Choosing The Right Horse Boots For Your Animal

Ever felt overwhelmed at picking the right horse boots for your animal?
It’s no surprise. Beginner equestrians are often shocked to realize there’s not one, two or even four types of horse boots, but a multitude of them in all shapes, colors and sizes!

Horse boots were once made mostly from leather with a bit of canvas and leather straps. Today, you’ll find them made from nylon, fleece or high-end synthetic materials.

But wait, why do you need horse boots in the first place?

Horse boots are also known as protective boots. They’re made to protect your horse’s legs and offer support. They’ve also become a common substitute for polo wraps or horse bandages. Putting your horse in the right horse boots can help with several existing issues your horse may have.

For instance, if your horse overreaches, has sustained an injury or constantly hits or brushes his legs together causing injury, it might be time to consider getting a boot for your animal.

Now comes the tricky part, choosing which type to get. There’s a multitude of them out there. But we’ve gathered some of the most common types to consider including what they’re used for.

Remember, horse boots shouldn’t just look great on your horse’s legs, they need to correct or prevent more damage to your animal’s legs.

Dressage Boots Used For: Dressage training, Protection from interference Used for exhibition or in competition, dressage riding boots offer protection and also looks great when worn. During dressage riding or training, they not only add grace and draw the eye to the leg movements but also ensures your horse is protected from accidental knocks or brushes. Dressage training is physically straining on your animal so these boots are lightweight and often lined with fleece. Kavallerie Fleece-Lined Dressage Boots combines fleece and lightweight leather to ensure they don’t cause chafing, irritation or weigh down your horse.

Support Boots Used For: Protecting and supporting the tendons and ligaments Support boots cover the ligaments and the tendon area on your horse’s legs. These are secured with a lock closure, cradling and covering the fetlock area. The boots offer good support while giving stability to the legs. Kavallerie Support boots are crafted from DuroArmour strike plates and triple velcro closure so it stays in place even with a good amount of movement.

Travelling Boots Used For: Let protection and support during travelling Back in the day, travelling boots weren’t available. You would need to put your horse in knee boots and hock boots then wrap the legs in bandages to make sure they’re safe. But now, you can purchase travelling boots which extend from the knee to the coronet. These boots are usually made using quilted material or something comfortable for the animal.

Fetlock Boots Used For: Covers the pastern joint and fetlock area Fetlock boots are often used together with tendon boots. Although they’re not built for support, they offer protection for your horse’s fetlock area. They absorb knocks during mid-air launches or as the horse lands. Kavallerie offers both Classic Fetlock and Pro-K Fetlock Boots. Both are made from lightweight breathable mesh and tough strike plates to prevent brushing injuries.

Bell Boots Used For: Used for preventing self-knocks and injury Covering the pastern and entire hoof, bell boots can be used while the horse is in the stall or while riding. Aside from protecting against knocks and brushes, bell boots are also great for keeping away dirt or mud. They can be used on the front legs or back legs.

Tendon Boots Used For: Showjumping; Protects the tendons on the back legs During showjumps, a horse’s hind legs can sometimes catch the back part of the front legs and cause injury to the tendons. To save your animal from pain and injury, tendon boots should be used. Kavallerie Tendon Boots, like most, are crafted with an open front so the horse can feel the pole or rail when he touches it.

Picking the right horse boots means knowing what you need them for. You can find a great selection of professional equestrian boots and beginner horse boots only here at Kavallerie.

All of our products come with a full warranty, so you can rest assured you’re covered all the way through. Test them out to see which one works best.