After 11 years of competing in Renegade Hoof Boots, I did something a little bit different: used the Renegade Pro-Comp Glue-Ons when I did Virginia City 100.

Up to this point, I’ve never felt a need to bother with gluing on. All of the strap boots I’ve used (both Classic and Viper models) have worked well, and any problems have been minor, easily resolvable, and/or a side effect of being a part of the R&D process.

But 100 miles over lots of rocks is a different kettle of fish. To help mitigate the effects of the concussion from that much hard-pack surface, as well as the rocks, I really wanted to use the pour-in gel pads Renegade offers. For most horses and most circumstances, they’re not necessary…but these were not usual circumstances. The downside to the gel pads is they do take up some space inside the boot where the hoof would normally seat. On some horses, it doesn’t seem to make a difference, but on others, it can change the fit enough so that boot retention becomes more of a challenge. Using the glue-ons in conjunction with the gel pads would (hopefully) mitigate that and be one less thing for me to obsess over during the ride. (All that said, strap Renegades have been used at Virginia City 100 before and successfully completed the ride.)

 

The Gluing Process

I follow the basic protocols as outlined on the Renegade page: http://www.renegadehoofboots.com/glueon.html, with a couple of modifications along the way to accommodate using the gel pads.

Gluing is pretty much a three-handed job, so I didn’t end up with any pictures of the process other than the finished product, but the videos in the above link give a really good visual demonstration.

Hoof prep is critical. I can just about guarantee that the vast majority of glue-on losses are from either insufficient/incorrect prep, or the wrong size.

Supplies– Renegade Pro-Comp Glue-Ons
– Vettec Adhere glue
– Vettec Dispenser gun (I really like the Deluxe one)
– Vettec mixing tips (I allow at least 2/hoof, plus extras for ‘oops’ moments)
– 36-grit sandpaper (I use 3M “Green Corp” file sheets, which have a mineral blend in them that makes for a sharp-edged grit that will actually score into the hoof, versus a rounded grain that will polish it)
– sanding block
– denatured alcohol (rubbing alcohol is not the same)
– small spray bottle
– paper towels
– latex gloves (unless you want to be peeling glue off your fingers for the next week)
– flathead screwdriver
– rasp
– hoof stand (optional, especially if you have a clean, flat surface)
– hoof nippers (or straight edge blade; these are to cut the tip off the Adhere

– Extra Helper (it is possible to glue by one’s self, especially with a very well-behaved horse, but it is so much easier to have a helper there to hold the horse, or pick up a leg, or hand you something)

• Start with a well-trimmed, well-balanced hoof. Make sure all hoof wall edges are rolled, and that any flare is removed.
• Begin prepping the hoof wall. Using the smooth side of the rasp, clean off the face of the hoof wall, including back to the heels. (Stay clear of the coronary band and at least 1/2″ below it.)
• Sand the hoof wall. This is a critical step. The rough sandpaper creates micro-grooves in the hoof, which in effect gives a larger surface area to which the glue can bond. When in doubt, sand more.
• “Dry fit” the boots to each hoof. Make sure they are a good fit, or if they need modifying. The sidewalls/glue flange of the boot can be trimmed to improve the fit.
  • The most common modification is cutting “v notches” at the toe quarters to adjust the toe angle.
• Gel Pad Modification: Because the gel pads allow more “movement” of the hoof as it sinks into the gel pad upon landing, this is a really important modification in order to help maintain the glue bond and give the boot multiple points of attachment. If the boot shape needs modifying, use the v-notch method. If the boot is a good fit, then just make two vertical splits, one at each toe quarter. This will allow the boot to better follow the hoof movement without cracking the glue bond at the quarters. (If it does crack, the boot is held on securely at the toe, and because of the splits in the boot, it will not keep cracking the bond all the way up to the toe.)

• Once the boots are dry fit, scuff the glue flange with sandpaper. They come from the factory already pre-scuffed, but another few swipes with rough sandpaper is that much more grip.
• Apply latex gloves and spray the boots with denatured alcohol and wipe them out with paper towels. Try not to handle the glue flange after it has been wiped down, and do not touch any of the inside of the boot with bare hands, or it will leave oils and residues. Set boots aside.
• Spray the hoof with denatured alcohol and thoroughly wipe clean with paper towels. I like to put a spare glue-on on the hoof at this time to keep it clean; otherwise, you’ll want to make sure they stand very still on a clean surface like a piece of cardboard or linoleum square.
• Assemble glue in dispenser, nip off the sealed tip, equalize the cartridge, and attach the mixing tip.
• Gel Pad Modification: Apply the glue to the toe glue flange. Set glue gun aside, slide the spare glue-on (if using) off the hoof, and apply the prepped boot to the hoof, making sure it is well-seated at the toe and the tread pattern is aligned with the central sulcus. Carefully either set the hoof down or bring it forward and up onto the hoof stand. (If they fidget or are prone to try to twist the hoof, use the stand method.)
• Gel Pad Modification, step 2: If the hoof was up on the stand, set it on the ground. Now use the flathead screwdriver to pry the sidewall flange away from the hoof at the quarters; insert the mixing tip and squeeze glue into the space between boot wall and hoof wall on both quarters. (If it took a couple minutes to get the toe gluing done, you may need to change the glue tip — if the glue does not easily flow, it has started setting up in the tip and a new one should be used.)
  • This two-step method also really minimizes the amount of glue that can get under the hoof wall, since the most common spot for that to occur is at the quarters, when the hoof is shoved into the boot, and can scrape the glue off the wall. Having the hoof flat on the ground means there’s nowhere for the glue to go but the space between hoof wall and boot wall.
• Give the boot several minutes to set up and move on to the next hoof. Repeat the same steps from cleaning with denatured alcohol onward.
• Allow a couple hours of quiet time for the glue to really cure, but Adhere is fast-setting and I’ve seen boots glued on the night before a ride without any problems.

Removal

Removing the boots can be fairly strait forward, or more time-consuming. They are intended as a single-use product, as it is difficult, or at least time-consuming, to remove all of the old glue from the boots, and a re-glue rarely bonds as well as a brand-new boot.

The quick-n-dirty way is to take a straight edge blade (like a box cutter) and cut along the spot where the boot wall meets the boot sole. The bottom can then be popped off, and the side walls peeled away from the hoof wall with hoof nipper or pliers.

If you really want to save the boots (either for re-use or, like I did, R&D purposes), then it’s the old “screwdriver and mallet” process: Insert flathead screwdriver at a point between hoof wall and boot wall (I find it easiest to start at the quarters), tap with mallet until it cracks the glue, work your way around the hoof.

An alternate to this, thanks to a suggestion from Lucy, is to use a tool used for changing out motorcycle tires — a “tire spoon.” It has a rounded head on it that has a slight curve — position it properly and it actually curves away from the hoof wall, preventing gouging into the wall.

Personal Thoughts/Wrap-Up/Misc Notes

They stayed put for 76 very rocky miles, and as tough as they were to get off, I doubt the last 24 (easier) miles would have done anything to budge them.

For a trail that eats hoofwear (I saw all manner of boots, multiple brands, laying along the trail), I am extremely pleased with how my gluing process did. I don’t particularly like gluing — it’s kind of a pain, especially when you have strap boots that are easy to apply and stay on — but glue-ons do have their place, and it’s a good tool to keep in my arsenal of tricks.

Beeba had one hoof that was a little funky in how it sized — the 0 was way too tight, but the 1 was a little looser than I would have liked. But the same principle applies to fitting Glue-Ons as the strap boots — loose is better than tight; a bit of excess space can always be filled with Adhere, but too tight of a boot will end up popping off the hoof. It was the right front, and in the photos above, you can see how much extra glue I ended up using, and I was never pleased with how it looked…but it stayed on.

I experienced a slight panic attack crimp in my plans when a major storm came through where we were camping the Wednesday before the ride, flooding the horses stalls and making soggy hooves unavoidable. Crap. This was problematic on multiple levels:

• Wet hooves are soft hooves. Soft hooves over over 100 miles of rock would be more sensitive and susceptible to bruising, even with the protection of boots.
• Hoof moisture levels can change hoof sizes. Wet = larger, dry = smaller. Potentially not good for the glue bond.
• While a “normal” level of moisture in the hoof is actually beneficial for glue adhesion, “soggy” is not. But I’m also not a fan of heat guns//torches to force-dry the hoof. Not only is that level of extreme dryness unnecessary, it’s really taking a risk with some very delicate, temperature-sensitive hoof structures. People do it all the time, but I prefer to leave creme brulee as a dessert technique. Denatured alcohol does a really good job of drying out excess moisture from the hoof, as well as removing any oils and residues on the surface.

So I dumped a bag of shavings in the stall to sop up any excess water, sent a couple of texts to the bosses to go over gluing protocols, got reassured that some extra denatured alcohol would take care of the problem, and tried to put aside my worries for the rest of the evening.

The next day dawned sunny and breezy, which dried things out in no time, so some of my concerns started fading. I did a couple sprays of denatured alcohol on Beeba’s hooves before we loaded up to head over to ridecamp, and between that, the trailer ride over, and then hanging out on the very dry parking lot at camp, by the time I was ready to glue on Thursday afternoon, any excess moisture levels were a total non-issue.

This has been a summer of gluing for me, between practice rounds on Mimi, and gluing for/at the Tevis Ed Ride. It’s not hard, per se…it really just takes being able to follow directions, be organized, and have the right tools.