Check out this e-mail from a satisfied boot user. Renegades aren’t just for endurance!
In April of 2008, I made a dramatic change from the traditionally shod hoof for performance to barefoot trimming as practiced by a local lady who is well-versed in performance horses. The sport I compete in is Combined Driving, based on the three-day eventing model using a specific marathon carriage for cross country and hazards that are negotiated at speed through a maze of gates rather than fences to jump.
I decided to transition my driving horses to barefoot and go with the recommendation of Renegade® boots as suggested by my barefoot practitioner. My current driving horse is a 15.3 hand American Saddlebred named Romeo. Since April, he has worn Renegades in marathon and obstacle phase of competition. At home he wears them in our workouts and training on our very steep and rocky mountain ranch roads.
We went with boots on all four since the driving horse’s engine is the hind quarters and the work is harder than carrying weight as in riding. The boots have performed well, under all conditions I have exposed them to without impeding his movement at all. From the first day, he wore them as if he had worn them all along. We mainly trot but in our sport as well as workouts, there are bursts of gallop, tight turns and going through water, sand and other types of footing.
There have been no evidence of rubs, no soreness, and he exudes the confidence that the good traction and comfort the boots provide. Our sessions and hard work can last up to 3 hours. The hind boots tell the tale of how a driving horse works by their greater evidence of wear than the fronts. I am very happy to use these boots and will continue to use them under hard conditions even after Romeo has developed a good natural hoof.
The real test was in November of this year when we took him to a high elevation in the Sierras to drive some of the rough back country roads with plenty of rocks, ruts and natural obstacles. We were out a couple hours where I was busy trying to keep my carriage wheels in a good place. Romeo was the good driving horse listening to my direction and the Renegade boots did a wonderful job providing him traction and comfort.
Thank you, Kirt, for making such a nice boot.
Nancy Taylor Rojo