What is the most protective horse tendon boot?

This blog outlines the differences in protection of leading brands of tendon boots. At Cryochaps we have impact tested and compared results next to five other protective horse tendon boot, to answer the question as of what is the most protective horse tendon boot of the ones we tested.

The reason that you use a horse boot is usually because you need some element of protection for the horses’ legs. If could be for any of the following reasons:

Brushing boots for horses to prevent knocking the inside of the leg
Interference, using a horse boot to prevent any leg striking another
Hitting a fence, horse boots that cover the canon bone. All the boots that were tested were open fronted horse boots in this blog.

Many people still believe that a horse boot such as a tendon boot for horses can be used for support. It is important to note that a normal horse exercise boot cannot be used for support, it is not possible to support a 500kg horse’s leg with a tendon boot or a sports wrap boot for horses.

So if we specifically look at how much force is transmitted through a boot when struck by the same amount of energy, we can understand which tendon boots have more protective properties.

What standards to horse tendon boots need to be manufactured to?

When designing a horse boot there are currently no standards that a boot must be designed to. By that we mean there is no protection rating that the FEI or governing body have said that a tendon boot must be manufactured to, to prevent injury. This is unlike the body protectors and riding hats that we, as humans, use to protect us. These products are impact tested to see how much force is transmitted through the products and limits are set so there is less chance of serious injury and broken bones.

Here at Cryochaps when the design team started prototyping for a protection and air flow, tendon boot it was going to be important to see how we compared to other big brands of horse tendon boots on the market. By doing this we could cross compare due to no standards being in place for reference.

As well as protection all tendon boots should also provide the followng to make them the most suitable for horse leg wear:

The horse air flow boot must be as lightweight as possible, so it did not interfere with the horse’s movement. Studies have shown that the more weight you put on a horses leg the more it alters the knee, hock and spine movement. Hence there are weight limits imposed by the FEI rules.
Materials used in the tendon boot must hold as little water and sweat as possible. Again, this effects the weight of the boot, plus wet legs are more likely to rub as the skin gets soft.
Tendon boot materials must afford impact dissipation and double layering. This means there is a hard outer shell to the tendon boot to deflect initial impact and a soft inner padded material to the inner of the tendon boot to absorb the impact. Both these combined means less force is transmitted to the horses leg through the boot.
Air flow, the tendon boot had to be designed to maximise air flow to generate the best cooling effect for horses’ legs during exercise.

Which tendon boots were tested for impact protection?

When prototyping the Exoskeleton tendon boot, because there were no standards to manufacture to, it was important to compare to the leading brands on the market. Exoskeleton tendon boot was impact testing against the following leading brands and descriptions are taken from the brand websites for an overview of what they are. Prices ranged from £48 to £215 for each set of boots.

Veredus Carbon Gel Vento Tendon Boots

Carbon Gel Vento is the tendon boot signed by Marcus Ehning that guarantees a double ventilation. The heat that is released from the horse’s leg passes through the micro-perforated neoprene layer and is distributed in the 3D mesh ducted fabric. Fresh air enters through the air inlets and directs the heat upwards to the outlet grid. The ventilation is therefore both horizontal and vertical. The protection of the front tendons is guaranteed by carbon combined with a Nitrexgel shock absorber film.

Kentucky Horsewear Tendon Boots

The Tendon Boots Elastic have a tough outer shell casing which is styled in an extremely light yet strong TPU to protect against impact, whilst the tendon and fetlock areas are both reinforced with D3O shock absorbing molecules for ultimate protection. Laboratory tests have shown that the boots absorb impact over 50% better than any other boot currently on the market, with the ability to disperse a heavy blow equivalent to that which would actually break a human bone. The tendon area of the boot features intelligent ventilation holes to help prevent legs and tendons overheating, whilst the neoprene lining is also perforated, making these boots incredibly breathable, as well as offering excellent cushioning against the skin.

Zandona Carbon Air Tendon Boots

The strike zones of the Carbon Air are reinforced with carbon fibre to provide incredible strength, while a generous layer of Gel-Tech padding absorbs impact. The anatomic TPU structure is designed to conform to your horse’s leg, with differentiated thickness to optimise performance. The cut-away Flex Zones ensure freedom of movement. The perforated neoprene lining and air inlets allow air to flow through the boot to prevent over-heating.

KM Elite air Shock Tendon boots

One of the toughest, lightest, and highest quality fetlock boots on the market today. These boots use “air shock” technology, similar to that used by Nike in its trainers, making them ideal for both competition and everyday use. Combining TPU plastics with a special elastic soft perforated material, the boots rest comfortably where others tend to mark and rub. The inner shell is lined for extra comfort and perforated with air vents to allow the horse’s legs to breathe, featuring a strong Velcro fastening.

Le Mieux Impact Responsive Tendon Boots

A range of jumping boots with enhanced vented protection. Lightweight shock resistant shell is anatomically moulded to support the fetlock and tendon. Rear and side vents to release heat build up. Air enters lower vents flowing around tendons and rises to the upper extractor vent. Integrated Impact Responsive Gel absorbs energy and concussion created whilst jumping and protects against strikes whilst landing and turning.

Exoskeleton Tendon Boots

The outer lightweight armour withstands high and repeated impact with maximum durability. The Exoskeleton provides a protective shell yet superior ventilation, as speed increases so does the convective cooling

Internal secondary strike protection provided be a specialised polymer, giving softness, flexibility and hardiness. It deforms under sudden or sustained impact and reverts to its original form without damage, providing ultimate shock absorption. The material does not hold water, or sweat so keeps the boot lightweight and rub free during exercise.

What tests were completed?

All tendon boots has a weight dropped on them in controlled conditions, so precisely five joules of energy was applied to the back of the boot where a hind leg may hit and to the side of the fetlock where brushing may occur. A pressure pad was placed underneath the tendon boot to asses the Newton force transmitted through the tendon boot.

Comparative results of impact tests done on horse tendon boots

The results were mind blowing, the two leading brands of horse boots, Veredus and LeMieux tendon boots, fared the worst and had the most force transmitted through the boots when 5 joules of impact was applied. In the human world bone fractures are seen at 9000N and the two well know leading brands of boots, transmitted more that 9000N through the tendon boot

Conclusion on what are the best protective horse boots.

The results speak for themselves. If you were worried about a hind leg striking the back of your horse’s leg at speed, what tendon boot would you prefer to have on your horse? Price and brand do not necessarily mean that the tendon boots offer better impact protection.