Protective Horse Boots

Protective horse boots are any boots designed to protect the horse's legs from impact, strike or environmental damage during work or turnout. The category covers tendon boots (front cannon protection during jumping), fetlock boots (inner fetlock protection), brushing boots (lighter, all-round protection), overreach/bell boots (heel protection), turnout boots (paddock protection) and stable wraps.

Use protection appropriate to the work: tendon-and-fetlock pairs for jumping, brushing boots for flatwork on a horse that knocks itself, overreach boots if your horse overreaches, turnout boots in the paddock if needed. For light schooling on a horse that doesn't strike itself, no boots are sometimes the right answer.

Most boots size by cannon bone circumference (tendon, fetlock, brushing) or hoof size (overreach). Pony, cob, full and oversize are the typical sizes. The boot should fit snugly without twisting, with two fingers' clearance under the strap.

A tendon boot protects the front cannon and tendons from hind-leg strikes during jumping - worn in front. A fetlock boot protects the inner fetlock joint from leg-on-leg contact - worn behind. A brushing boot is lighter, covers more of the cannon, and is used in flatwork for horses that knock themselves at slower paces. Most jumping horses wear a tendon-and-fetlock pair; brushing boots are an all-round flatwork option.

CWD, Kentucky Horsewear, Lami-Cell, One Equestrian and Agrihealth cover the protective boot range. Specifics by brand are in their dedicated collections; for the full stocked range across brands, see boots and bandages.

Brush off mud and sweat after each use. Most synthetic boots wash cool with the rest of the boot kit. Leather boots wipe clean and need occasional conditioning. Inspect for strap wear and replace before failure.