Dear EasyCare Customer,

Greetings!

We've been riding the wave of success in August as a result of the Haggin Cup win by Garrett and The Fury. Look for a great cover photo of them both on the September edition of Endurance News. We were also lucky enough to be invited to write the cover story for the tenth anniversary edition of The Horse's Hoof . Garrett wrote an insightful article that you won't want to miss on the evolution of the barefoot/booted community.

Read Garrett's post on a portable fencing system we are thinking about working with. We're also refining the design of a new, lightweight interference boot that will be durable enough to withstand a beating and light enough to keep the lower leg temperature cool thanks to a unique airflow system. And we've started testing a new design for a saddle that will be lightweight and flexible. We had our first ride with it last week and we think the design is going to be a winner. These products are still a long way from being ready for market, but look for their release in about 12 months.

We spent a couple of days at the Triple Circle D Ranch at Walt Disney World in August working the fine people there who manage the equine program. Read Kevin's report in this newsletter.

Our big focus for the month of September is the thermographic study we are undertaking with Duncan McLaughlin. When you read this newsletter, we will be at a five-day endurance event in Bryce Canyon undertaking a detailed study of the effects of work in shod and unshod horses. See Duncan's article for some insight on the protocols for our study. We'll be publishing the results by the end of the year in a white paper.

If you missed our EasyCare Webinars, you can still watch the recordings here. There were some fantastic questions from the virtual audience.

Finally, look for the re-launching this Fall of the highly successful Team Easyboot program. Once qualified, Team Easyboot members will be able to order product at a discount via a sophisticated on-line product information and distribution platform.

Do you have a story? If so, submit it to us and we'll blog it! The EasyCare Blog has a wide variety of daily posts for riders, dealers and hoof care practitioners alike, so check back daily to see posts from guests and staff bloggers.

Stay in touch with us through Facebook: keep us updated on your booting experiences this month.

From Garrett's Desk: Thoughts on New EasyCare Products for 2011

As EasyCare moves into 2011 we will be upgrading and improving many boots in our hoof boot line. In addition we are looking to introduce some new products that are related to the hoof, lower leg and hoof care maintenance. The goal is to provide our dealers and customers more products within our industry niche. Read more...

Duncan McLaughlin: What is Normal?

Thermography provides you with a non-invasive, objective reading of the circulatory and inflammatory status of your horse by measuring heat. In conjunction with EasyCare, I am using thermographic techniques to investigate any differences in the heat distribution through the hoof and lower limb of horses using different hoof protection protocols (barefoot, booted and shod). As it will be a while before we finish collecting and collating that data, I thought you might be interested in viewing a few images in the interim. Read more...

Dealer of the Month: Hauptner - Zurich, Switzerland

Our dealer of the month for September 2010 comes to us all the way from Europe. Hauptner Instruments is a mail order company located in Zurich, Swizerland, which delivers EasyCare products to hoof care professionals and private horse owners throughout Switzerland and surrounding areas. Read more...

Working with Walt Disney World

I had the good fortune last week to work with some of the people who manage the equine program at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There are currently 79 horses at two locations on the massive Walt Disney World campus. Both barns are near the Magic Kingdom location and there is a diverse mix of horses there who are split into two distinct groups. Read more...