazeb did it easily and drank from the beginning at the first water tank. He vetted in with a 44 pulse and had all As except a B on gut.

ND Jazeb Faserr: Photo by Becky Pearman

We were out on loop 2 at 11:44 but we had lost Caroline because her horse was unfortunately lame at the first hold. This loop was the short white loop and with only 9 miles, we were back into camp at 1:26pm. He pulsed in with a 52 and then had a 44/44 CRI. He did a fantastic job all day and rode with great enthusiasm. I am unbelievably proud of my boy and how far he has come in the past 4 years.

Biltmore Fall Hope For Horses 50 Miler

Biltmore Hope for Horses 50 Mile Ride 2014

With lovely fall weather on tap for the fall Biltmore ride, I packed up and headed to Asheville, NC for the 50 mile ride. Eli was feeling terrific and was definitely sharp from his 30 mile ride at Iron Mountain Jubilee last month. He was also sporting his new size 3 Easyshoes on the front with steel behind. The set up worked beautifully for him.

View of the Biltmore House from Trail

&

Eli and I on trail

 

 

He vetted in at the preride with all As and a heart rate of 48. He was eating very well and enjoying all the lush grass that the Biltmore Equestrian Center has to offer. Loop 1 was 17.3 miles on Blue East. We were out at 7am and back in at 9:28, pulsed in at 9:33. 54/54 CRI.

Eli on the first loop. Photo by Becky Pearman

Back out on the second loop. 19.6 miles on Green West. We were out at 10:23 and back in at 1:44. This trail is very beautiful and takes you near the vineyards and farmlands of Biltmore Estate.

Crossing the Bridge: Photo by Tim Worden

 Eli on the Second Loop: Photo by Becky Pearman

 We were out on Loop 3, White River 13.9 miles at 2:40 and made it back at 5:28. Here we are walking back into camp after crossing the finish line. It is quite a long walk and we grazed our way back to the crew area. Pulsed in at 48 and was 44 at the vet. Finished with a great vet card. I am very proud of Eli for this ride.

Iron Mountain Jubilee 2014

Well, once again, the best laid plans often go off the rails at the last minute. I was actually planning on taking Jazeb to this ride because it is notoriously hot and humid here in the Southeast during August. However, Jazeb, who is the king of getting out of rides ended up with a sore back. Upon closer inspection, he definitely needs a different saddle. So, the back up horse returned to back up and Eli was up for the Iron Mountain Jubilee 30 mile ride.

Eli and Finn on their last conditioning ride before Iron Mountain

So, Dody and I decided that we would ride together. This would be Finn's 3rd official ride and he did amazing. We pulled into ride camp on Friday and had to park in the very back of the camping area. They had a wonderful turnout for this ride. We were drenched in sweat after setting up camp and realized that we would have to ride very smart on Saturday if the weather held the same pattern. Our friend Lara was out riding the 55 and when she came in we knew that the toughness of the trail and the weather would make for a very difficult ride. The horses vetted in great and were eating well. We remarked that it was so hot we never even made it down to play in the New River, instead opting for some A/C in the living quarters.

Eli being silly. Photo by Terri Strickland

On ride morning, we opted to hang out in back of camp and let the horses graze a bit as the front runners went out. We had an uneventful start on loose reins. We were riding out almost 15 miles to the away check at Camp Cripple Creek. The trail was really tough for the first 3 miles with lots of tight and muddy switchbacks that were only a few feet wide. The terrain on this ride varied from technical mountain trails, wide logging roads, rocky single track, steep climbs and grassy range lands full of cattle. Eli was none too keen about the cows and he felt like a keg of dynamite ready to explode. Young Finn led the way through the cattle and we made it out unscathed! We made it to the vet check in just over 2 1/2 hours.

Camp Cripple Creek

This was ideal place for an away vet check. The humidity was really getting to us though. Thankfully at that point the skies remained overcast. We took about 10 minutes to pulse down and vetted through with no trouble. Finn ate everything in sight and Eli nibbled but was distracted by all the range land movement. After a 50 minute hold, we saddled up and headed back out for the return trip home.

The first 5 miles leaving Camp Cripple Creek were very hill and full of rocks so it was slow going in places. The sun came out and both horses were blowing on the hills to dissipate heat. We electrolyted as needed, sponged a lot and walked most of the hills. We knew as we had done this ride before that you have to keep up a steady pace or you will end up over time. We came in at 2:30 and had till 3:15 to complete. We pulled tack just after meeting our in timer and started cooling the horses out at a shady water bucket. We walked over slowly and they both pulsed down within a minute of reaching the pulse box. Finn ended up 12th and Eli was 13th. We were very proud of the boys for winning this war of attrition at Iron Mountain. There were 30 horses in this ride and only 20 finished.

Final Pulse in: Photo by Roberta Young

Overall, this was a fantastically run ride and we had a blast on trail although as usual, I got a bit overheated in the late afternoon. Eli also weighed in at his highest ever at 1050. He lost down to 990 during the ride and gained back to 1010 on Sunday morning.

Eli on the range lands: Photo by Nancy Sluys