I used it last fall on two of my mares. For those not familar. Sole Guard is from Vettec and is a two part Urethane product. You insert the cartridge in a two plunger gun ( like a caulking gun)  As you squeeze the trigger the two plungers push out equal parts of the A & B compounds and they mix in the mixing tip. The product will set up into a Silicon-rubbery type of pad.  You apply it to the sole/frog area of the hoof. It forms to the shape of the sole and becomes hard in 3-5 minutes.

My horses have been barefoot for  3 years, But I still see them getting a little ouchie when I ride them on rough stuff for 2-3-4 days in a row. I can ride them on pretty much any thing for a long day. It's several days in a row with out time off that makes them sore. I have not had good luck with boots.  I broke the buckles and cables, tore the gaiters, had them fly off when the horses canter.

So last fall as hunting season arrived I had to make a decision. The canyon we pack up is a 7 mile long trail. We pack our camp the trail and return to the truck and load bags of hay pellets on the horses. We ride each day to various areas to hunt and as we shoot the deer & elk, We have to pack them off the mountain and down to the truck. So the horses are traveling 21-30 miles a day. The canyon we go up had a bad flash flood last September and was in very bad shape.  I diidn't want to mess with boots, But I didn't want to put shoes on horses that had been barefoot for 3 years and undo the conditioning.

So I tried the SoleGuard on two mares and I put shoes on two geldings.  It's a little challenging to put on the first time. Clean the hoof well. I suggest a fresh trim. While the hoof is clean from the trim, DRY IT with a Hair dryer or heat gun.  One tube of SoleGuard will do four hooves.  You will need 4 mixing tips ( one per hoof).  The product in the mixing tips will set up and clog the tip while you are holding the hoof in the air waiting fo rit to cure. Apply to the clean and dry hoof. Hold it up for 2-3 minutes. When you set it down, place something under it for another couple of minutes until it is totally cured. Vettec sells a plastic sheeting that is non-stick to the product. But  just used some Saran wrap. It sticks to it, But who cares. It comes off pretty quick as the horse heads up the trail.

The Sole Guard I used stayed on for 15 days.  We rode up and down that canyon many times. It snowed, It rained, The horses stood tied to a high line at nights and stomped their feet in the mud.

My mares kept up with the shod geldings on every outing. They didn't get ouchie. The product stayed in their hooves for 15 days. The mud and wet conditions finally sucked it out. So it did protect my horses soles.  At $30 a tube and $4 worth of mixing tips. It is kinda expensive for two weeks worth of protection for one horse. It will not protect the hoof wall. So you do need a good trim to prevent chipping and cracking the hoof wall or Flairing and seperating the white line. But it does protect the bottom of the foot from sharp rocks and gravel.

Horse on highline at camp. The two buckskin mares both had sole guard.

Lousy picture but you get an idea of what the trail looked like

The horse went up and down this 7 mile canyon daily. And we had typical October weather in the mountains. Snow and Rain. And the product stayed in the soles for 15 days while transversing some really nasty terrain.

There was a couple of days mid week when we came home for a hot shower and bring home what game we had already harvested. It snowed hard at home and here are the horse standing in their muddy corral. Their hooves were wet for all two weeks that the product was on their feet. I was pretty impressed that it tolerated all the wet weather.

I'm not going to use Soleguard for day rides and my normal summer trail rides. Most of those are saturday rides and the horses get time off between rides.  But I would consider it again when I needed protection for a week long pack trips or when hunting season cames around again.

She has a very sweet disposition.  I just throw the kids on her and let her follow me up the trail.

And that's probably her greatest fault. I've only got on her 2-3 times and shes had no training other than what kids have given her. She is the horse that we put my kids, their friends or we throw a pack on.  I usually rider her 1/2 brother the black geding behind her in the photo. He has such a fiesty attitude, I don't dare allow anybody else to ride him.  Her mother is the dark buckskin in the photo.  We pack both mares a lot, because they are only 14-3 and it's easier to throw an elk up on them than the 16 hand gelding. And I can usualy just turn them loose and let them follow up the trail.

I need to get on her and teach her to collect up and gait.  She gets all strung out going down the trail in her choice of posture since the kids are just passengers rather than controller her.

I don't know how long you can continually  use the product.  The manufacture claims it can stay on as long a 3 weeks per application. Mine stayed about 15 days, but my horses feet we wet and muddy a lot of that 15 days.

Google Vettec and look at their specs for Sole Guard.