I was so pleased with Kengis that day. We have not done an event for a year (lots of foot abscess hence why we are now bare foot) and he is 21 so I was so chuffed when they announced that we had won! He used to trip quite a bit with traditional shoes on but since going barefoot he rarely trips at all now and I am amazed in the change in his feet.
Kengis is a Russian Don. I bought him as an eight year-old from a riding vacation I went on. They had bought him over from Russia. I only had him two years when he went very, very lame, leading to six months’ stall rest. After that time the vets told me to have him put to sleep. I refused and took him home to my parent’s place in Kent where we could look after him 24 hours a day. I started to walk him in hand and after a month he was sound.
We had many trouble-free years after that but then, about a year and half ago, he started to get abscesses. We tried all sorts of boots and treatments, all of which seemed to work short-term but the abscesses always came back. In October 2009 he had his worst series of abscesses: one in each foot and then another two after that.
A friend suggested I try using Easyboots so I could continue to turn him out. My farrier was happy about that as the blood flow to the hooves is better if they can move. We decided to pull all his shoes and use Easyboot Epics over his treatment and turn him out.
Once the abscesses had cleared up I turned him out barefoot. He was tender to start with but over the months his feet have really toughened up. I use Easyboot Epics on his front feet when we go out riding.
When he had traditional shoes he used to trip a lot and he even had a bad fall following a trip at a walk. Since taking his shoes off and riding him in his Easyboot Epics we very rarely trip or stumble at all now.
His confidence is back and so is mine. I had become quite nervous about going down hills and riding over bad ground in case he tripped and fell again. My farrier is so pleased with the change in foot shape and the quality of hoof he has now.
With shoes on his feet were always crumbling and no amount of hoof oil and feed supplements made any difference at all. He only has a vitamin additive now and no hoof supplement and his feet are great! I think that some horses feet are just not able to deal with having metal shoes on and Kengis is one of them.
I wish I had changed to barefoot earlier. If I had not discovered Easyboots I would not have been able to ride him over the last six months, never mind entering and winning a cross-country. Without them I would have had the extra worry about laminitis, as I would not have been able to work him. They really have been the best horsey item I have found over the years. I would recommend them to anyone!
