The Coolest Tendon Boot on the Market

Leg protection is vital, but what if your horse boots are doing more harm than good? Many traditional tendon boots offer impact resistance, but their materials can also trap heat, especially in warm weather or during and after exercise. Overheating soft tissue is a known risk factor for tendon degradation and weakness over time.

That’s why Cryochaps Exoskeleton boots were designed differently to be the coolest tendon boot on the market today.

They’re not just top-rated for strike protection in independent testing – they also avoid the heat build-up commonly associated with many other horse boots. If you’re protecting your horse’s legs from strikes, but unintentionally cooking the tendons underneath, it defeats the point.

Choose horse boots that do both: guard against impact and help maintain safer leg temperatures. That’s where Cryochaps stand out.

The Science: Heat and Tendon Damage

Tendons in a horse’s legs are particularly vulnerable. During exercise, they undergo intense stress and generate heat. Studies have demonstrated that tendon temperatures can exceed 45°C (113°F) during heavy work with no boots covering the leg. At this level, cellular degeneration has been seen to occur when testing tendon cells in the lab.  This means the building blocks of tendon structure begin to break down, and this is what is hypothesised to increase the risk of long-term damage and injury.

The major concern? Boots and bandages, while offering protection from impact, do trap heat. Testing done by the Cryochaps team has seen the exterior of the leg reach 38-39°C in canter work, when using boots. It is estimated that the internal tendon core could be 4- 5°C hotter, turning the leg into a mini oven and reducing the tendon’s ability to cool naturally. That’s where Dr. David Marlin’s research becomes crucial to test boots and their insulation effects.

Dr. David Marlin’s Independent Tendon Boot Testing

To bring data to the discussion, Dr. Marlin conducted independent testing on 10 leading tendon boot brands, measuring insulation using R value, a standard metric used to evaluate thermal resistance.

Horse Boots tested:

Arma Oxi Zone by Shires, Cryochaps Exoskeleton, Eskadron, Equick, Equilibrium, Kentucky Bamboo, Le Mieux Exo Flex, Premier Equine, Stubben Flex, Veredus.

What is R Value?

R value (measured in m²·K/W) indicates how well a material resists the flow of heat. The higher the R value, the more it insulates, which is great for a duvet in winter, but potentially dangerous when it comes to cooling a horse’s leg during exercise. For example:

• A summer cotton sheet might have an R value of ~0.5–1
• A heavy duvet could be R 4–6
• House insulation can go up to R 20+

Now compare that with tendon boots, and the results are revealing.

Horse Boot Insulation Results (Lowest to Highest R Value)

Boot	R Value (m²·K/W)
Cryochaps Exoskeleton	1.81
Eskadron Protection	6.35
Stubben & Evolution	10.58
LeMieux Exo Flex	14.00
Veredus Carbon Gel Absorber	14.30
Equilibrium Tri-Zone	15.33
Kentucky Bamboo Shield	15.63
PE Flex Tech Carbon Pro	17.24
eQuick	18.69
Arma Oxi-Zone	28.20

Interpreting the Results: Less Insulation = More Protection

Looking at these figures, Cryochaps Exoskeleton stands out by a wide margin to be the coolest tendon boot. With an R value of just 1.81, it offers the lowest insulation of all the boots tested, a figure closer to a thin cotton sheet, than a winter duvet. This means Cryochaps allows much more natural heat dissipation, perhaps therefore reducing the risk of dangerous tendon temperatures during work.

All other boots had a significantly higher R-value which could seriously impede the leg’s ability to cool.

The Takeaway: Choose Smarter, Not Just Stronger, the Coolest Tendon Boot

Impact protection is essential, but not at the expense of tendon health. Cryochaps Exoskeleton proves that it’s possible to design a boot that protects with minimal heating. Opting for the boot with the least insulation is the smart, science-backed choice. You will also be pleased to hear that in the group of 10 boots, Exoskeleton by Cryochaps, consistently performed across all the tests Dr David Marlin performed. Coming in the top three throughout and the most important for some, impact protection, coming 2^nd place to E-quick. Dr David Marlin quote “I was surprised how good Exoskeleton performed in the insulation tests”

Cryochaps Exoskeleton isn’t just another tendon boot, it’s a solution grounded in research. When it comes to tendon protection, cooler really is better and Exoskeleton is the coolest tendon boot by far.