Glue-On Composite Shoes
EasyCare Versa Glue-on Shoes
I have used many types of glue-on composite shoes over the years and EasyCares Versa line is by far my favorite to apply these days. They are easy to apply and have helped a wide variety of horses. I have used them successfully on barrel horses, rope horses, trail horses, jumping horses, endurance horses, dressage horses, and rehabs.
My three favorite shoes in the EasyCare Versa line are the Versa Grip Lite, the Versa Grip Octo, and the Versa Grip Glue
EasyCare Versa Grip Lite
The Versa Grip Lite was honestly the best thing since sliced bread in the world of Glue-on shoes when it came out. It was amazing that this composite shoe attached to the hoof wall will a cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). This really brought the cost down for glue-on shoes and made them much more affordable for horse owners. The greatest advantage of this shoe in the Versa line is that it can be altered, adjusted, and modified to fit any shape or size hoof. You can use this shoe with heat welded tabs on almost any hoof with any issue. These days I use them on a lot of horses with laminitis or other extreme hoof pathologies. I can grind the shoe to the shape of a specific hoof and then heat weld tabs on where ever I need them to get a perfect fit while avoiding the pathology present. If I have a hoof that is an odd shape that needs protection this is the versa shoe I choose to use.
EasyCare Versa Grip Octo
The Versa shoe that I always try first and probably use the most is the Versa Grip Octo. This shoe has the same base as the Versa Grip Lite but comes with the tabs pre-attached to the shoe. This eliminates the need to heat weld the tabs on which creates a generally more stable tab to shoe attachment point (i.e. you don’t have to worry about your weld failing). Not having to to heat weld is also a huge time saver! If the horse I’m applying these to has fairly normal sized front and/or hind hooves this is the shoe I always use first. It’s extremely easy to apply and if it fits well I have no retention issues. This shoe like the Versa Grip Lite also attaches to the hoof wall with superglue which really helps keep the cost of the application down. I am currently using these on barrel horses, trail horses, endurance horses, jumping horses, gaited horses, dressage horses, and rehabs with great success. It’s probably the easiest glue-on composite shoe I have ever used and very cost effective.
EasyCare Versa Grip Glue
The next Versa shoe that I use a lot is the Versa Grip Glue. This composite shoe has the same shoe base as the Versa Grip Lite and the Octo, but the type of shoe attachment is a injectable cuff and it is designed to be used with polyurethane or acrylic glue. I personally have been using acrylic glue with them because that seems to be what works best in the environment I work in and it can withstand a lot of sheer force. The only reason I don’t use this shoe as often as the the Versa Grip Lite and the Versa Grip Octo is because of the added cost of the glue. But sometimes the best shoe package to use is the one that works and this shoe glue combination to date has never failed me. In general I have these shoes on horses that have had retention issues when using other shoe packages. Usually this is because the horse has some sort of abnormality associated with its stride, footfall, and/or gait, causing it to put extreme shear force on the attachment points of the shoe. I have a high level endurance horse on my books currently that had not been able to keep any type of shoe on for a full cycle, glue-on composite shoe, nailed on composite shoe, or nailed on steel. He would actually wear the shoes down so much it would hinder the viability of the attachment points. The only shoeing package that has worked for him is the Versa Grip Glue combined with acrylic glue. Even when he wears his shoes down substantially the combination of the strong cuffs of the shoe attached with acrylic glue eliminates retention issues and he keeps the shoes on regardless of how many competitive miles he has completed. I will also use this shoe on horses that are between sizes in the Octos. Where one shoe is too small but the next size up leaves gaps between the tabs and the hoof wall. Acrylic and polyurethane glues can fill those small gaps and eliminate the need for an absolutely perfect fit when using the Versa Grip Glue. Using this shoe is also a huge time saver because you don’t have to heat weld the cuffs to the shoe. It comes already assembled and is very easy to apply.
