The Renegade Saga

"Saga" isn't really fair. It has been more of a "journey" than a true "saga", but semantics.

Just in case anyone is interested in the specifics of how they are working and what we are doing to make them work:

FRONTS:

Both are viper shells size 135 x 125 with original renegade captivators. We went with the original shaped captivators due to her tendency to run a little higher heel than ideal. From the start, it was determined she would need the extra wiggle room in fit.

The front left has the small size and the standard black cables. This boot fits as close to perfect as I think it can get. The pastern strap has a gap and still gripes the velcro well and the toe strap has the perfect amount of extra under the keepers with the right tension for fit. It has stayed put without twisting through all the mud, hills and water I have thrown at it through both Biltmore and my latest muddy ride at Croft. The only thing I have yet to attempt is cantering which has been put on hold in her rehab schedule for another week.

The front right originally had the small captivator as well. With the new shape to the heel bulb, this was too tight even with the cables lengthened. It was recommended to go up to the medium size and this seems to be working out nicely. It was also suggested to try to lengthen the medial cable a little more than the lateral to let it slide up over the heel bulb. Pre recent trim, the boot fit a little off and popped off the front of her hoof at mile 6 of Biltmore going up a steep hill in the mud and rain. I tightened the toe strap, which then resulted in a lot of extra, and it remained on for the last 2.5 miles. Sunday's Croft ride was post trim and her hoof fit a million times better. In fact, I think I need to the shorten the cables now with the lower heel and better mustang roll, but I couldn't do it pre ride Sunday. I had not thought to clean them post Biltmore and the mud had dried inside the cable track. I didn't want to force the issue and break a cable, so I left it go for another day. I will be cleaning them post ride from now on. Even with the slighter longer cables and less than perfect fit, the boot stayed on for the entire muddy Croft ride. The only thing I am a little confused on is the toe strap length. If my memory serves me correctly, shortening the cables should result in even more length to the toe strap. I want less since it already goes well beyond the recommended length past the keepers. I don't really want to lengthen the cables though because it already felt a little loose going up over the heel bulb. I don't know. The toe straps are the most confusing thing to me in the whole process.

Hinds:

These are proving way trickier.

Originally I had ordered the 125 x 115 size viper shell which fit perfectly in width, but was way too short. We went with the small viper captivators and those ended up being too small too. We then went up to the 130 x 120 with the next size up captivators. Well, unfortunately, these are a great fit for length but too wide. I have shortened the black cables to the point where the ends are poking out the other side and the toe strap is excessively long. I can't snug them at all and there is a mild gap along the side.

Post recent trim had the hoof setting into the boot better and the gap has nearly gone away. The toe strap is still extremely long and not snug at all. The solution is to try a smaller set of cables and a shorter toe strap out so that I can hopefully snug it up a bit. These haven't come in the mail yet. The bummer is that this is the best size for the hinds. The size down is too short and the original rennie shells are even more round in shape. I am crossing my fingers that shorter cables will work. Even with the less than ideal fit, they still stayed on through everything at Croft. I am just not very confident that they would stay on at a canter or through water.

So that is where I am at with the boots. As always, Ashley over at Renegade has been super to work with. She responds quickly, is a wealth of knowledge and always seems to have something to try next. I love this company.

Biltmore Hunter Pace: Singing in the Rain (EDITED on 9/29/15)

Is that thar a 'durance hoss?

Saturday night I went to bed without setting my alarm. After two solid days of rain and cold (ok...cold for SC means in the 60s...I've become a wimp) with more rain and dreariness predicted for Sunday, I had zero motivation to go to the next Hunter Pace. At 6:30 am Sunday morning Wyatt came bursting into my room shouting "We going to a horse show mom?" How could I say no to that type of an alarm?

There was a 40% chance of rain and highs in the low 60s, so I bundled up in a fleece vest, long sleeve shirt and my riding tights. I even remembered to grab an extra set of shoes so I could ride with dry feet. Mental note though: grab socks too. Gem was not very happy to see me with bridle in hand in the early morning mist, but she obliged and let me grab her anyway.

We arrived around 10 am at the big field behind the Biltmore house where all horse events seem to be staged out of. I was surprised that there were so many trailers present with the gloom that seemed to invade every nook and cranny of the morning.

I decided to go with front boots only on Gem. I knew there would be a lot of slick clay and mud and both wanted the extra traction her bare hinds would provide as well as being a little concerned with the hinds staying on. Since I had already fiddled ad nauseam with the fit of the fronts previously, this time I could just slap them on in 30 seconds and be done. If for no other reason, that sold me on the boots right there.

**Oops...I never wrote about the boots from Wednesday. Well, the long and short of it is that the fronts fit pretty well and the hinds don't. I'll write up a true boot post to explain once I hear back from Renegade**

The trail would follow the permanently marked green loop and I started the ride alone although the timer sent the next rider out 30 seconds later and she caught up to us quickly. I forced Gem to walk down the gravel road to warm up her muscles. Once I let Gem trot, we caught her quickly again, but then we made a wrong turn and lost her as she shouted the proper way. I never did see her again.

The other rider passing us as we got back on track

I had never ridden on the green loop before, so I was really interested in where it would take us. It turns out that it would take us straight up into the clouds. The trail was recently graded which I found out meant that they put huge chunks of gravel down on the hills. I was really glad I had the boots on her fronts and she moved out wonderfully.  The trail was still pretty solid this early in the morning.

Heading up the first hill around a mile into the ride

The gravel didn't last long, but the ascent sure did

Gem was feeling really, really good and was moving beautifully. I still held her trotting to a minimum, but when I did let her trot she would rocket off at a glorious 8-9 mph pace even over the rocks and up the hills. Even walking a lot of it, we began to pass others.

The leaves were already starting to change up in the mountains

As we alternated walking and trotting I looked around at all the wonders around me. My mind keep jumping back to the fact that at one point a single family owned all of this. This was the Vanderbilt country home, not even their main residence, and they had it all to themselves. How amazing would that be?

Around mile 2.5 a couple of ladies came flying up behind us as we meandered up another steep climb. Gem pulled over as asked and we bid them a good ride. This was the third group I had seen since starting and the third group who made comment about my matching red and black outfit. Hmm...maybe I'm a little overboard these days?

They quickly dropped to a walk, however, as the trail weaved down a steep hill and Gem and I caught up to them. This time we passed them once the trail widened and stayed ahead for quite some time. Eventually we dropped down a really steep and very sloppy hill that led to a creek. I hesitated slightly as I looked down at the boots. Not only were they getting a muddy workout, but now we would be doing a water crossing that would come up well over the top. If this wasn't a good trial run, I didn't know what would be. Gem crossed readily and I was so extremely pleased at the other side when the boots were still in proper order.

The women came up to the hill on the other side and yelled across asking me to wait for them. They were not sure that their geldings would cross without another horse already over. Gem was not pleased at all about standing still and so we turned in tight circles until they cleared the obstacle and then shot off up the hill. The ladies stuck with us.

Steep down hill, water crossing over the boot height and then boot sucking mud on the opposite bank. Both front boots stayed through it all

While Gem seemed pleased to have some company for a change, she was downright rude about remaining in the lead. She would not let those two pass her for the world and even when we reached the double track road again, she body blocked them any time they tried. My mare is getting very competitive.

Right about this time the sky opened up and the rain just let loose. It was a cold, soaking rain and as we broke out of the single track and onto the dirt road Gem and I had the same thought: lets get the poop out of here. I let her open up and she flew at an extended trot that took my breath away. The other ladies tried to keep up, but even at a canter we left them behind.

It was short lived though as we came around a corner and nearly ran smack into the very rotund butt of a draft waiting out their half way hold. We were two groups back and the ladies behind me came up shortly thereafter. Gem was not a happy camper. I had never had issues getting her to stand still under tack before, but between the crowded hold and the cold rain running into those beautiful black tipped ears she was extremely tense and very unhappy standing. Those were a very long 3 minutes!

Eventually we got the okay to move out and the ladies followed us. We were 3.5 miles in and it wouldn't stop raining until we finished. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain I kept my phone tucked away in my vest pocket so no more pictures of the trail to share.

Gem wanted to go and I wasn't in the mood to hold her back. She was moving great, the boots were functioning well and the trail was just getting more and more slick. I made the decision to just let her go and pull her up if anything felt off. She was more than happy to respond to the new freedom and chose an 8 mph trot that covered the slick ground rapidly.

Since she had decided she would lead (another novel experience) and the other two wanted to ride with us, I asked if they were okay with the pace. They laughed and said they would try their best to experience the endurance pace I was setting. I spent the next two miles chuckling as I listened to their whispers behind me:

"Did you know we could trot this fast?"

"How do they keep this up for miles on end?"

"I don't think we will be able to walk for a week after this!"

"Why does it feel like we are in a rush to end this ride?"

"Is something chasing us? It feels like a speed we would go if something was chasing us."

It was awesome!!

We passed several more groups through this stretch and the trail was really getting muddy. I felt bad for anyone who started later as the trail would be really slick and torn up the longer it rained and the more hooves that it saw. There were a lot of sections that needed to be walked and nearly every downhill was taken at a walk. I was so proud of Gem as she navigated the terrain. Seriously, she has really become a stellar trail horse, ping ponging and all. Overtime we reached a downhill I quickly determined if it could be trotted or needed to be walked. If I let her trot, she would come back into a collected trot and slow down to carefully handle the hill and then take off again once we reached the bottom.

Things went on as we got more and more drenched until mile 6.5. We were half way up the last steep climb and there was a river of mud trickling down it. One of the ladies pointed out that she had lost a boot. Darn! I pulled over and swung off. They asked if I was ok and I told them to move on ahead and get out of the rain. Honestly, I was really bummed. They had perform so well up to this point. The front left was still perfect, but the front right had spun off and was now on top of the front of the hoof held on by the pastern strap. Gem hadn't cared at all and would have continued on as if nothing had happened.

I swung off and stood in the rain looking at her hoof. Having had it stay put through all the rocks, hills, mud that came up over the pastern and a creek crossing that did the same, I was really bummed that it had now decided to flip off. Looking at how it sat on her hoof and the part of trail we were on, that best I can figure is that she planted the foot and when she went to push off the hoof slid out from inside the shell and it flipped over the front of the hoof. I replaced it and tightened up the toe strap hoping to not have to fix it again.

As I swung back into the saddle I realized the bigger issue with having the boot come off: my seat, previously keep dry by my butt, was now drenched. Riding with a wet butt is not fun.

We were also now alone and Gem returned to her typical jumpy behavior. The mare drive me nuts sometimes. She zig zagged like a drunken sailor down the remainder of the trail and we crossed the finish line 8.12 miles and 1 hour 52 minutes after starting.

Seriously, you owe me for this one. 

Thankfully, the rain returned to just a mist as I untacked back at the trailer. Her hooves looked great and the front right boot had stayed on until the end. Gem got wrapped up in her fleece cooler and placed in the trailer to dry off and not cramp as I went to turn my number tag in and grab lunch. Wyatt had entertained himself by jumping in every puddle and getting soaking wet and filthy dirty and gave me a giant hug when he saw me.

After all was said and done, I was really glad I dragged myself out of bed to go. I really love these events and Gem is just getting better and better all the time. The results are going to be really interesting to see in a few days. They typically send a rider out (or claim they do, I am not sure they actually send someone out and don't just know from previous events what that finish time should be) and if they had it would have been on dry, firm ground. The way the trail was looking by the end, there is no way those who started later could safely move fast over those trails. I just might not end up in last place for once!!!

**UPDATE: Results are in and while we still sucked we got way closer than normal. Our finish was 1:53 and optimum was 1:40 so only 13 minutes off. This still put us mid pack/closer to the end, but was way closer to finish time than before. Of note is that the two ladies I rode the second half with came in first and had I not had to stop and fix the boot losing track of those two I would have most likely placed. That being said, if I didn't have the boot on in the first place, I would have walked a lot of it and would have been an hour off time yet again, so there is that.**

Two Steps Forward....

Last night was finally time to try those Renegades again. I was both excited to be moving forward and nervous about what the outcome would be.

Some facts to keep in mind:

1) These boots are one size larger in both width and length than those I had tried prior to her injury.

2) They have been sitting, untested, in my closet since arriving.

3) Her hoof shape is not ideal nor is it the same as when I ordered them. Her heels need worked down some, the toes brought back a bit and the mustang roll made a little more aggressive. All in all though, the shape should work fine as her hoof continues to grow and be used.

The front left was a good fit in both length and width. If anything it was a tad too short, but once I bring that toe back and the heel down a little more the hoof will seat into the shell better. I had to lengthen the cables a little to get the captivator to sit where it needed to be without being too tight, but other than that it seemed to work.  There was enough wiggle room in all aspects of the shell, cable and captivator that I could accommodate any changes in the future. I was really pleased with it and moved on to her front right with a heaping dose of optimism.

 

The front right ended up being way more interesting. It think it is best to use pictures to show it all. Of note, the cables needed lengthened a bit more than the front left to allow the captivator to pull up onto her heel bulbs without a big struggle and without smushing all the tissue.

Below is a front view of her front right. The toe strap actually has the perfect amount of left over strap and the pastern strap was to two fingers tightness.



The first thing I want to point out is the new hoof growth. She has already grown in a ton of hoof in a short amount of time. There is a very distinct ridge of stronger, thicker and wider hoof wall demarcated by the green and yellow arrows.

Also note the added width to the new hoof wall shown by drawing a black line up the old hoof wall. There is a good difference in the overall width of her hoof growing in. 

This is interesting for a few reasons. First, you can see just how badly the hoof was affected by that fiberglass cast she was placed in for over a month. It had to be done for wound healing, so I am not complaining. I just didn't realize what it was doing to her hoof.

Second, I would bet that she will go through a period of time mid-late winter where the boot won't be usable at all. As that new growth creeps downward it will eventually hit the top part of the shell. This will make the shell bulge at the new growth and not make contact (or at least fit very poorly) with the old hoof below it. She grows hoof fast, but I would except to not be using the boots for a good 2-3 months as the wider new hoof slides below the shell.

Third, this makes me wonder if she will even fit in this size at all once the new hoof is fully in. I originally thought I might need to use her smaller hind boot on this front hoof until it grew out, but now I am wondering if I will have to order a size wider next spring.

The lateral hoof wall was snug up against the shell and fit smoothly all the way around. The new growth is still a good chunk away from the shell at this time.

However, there was a gap along the medial side wall shown with the green and yellow arrow below. I had lengthened the cable equally as well as pulling equally on both sides when tightening the toe strap. At first, I was really curious as to what was going on here, but then I figured it out.

It all has to do with her heel bulb. The surgeon did an amazing job putting her back together, but the medial heel bulb isn't normal anymore. It may still remodel over time, but it will never be perfectly shaped. As it is now, the medial heel bulb sits a little higher and is a bigger bulge than the lateral one.

The captivator did fit but was tight on the medial side and pulled up her sparse hair. Since the captivator was not able to sit well this was not allowing the shell to function either. After I took this picture, I lengthened the cable a little more.









Below is her front left as a comparison.

Once situated the captivator did find a good home on her, but I was worried it wouldn't be a good long term fit.

Not seeing any glaring reasons not to, I untied her and headed to the round pen to see her move. Unfortunately there was someone in there. Instead I took Gem to the track around the gelding pasture. We walked and she was a little strange at first. She moved a bit stiff and I thought I could see a head bob. Uh oh. I asked her to trot and she did the same. A little funny movement, a slight head bob or two and I was about to cry.

Then I remembered that she moved really funny the first time I tried them on her as well. Like she didn't know what was going on or if she could move normally in these new strange boots. I asked her to move out a bit more and she settled in.

I watched her like a hawk and at one point ran as hard as I could to entice her into a canter, but she just lengthened her stride beautifully and kept on trotting. By the time we were a half mile in she was heel first landing, relaxed and there was no trace of any odd movement remaining.

At the end of the mile long track, I stopped by the trailer to inspect the boots. They hadn't twisted, turned or come loose. Good.

Wandering back to the round pen, I noticed the girl had vanished. I really wanted to watch her move more closely and get her to canter as well, so we entered and I asked her to move out.  She w/t/c both directions (a whole new post on this because there is something important to talk about but isn't boot related). Afterward I inspected the boots and they hadn't shifted, twisted, turned or anything else. Overall a good first fitting attempt.

Late last night (I think around 9:30 or 10) I shot Renegade an email with the pictures and my thoughts. I think the shells fit as good as they could: going up would be too big and down too small. My only concern was over the captivator on the front right. While there were no signs of rubbing, we only did 1 mile of w/t and a few turns at the canter in the round pen. No mud, no water, no sustained pace and no hills. Her skin back there is new and fragile and rubbing would be bad.

I didn't except an answer until mid day today at the earliest. Of course, Renegade being as absolutely fantastic as they are, responded nearly immediately. I love Ashley. She agreed that the captivator could be a problem and recommended going up to the medium size. She also suggested that I may need to have the cables adjusted unevenly on this shell with a longer length to the medial side to allow the large heel bulb more room and a shorter length on the lateral side. I would have never thought of that. It will be a test of my handiness once it comes in I change it out on my shell, but hopefully it solves the problem and we can get back to business.

I still have to try her hinds on her, but that goes along with my other story and will have to wait until another day at the barn.

Renegade Fitting Take 2

Are you all bored with her boot fitting posts yet? Sorry. Probably one more after this one. Since it continues to be insanely hot and not safe to ride, this is about all I have to write about anyway. Plus I want to keep all these thoughts written down in case I need to get new boots or for the inevitable day when Gem gets retired and I have to fit a new one. Lets just hope that is 10+ years away, shall we?

Due to my own procrastination, needing to gather funds, and attempts at other boots first I am running short on time to make exchanges and still feel confident going into WV. The original thought was to try the fronts on her for our long ride this Sunday. If they didn't work, though, I would then have to wait for Monday to roll around to get in touch with Renegade, mail them out Tuesday and probably not get the next pair until the following Monday. That would mean that my last long ride weekend would be bootless by default of not having them.

Instead, I ditched Jazzercize on Thursday night and went to swelter at the barn. It is a good thing I am my own boss because I doubt anyone would have tolerated me watching the Viper video and lengthening the cables in the middle of a work day. Gem was happy to come inside with me and stood politely for the boot placement. She is becoming a pro at patiently allowing me to mess with her while she dozes.

I decided to take her for a run around the mare pasture this time for two reasons a) it actually has a hill that is fairly steep although short and b) it has a lot more bare hard packed clay versus grass to see how she moves out on that. I was a sweaty pig with a big headache after only a mile and was thankful to get back to the barn. These triple digits need to go away!

She moved the same as before: heel first landing, happy to trot or canter.

Here is the deal:

The left front is both a smidge too short and too narrow. Enough that they agreed it should go up a size. Keep same small original captivators. Now that I know how to adjust the cables and why I can mess with lengthening or shortening them as needed to get things situated right. Size 135 x 125. Those are getting to be big feet!!

The right front fit perfectly. The captivator sat just right, no scuff mark, no flipping. With a perfect fit I have two options: keep them and hope her feet don't get even a single mm larger in any direction or also go up a size. I hemmed and hawed, asked Renegade who wasn't very passionate either wa, and then annoyed Liz about it as well. Consensus: go up a size. 135 X 125 original small captivator for this hoof too.

The hinds are going back for next size up shell and viper captivators size D.

These will all go out to them today to hopefully arrive by Tues so I can get my new set in by next weekend for our last long ride weekend.

Renegade Fitting

Tuesday night is my night at the barn. I bailed on work an hour early to run to Tractor Supply and get a new hoof pick, gloves for Dusty and some Showsheen Mist for Gem's tangled mane. At the register the lady carded me for the Showsheen.

Ok...I get told I look young all the time (thanks for the good genetics, Mom!), but I am 33 and seriously I don't look under 18 or whatever age you can legally buy mane detangler in this state. Seriously, what do people use it for that you need to be an adult to buy it?  I think I might be in the wrong field. Maybe I should stockpile it for the black market.

I ended up getting to the barn and all set up around 5 just as the dark clouds also arrived. I ignored them since that seems to help a lot in these circumstances.

Gem was due for a trim anyway and I thought it would be best to try the boots on after a trim, so I tackled her four feet. The hinds are staying really nice and I was able to lower the front heels even more. Plus the BO is an ex-farrier and lent me his apron and hoof stand. I think he got tired of watching me perform his trade in the worst manner possible.

Her right after I finished with it. I haven't touched the left yet. It is seriously looking more and more normal every trim. I am so glad Liz convinced me to do this myself. 

When the thunder hit and the rain started pouring against the tin roof, I was worried that my plans were ruined. Except when I gave Gem back her foot I saw this:

Completely unfazed mare 

Rain, thunder, lighting...who cares! As a side note - look how sweaty she is just standing in the barn . I felt a little bad depriving her of the nice cool shower, but figured she would survive. 

I continued on my way and sometime later I finally finished. Luckily, the rain had too and so after I quenched my thirst with lead  hose water I decided to move forward with trying on her boots.

I tried the fronts first.

The boots fit just like I read they should: slide on and require a small tap from the palm to seat the toe. The captivators slid up on her heels and settled fine at first.  I tried to tighten the pastern strap leaving two fingers looseness, but the strap then didn't reach the rubber stops on the far side. I could make it if I pulled super tight, but that goes against the function of the boot. I left it as loose as I dared and made a note to ask. The toe strap is a little confusing as far as how tight to go with it. The directions are extremely vague stating to tighten just as much as you need, more if  harder terrain, less for easy terrain, think of your own shoes. I made it snug and hoped it was correct.

Everything looked fine in regards to length and width. The captivator liked to fall down on her heels instead of staying where I put it. I tried to lift it back up, but it wouldn't stay. I don't know if it was just settling to where it should be or if this was a function of the cables, too tight toe, too tight pastern or something I didn't even think of. Another mental note to ask.

Front right in the Viper shell with original Renegade captivator. I like how her hair line is much more parallel to the boot angle now. You can see the gap to the pastern strap.

Right front still. I'm not sure if the captivator fits her well or not. The padding comes down lower and nearly touches the shell, but the actual plastic part is a good fingers width above it. 

The toe strap was made snug and it fit into the rubber loops with a 1/4 inch left over. The pastern strap was just at 2 fingers loose and the tip very barely reached the rubber stoppers. 

Left front fit the same basically. The pastern strap had a little more give to it than to the right, but still not reaching the rubber stoppers all that well. I think the captivator should come up a hair, but it kept settling down like this. I'm thinking maybe the cables need lengthened. Just a guess though. 

See how the pastern strap doesn't reach the rubber stopper? That can't be right, but I have no clue what the fix is.

Again, the padding on the captivator was just barely not touching the shell, but the plastic was a finger width above it. I wanted it higher, but couldn't get it to stay

With both fronts on in the matter of minutes and without any cursing at all, I moved to the hinds. It was immediately evident they were too small. They were much harder to get on and the shell didn't cover the hoof as well. I tried to pull the much smaller and more streamlined Viper captivator over her heel bulbs, but it wouldn't go without forcing it. I gave up and put them back in the box to be exchanged.

The shell was harder to get on and was a much tighter fit in general. The shell did not cover the heels as well either

You can see the freshly rasped heels outside of the shell. Too short

Her tail got in the way, but I barely got the captivator up and over the heels although that is probably due to the short length of the shell itself. I like how streamlined the Vipers are and hope a size larger would work to keep these captivators. 

Since the rain had stopped I could now venture outside. I decided to run with her along the 1 mile gelding track. This way I could watch how she moved, how the boots functioned and be safely out of the way if she decided to freak out. We headed down the hill at a jog and she was honestly hesitant at first. Once we made it down the hill, she decided she could move just fine and really reached out. I mean like full heel first landing and fully extending. Like running past me. Like breaking into a canter for the first time on the lead line during a run with me. She LOVED her new foot wear.

They made a flip floppy sound. I have read FB comments about this and didn't stress over it. I made another mental note. Man, these questions were starting to add up.

We made it the mile without me fainting and Gem was drenched even with so little exertion. Jogging in this weather is serious hard work. Somewhere along the way I had the brilliant idea to try the fronts on her hinds since they are just one size up. They have the other captivator as well. Once back at the barn I took them off and tried them on her hinds. They fit very well.

Much better coverage of the heels with this size. Please ignore the dirt in the tread.  This is the room available with the captivators in place. 

Another view of the space between captivator and shell

See how the pad touched the shell once the foot is down? I couldn't keep the captivators up where I wanted them.

The pastern strap and toe strap fit much better on the hinds. 

We didn't go hard, fast or long enough to really get an idea of how they would rub her if at all in the heel bulbs. I was surprised to see a nice well defined linear scuff mark along the entire top edge of the boot on her hoof wall. Not deep, but I do wonder what it would be like 50 miles later. I made note to ask if this was due to a too tight toe strap, too loose or what.

I didn't have it in me to run her around with just hinds on. For some reason I didn't mind just fronts but found the idea of just hinds to be odd. Maybe I should have.

Anyway...it was clear Gem loved the boots on her fronts. I am going to do all I can to make these work out for her. Their service is stellar, so hopefully all my millions of questions and pictures get to them in the morning and they have some simple solutions. I will have to mail the backs back and will see if they also need the fronts to make changes or if everything I was worried about can be adjusted on these shells. Hopefully I can tweak these and keep them for a longer trail ride on the weekend when the temps are dropping into the mid 80s and I can get a good work out in early Sunday morning.

Cross your fingers for us!!

** Edited on Thursday. Ashley got in touch with me very quickly with responses to my questions. Everything is either due to a) the cables being too tight or b) the boot being too narrow. Or I guess c) both. I lengthened the cables and will try them out on her again tonight at the barn. She also agreed that the hinds were too short and to go with the front size on her hinds, but with the next size up Viper captivator on it.

If the fronts work with just lengthening, I will return the hinds for large size shell and caps. If the fronts end up being too narrow, I need to see if I should just keep the shells for the hinds and order new caps and how hard those are to replace versus just sending all 4 back and getting different everything.

Tonight will be telling. If I can get them sent back tomorrow I can then get new ones back in my grubby little hands before the Holiday weekend so I can still test them out over longer rides. After next weekend Gem starts her taper for WV.**