Product review for Renegade Hoof Boots...
Once you work out how to fit the Renegades (it's simple once you know how) they're pretty easy to put on and seem to fit well. Their potential for rubbing is minimal since they have zero material around the heel region which is a major plus and providing you get the right size they seem to stay put once on. The only thing i would say i don't like about the Renegades is the material used to make them. Unlike the easy care range Renegades are made out of a hard plastic which does not provide quite as much shock absorption as the rubber used to make the easy cares. However, that said this material means they are lighter than the easy cares which is a plus point.
The only other niggle i have about the Renegades is that plastic surrounding the front of the hoof wall is quite thick which may cause your horse to over reach which isn't ideal but having only walked Spice in the boots for a few minutes i am yet to see whether or not this will be a problem.
The thing i love most about the Renegades is how the design really takes into account the mechanics of the hoof, the fastening feature around the front of the hoof allows the hoof to flex in all directions and the gap around the heel region allows the heel to act just as it would barefoot. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into the design of the Rengades and i have to admit i love the colour ranges although i was a tad dissappointed to see they didn't do them in pink!
The only other niggle i have about the Renegades is that plastic surrounding the front of the hoof wall is quite thick which may cause your horse to over reach which isn't ideal but having only walked Spice in the boots for a few minutes i am yet to see whether or not this will be a problem.
The thing i love most about the Renegades is how the design really takes into account the mechanics of the hoof, the fastening feature around the front of the hoof allows the hoof to flex in all directions and the gap around the heel region allows the heel to act just as it would barefoot. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into the design of the Rengades and i have to admit i love the colour ranges although i was a tad dissappointed to see they didn't do them in pink!
Product Review for Easy Care Edge Boots...
The Easy Care Edge Hoof Boots incorporate all the good things about the gloves, i.e the shock absorbing material and simpleness in design but have added the one thing the gloves should have had - a fastening feature at the front of the boot with three separate parts which allows you to tighten the boot around the hoof wall ensuring as snug a fit as possible. Get the right size and these boots are great..if i'm being picky my only reservation would be that they're by far the heaviest boot i have tried and once again like the renegades they are fairly thick around the front of the wall which may cause your horse to over reach but as i haven't had them on Spice more than a few minutes i don't know how much of a problem this will be.
As soon as i have had more use out of the boots i will of course provide an update on the points raised.
Product Review for Easy Care Glove Boots...
The Easy Care gloves are by far the easiest boot to apply...however, if it's the easiest boot to apply perhaps it's the easiest boot to fall off...With no real fastenings around the hoof i am sceptical as to whether these boots would really stay on. It seems that unless the fit is 100% perfect (which lets face it would be pretty much impossible since during the trimming cycle the hooves can grow up to 10mm) these boots would fail to provide a snug fit. They also don't bother to take into consideration the angle of the hoof wall which is vital when ensuring a tight fit. I like the idea of them, the simple design, the material used and their lightness but as far as fit goes i feel this is where they really fall down.
Barefoot Cherokee Saddle Review
Today i basically repeated what i did with Spice the other day, 5 minutes of groundwork, 10 minutes or so of lunging and 10 minutes or so of jumping - she was brilliant as usual and tossed her head around with joy after each jump. :)
I also got my new Barefoot saddle today which i'd wanted to get in order to compare it to my DreamTeam Saddle and on the whole there's really not much difference between them...
However, i would say that the DreamTeam Saddle is definitely more comfy for the rider due to the seat being lined with sheepskin which is a definite advantage but as far as i am aware you can buy a sheepskin skin cover to go over the barefoot saddle so this could rule out this difference. Though this also highlights another difference between the DreamTeam Saddle and the Barefoot saddle - the price! The Barefoot saddle already retails for over £100's more than the DreamTeam saddle and the sheepskin liner costs around £85's so that would be almost £200's more for the pretty much the same saddle.
That said i do like the couple of extra features which have been incorporated into the Barefoot saddle in particular the VPS System, V Shaped girth System - although how much these affect the comfort of the horse i am unsure.
Personally the only reason why i would want to keep the Barefoot Saddle over the DreamTeam saddle is due to the fact that the back of the cantle on the DreamTeam saddle comes up so high that even the shortest length body protector hits the back of it and we all know how annoying that is!
But if this was not an issue i have to say i would definitely keep the DreamTeam Saddle.
I also think DreamTeams customer service is better - more efficient and more expert but i imagine this is because it is a small company.
DreamTeam Saddle Review
DreamTeamProducts
So, I just got my new Treeless Saddle from www.dreamteamproducts.com/ For those of you who are not familiar with this company they are the main re-sellers of the Torsion Treeless saddles - very similar to the Barefoot Saddles only in my opinion slightly better quality.
Having said this Barefoot have added some excellent features to their saddles in particular the wedge shaped VPS-System (Vertebrae Protecting System)
VPS enables spreading of the rider's weight exactly where the horse can best carry it: between the withers and the 15th/16 vertebrae. Pressure points are eliminated and the panel construction to the right and left of the spine enables a distinct channel above the spine and thus grants a constant latitude for the horse's withers and spine.
Even when standing in the stirrup (posting trot), the pressure is evenly spread among the entire saddling area - therefore there is no limitation regarding the rider's weight.
Being a very light rider i was not too concerned about having a saddle with this feature but if i was an endurance rider or on the heavy side i probably would have wanted a saddle with this feature.
Instead i opted for the new DreamTeam Saddle priced at just £399.00...
On first impressions i must say i am very impressed. I like the look, love the feel and really appreciate the quality... I haven't actually sat on it yet because i need to buy a dressage girth to go with it but i have put it on Spices back. Whilst with no one sat on it it looks rather 'high' i think once it has moulded to the shaped of her back and has some weight on it this effect will be reduced.
Overall value for money wise i think this saddle is fantastic and i wouldn't be surprised or blame them if they raised the price of it.
I will let you all know what i think if the girth when it arrives (which should be tomorrow).
O.k so the dressage girth from DreamTeamProducts arrived and i have to say i am once again impressed, the quality is excellent and once you see it you realize why it's quite a bit more than the other dressage girths on the market. My only reservation is that its huge! Very bulky for my fine horse for a larger horse like a cob 15hh or above it would probably be fine.
You can see that every thing DreamTeamProducts have created has been designed with the horses comfort in mind - I just think that for a fine horse like spice the girth will be too bulky.
O.k, so today i finally got to ride Spice in her new saddle and just as i thought it is the most comfortable saddle i have ever ridden her in, the only reservation i have is with regards the thickness of the equitex pad. I purchased the recommended 3.5cm thick pad but in my opinion it is way too thick, because of the material being quite spongy it made me bounce out of the saddle every time i did the rising trot which i wasn't keen on and i also felt rather 'perched' which made me feel a little insecure but the biggest problem with the equitex pad was that because it squidgies down as you sit doing the rising trot it seems to effect the tightness of the girth which then caused the saddle to slip - something i have never had a problem with before. So, if you are thinking about buying this saddle personally i would not recommend the 3.5cm equitex pads. As far as i am aware they do sell a thinner version of the equitex pad which i would be interested in trying. For the moment though i am using a Griffin Nuumed Gullet Free Treeless Numnah bought for £90.15 from better saddles which both myself and spice seem to like.
Just a quick update, i did manage to try the thinner version of the equitex pad out and have to say i really liked it. From a horses point of view i'd probably say that the thicker equitex pad is more comfortable as i would guess that it offers more shock absorption but as a rider i definitely preferred the thinner version as i found i did not feel perched and did not bounce out of the saddle when doing the rising trot. I would therefore definitely recommend this pad above the thicker pad unless you have a high withered horse and are advised by DreamTeamProducts that the thicker pad would be more suitable
If i am rating this saddle out of 10 I would give it around a 8/9. Comfort wise this saddle scores top marks and price wise i think this saddle beats all of it's competitors hands down. I was recently asked by DreamTeamProducts why i did not give the saddle a 10/10 and quite simply it is because i would have preferred the underside of the girth billets to be leather rather than synthetic as i find that synthetic can be quite abrasive.
What i would really like to see is DreamTeamProducts creating a girth with a sheepskin lining for horses with sensitive skin and a slightly smaller one for finer bred horses. Something like the frank baines girth (which i have just purchased) would be great and would match the saddle beautifully although i have to say the frank baines one is twice the price! But in my opinion you can't put a price on your horses comfort.
For those of you who are unsure about whether or not to go for a treeless saddle i cannot recommend this saddle highly enough.
Well done DreamTeamProducts you have impressed me.
