Equipedic Saddle Pad (Equipedic.com) - This pad is designed with memory foam inserts.  I used their optional shims with Lucy to balance my saddle.  The pad is lightweight and performed well.  I had even sweat patterns after long days of riding, however by the third day Lucy had some sore spots on her back and the sides of the pad had bunched up during one of our rides.  They were gone by morning. I cannot fault the pad as I know my saddle does not fit her that well (a new saddle is in the making). The pad is lightweight, easy to clean and I was happy with its performance.  This pad is used by endurance riders and they seem to like it as well.

Crest Ridge Saddlery - Leather Breeching (Crestridgesaddlery.com) I knew I would need something to keep my saddle in place in the mountains.  I stumbled across this company and ordered their breeching and a breast collar.  This was the first piece of equipment I have purchased that I was able to use right out of the box.  The UPS truck arrived with it and within 5 minutes we were riding down the trail.  The leather is soft, supple and there are so many adjustments its almost impossible not to get a good fit.  It held my saddle in place, however Lucy did get a couple of rub marks on her butt.  I did not use it the following day and was treated to a disaster going down one of the trails (I was riding on her neck).  Luckily Lucy is used to almost everything and tolerated this shift in rider quite well (I had to climb back onto the cantle and slide off her sideways).  Then I learned how much fun it is to walk your horse down those rocky trails instead of riding.  Good thing she knows to stay out of my personal space and I can drive her forward; some of the places were quite tight and she could have easily knocked me over trying to get down the hills..  Love these products and they are highly recommended. 

Horse Boots - Easy Boots (Easycareinc.com) - We learned a lot about these boots.  First, they are NOT easy to use.  The first day it took exactly 1 hour to get them on 2 horses.  Gary purchased a set of Old Mac G2 Boots. They were fairly easy to put on, but by the end of the week, the straps were worn in spots and Shadow had rub marks from the gaitors.  Because Shadow has square shaped hooves, these were the boots that were recommended for her hoof shape.  They were a little sloppy, however she managed to do very well in the mountains and rocks.  They provided much needed traction and protection for her feet. The boots performed well and did not come off during our trip. 

 

For Lucy, I had purchased the original Easy boots for her rear feet and the Easy Boot Epic for her front feet.  They were extremely difficult to get on at first, but it got better each day.  The rear boots had no gaiters and came off  several times each day.  After the 4th day, and when the second one fell off, I just tied them to my saddle because I got tired of always looking to see if they were still there.  These boots were adjusted to their tightest place and when they came off, they were still closed and I had even placed a wire tie into the opening so they couldn't unbuckle. The Easy Boot Epic has a gator and those stayed on without any problems, however they were difficult to put on and take off. It is entirely possible that these boots could be the wrong size for her.  We did meet some people on the trail that were using the new Easy Boot Glove and they were very happy with them.  Regardless, having boots to protect the horses feet was a Godsend as some of the trails were very rocky.  The boots protected the horses feet and provided the traction they needed to enjoy the trails.
 
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