In November, two hoof care practitioners were added to the growing list of EasyCare dealers.

Tim Carnes Natural Hoof Care: Tim Carnes
Tim is from Garwood TX, covering Southeast Texas, and has been a barefoot practitioner for two years. Tim is a farrier convert and follows Pete Ramey’s methodology. Ti m is excited about being a dealer. Carrying the products on his truck has made for a more satisfied customer base and has made a big difference in his business.

Interesting fact: Tim was in telecommunication for AT&T for 18 years.

Contact info: 979-243-4600

Equine Balance Farrier Service: Ruthie Klein
Ruthie is from Lopez Island, WA and has been in professional hoof care for more than eight years. She specializes in performance barefoot trims, barefoot transition, hoof pathology recovery, riding and therapeutic boot fitting.

Interesting fact: Ruthie graduated from Montana State University in Horseshoeing

Contact info: 360-468-2198

He would meet his future wife, Janet, after moving to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. But a shift in priorities led him to go back to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Education. He and Janet moved back to Hawaii with their first child, Keoni, where John would teach sixth graders at Kilohana Elementary School. In his spare time, John paddled outrigger canoes, surfed, and even raced in a six-man canoe across 40 miles of open ocean from Molokai to Oahu. John and Janet moved back to the US about three years ago and John is now fostering his fast growing barefoot trimming business in a 70-mile radius of Bastrop, Texas.

John attributes the growth in the barefoot industry to the advancement of technology and interests. The experimentation with various hoof boot designs has helped to expose the ideas and benefits of 21^st century hoof protection to greater levels. He works with EasyCare because the company has always been at the forefront of this industry. He is excited to see more people using and requesting hoof boots, as well as horses reaping the benefits of staying barefoot and sound on any terrain.

John and his family own a nine-year-old Arab mare who blends into their family like an Easyboot Glove. She lives on 64 acres with seven horses, and enjoys being ridden by everyone in the family. As the number of kids in his family has increased, their horse count has decreased. He attributes his success to maintaining a positive attitude, doing something he loves, providing customers and their equines with excellent service, and having a willingness to learn and grow everyday.

The absolute best marketing strategy in John’s opinion is showing up on time, providing stellar customer service, and providing exceptional hoof care for the equine. “When you provide superior service for the horse and customer, people take notice. My customers and their equines’ hooves are my business cards. Do a great job, be professional, and love the work: it almost always pays off.”

John started carrying EasyCare products this summer. However, he has used and recommended them for many years. It wasn’t until he spoke with Debbie Schwiebert that he realized how much more effective it would be to carry them in stock all the time. John is now on his third Fill Your Truck order. “It has been wonderful to have everything at my fingertips when working with customers. I help make a lot of horses comfortable much more quickly now.”

He carries a full size range of Easyboot Gloves, Boa Horse Boots, Old Mac G2s, Easyboot Rxs, EasySoakers and numerous comfort pads. The Easyboot Gloves and comfort pads are his best sellers. About 90% of the time when he is working with a horse, he fits them for Easyboot Gloves at the first visit. “I always sell the boots with pads and install the power strap for the customer at the time of purchase. I also use a heat gun to custom fit when necessary. Thanks to Pete Ramey, from “In the Trenches” DVD on how to do this!” The Easyboot Glove is John’s favorite boot, without hesitation.

John’s most rewarding experience as a hoof care practitioner is helping horses and horse owners on a daily basis. “Each day is full of learning and challenges; it’s always a new experience. No two days are ever the same. For example, a few days ago I was headed to my last appointment: a first time customer (close to my home) who called me out to trim two minis. I thought I’d be done in about an hour and be home for supper; no problem. When I arrived at the ranch, the minis where nowhere to be found. The horse owner and I jumped in the mule and drove around the pasture until we found the horses in the bushes. To my surprise, both horses were foundered and had hooves that went out about eight inches long on all fours: one of the minis was down on the ground. I trimmed the little fella on the ground where he layed, and spent four hours there that night: using my saw, educating the owner, helping the horses. When I finished, they both walked off much more comfortably. It made my heart swell to know that I made a difference that day: for both horse and owner. I love my work!”

John sees the barefoot industry moving into a more of a hoof care industry. “In the beginning, it was a lot about using your horse barefoot (without boots) and how that was the determining factor of a successful transition. Now, I see people using boots because it’s the best choice for your horse. It’s no longer seen as a weakness to say that our horses use hoof protection. In fact, most trimmers today are realizing that carrying boots, pads, casts, epoxies, etc. are in fact part of being barefoot. We are hoof care providers and need to provide for the hoof. So I think more people are open to using orthotics now than before, and I believe we as an industry will continue to find better ways to meet the needs of our domestic equines as technology advances.”

John currently has approximately 250 horses under his care. His regular customers are on a four to six week trim schedule. Sometimes he’ll get asked by other trimmers to provide casting or booting for their clients and/or consultations on some tough cases. “It’s a great career that I grow to love more each day.”

Learn more about the EasyCare Fill Your Truck program, or call Debbie Schwiebert at 800-447-8836 x2224.

Visit John Thorp’s Barefoot Solutions.

Blaine attributes his success to staying true to the fundamental science of hoof care as taught by Pete Ramey and Dr. Robert Bowker. He went to Michigan this August to attend the latest Dr. Bowker clinic and then was able to spend some time with him in his lab. “I insist on clients feeding a low carbohydrate diet and doing some analysis on their mineral balance as laid out by Katy Watts. I won’t work with clients who won’t cooperate on the diet and I will not keep them if they want to feed a high starch diet. You cannot have a sound barefoot horse without getting the diet right, no matter how great the trim is. This is non negotiable and a key to my success. I did learn this the hard way, unfortunately, “says Blaine.

The pivotal moment came when his wife’s dressage instructor had a Hanoverian gelding named Passat that had been USDF Horse of the Year. As an upper level horse, Passat became very lame. Ruth had used all the top tier farriers in the area without results and was out of options. Hoof care practitioner, Rachel Drossman, consulted with Ruth on a barefoot transition strategy. Passat and Ruth got their Bronze Medal in dressage after only about four months of rehab in boots and pads.

He has used EasyCare products from day one: “They are a must to treat pathologies in an efficient way.” He carries Epics, Comfort Pads, EasySoakers and the best-selling Easyboot Glove. Blaine sees the introduction of the Easyboot Glove as having created great change in the hoof boot industry. “The ease of application has made people much more willing to try booting over traditional shoeing. News about barefoot is getting out and the results we are getting with the horses is the proof in the pudding. Tevis this year is a perfect example. The future is very bright for the barefoot industry.”

Blaine and his wife Lynn often ride their horses barefoot. “We are fortunate with our climate and environment that we usually don’t need to use boots unless we are going to be riding more than 15 miles at a time. Our horses all have fabulous feet.”  Blaine and his partner Lynn own two Quarter Horses, an Arabian and a Trakehner.

He gives his clients the same advice: no matter how good their horse’s feet are, they need to boot for distances over 15 miles or if they are going to be in a different environment than the horses are used to.

Blaine was a power controller in Michigan for many years. “My skill with tools has been an advantage to my hoof care business but I was terribly afraid of horses. My wife Lynn got an Arabian then she very seriously got into the Natural Horsemanship concepts. We bought another horse, a very bothered Arab. I had to suck up my fear as it was up to me to have to handle the horses now and then. Lynn showed me how to get along with them and how to read them. This served me very well and kept me out of trouble when I first started trimming. I could do horses including abused or wild mustangs that others wouldn’t or couldn’t do, and a few that previously had to be sedated for a trim.  I still use those skills every moment I’m with a horse. They have kept me safe and made trimming easier as the horse is relaxed, unafraid and happy.”

Blaine’s most rewarding experience as a trimmer was working with a foundered Friesian, Levi, whose owner was told by two vets to put him down. He spent most of his days lying down. Within two weeks on pea gravel, a diet makeover, proper trim and padded Easyboot Bares, he became sound enough to ride. The owner rides him almost daily, up to 12 miles at a time.

His greatest hoof boot success story was when he worked with Tennessee Mahoney and her AERC mare, Pearl. She would not stand to be shod and hurt a few farriers in the process. Tennessee had contacted Blaine and wanted to know if there was an alternative to iron as the mare was a 100 miler and was wearing her heels too low.

She started out with another boot, but when the Glove was introduced in 2009, they decided to try them. The results were fantastic: Tennessee and Pearl took first in BC for the Mountain Region and ninth nationally. Blaine says he attributes a large part of Pearl’s success to the Gloves.

Blaine believes the key to a successful trimming business is staying true to the fundamental science of hoof care as taught by Pete Ramey and Dr. Robert Bowker. Good horsemanship skills and the small but important things, like being on time and calling if I’m running behind also play an important role in a healthy business.

He says the barefoot movement is slowly but surely making inroads to the performance horse world. Recreational riders were the first to experiment without steel shoes. Word of mouth has helped spread experimentation to the performance community. “More and more of those people are willing to give it a try,” says Blaine, “usually as a last resort when the horse has run out of options and the traditional methods have failed.”

When asked about his hope for the future, Blaine says he envisions natural hoof care to be a first choice rather than a last resort. “The barefoot industry needs more educated and truly qualified professionals in the field. The more sound barefoot and booted horses are out there for people to see, the faster this wonderful alternative for the horses will be accepted.”

Blaine St. Peter and Owl Canyon Hoof Care and Rehabilitation.
Ft. Collins, Colorado
(970) 420-5496

Their catalog is printed in both German and French, and Haupner publishes and distributes 200,000 copies per year. They are proud carriers of the Easyboot product line, which we has seen great success over the last several years. Based in large part on the sales of the Easyboot line, Haupner has built a large and very loyal customer base. Their customers love Easyboots, and consider them a great value.

Hauptner started in the 1960s as a company that sold veterinary instruments. Over the years, the demand for agricultural and equestrian products grew steadily, and in the 1980s they began to broaden their range of products. As time went by, their focus shifted more toward equestrian products, which is what they primarily sell and distribute today.

Hauptner takes pride in establishing long-term relationships with suppliers and producers of high quality equine products from around the world. Their partnership with EasyCare has helped both companies grow and prosper over the years.

http://www.hauptner.ch

info@hauptner.ch

Linda is no stranger to the EasyCare product line. “I pre-date the Easyboot Epic!” she says. “When I first got started, I used the old style Easyboots, and was delighted when the Boa boots came out. The Glove’s simplicity and reliability has made barefoot a good option for mainstream riders in all disciplines,” says Linda. She currently stocks the Easyboot Glove, Epic, Bare, Edge, RX, Old Mac’s and EasySoakers. “The Gloves are everyone’s favorite right now. They are so easy and reliable. I sell quite a few RX and Old Mac boots for rehab and turnout too,” she says.

When asked what she attributes her success to, Linda is quick to give her horses all the credit. After all it was her horses that led her in search of a more practical means to protect their bare hooves. Linda feels that it’s important to understand the role that diet plays in helping develop robust feet with healthy frogs. She also feels it’s important to have boot solutions for any occasion. “I have a good trim, but would be lost if I ignored diet and booting,” she says. Linda is also very thankful to have the support of friends and colleagues such as Dr. Kerry Ridgway, body worker and acupressure guru Diana Thompson and Pete Ramey through the years. “Pete is a dear friend and mentor from the early days, steering me towards a ‘less is more’ trim approach while hammering in the message that most trimming problems start with a diet problem,” she says. Linda also goes out of her way to educate herself and share her knowledge with others on forums, her website and articles she has written for regional and special interest magazines. She also uses shows like Horse Expo to open up the opportunity to educate mainstream horse owners on barefoot hoof care.

Through the years she has seen her share of circumstances that have stayed with her. She finds it very rewarding to heal horses and educate their owners. “I have so many truly wonderful experiences, many documented on my website Healthy Hoof. My clients’ horses love me; what could be better than having a devoted equine fan club?” Linda’s most memorable hoof boot success story was that of an 18 year old Akhal Teke gelding Azure whose fate had already been decided- a grave dug and a backhoe waiting to bury him. Thankfully, the owner took a chance and allowed Linda to work her magic. Azure went on to be ridden and ponied on the tough Tevis trails. She says he would never have made it through this without boots. Click here to learn more about Azure’s journey.

“Boots are taking barefoot into traditional territory these days,” says Linda. “I expect to see the development of new boots that offer a hidden profile and improved traction for markets like Dressage, Hunter/Jumper and Eventing. Western riders are very open to boots and barefoot, and that same hidden-profile boot with improved traction will be popular with Western competitors,” she says.

Linda currently has 200-250 horses on a 5 to 6 week trim cycle under her care. She says she continues to pull the shoes of two to three horses a month. Thankfully most of those horses are never re-shod.

Linda serves the greater San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.  Allow her to help you with your hoof care needs. Give her a call at 707-548-9960 or email her at healthyhoof@comcast.net. Her new website www.wholehorsehealth.com will be launching later this month as well. Be sure to check it out!

Retail Dealers

Sundowner of California, Auburn, CA (530-887-9502)

Southern Star Feeds, Brunswick, GA (912-261-8484)

Horse’ n Around Ranch, Hereford, AZ (520-266-0236)

Scottsdale Farrier Supply, Phoenix, AZ (602-867-4400)

Bennie’s Western Store, Inc., Artesia, NM (575-746-2540)

G & F Carriages, Bloomington, CA (909-820-4600)

Radiant Horse.com, Mesa, AZ (602-509-1830)

Hoof Care Practitioners

Mariposa Equine Balance, Trenton, OH (937-572-9009)

Kelly Mount, Perris, CA (951-940-9731)

Trails to Success, Bluffdale, UT (801-739-5643)

Natural Equine Hoof Care, Longmont, CO (720-201-0969)

Mark Lubin Natural Hoof Care, Roseville, CA (916-783-4504)

Having trouble finding a dealer or hoof care practitioner in your area? Look no further than our dealer locator. Just type in your zip code and a list of businesses in your area will pop up.

Interested in becoming an EasyCare Dealer? Visit our Dealer Corner to learn about the requirements and application process.

Don Vick picture here with foundation bred QH 'Chief Red Boots' who came to live with them in 2001.

Don Vick, owner of Hoof N Boots, has been selected as our June Dealer of the Month.  Located in Nashville North Carolina, Don has been running his successful trimming business for over four years.  It was their foundered donkey who led him down the path of becoming a trimmer just five years ago.  Once he found the right person to help he began studying hoof care and trimming and was hooked.

Hoof-N-Boots has been caring a portion of the EasyCare product line for a little over two years.  Currently they carry the Easyboot Edge, Easyboot Epic, Old Mac’s, EasySoaker, and the Easyboot Rx.  Don’s favorite boot- the Easyboot Epic continues to be his best seller.

When asked what he thinks contributes to his successful business Don says, “Stock boots, if you ain’t got’em, you can’t sell ‘em.  If I have used boots on hand, I allow my customers a ‘try before you buy.’  I don’t push clients to purchase boots.  I feel they need to be positive about what they purchase so they will be happy.”  Keeping current stock came in handy when Don was at a recent clinic where a nine year old mare with thin soles was being treated.  He says the clinician trimmed her but there were no signs of improvement.  Don immediately went to his truck, grabbed a pair of Easyboot Epics and Comfort Pads and asked if he could try the boots on this horse.  Once outfitted in the Epics with Comfort Pads the mare was 100% better.  The owner was so pleased they bought the boots and pads on the spot.

Don feels education is another key to being a successful trimmer.  This heavy equipment operator turned trimmer has attended barefoot hoof care clinics in different states in addition to recently graduating from Equine Soundness.  He says it took a lot of studying but was worth every minute.  He also keeps his clients on a regular schedule.  “I treat and trim every horse no different that I would my own,” he says.

He feels the hoof boot industry has become a lot more competitive in price and quality through the years and expects to see continued growth.  “I think it would be economically forced to grow, due to the fact that it is more cost effective.  I would rather see it grow by choice.”

“Being able to help other owners that have ended up in a founder situation or one similar to what we experienced, and being able to help others prevent problems before they arise is very rewarding.  If I only trimmed for money I would quit tomorrow,” he says.

If you are in the Nashville, North Carolina area, allow Don Vick of Hoof N Boots to help you with your hoof care needs.  Give him a call at (252) 205-4583 or drop him an email at donvick99@yahoo.com.

Candy is an experienced rider, as well as a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist and Equine Podiatrist. Her riding has taken her to both endurance and competitive trail riding competitions over the past 30 years. She is certainly no stranger to hoof boots either. Her knowledge of horses and riding has led her to be highly selective in the products she offers to her customers. Action Rider Tack sells quality products at a reasonable price. They cater to both competitive and pleasure riders. They carry the full EasyCare product line and have found that the Easyboot Glove leads the pack as the top hoof boot seller. “The Glove is by far my favorite boot to date. I love the small profile, the ease of putting on the boots and how comfortably my horses move out in the boots,” Candy says.

The Action Rider Tack team attributes their success to the service they provide to their customers. They spend hours talking to customers on the phone and on site at events, helping them with their decisions or issues. Candy feels that the hoof boot industry has changed tremendously since she was first introduced to it. It is slowly making inroads into every riding discipline and as awareness grows, so does barefoot hoof care. There are far more options available today than there were when she took her own horses barefoot seven years ago. “Thanks to EasyCare’s R&D there are eight additional boot models that have been introduced in the past six years. In my opinion, the introduction of the Boa Boot in 2004 really enabled many riders to feel they could allow their horses to go barefoot.” As better hoof boots hit the market, more and more horses are transitioned from a life of iron shoes. This continual cycle leads the barefoot industry to grow and spread.

Their many years in business has allowed Candy and the rest of the Action Rider Tack team to experience many special moments, most of which revolve around helping riders transition their horses to barefoot. “So many times a horse would be so lame that he could barely walk and then that excited thank you call would come to report the horse is happy and running around in his new boots,” she says. “Many of our customers have called us after their purchases to let us know how much they appreciated our personalized efforts in serving their horse needs. We hope to have the opportunity to do just that for each and every customer we encounter.”

Candy and the rest of the Action Rider Tack team are continually searching and testing new and better products. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest and need some hoof care assistance, look no further than to Candy and her team of excellent reps. They are just a phone call away.

Contact them at 877-865-2467, email them at info@actionridertack.com or visit their website:  www.actionridertack.com.

Sally has been an EasyCare Dealer since 2006 and currently carries the Easyboot Epic and Easyboot Glove.  “Gloves are my overwhelming best seller,” she says.

Sally is no stranger to hoof boots.  As a matter a fact she was one of the original Easyboot Epic Testers.  She has seen a lot of changes since then.  “Boot use has gone from obscure to commonplace for recreational riders, and now endurance and competitive riders are using the Glove.  I believe that boot use is only in its beginning stages and will see a much greater acceptance as boots continue to evolve and improve,” she says.  Sally also feels that the natural hoof care industry has been gaining momentum for the last few years and that it is already one of the fastest growing segments of the equine industry in the USA today.

There are many keys to being a successful trimmer.  Sally feels it’s important to look at the whole horse, not the just the feet, and to be a keen observer of how horses move.   Her most rewarding experience as a trimmer was when she aided in saving a foundered therapy horse that was scheduled for euthanasia.  The Easyboot Epics were instrumental in getting him back on his feet.  “Seeing lame horses moving pain free, with the light back in their eyes because their feet don’t hurt is the best part of my job,” she says.

Sally is one busy lady.  On top of her full list of horses she trims regularly, she also teaches anatomy clinics and mentorships for students.  Sally is a founding member of Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners and currently serves on the board of directors and is also chairman of the education committee.  In addition she has a supplement she sells called California Trace.  Initially formulated for her own horses, she began supplying it to her customers when she started her hoof care business in 2006.  “The idea was simple,” she says.  “Supply the elements most commonly deficient in the diet without adding unnecessary ingredients.”  It was sold by word of mouth at first but sales have steadily increased every year.  Last year she was able to make improvements to the product and even found a mill to make it exactly the ways she wanted.  The supplement is currently supplied through hoof care practitioners and is also available on the website.  Visit www.californiatrace.com to learn more about it and pick up your own supply.  Sally plans to introduce a new product formulated just for performance horses too.  Look for it to be available later this year.  She says, “It’s gratifying to know that I am helping horses grow strong hooves from the inside out.”

If you’re in the Northern California area and need some hoof care assistance, or just need someone to help answer your questions, Sally is just a phone call away.  Contact her at 530-534-4844 or email her at barehoof@gmail.com.   She’ll be glad to help you with your hoof care needs.

Ets Weal is mainly a mail order business taking orders through their website www.sosabots.com but they recently moved to a large facility that can accommodate customer visits.  Now they have the ability to provide insight to customers and answer their questions both over the phone and in person.  Isabelle says that customers sometimes prefer to come by in person to discuss their needs and look at the boots before they buy.  These helpful visits are by appointment only so be sure to call and schedule an appointment if you want to come in and talk to this friendly staff.  “We are always happy to have the opportunity to talk directly with our customers and to spend as long as necessary helping them with their hoof related problems.  We believe that is why people continue to come back to us time and time again,” says Isabelle.

Ets Weal began selling EasyCare products in 2005 and they currently carry the full EasyCare boot line, however both the Easyboot and Easyboot Bare are special order items.  The Easyboot Epic, Easyboot Rx and Old Mac’s G2 are their best sellers.  Isabelle’s personal favorite is the Old Mac’s G2.  “It’s easy to adjust and put on, and impossible to lose.  The horses feel very secure in them, and can go through mud and water with no problems.  The boots don’t slip and have never caused any chafing,” says Isabelle.

Isabelle feels that the barefoot industry is improving every year, and continues to produce better boots.  She feels that EasyCare products help complete the search for the perfect boot.  Having been in business for 16 years has given them the opportunity to really see changes in the hoof boot world.  They feel that in France especially the change has been more recent.  People have become more aware of the benefits of leaving their horses unshod and they have found that the interest in hoof boots continues to grow rapidly.

Come meet Isabelle and the gang of Ets Weal at the annual Equita Lyon in October., where they will have a stand that provides them with the opportunity to meet hundreds of their faithful customers and new ones too.  They will spend an entire week advising people and listening to their experiences.  “It keeps us in touch with the outside world and gives riders the opportunity to see what we have to offer,” says Isabelle.  They also look forward to attending Equirando this July for the first time.  Thousands of trail riders will gather there – some having ridden their horses nearly 500 miles just to get there.  Isabelle says they will also have a small team of barefoot riders using hoof boots to prove to everyone just how good EasyCare boots are.  “We will be able to demonstrate the different styles and uses and give on the spot advice.  I think it will be a perfect way to spread the word about hoof boots to a largely new market.  Just look for the ‘Ets Weal’ banner!” She says.

Can’t make it to any of the upcoming events?  That’s ok.  Just give Ets Weal a call at 04 74 88 79 03, check out their website at www.sosabots.com or drop Isabelle an email at isabelle.bathias@gmail.com.  They’d be pleased to help you with your booting needs!