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MKS Equine & Flex Hoof Boots

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23.01.2022 What I was meant to say and got terribly sidetracked, is that all gaiter colours for all sized boots are back in stock! The blue and turquoise flew out the door, so there's heaps of those now too. They look better in real life than the photo shows..

22.01.2022 Flex boots in Finland! The red shells are no longer available but since they keep on keeping on for Noora, they will continue to feature

22.01.2022 Laminitis: Sigh ... the grass is growing way more than usual this year, I see clients properties and lock up paddocks getting out of control compared to previou...s years, there are horses with laminitis posture literally everywhere I drive. So if you think your lock up paddock is no longer small enough, make some laneways about 3-4 metres wide to lock your horses in. Having them locked in a laneway means they continue to get plenty of exercise as you can put the hay down one end and the water up the other. If you have a row of trees that's suppressing grass growth take advantage of that and put your laneway alongside so the horse has some shelter as well. Many people make their laneways too wide and too long, remember the point is to restrict grass consumption whilst encouraging exercise, if it's not tending to turn to dirt/mud you likely have too much length. Also remember, if they're locked up you need 24/7 access to low sugar grass hay (see previous posts about this). You can make a laneway all the way around the perimeter of your paddock (if the paddock is small enough), often it's called a paddock paradise system, but just remember, depending on the size of the paddock, it could still be too much grass. This is the code name for the electric treadin's I use: Treadin Tall 10mm x 1500mm Multi Lug EF38H Thunderbird, otherwise just google 1500mm electric multiwire tread in. I see shorter standard tread in's being used everywhere as that's the common size the farm supply shops sell, but bigger determined horses will jump out and smaller ones will go under, especially if they're wearing rugs! My horses have lived for 10 years in their laneway with these 1500mm tall treadin's with only a wire at the top and one in the middle. If you use star stakes as corner posts, please buy caps to go on top of them, they're super dangerous without a cap. You can also buy 2 inch rural poly pipe to completely cover your star stake to make them safe from collisions. Solar powered electric fence units work nicely for those with no access to power. If your laneway has turned to dirt/mud just remember, if your laneway is quite long and you live in the grass growing capital of Victoria, grazing grass along the fence lines can still cause problems, so you'll end up like me, mowing and whipper snipping the fence lines every 3 days . Gagh .. spent my entire life dreaming about having horses who didn't live on dirt, and now I live here, grass is my greatest nightmare ps. don't make the mistake of thinking getting laminitis has anything to do with fatness! Just lock them all up together, that way no one is sad and lonely.

22.01.2022 Autumn in Finland. And those berries are edible, for real!

20.01.2022 Great little video on how to adjust the neoprene gaiter on Flex boots. The height of the gaiter is adjustable, and the different loops at the front allow for a great fit on different thickness legs.

19.01.2022 Endurance rider Nicole and Ruby in flex boots

19.01.2022 These are so hard to get to show on a photo, I'm seeing them everywhere but this one is so obvious it came up easy to see in the picture. TB horse. This is a laminitic coronet band. The horse is "fine" atm - it's the first red flag of trouble you will see. It feels raised and has a rubbery texture, and at times a pinkish tinge. This will make a "nice" stress ring on the hoof in a month or so. ... The grass is green and very sweet!

19.01.2022 Cultivating the horses' correct posture under the rider is the first and foremost task - we owe it to the horse if we are to ride them. If the horse can't "go well" without a rider on their back - they can't do it once we get on. Gymnastic training begins on the ground. It is slow and it takes time, especially if the horse was already previously ridden in bad posture/ has challenging conformation from a riding perspective, or simply hasn't learnt yet how to carry themselves. ...Posture does NOT equal just the neck being round, achieved by rein "fiddling", pulling backwards/downwards, side reins, draw-reins, lunging systems. It is a systematic training program using finesse - it's something we all should learn how to do, and we can! This is regardless if we "just trail ride" (another subject onto it's own!), do dressage, jumping etc. Nature did NOT design the horse to carry weight and if we just hop on and have a good time, the horse suffers in their body. If the upper body suffers, so does the movement pattern of the horse and so do the feet, and vice versa - everything is connected. If the feet aren't going through their proper motions, Flex Hoof Boots will also show this. This is a great tool to use to keep an eye on how the rest of the horse is going - how is the body weight descending to meet the ground? More on one side than the other? More on the toes? What happens when the toes are too far forward of their anatomical position? - Is it due to the trim or how the horse is moving? Very valuable information about what goes on for the horse under saddle. Finally, there are many great trainers out there who are able to teach us how to do this correct posture training thing, find one and hug them!!

18.01.2022 Flex Boots offer the best grip on rocks

17.01.2022 I can't help but smile every time I put my horses' Flex Hoof Boots on. I love this product! As a hoof boot user and fitter of 10 years, these are by far the easiest to use, and most comfortable for the horse. They hug the hoof, allow FULL hoof function in all dimensions including independent heel movement - and feel to the ground while being cushioned for thin soles. There is not another boot out there that does all this. ... My horse has some rather funky shaped (read damaged) feet as evidenced by the photo of when he came to me. NO other boot has fitted nicely/stayed on properly/not rubbed/provided enough comfort for his thin soles whilst being able to "perform". If I knew less about hooves and how easy they are to wreck with permanent damage, I would've given up already... He has a better level of comfort with the Flex boot and Flex pad as a hard soled boot and a 12mm pad. The Flex pads become part of the boot, they sink into the sole, and the whole thing remains unobtrusive and streamlined. (And then we rant on about the importance of the trim AND the trim interval - weekly please! to ensure long lived boots, and also what is truly best for the horse - it really is!) Damaged feet go just fine in flex boots, as long as the trim is right and the feet stay that way all the time. We can also say with confidence, the more damaged the feet, the more often they require trimming to keep the status quo and prevent MORE damage - a win win situation with the horse coming out on top, and it's really not that hard to do. And that's the point, lets have the horse come out on top vs. what the tradition dictates/we're used to from habit, they will stay sounder for so much longer for us to enjoy our riding years together. I could list so many benefits of a weekly/fortnightly trim schedule. A small file of the toes/heels/any other problem area of the hoof can be enough to maintain balance. What are the benefits of a 6 or 8 week trim schedule?

17.01.2022 And here is Sue's stunning WB x Stix. The photo doesn't do him justice, he is absolutely gorgeous! He's a big boy and wears Flex boots 140 on all four feet. He has not long come out of shoes and has pretty flat feet. Sue trims in-between a "trimmer visit" to keep his feet looking and feeling good all the time. "Here is Stix ready for a ride out. We went up and down hills on grass and on stones. Through swampy mud with no issues. ( Except the boots got dirty) Trotted up the dirt road on the way home and Stix's trot felt amazing. Floaty, light and soft. Sooo good. Then we spent about 20-30 minutes on the sand arena where he did some of his best work. He felt soft and willing and forward!! Love, love, love the boots and I'm pretty sure Stix does too."

15.01.2022 HOOF BOOTS AND FOUNDER. Booting a founder case where the capsule has entirely deformed is tricky, when the horse has to wear them 24/7 for a long time, and be able to move, and be hand walked extensively, daily. The Flex Boot can be a good solution, if the trim is done correctly.... Heels left high or toes left forward will not work, just as with a flex boot for riding. Trimming should be done weekly, max fortnightly. I've put 2 really severely foundered horses in Flex Hoof Boots now. Both are being treated by Dr. Melanie Quick and with her trim (de-rotating trim with heels returned to the right height and leverage of walls and toes removed), and Mel's 20mm special hoof pads, we have a very workable solution! (NOTE- there's much more to it, this is aimed at the footwear portion of it) Horse one trashed my all time fav. rehab boots in one month, and the constant rain and mud made it near impossible to manage. The boots were deforming with wet, and twisting, slipping off, never drying. We thought we might as well try it, and he's now lived in flex boots for approx. 6 weeks and is hand walked on gravel roads for about 8km daily. Yes, his mum is amazing, as evidenced by the healthy new hoof growth. New clean dry gaiters changed daily, so 2 pairs is recommended. They wash easy and dry fast. Boots can be washed daily too, easily. All parts are replaceable if anything breaks, saving the cost of buying a whole new boot. Mum is super happy, it has taken one huge headache away. Horse 2 had another popular rehab boot on for a week, and I'm not criticizing the product at all, it's just not the best solution in this case. Getting badly rubbed behind the heels already and the boots spinning round. Wet weather will make this worse. We've sized up one in a flex boot to allow for the deformed dorsal wall, and it will take the vet prescribed 20mm pad while staying put. As a bonus the boot sole is like an additional pad, offering even more cushioning. Pics: 1) Horse One, New hoof growth after 6 weeks. 2-5) The boots of horse One, after 6 weeks of 24/7 use and road walking. 6) Horse 2 in a flex boot 7-9) Horse 2 - heel rubs after one week, flex boot vs. other rehab boot. www.flexhoofbootsaustralia.com www.flexhoofboots.com (manufacturer site)

14.01.2022 Monday’s are so tiring according to Noble Shadow kids Merlin and Lucero.

11.01.2022 Some videos of Flex boots in action. Here is Dinka and her endurance horse Spirit going for a training ride. He looks great in red! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZzZBBtGR7k&feature=youtu.be

11.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfcRGievBN4 In another beautiful part of Australia, flex boots in action on Dinka's endurance horse Spirit.

06.01.2022 I harass my customers for updates, Shelley beat me to it with this lovely message today: "I tried my boots today and they are amazing. I’ve tried so many different boots and these ones are the only ones that have stayed on at all speeds including a full blown standy pace, rode through a swamp jumped ditches and all and returned with two boots never though I’d see the day." - Thanks Shelley!

03.01.2022 We went riding! I think green is nicer on Diego even though I'm obsessed with red. (I know I know....it doesn't make me ride any better and nope, no one ever sees us but it does make a nice photo!) Diego wears Flex Boots 140 all round, with soft EVA pads in the fronts, and firm EVA pads in the hinds. Biscuit is trying purple with 130 flex boots and kevlar pads on the front, and 120 boots (and I squished in the soft eva pads) on the hinds. The boots have "relaxed" a bit afte...r 100km riding, and one hind boots was moving slightly. I squeezed the pads in and they don't budge. He has rather challenging hind feet (read: no other boot has worked well to date and if I wasn't a barefoot diehard I would've given up). Super happy with his footwear now, and his soles and joints love the cushioned boot sole. My arena is hard right now. It's shallow, needs more sand and now it's finally dry, it needs a really good dragging. Can't even tell with the Flex Boots, the soles are so cushioned it's like riding on a cloud. And finally. The hoof that goes in the boot. Pictured the TB. Can you get the feet like this, keep them like this and then get some Flex boots. As you can see the hoof is far from perfect, it's quite damaged from past life. But, heels and toes in the right place, walls a regular width and not too high. Happy horse, many many km's in Flex boots.

02.01.2022 Flex Hoof Boots go on bigger feet too! The 140 sized boot fits hooves 135-145mm wide and 140-150mm long. Diego has flex boots in 140 size front and back. All the different colour gaiters (straps too) are in stock.

02.01.2022 Nicole and Ruby (and a new selfie stick), another endurance combo doing their training rides in Flex boots.

02.01.2022 Flex Hoof Boots in Finland have a new revamped Website, check it out, I think it looks amazing!