Dear EasyCare Customer,

Do you use Easyboot Epics? What about the Original Easyboot, the Old Mac's G2 or the Boa Horse Boot? If you do, we'd like to hear from you because we're creating user profiles for our 2011 EasyCare catalog. If you'd like to be considered for the catalog, please email marketing@easycareinc.com for details.

Did you see the Horse's Hoof Magazine's 10th Anniversary edition? The cover story is written by Garrett Ford and there are articles by Dr. Robert Bowker, Pete Ramey and a retrospective of the last ten years of the barefoot hoof. It's definitely worth a read.

Christoph Schork set a new world record in September for the number of endurance wins. With an astounding 200 wins, Christoph will probably never be caught. And 25% of those wins were in Easyboots. Did you know 7 of the top 10 horses at the Sonoita 100 mile race were in Easyboots? And of the 11+ horses at the event in Easyboot Glue-Ons, there was not one boot loss?

Have you been wondering what happened to Team Easyboot? We have good news: Team Easyboot will be re-launched on October 18, 2010. Membership qualification will be based on a new on-line product training platform. Once qualified, Team Easyboot members will have on-line access to discounted EasyCare products, regular team contests for free prizes, and the opportunity to be considered for a monthly blog on our new blogging platform. Check the EasyCare Blog on October 18 for the whole scoop.

Duncan McLaughlin's US field testing for the thermographic imaging project was a success. Duncan is continuing his field testing in Australia during the next month or so and then will begin to compile and analyze the results.We'll keep you updated as the various chapters of his white paper are published.

There is still time to win a gear bag full of EasyCare product. Simply go to the Easyboot Facebook Page and click on the 'We Love Our Fans' tab at the top for details. The contest closes on October 15, 2010.

From Garrett's Desk: Easyboots at the World Equestrian Games

When the venue for the 2010 World Equestrian Games was announced, the horse community in the United States got very excited: the biggest equestrian event in the world was coming to the USA. As the WEG games grew closer, the different disciplines started setting the criteria to be selected to the USA team. The selection process was different for each of the segments that make up the games. Dressage, Reining, Endurance, Eventing, Jumping, Vaulting, Driving and Para Dressage are all represented in the Olympics of equestrian sports. Read more...

Maria Siebrand: The Tender-Footed Horse - Some Common Causes

There are many reasons why a horse may be sore-footed, some far more complex to rectify than others. But very often, the problem is easily addressed with hygiene, diet changes, or simply giving the horse time to heal. Here are some of the common causes of tender feet.

Thrush is absolutely the most common problem I see, even in very dry areas. In fact, it's probably more of a problem in dry environments, because it is harder to identify. Even a mild case will cause the horse to wince if he steps on a pebble, and advanced cases will cause a horse to favor his heels even on very forgiving terrain. It is likely the leading cause of heel pain in the domestic horse. Unfortunately, the severity of the problem is frequently trivialized -- most farriers will only mention that your horse has thrush in a sort of offhand way unless it is severe, and even vets may overlook thrush as being a primary contributor to lameness. Read more...

Dealer of the Month: Owl Canyon Hoof Care and Rehabilitation

Blaine St. Peter owns and operates Owl Canyon Hoof Care and Rehabilitation. With more than 300 horses under his care, Blaine’s marketing strategies are simple: good work and sound horses lead to positive word of mouth. This has been the biggest source of new clients for him. People are also happy he takes all the time needed to explain what he’s doing and give them a basic understanding of how the foot functions in a logical way. Owl Canyon Hoof Care launched their first website last spring which has also created new clients.

Blaine attributes his success to staying true to the fundamental science of hoof care as taught by Pete Ramey and Dr. Robert Bowker. Read more...