This information was found on the Tevis website (Western States Trail Ride). After the ride in 1999 a couple of volunteers surveyed riders who completed on their equipment. Horses shod with steel had a finish rate of 50%, aluminum 33%, wearing Horse Sneakers 56%, hoof boots 66%. Please note that 151 horses were shod with steel shoes, and only 6 were booted. It makes you wonder what the statistic would have been if say 100 horses were steel shod with pads vs. 100 horses wearing easyboot bares. That would have been an interesting statistic. Wouldn't that make an interesting marketing idea for Easycare? To supply some riders with their boots for a season and sponsor their booting for Tevis?
As far as overall finish rates their was a 36% finish rate for those using boots on the front, and 20% finish rate for those using boots on the hind. With the improvements in hoof boots since 1999 I wonder if those numbers are getting better?
The saddle most used by top ten finishers was an Endurance saddle. The survey did not specify if these were treed or treeless saddles. But 6 out of 10 in the top ten were using an endurance saddle of some type. An english saddle was in the top ten and also one western saddle.
Saddle pads made of fleece were used by 4 out of 10 top ten competitors. A felt pad made it to the top ten, and 3 "name brand" pads made it.
Have you noticed that none of these are adding up to 10? But I digress...
Seat padding for the human was FLEECE in 6 out of 10 of the top ten. So I guess there is plenty of evidence there to get one of those nice merino wool seat covers.
Stirrups, 7 out of 10 used an endurance stirrup, 1 used a western, and the other two used an unknown type.
I am a total hoof boot / barefoot devotee. I think these numbers will grow over time and the facts will slowly quiet the critics.
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