BigGameHoundsmen.com

I have to put MY highly valued endorsement in here I have been using easy boots for years now and I like them a lot. this never needs shoes always needs shoes argument is in my opinion just one of those that hopefully folks will learn something from.
I've lived in places that it sure wasn't common to shoe a working horse. the great plains is a good example the weather is seasonal but during each season it stays fairly even. not much rock, maybe some sandstone along the edges here and there. you work a horse hard day in and out and not notice a whole lot of wear. now if your out slogging through the mud and shit then push a herd down a blacktop road very far you'll wish you'd taken the bar ditch and let the dog take the road.
some areas it seems like it doesn't matter by the second day your horse is tip toeing around. black hooves or what ever.
in the rocks I like the boots because they offer some protection to the sole and the traction is unbelievable compared to any steel shoe I've tried. you don't have to worry about loose shoes or the damage they can do either.
I like leaving them barefoot when they aren't working and letting the hooves harden naturally along with the sole developing a good depth and hardness compared to the habit of rasping it down thin. They have borium tips you can use on the boots and for ice I might consider them.
the draw back is the initial cost of a set of boots. if you your horses all wear a different size or your using a number of them this can get high. at the end of the year though your boots saved you some money and time over a farrier. if you shoe your horses yourself you didn't save much. I've had one set last over three years. not all do but the fact that they wear only while your actually riding makes a difference. all of mine have lasted well over a year though.
if you keep the hoof about the same size and shape you don't have to worry about loosing them either.
MHO

I've appreciated all the comments on this topic.

Most of my experience has been with mules and primarily summer and fall riding.

My question to this thread would be in regard to wintertime riding. What is the best solution for the lion hunting rider on mules in snow country??

thanks/

If you can get by without shoes thats great but if you ride enough you will need them eventually. I have yet to see the horse that can get through day 3 without needing them if being rode hard. I've heard about them and been preached to about them over a few beer after day 1 and two days later watched as their entire world got turned upside down. I love that shit.

As a matter of fact. I've even been that naive sumbitch "ONCE". I might be a hard learner but I'm also a fast learner. We've all been there. There just comes a time in every man's life when he has to prove it to himself and there aint a damn thing wrong with that.

Dan after you learned your lesson did you go and eat an Elk Steak?

FOR SALE...One NE Wyoming bred horse for sale, gentle enough for the kids, don't eat much, easy to catch, ride all day every day and he don't need shoes...make offer!

STUNTMAN wrote:Dan after you learned your lesson did you go and eat an Elk Steak?

No I ate a big ole plate of crow.

in the snow or mud the boots don't ball up as bad. in snow it isn't a problem at all. mud can stick, but not any worse then on shoes. and i heard someone say they oiled their boots. i don't know if that would deteriorate the boots or not.

Plotts wrote:I've appreciated all the comments on this topic.

Most of my experience has been with mules and primarily summer and fall riding.

My question to this thread would be in regard to wintertime riding. What is the best solution for the lion hunting rider on mules in snow country??

thanks/

drive in tungsten pins(corks) or brazed on tungsten( drill tech) at heels and toe with snow rim pads..there is a few company's making these pads now. I prefer to rivet the pad at the heel with a copper rivet. I don't like to have anything in the toe of the hinds just in case of a overreach. We have very few mules here in BC but this works good on the horses.

Catdogs, I've got a horse named Stick . I keep him shod also.