Experiences with Innovative Hoof Protection
"After the initial adjustment phase, her gait changed – she moved with greater reach and came freely from the shoulder."
Hallo ihr Lieben,
I'm Ines, from near Hamburg, and have been riding for 25 years. I would like to share my experiences with the Goodsmith hoof protection with you. My 19-year-old Lusitano mare Sureña has been wearing the Goodsmith since January 19, 2018. Sureña stands 154cm tall and weighs 540kg. We are currently in conditioning training. Our daily routine is very varied. Sureña is worked in dressage – from the saddle and in-hand. We work on long reins, love liberty work and enjoy trail rides. Working with the garrocha is also part of our exercises. Sureña lives in a straw-bedded box stall and enjoys her free time during the day on the pasture or paddock.
Initial hoof condition: Sureña has very thin walls, a thin sole, and relatively brüchiges Hufhorn. I had already tried removing the shoes a few years ago, but abandoned the attempt after just under a year. The horn growth was too slow compared to the wear (despite using hoof boots) and she became increasingly flat in the heel area and moved sensitively. She went barefoot on her hind hooves for many years and that worked well, but the front just didn't work.
Over the years we tried different shoes (synthetic and aluminum). Especially in the last year, the horn quality deteriorated significantly (certainly also due to weather). Added to this were very poor growth and some lost shoes (of course including broken-out horn), leaving hardly any options for conventional shoeing. Originally my idea (also based on prior experience from a few years ago) was to leave the Goodsmith on the hoof 24 hours to provide constant protection. Now I only use it as temporary hoof protection, as Sureña largely manages without it (she stands barefoot on the paddock and in the box, and wears the Goodsmith during training).
Montage: The first fitting was done by my farrier together with the Goodsmith team. New adjustments, changes, etc. have since been carried out by my farrier alone. One point that many people are skeptical about is the effect of the Kleber on the hoof horn. The surface structure of the horn has not changed due to the pads. I have not noticed any negative effects so far.
Putting on and taking off takes a bit longer at first until you get the hang of the application technique. However, in my view this is purely a matter of routine. With a few additional tips and tricks, you get faster.
Zum Gangverhalten: Bei den ersten Trainingseinheiten war deutlich zu merken, dass Sureña sich an den Goodsmith gewöhnen musste; sie stolperte öfter, da sie die Zehe ‚stehen ließ‘ und sie griff sich mit der Hinterhand mehrfach in den Goodsmith. Ein riesiger Vorteil im Vergleich zum Ausbrechen der Wände, wenn sich sonst ein Eisen abgetreten wird. Das Problem des Reingreifens haben wir mit der Verwendung von Hufglocken in den Griff bekommen.
Despite the initial difficulties, I was generally pleased with her movement, as she liked to step out and even the coarse gravel on some paths near the stable didn't bother her. After the initial adjustment phase, her gait changed – she moved with greater reach and came freely from the shoulder.
That was what kept me committed to the Goodsmith even during the initial difficulties of the testing phase: my mare enjoyed running with them. Technical difficulties can be managed (with the right support and some persistence) and in my view it was worth continuing to try.
Over the months that I have been testing the Goodsmith, a lot has changed with the product. This was completely fixed in the next version. In the newest version, which we have had for a few weeks, the rear tabs are significantly wider and the connection of the tabs to the base plate has been changed again. The rear tabs bear a major part of the load during movement. This new change brings, in my view, a massive improvement in terms of both stability and flexibility.
Mein Fazit: Aus meiner Sicht haben Sureña’s Hufe noch nie so gut ausgesehen. Die Hufform hat sich positiv verändert und das Wachstum ist deutlich verbessert. Neben diesen positiven Effekten auf den Huf an sich, läuft Sureña sehr gut mit dem Goodsmith, egal auf welchem Untergrund.Ich möchte dem Team an dieser Stelle noch einmal ein großes Kompliment aussprechen. Sie haben es verstanden, Kritik und Anregungen (sowohl von meinem Schmied als auch von mir) in ihre Arbeit aufzunehmen und den Goodsmith damit weiter voranzubringen und zu verbessern. Jedes Problem wurde ernst genommen und ich hatte immer innerhalb kurzer Zeit eine Rückmeldung, wenn Fragen oder Schwierigkeiten aufgetaucht sind.
