How Jogging Shoes promote Hoof Health – by EquineFusion

A cross-post about the importance of a good boot, from EqFusion.com:

Chimacum Tack and HorseDriver are THRILLED to begin stocking Equine Fusion boots.  We’ve sampled several brands of boots over the years — In fact, Mindy did a great very detailed comparison including a video over at The Essential Horse about which brand worked best for her minis.  Our customers have been clamoring for easier access to Equine Fusion, so we’ve decided to begin stocking a few – starting in mini sizes, but we’ll gladly expand as demand grows and we look forward to special orders.  As we get started with this new venture, we thought we’d share some of the great information from Equine Fusion about how their products work.  With permission, we’re sharing the full text of this great post on how the Equine Fusion jogging shoes promote hoof health.  The full text of the original post is below, or you can click here to read it on their blog.

From EqFusion.com:

Having a horse barefoot allows the hooves to work as nature intended, but nature did not intend for us to ride them and use them in sport at the same time. This is where our jogging shoes come in. The shoes not only allow the hoof to work as nature intended by not impeding the biomechanical functioning, but also to stay protected and function when in a more unnatural situation.

 

Our jogging shoes allow the hoof to work with the sole inside the shoe, to safeguard natural hoof movement, balance, stability, cushioning, blood flow, and to promote a more consistent surface contact and rollover motion.

The hoof is in constant contact with the specially designed sole inside the shoe, and sinks into the sole for cushioning and sideways/forward movement. The constant contact promotes blood flow, and the cushioning takes away a lot of shock on the tendons and ligaments when the horse’s legs are put under pressure.

 

The sole is flexible and elastic and adapts between the hoof and surface, so if the horse steps on a rock, there will be a lot less lateral twisting throughout the leg. The grip is flexible and customized to ensure traction. Sinking into the sole will enable the horse to feel the ground and utilize the entire hoof area, while the flexible grip provides increased safety for both the horse and the rider.

When the horse is wearing jogging shoes the frog and entire area under the hoof is in contact with the ground which equals natural blood flow. Because the entire hoof area is in use it reduces both pressure and loads on hoof and leg, which again promotes natural bio-mechanics and prevents strain injury.

The jogging shoes not only allows the hoof to sink into and adapt to the sole for cushioning, but also for the hoof to be able to move both sideways and forward inside the shoe. The sole is flexible and elastic and adapts between the hoof and surface. Sinking into the sole and flexibility will enable the horse to feel the ground and utilize the entire hoof area. Providing Balance, Stability and Cushioning.