Providing the Proper Support During Endurance Season
Professional athletes of any sport maintain more than just natural talent in their athletic toolbox. These top-performing athletes maintain healthy routines to support their wellbeing after excessive training and competing. The same can be said for horses.
Like humans, horses that compete in endurance and performance competitions are also athletes. And after strenuous physical activity, just like a human athlete, a horse’s feet become sore.
As the hooves support a horse’s whole body, their feet need the right amount of support and protection to compete and remain healthy at high levels of repeated activity.
Pour-in Pads for Extra Support
When training and preparing a horse for an endurance race, put a hoof care regimen in place that accounts for the rocky terrain of endurance courses. Whether a horse is shod, unshod or booted, pour-in pad materials provide the proper hoof support and durability.
Liquid pour-in pads, made of urethane adhesives, bond to the sole of a hoof and produce a soft, resilient supportive pad material. Designed to increase the weight-bearing surface area, pour-in pads immediately bond to the sole and seal out additional moisture and debris. These materials can be filled to ground level for maximum support and concussion absorption.
Products like Equi-Pak CS and Sole-Guard provide versatile protection and support before, during and after an endurance competition. Equi-Pak CS is a fast-setting, soft pad material that bonds directly to the sole and frog and protects the sole from abrasive ground surfaces. The material helps distribute weight evenly throughout the foot. Sole-Guard, a firmer pad material, helps distribute a horse’s weight evenly across the entire hoof-bottom. It helps to relieve pressure on the hoof wall and protect the feet from the hard ground.
Maintain proper hoof care for performance horses well before they step foot in an arena or a track. Talk to your hoof care professional about keeping your horse comfortable and competing at their full potential this season.
