You’ll want some stretch in a support boot-with more firmness and durability than a bandage wrap offers. Like sports wraps for human athletes, support boots are especially helpful when your horse is performing strenuous activity that involves repetitive maneuvers such as reining, barrel racing or jumping. The faster and more challenging the work, the more you’ll need to support your horse’s tendons, ligaments and joints. Go for a streamlined style if you compete in speed sports after all, who wants bulk around their horses’ legs when racing the clock? Some advanced models even sport perforated foam to help draw heat away. When shopping, look for styles fashioned from breathable material or material with plenty of built-in airflow to facilitate air flow and fast drying. It can also make the boots difficult to dry. Unfortunately, the same tough, impenetrable material that protects your horse’s legs can cause both heat and moisture to build up against the skin, which can cause irritation. Shock absorption becomes more critical in fast, competitive sports and disciplines that involve jumping, so look for reinforcement in the “strike areas,” where protection is most important. If you ride and/or compete primarily in the arena, the boot material can be slightly stretchy, as long as it still protects against hoof strikes and burns from the footing material. The boots are durable, ergonomically designed, and easy to clean. Innovative solutions to prevent heat and moisture buildup in protective boots include the breathable combination of perforated foam and tough, flexible mesh in Classic Equine’s Airwave line. It’s important, too, that the material be tough enough to keep burrs and thorns from penetrating while shedding sticky brush.
Protective boots are usually made from a durable, non-stretch material that guards against not only interference or overreach (which can happen with any athletic horse, or while jumping) but injuries from rocks and branches. For more rigorous activities like colt starting, roping, jumping and cutting, look for boots with higher levels of protection according to what you’re doing and where you’re doing it-such as cross-country jumping or trekking through the mountains. For the average horse owner, this means boots designed primarily to shield splint bones and the soft tissues at the back of the leg during general exercise or trail riding. Why not get serious about protecting them? Without healthy legs, your horse or pony is out of luck-and riding or even driving can be out of the question.īoots to the rescue! While good nutrition and careful management are key components in leg health, you can do a lot more to safeguard those precious limbs by using the right gear, specifically boots dedicated to protection or support.
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