So what’s all the buzz about TLOP pads, you ask? What makes them so great or what makes them better than all the other ‘digital support’ products on the market? Keep reading and I’ll do my best to cover as much as possible. I hope to shed some light on the patented TLOP comfort system.

First, TLOP pads (formerly known as Osha Products) have been around for some 6 years as of this writing, 2006. They were borne out of the aerospace industry by their innovator, Tommy Lee Osha, who is a former aerospace engineer, is a founding member and key core member of the equine research company known as BOGHS, and is a world-renowned trouble shooter. His inventions were the result of years of working with lame horses, both his own and friends. His years of evaluating and trouble shooting in high level positions have trained his eye and sharpened his ability to locate problems at their source at a higher than average rate of speed and to find workable solutions to resolve said problems. This led to his identifying a resilient foam rubber compound, known as EVA foam, to aide in supporting and comforting the lame horses he came into contact with. He began experimenting with the foam and began learning its strong points and it’s shortcomings. He traveled the country at his own expense visiting most of the largest vet colleges and farrier schools, not so much to push his new pads, but to show them there is new hope for helping lame horses and to have them discover any weaknesses of the pad so that he could make the pads better. This is exactly how I came to know Tommy Lee, at a farriers’ research school. Having a testing background (in a previous life), I was greatly impressed that Tommy Lee came to us, not to tell us how good his pads where, but rather to ask for us to tell him where and how they failed. In other words, he asked us to test them to destruction. This intrigued me since I use to test first according to a specified set of test scripts, and then to go beyond the parameters of the scripts. I would perform malicious testing, that is, I would try to break the system I was testing by using the system beyond its specified design. The purpose was to find flaws or weaknesses so that they could be accounted for and / or made stronger with less chance for failure. Tommy Lee’s challenge was right up my alley.

During my testing, I did find shortcomings, but not a result of an inadequate product. By the time the product, and Tommy Lee, got to me, he had already improved the product a good bit. The shortcomings I uncovered had more to do with how the pads where adhered to one another and where and how I used them. My logic was bent and twisted and put to the test. I learned that ‘more’ wasn’t always ‘better’; meaning that more pads placed under one foot wasn’t necessarily better for the horse. Often times, less was more. It started becoming apparent that what seemed logical in human terms, often times didn’t work out to be practical in equine terms. Therefore, I had to start thinking logically in equine terms, based on the knowledge I had at the time of the inner workings of equine foot. That knowledge would later be greatly updated based on the research findings of Tommy Lee and Dr. Robert Bowker VDM, of Michigan State University.

My ‘human’ logic for combining the pads was based on how shoe companies combined several layers of different density foam or rubber sole material to create soft, yet resilient soles for tennis shoes, ‘flip-flops’, and other such ‘comfort’ shoes. The soles would have a soft cushion against the foot and get denser, or harder, as the sole layers neared the ground. This makes sense,,, for a human; but not always for a horse. Case in point, I combined up to three layers of pads in ever increasing densities from foot to ground on a founder case I was working on during the time of my first encounter with the TLOP pads. I had trouble getting this horse comfortable on the pads, though I knew they should be comforting this very sore horse. I also had trouble keeping them on due to the way a classic founder horse stands, shifts and pulls his heels back under him in order to try to shift, move or avoid pain. After several attempts to find a good combination over several trips, I came to the conclusion that fewer layers of pads was better for the horse; better because the pads I had built up where too high for the horse to find stability, and better because their feet don’t benefit from the same layering of multiple densities as our feet do. I began to listen to the horse and allow the horse to tell me what felt best on his feet at that given point in time. It was at that point that I was just beginning to learn how to use the pads for the horse’s true benefit.

TLOP pads are so simple that they are complicated. Knowing what I (we) know today, if there were to be an ‘owners’ manual’ on how to use the pads with all of it’s possibilities, the manual would need to be the size of a single volume of an Encyclopedia. Be that as it may, I was trying to make their use too difficult. I started realizing that the pads each had their own characteristic, but they each one could be combined with another pad to alter others’ characteristic. I also learned that no more than two pads at a time should be combined, that is to say, in most cases, there should be no reason to combine pads to create more than two layers and that the combinations should not reach more than one inch in height in order for the horse to feel stable enough to ‘find’ the ground. The exception to this ‘rule’ is the founder pad, which is already higher than an inch to begin with, but the characteristics of the pad and the design of the pad allow the horse to stand on higher than one inch of pads, but it’s only under the heels and the half pad will begin reducing in height and will conform to the contours of the bottom of the foot. We do use these same pads to aid a horse in reducing pain and stress when lowering heels significantly, but in a kinder, softer manner than just lopping off heels and making the body deal with it. Other than that, more than an inch in height causes the horse to feel nervous and uncomfortable, especially if he is already standing on shavings, sawdust or any other soft, unleveled ground. The horse must be able to have the comfort and / or support the pads are capable of providing, but only if the feet can also find stability from solid ground. If the feet are too high off the ground, they have a tendency to slide off the pad or roll over as the horse tries to stabilize himself. So, and inch or less allowed that stabilization to take place; in most cases.

So what are the characteristics of the pads? Well, first off, there are currently six colors available. Each color represents a density. Second, each color is available in a minimum of three thicknesses and a maximum of 5 thicknesses (at the present time). The softer pads are designed to reduce in thickness under the horse’s weight while retaining a specific resilience. They are designed to provide a cottonier or cloud like feel to the foot. The softer pads are designed to provide comfort to the foot and they are designed to support and stimulate the sole, frog and bars more than the ground edge of the hoof wall. They are also designed to alter the characteristics of any other harder density TLOP pad when they are combined together. When pads are combined, it’s often time a softer density pad that’s placed on top of a harder density pad; placing the softer pad towards the foot and changing the density characteristic of the denser foam pad.

Harder density pads are designed to provide support more than comfort, though they are capable of providing comfort, depending on the horses specific situation and needs of that given time and place. The harder densities are designed to provide more support to the outer hoof wall, while offering less cushioned support to the sole and bars. The characteristics of the harder foams are often times combined with a thinner, softer foam pad, though not always.

What does all this mean? It means we can mix and match and modify any number of pads to find just the right combination that will help make the horse comfortable enough to stand, walk and be more relaxed. It means we can let the horse choose from which pads help him support the inner hoof in a way that’s best beneficial to him. It means that the horse owner can make changes to the pads to comfort or support the horse without needing to call out the vet or farrier every time there’s a change in the pain level to try this pill or that shoe to find something that will cover up the pain and cover up the problem. It means that you and your horse can work together to offer his feet a way of remaining comfortable, while allowing the horse to have virtual freedom of movement so that necessary stimulation, necessary blood flow and necessary exercising can take place to help speed up recovery. It means that not only can the feet be comfortable, but also the entire body can be more relaxed and can be more comfortable. And a more comfortable body means fewer counterproductive chemicals and enzymes will be released into the blood stream and the body, thus causing fewer misdiagnosed body or blood disorders. It means that the secondary issues or illnesses due to laminitis or founder, that tend to seem to test positive after the onset of laminitis, won’t cause the horse owner to believe the horse has developed any number of other ‘life altering’ illnesses that are often times diagnosed in such a way as to cause the horse owner to remain on some special diet or drug or supplement for the rest of that horse’s natural life. It means pain can be minimized, rehabilitation can be maximized and the horse can recover back to full, or close to full, soundness.

We learned from much trial and error what pad, or combination of pads, works best or feels best on the horse at any one given point in time. What we learned was, our own logic didn’t stand up to what was best for the horse. So, in order to educate our logic, we began ‘listening’ to the horse. What this means is, we would start out with a pad combination of what ‘we’ thought would help the horse at that point in time. We would allow the horse to stand on the pad(s). We would observe the horse’s reaction to the pad(s). If he shifted weight off quickly after several attempts to place the foot on the pad, we knew that pad wasn’t comfortable or it wasn’t offering the right support at that point in time. If the horse stayed on the pad(s) for a minute or two and then shifted off, we figured we were close. We would then play with positioning or making minor modifications to the pad(s) and then place the foot back on the pad and wait for a reaction. If the horse really liked the pad, he would place a lot of weight onto the pad and would actually refuse you to take the pad away, even if it was only to place the pad in a boot to be placed right back on the foot. Those are the times it’s fun, and funny, because you KNOW when you’ve got the right pad on the foot. There should be no doubt. The horse tells you! Licking and chewing, yawning, sighing, drooping eyes, etc. are all positive signs we would look for when looking for a reaction to the pad(s).

Learning how to read the horse for all the subtle signs takes time and experience. However, you, the horse owner, should be able to read your horse better than just about anyone. Therefore, it should be easy for you to determine which pad(s) or pad combination(s) to use to get the greatest comfort for your horse. Once your horse has ‘told’ you he likes a particular set of pads, it’s up to you to walk him for exercise, for muscle stimulation, blood flow and for hoof stimulation. After all, the pads are designed for pain management as well as support and comfort. Therefore, a crucial component to the treatment protocol is walking, stretching and exercising. Some pain is fine to work through, but if the horse truly isn’t able to move, he’ll let you know. True forced walking or exercising shouldn’t be done if the horse honestly going through serious pain. Discomfort, however, is another matter. We humans are no different. We may not feel good after an injury or surgery, but exercising is crucial to our rapid recovery. No moving, no walking and no exercising result in much slower recovery. It’s no different with the horse.

So what pads are available from TLOP currently? Well, it’s kinda like those TV infomercials. Folks, if you’ve searched high and low for a system that will comfort your horse. If you’ve wondered if anyone had gone through the same problems you’ve gone through. If you’re ready to try something less stressful, less traumatic and more logical than the centuries old hard cold steel, you’ve come to the right place and you are in luck!
They’re called the TLOP Comfort Support System. They come in the latest cool colors, slate gray, sky blue, midnight black, cottony white, victory red and spring green. There’s more, each color represents a specific density, unique to that color only. They come in the following, comfy, resilient densities in order of the colors above; 1.5 lb, 2 lb, 4 lb, 6 lb, 8 lb and 12 lb. Sound good? There’s more. They come in standard U.S. horseshoe sizes. Now how convenient is that? You want more? No problem! Each color density comes in various specific thicknesses to allow for a greater comfort selection. Still not convinced? Ok, each pad is capable of being shipped with, or without, a specially formulated 3M adhesive to allow them to either be adhered directly to the bottom of the hoof or to the bottom of your favorite hoof boot. But wait, there’s more. You can also combine each pad to any other of the pads to change the characteristics of the density of combined pads, and in a predictable manner. If you order within the next 15 minutes, we’ll even throw in, at no additional cost (for now), our world-renowned technical support to help you determine which pads to use for your specific given situation. So call now, supplies are limited (not really. The pads are like Post cereals, you keep purchasing, we’ll keep making.).

By now, you may be thinking to yourself that this all sounds too good to be true. Surely something as simple as this comfort system can’t be the magic pill (or pad as the case may be) to restore health, soundness and vitality to my horse. Surely it’s not that simple. If you’re thinking that, you’re right. The pads are only designed to ‘help’ aide in support and comfort and rehabilitation. The pads alone cannot and will not fix, repair, rehabilitate, re-grow, or pixy-dust-miracle-change anything. They are a comfort and support system, not a miracle cure. These pads are designed only to help your horse through his troubled times. What will fix, repair, etc.? The trim! It’s the trim that will help reset the mechanics of the foot. It’s the trim that will help change how the inside of the foot functions so that pain can be reduced naturally. It’s the trim that will allow better blood flow through the foot. It’s the trim that will help to reset bones into their proper place so that a whole new foot can grow down around the repositioned bone alignment. The trim doesn’t push, pull, prod or poke anything back where it belongs. The trim allows the mechanics and the bio-mechanics of the foot to be repositioned so that the horse can heal himself in the best way possible, based on his diet, environment, his exercise and rehabilitation and a whole host of other variables. A good, proper trim, combined with the use of the TLOP pads when and were needed, and along with a properly tailored rehabilitation program is what will ‘cure’ your horse of laminitis and founder; not shoes, not pills, not gimmicks, not supplements, not herbs, NOT cutting tendons, not stall rest, not hard composite sole pressure systems, and not a magic wand. In short, it’s the trim and rehabilitation techniques tailored to each individual horse, that the BOGHS team has developed, that will help your horse recover.

If you would like to know more about the TLOP pads, BOGHS or yours truly, Keith Seeley, please feel free to contact Tommy Lee Osha, myself or inquire on any number of Yahoo! Groups list that deal with founder and hoof ailments. Your calls and emails are always welcomed. Thank you for your time.

Keith