Megasus Horserunners

[lantairvlea]

There is this Kickstarter campaign for a new type of equine hoof protection:Kickstarter Campaign

Click to view

I've already thrown my hat in and the project is funded so I am super curious to see how these actually work through personal experience once they ship out next year

Comments

[poniesandphotos]

I'm hoping that they work! They look easy to use and I'd prefer to have my horses barefoot- but if these do the job (and hold up) I'll happily buy some.

[lantairvlea]

I'd like all of mine to be barefoot, but my three main lesson horses need something on their feet with all of the riding they do! Traditional shoes are cheaper up front, but I'd like to shift to either boots or these and they can be barefoot the rest of the time.

I'll definitely be doing some testing and reviewing when I get my set!

[poniesandphotos]

I look forward to the review. My old fellow has flat feet and has been extremely footsore since he's arrived at my barn. As such he has fronts, and does ok with nothing in the back. I do wish he could be bare all the way around, but at the moment it's not feasible for him. He's a delicate flower horse. With the flies in the summer he stamps himself lame, so he might need traditional shoes regardless.

[lantairvlea]

Poor old guy. Our old (25!) Haflinger mare showed up with wind puffs this year from stomping at flies. Supposedly you can "permanently" affix them for up to three weeks at a time (they recommend rebalancing the hoof a little before reaffixing them).

[trigger_happy01]

I don't know... I would have a lot of questions about this. So you have to cut the shoe to the hoof shape, how does that work throughout the trim cycle especially with a fjord type horse that will get flares. How much of this locking tape do they provide? If you are trimming every six weeks, these could end up single use unless they come with multiple tapes and I don't see that tape sticking to the hoof in anything up a dry environment. Up here with mud season and all, I would question if it would truly stay on for the long haul.

I was interested to see how they worked as I will be looking for something for Nelina when she's carriage driving, but I don't think I'll consider these because of the issues I mentioned above. I like the cavallos, but I don't know how hard they are to put on.

[lantairvlea]

Their FAQ page is pretty extensive. The side clips allow for some flexibility both with angle and they can be moved in and out in relation to the base of the shoe to compensate for growth between farrier service. The tapes last for about three weeks and they provide enough tapes with each set for about nine weeks plus the option to buy more

[walter_oesau]

Hmmmmmm.... this looks interesting. My boy tends to run flat in the front now that he's ageing (will be 19 at the end of the month) and standard shoes and him just don't work well. After years of barefootedness, the last two years he was shod in front only, and he had more hoof issues up front with the shoes than he had had when he was barefoot.

These look promising; it's hard to find non-iron shoes that fit my boy, as he has wide, round feet. (for a Hanno/QH, they are wide, round feet!!)

[lantairvlea]

They size them just by the width measurement so I imagine on very round footed horses like yours and my Arab boy you end up trimming some off of the back of the shoe.

I'm really interested to see how they work in practice and get my farrier's thoughts too.

[walter_oesau]

Probably - I joke he has suction cup feet! LOL

I should send the video to my cousin, who is a farrier in VA, to see what he thinks of them. (He does a lot of corrective shoeing too)

[lantairvlea]

I'd be interested to hear a farrier's thoughts. I plan on asking my farrier what he thinks next time he is out.