Hoofwing Testimonies 2009

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Hoofwings   To all our customers; thank you.  And a special note of gratitude to our customers who write, email or telephone us, on behalf of their horses, to thank us for their Hoofwings.
   

[From a letter with photos and note.]

My horse Porfry went lame.  My failure to dry lot him during the day.  Went sound 48 hours after I received Hoofwings.  Only use them when I ride.

Thank you,

Keith

Editors note: Porfry is 10 years old and weighs 1700 pounds.

[From an email dated 11/4/09]

My name is Bonnie Starr and this is my horse Comet. Behind him is his stable mate Stanley goat. Together they make a great team, just like Comets Hoof Wings. He loves them! It’s been 2 years now since his size 2 feet slipped into those cozy boots. From day one I was amazed at his new attitude. Not only does he love to go for rides he loves those bumpy Arizona rocks. I’ve always believed that a shoeless horse is a healthy horse. Hoof care is everything, no feet and no horse. Now with the Hoof Wings it’s a dream come true. I won’t ride Comet without them. I even keep a spare tied to my saddle just in case. My horse tracks the ground with confidence and self assurance. You can’t ask for more than that, can you? I believe in this product you should too!

Sincerely Bonnie Starr

[From an email dated 9/11/09]

Mary,

Just wanted to send you a picture and let you know our hoofwings are working out great for us.  They are so easy to measure for and easy to get on.  And the best part is that the horses enjoy wearing them!  Digger (the appy) got his first pair of boots on a Friday.  We left that night to go camping and he wore them all weekend with no problems at all!   
 

Here is a picture of me and my daughter's Chloe and Ruth, along with our horses Chief and Digger.   We are all happy customers, thanks for all your help!
 
Holly Kaple

[From an email dated 8/27/09]

Hi Frank and Mary,

 

Forgive me for taking so long to get back to you about Chase's boots.
I used them once on a short trip and they worked beautifully.  Soon
after that Chase developed an abscess that erupted out of the top of
his hoof.  His entire leg became swollen and I spent the next month
working on his leg and foot.  Anyway, we are finally back out on the
trail using the boots.  No sand, no rubbing; they are great.  

 

Anyway, thank you again.  My farrier was very impressed.

 

Robin Rutherfoord

Hi Frank & Mary 

I realized after I saw my testimony on your website that I had neglected to tell everyone how dedicated you both were to making sure that Casey’s Hoof Wings were a perfect fit.  I really appreciate the phone calls and e-mails and extra work you both put into these Hoof Wings.  I am impressed by your dedication to your product and to helping equines.   

Thanks again for all your hard work! 

Amy

[From an email dated 7/27/09]

Dear Frank & Mary, 

Attached are a couple pictures of Casey with his Hoof Wings.  He has done really well with them.  I realize he was really hard to fit, but the Hoof Wings fit perfectly now.  They are protecting his hooves really well.  He seems to enjoy wearing them – he even runs in the gravel road with them on.  He shows no lack of confidence while wearing his Hoof Wings.  They are really easy to put on and take off – and of course Casey enjoys me checking them daily to be sure everything’s okay with his feet (any extra attention is always a bonus).  I will be ordering a second pair in a few months to have on hand.  These are holding up very well so far (he’s worn them off and on for about six months now I guess.  Thanks for a really wonderful custom-made product.  It was impossible to find any type of protective boots that would fit a donkey until I found your Hoof Wings.  You are the answer to our prayers!

Best wishes to you both!

Amy

[From an email dated 7/13/09]

Hello Mary,
 
Just to let you know that the Hoofwings are working very well for Bjornstar.  He is comfortable and moving around well while his hoof is growing out because of a horse shoe coming off and taking a large section of hoof with it.  Thank you!
 
Debbie and Fred Marshall

[From an email dated 7/8/09]

Hi Frank,
 
So far so good. Al is wearing his boots a lot as he is de-contracting quite quickly and is more comfortable walking around with them on. Good choice on fabric - he likes to make a point (when he wants me to do something) by picking his foot up - of course he is doing this by grabbing his boot with his TEETH and holding his foot in the air. The boots are holding up just fine. I am horrified. Al thinks it is great.
[From an email dated 7/6/09]
 
Hi Frank and Mary
 
As promised, I am getting back to you in July to let you know that my hoofwings are still going strong which means that financially they have now broken even penny for penny compared with having my horse fully shod for the same period of time - and they still are as good as new!!! Thrilled to bits with them! Bob (my horse) is ridden out for 2-3 hrs four times a week and his routes involve roadwork, stoney country tracks and the beach (where we remove the boots and put them back on when we come off - this is so easy to do which is a godsend). Many thanks to you for designing such a brill boot, and will be in touch in a while when I need a new pair or some for my other ponies when we start to do more difficult terrain.
Hope Mary is still in good health.
 
Collette x
Hope the exchange rate smiles on me in the future!
[From and email dated 7/1/09]
 
hi,
 
just wanted to tell you how happy i am with the hoofwings.  my horse snickers and i did our week in Mountain, WI on the gravely trails and he wasn't sore at all with the Hoofwings. and they stayed in place perfect.  i love them.  thanks for getting them done in time for my trip.  sorry i was so long in telling you how much i love them.
 
marcia

[From an email dated 4/25/09]

Frank and Mary,

I just had to write again!  Magic feels SO GOOD in his boots that he's
running all over the place!  Since he was just x-rayed and it shows
recent bone damage I'm concerned about TOO MUCH activity.  So, a friend
suggested I hand walk him to tire him out and let him have access to the
paddock at the same time - to calm my crazy, pain-free boy down until he
gets used to feeling so good.  Wow!  That's a change.  No way to say
thank you,... again.  :-)
 
Kerri and Magic Haworth

[From an email dated 4/11/09]

Frank.. and Mary and Alex.. we haven't competed in dressage for quite a few years...but today we did and came 3rd! and he wore his Hoofwings because the car park is covered in road plannings and he would have struggled.. but look at him; he looks the business.

 
The pics are taken from show pictures I then took a picture of on my phone so not brill.. but I am very pleased.
 
Susan & Flynn

[From an email dated 4/2/09]

Susan Swann, in the UK, testimonial to Hoofwings

I have now had my Hoofwings Since early Feb so we are now into nearly 2 months of their use.

Firstly to say I am impressed is an understatement. They are lightweight, flexible, and amazingly easy to put on and remove after use. The fastening is another easy to use method.

Owning a large horse, sadly most of the hoof boots available in a size to fit their feet out there in the market place are heavy and clumpy to say the least. Many are not easy to get on and even more fiddly to do up. Then the task of removing after having been out in them. They look so neat on his feet.

When they arrived I felt the best thing to do was give him a real chance to get used to them. So we rode in the outdoor arena. I wanted and needed to test them. Having owned another make of boot which would come undone often I needed that reassurance these would do as Frank, Alex and Mary said. I really put them to the test. Flynn walked out, trotted and even cantered! Bonus, the boots stayed fastened. We put him through trotting pole and even elevated ones. His movement was not once compromised. Then the last test before the road test. Jumping. These Hoofwings were amazing. We worked in-hand and under saddle and Flynn seemed so happy as if he did not have boots on. I feel that was the epitome of a brilliant hoof boot. These were worn by the horse as if they weren’t there but offered the extra protection he would need them for.

Then the real test, what would they be like out there on the roads and on stony tracks, grassland, what ever we came across on our hacks in the countryside. They gripped just as we wanted on the tarmac surface. Flynn started to walk out better and better as he gained confidence in them. We went out on some grassland and trotted and then cantered the road test was fully complete.

I am over the moon with them!

I would have wished I had known to have carbon chips embedded for more grip on grass tracks as the only issue is they do not have great grip built into the sole surface. But I simply watch if we are out on wet grass. Mud we will slip in but then I found we slipped in mud in our previous hoof boots, ( not Hoofwings). But I can live with that for all the benefits these boot offer that is only a small issue.

I had to have them on for a lesson recently as Flynn was a little footsore due to a low grade laminitis attack. Not once during me lesson did I even think about them on his feet. We simply got on and did all that was asked during our training session.

I thoroughly recommend Hoofwings and shout their praises at every opportunity on the horse internet discussion forums I go on. No compromise to fit what so ever, having ridden out on road hacks now a number of times little wear is showing on the base, the material is superb. Hard wearing and still flexible while allowing the foot to still be stimulated as if there was no boot on his feet.

Alex in the UK and Frank and Mary in the US have offered a service second to none, with so much advice and help. Amazing people.

Thank you Hoofwings, Alex, Frank and Mary for allowing me to enjoy all aspects of keeping my horse unshod and to ride when and where I want.

[From an email dated 3/10/09]
I wanted to update you on Magic. His heels are finally healing from 
using the ___ ____ and/or ____ _____ boots - not sure which was worse, 
but I started with ___ ____ and he was definitely hurting when I 
switched to the ____ _____. 
I tested my good, ole' 'safe' Willamette Valley grass hay and it was 26% 
sugar. So, I was poisoning him with the hay. I had to move to low NSC 
pellets, but this sugar concept is so new that I couldn't find a safe 
hay to feed him - all anyone checks for is protein. I'm having my hay 
field evaluated for mineral deficiency and possibly planting a new type 
of grass. Until then, it's pellets :-( 
I'm getting new x-rays next week and blood work to see how the change in 
feed has impacted his insulin and glucose levels. 
We are taking walks in our Hoofwings and he really likes them. We take 
them off now for a good portion of the day because we can. 

I hope all is well with you and, as always, I am eternally grateful for 
your kindness and help. 
Thank you. 
Kerri

[From an email dated 2/24/09]

Our third horse is" Bob the cob" - see case study 12 yr old cob. Bob was purchased summer 2008. As you can see from the photographs, his feet had suffered through years of being shod. Also what can't be seen from the photographs is that his sole was very flat and so walking on stony surfaces was very painful for him. Unlike Bradley, Bob has had to go through a transition period whilst his feet heal and become more concave. During this time, he has been wearing " Hoofwing Hoofboots" to give him the protection he needed.  Bob's feet are improving all the time, in fact you can see from the photo that he is standing quite comfortably on stony ground .
Bob had also suffered badly with cracked heels in the past and I was hoping that during this my first winter with him I would see an improvement with this since removing his shoes would increase the circulation in his legs. I have to say that I have had absolutely no sign of any skin problem at all this winter and I am thrilled with this development.
Bob is still not totally through his transition stage and still wears his boots on stony tracks, but he is able to walk quite freely on tarmac roads. His stride ( which was short and choppy even when shod ) is starting to lengthen and he is slowly developing the tell tale " clip clop" of the concave hoof.
It has been a time for patience and conviction in bringing Bob to barefoot health, and we are not totally there yet, but we are going the right way with thanks to Abi.

[From an email dated 2/2/09]

Mary and Frank,

With the Hoofwings, Magic is, of his own volition, walking out of his

stall into the paddock.  We were able to trim his feet while he was
standing.  He is bearing weight on the front end with his hind legs under him in a normal stance.
 
Of course you knew this would happen.  But, to me, it is a miracle.  And
I can not express, in words, the gratitude I feel.  Thank you, from the
bottom of my heart.
 
Kerri and Magic Haworth

[From an email dated 1/27/09]

Hello there,
This a picture of my husband Bob, on his horse Bob. As you can see, Bob ( the horse) is wearing his hoof wings. Bob is a recent purchase of ours, and he came to us shod, but with very damaged hooves, and very flat soles. We had successfully moved over to barefoot riding with our other horse, and luckily we were able to do this without the use of hoof boots.  Along the way though I made some very expensive mistakes buying other brands of boots. I did not find any that I was happy with. They were either too difficult to put on and take off, or they moved around or they rubbed.
When Bobs shoes were removed he was very sore indeed and I knew that his transition to barefoot riding was not going to be an easy one. The hunting for those special boots began. I was also limited with Bob in that he had suffered from mites and cracked heels in the past, and so his skin on his legs was quite fragile so I couldn`t use any boots on him that fastened to the leg.
I found Hoofwings on the internet, and after a long wait ( Mary had fallen ill and had damaged her ribs which slowed down the process- stay well Mary there are a lot of people and their horses relying on you) they arrived.
I have found the boots to be absolutely excellent. They are very easy to put on and remove - we actually do this mid ride so that Bob`s hooves can enjoy the ride on our local beach and move how nature intended. They are made of neoprene on their uppers which is extremely soft where they come into any contact with any part of the horses foot that is not hoof.
I am so glad that I have found these boots, and I must say that Frank and Mary ( not forgetting the uk rep Alex) have been extremely supportive to me in my initial ventures so that I use the boots in the correct way.( That talc in the boots is a smashing tip - thanks).
I sport my hoofwings sticker in my car with pride, and the final test is how long the boots will last If they last 6 months, then they work out the same as for shoeing in my area  £60 a time - so watch this space!

[From a fax dated 1/8/09]

Dear Mary,

Kitt's Hoofwings are working beautifully!  In fact, our veterinarian and his wife (my teacher) are so impressed they're thinking of placing an order for their horses.  I've decided that although the, "loaner", fit very well, I would like to order a new pair that are made specifically for Kitt.  ...

Thank so much!

Susan
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