Tag Archives: leg protection

Horse Care

Give Your Horse a Leg Up! Staff Picks of Our Favorite Leg Protection Products

Big Dee’s is back with a selection of our must-have leg protection items. We know how important it is to keep our beloved horse’s delicate bones, joints, and tendons properly supported and protected every day. Whether it’s for turnout, schooling on the flat, jumping, running barrels, or getting your patterns down, check out some of our top picks!

Turn Out

Country Pride Neoprene Splint Boots | Colleen, Purchasing Associate

Country Pride Splint Boots w/ EZ Pull $16.95

Who says you must spend an arm and a leg (no pun intended) to get AMAZING quality? These boots are made to withstand horses that will literally eat their boots in turnout. I love the fact that the EZ Pull fasteners hold like iron; they stay in place so well, even after they are out in the field for 8+ hours! Plus, the neoprene is super durable and washes easily – I simply hose them off and hang to dry then they’re good as new!

Toklat Hind Neoprene Splint Boots | Colleen, Purchasing Associate

Toklat Neoprene Hind Splint Boot $42.95

As someone who constantly struggled with finding the right boots to cover Rotti’s entire hind leg in turnout, these boots are fantastic! Not only does the extra padding on the inside protect his legs when he’s galloping or bucking, the extra long length and fourth fasten tab ensure that he is totally covered.

Bell Boots

Davis Pro Fit Bell Boots | Lisa, Sport Horse Specialist

Davis Pro Fit Bell Boots $18.95

Don’t be fooled by the soft, flexible rubber on these multipurpose bell boots! Available in a variety of fun colors and sizes, the Davis Bell Boots have a “fantastic” Velcro attachment and comfort collar around the pastern to keep horse’s legs protected without rubs.

Shires Fleece Trim Bell Boots | Cassie, Marketing Associate

Shires Fleece Trim Bell Boots $16.19

The Shires Fleece Trim Bell Boots are a great choice for sensitive skinned horses that need a little extra protection from rubbing – and durable resistance from overreaching.

“These bell boots did the trick for my OTTB who could easily get out of other types and needed protection from pulling his shoes. The fleece allowed him to wear the bell boots for 12+ hours a day without any rubs.”

Full-Coverage / Medicine Boots

Professional’s Choice VenTech Elite Boots | Cassie, Marketing Associate

Professional’s Choice VenTECH Elite SMB Value Pack $155.99

The #1 best-selling 360-degree protective boots on the market, these boots are the ultimate leg protection item for horses. Lightweight and multi-layered, the Elite boots offer full coverage of the cannon, tendons, and fetlock without hindering movement. Features UltraShock and limestone-based neoprene to combat impact and moisture.

“The Professional’s Choice VenTech SMB’s are great for that extra level of protection while schooling. I like the variety of colors so I can match with my tack (always a bonus for me). They fit true to size and even had an option for my very petite boned Quarter Horse – easy to use, easy to clean – win, win!”

Jumping / Open Front

Eskadron Flexisoft VO Open Front & Ankle Boots | Colleen, Purchasing Associate

Eskadron Flexisoft VO Open Front & Ankle Boots

As someone who values durability, quality, and good styling, its no surprise that Eskadron boots have been my go-to picks when jumping for over 10 years. I love the anti-slip soft neoprene lining that keeps dirt out and molds around a wide variety of horse’s legs. Both the front and hind boots easily fit a wide variety of horse’s legs and the lightweight TPE shell protects legs from impact without weighing them down.

Flat Work

All Sport Boots | Cassie, Marketing Associate

All Sport Boots $46.95

The All Sport Boot is designed to provide excellent protection and comfort. Combined with a plush neoprene lining and covered in rugged Coverlight vinyl and strike area. Not only is it tear, puncture, and abrasion-resistant, these boots are waterproof and prevent fungal growth!

“These are my go-to boots for everyday riding. They are durable, easy to clean and fit securely. I feel better knowing my horses have protection and support when we’re schooling western and classic Dressage.”

All-Around

Woof Wear Brushing Boots | Lisa, Sport Horse Specialist

Woof Wear Brushing Boots $39.95

These boots are a fantastic option for those that want to add a bit of color and personality to their look – in fact, there are almost 10 colors to choose from! The unique neoprene used on these boots encourage airflow, drawing away unwanted heat from the legs. Plus, with universal sizing, you can use these as either front or hind boots. If you want to jazz up your look for cross-country, flatwork, or turnout, these are the boots for you!

“…for both work and turnout, I use [Woof Wear Sport Boots.] [They] wrap on easily, offer great protection and stay in place regardless of the weather.”

There are so many fun, innovative products out there to try out on your horse. Depending on your needs, style, discipline, or brand preference, Big Dee’s has tons of options available with over 40 different companies to choose from for boots/wraps alone!

Enjoy the ride,
Colleen, Purchasing Associate

Horse Care

Prepping for Show Season

The time of year is coming for us to start prepping. We start working our horses harder, longer, more strenuously. Protection for your horse is always a must need when show season comes in to swing full force! There are so many options that sometimes we feel overwhelmed. What should I buy? What type of boot or wrap does my horse need? Of course these are the things that vary through discipline, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. When looking for my ideal preference in leg protection for my horse I weigh out a couple different factors.

First thing is not only my own preference, but what is my horse’s preference? I always try a couple different kinds of leg protection to see how my horses feel and how they work in each kind. My older mare is very balanced when working. She tends to work very symmetrical from front to back. I can put any sport boot on her and she works the same.

My young one on the other hand is a little more particular. I boot her in the front and wrap her with polos in the back. She tends to move more freely behind with polos on rather than having boots on feeling very heavy and slow behind. Being cutting and reining bred she works primarily on the haunches. She has a lot of rate in her turns and has a big stop. Since I use polos on her to keep her comfortable I also put a skid boot or run down boot to give extra support to the fetlock and prevent any holes or tears on my polos when we run. I always secure my velcro on my polos with a tape. I prefer an electrical type tape because it’s more flexible.

After seeing what my horse prefers I always look at what protection I want for my horses. My favorite is classic equine legacy. They cradle the fetlock and have a tough exterior in that area that adds extra protection to your horse and the boots themselves. The suspensory rib on the inside helps to fit right into the tendon groove sitting between the suspensory ligament and deep digital flexor tendon to assure great stability and better fit. They have top quality neoprene that’s flexible and light to help it breathe and remove heat from the leg while working to keep them cool.

Here at Big Dee’s we offer so many awesome choices to keep protection for your horse fun and colorful! From classic equine, professional choice or weaver there are limitless patterns and color combinations! My favorite patterns we have right now are the prodigy crimson Aztec and the prodigy insignia! If we are missing a style or color you’re looking for ask us about ordering them for you!

Written by Showroom Associate, Cora

Horse Care

Equine Leg Protection

Do you have a horse that needs some leg support?
Where to begin, right?
There are so many options now that it’s easy to choose exactly what your horse needs for where they need support. Leg protection can be used for a few reasons – as a preventative, as a barrier, or as support.

Bell Boots
Bell Boots come in a large variety of styles, colors and materials

Let’s start with the easy one – Bell Boots.
Is you horse tracking up too far and catching his back hooves on his front hooves? Does he pull his shoes occasionally?
Bell boot come in two basic styles with some variation – Pull On Boots or Velcro Boots. For people who use Bell Boots for turn out, or know their horse can get the Velcro off, the Pull On boots are for you. After a little bit of stretching over your horse’s hoof, the bell boots will stay on as long as you need them and are incredibly sturdy! The second style is the Velcro attachment, these come in a few more options such as having a fleece lined top, no turn style, or wrap style to fit your horses comfort level! Velcro Boots are great for protection while working your horse.

Polo Wraps

Next up – the Polo Wraps.
Do they serve a purpose?
When I was first learning about horses I was taught to polo wrap your horses’ legs for all around leg and tendon support. Years later while working for a dressage trainer, I learned the safe and effective way to wrap Polos. It does take practice to be wrap the correct way in order to help your horse while in work. Polo Wraps are beneficial during intense workouts and training sessions to support the horse’s lower leg. One of the best bonuses of Polos, is that they come in so many different colors to match your tack!

Specialized Sport Boots

Following the faithful Polo Wraps – Sport Boots
Do you want Open Front or Fleece Lined?
Before mastering the polo wrap I looked into sport boots, there are a few options and some of them have better uses depending on what your discipline is (although most can be used for any discipline).

The Equifit EXP3 Front Jumping Boot offers enhanced protection throughout the leg featuring an Everleather molded shell that is streamlined for an anatomical fit.

Open front jumping boots have a strong outer shell to protect the horses fetlocks when jumping over poles or cross country obstacles. They sometimes have a matching back set of boots to protect the horses hind legs from knocking as well!

The Dressage Sport Boot (DSB) are designed for intensive work, with its hard vinyl shell and tear resistant Coverlight™ strike area to protect the most vulnerable areas of your equine athlete.

Dressage Sport Boots offer protection on the inner sides of your horse legs that help prevent rubbing or knocking into each other when doing those advanced movements. These boots are either neoprene or fleece lined for extra padding and protection.
I personally love the DSB boots!

Specialized Western Boots
This Neoprene Skid Boot by Classic Equine offers clean, close, flexible fit for protection and comfort.

We covered Open Front and Dressage Boots – how about western?
How are Skid Boots different than Athletic Boots?
For Reining and Western Riding, skid boots wrap around your horses fetlock and cannon bone and have a soft neoprene lining. There is a skid cup around the bottom to prevent the sand from scraping your horses fetlock when doing sliding stops or cutting.

Athletic Boots are a great option for overall protection and support!

Skid Boots are very similar to the Athletic Boot style which has an extra supportive strap that wraps along the bottom of the horses fetlock and helps with dropping fetlocks and overall support with the tendon. They can be used on both the front and hind legs.
These can come in fun colors and patterns – sometimes with matching bell boots!

Splint and Tendon Boots
Splint Boots like the Professional’s Choice, Weaver and Davis are popular choices!

Last and certainly not least is the faithful Tendon/Splint boots.
Are Splint and Tendon Boots ideal for general leg protection?
Splint Boots are usually padded on the inside with Velcro straps on the outside of the leg. These boots offer cannon bone protection and helps with brushing of the legs and support the most important tendons on your horses legs.

The All Sport Boot (ASB) and Woof Wear Brushing Boot offer leg protection and support
at an affordable price!

Tendon Boots are great for just adding to your horse as a preventive that helps add a basic level of protection for your horses legs for a great price.

So which is best for you and your horse?

Well, first you need to question where your horse needs that extra bit of support. Then, what level and type of riding are you doing?
If you have any further questions and can’t quite decide call us here at Big Dee’s and we would be happy to find you the right fit!

Written by Laura Brubaker, Customer Service Representative