Cross country boots

[tashcat]

I'm so stuck on what boots to buy my tb for eventing! We've got our first BE80 next week so nothing major but do want a good level of protection as he's quite prone to hurting himself!

Ideally want a pair that can be used for both the show jumping and xc phase.

My previous horse always wore simple woof wear brush boots on his fronts so I'm totally unexperienced in the boot department! I've xc schooled W in brush boots, and they were fine but you see so many fancy boots these days I'm second guessing myself! And I feel like he should have hinds too - perhaps again because that seems like the norm, but I do think there is a place for them as he's much more breakable than my last horse - he overreached in the field and pulled off his shoe last month, and he did come back from xc with a minor scrape or two.

I remember reading a really interesting discussion about some boots causing tendon damage due to the hard plastic, which makes me more confused in the already confusing world of boots!

What would you recommend?

 

[ihatework]

Sampled many over the years, prefer Style ones.
Wouldn't be using xc boots for SJ though

 

[lauraea]

Nothing overly fancy, but I always ride mine in his caldene brushing boots and fetlock boots, and for XC I use the brushing boots on both fronts and hinds! (All very low level stuff may I add)

 

[eventer and proud]

I love the premier equine air cool ones, they also look smart for sj though i use sj boots with an open front. They are quite expensive so i would say buy front ones and wear WW brushing boots behind then but some back in a month or two.

 

[Shay]

It isn't ideal to use XC boots for SJ. The mechanism of protection is quite different. Open fronts and fetlock boots would be better for SJ. Brushing boots are not really good for XC either - they don't offer the protection the leg needs. In a brushing boot the padding is on the inside to protect from a brush or sideways strike. For XC you need strike guards fore and aft to protect from the fence and the tendon from a forward blow with a hind toe rather than a sideways one. XC boots also fit higher - especially on the hinds.

For make - The N.E.W. boots fit really well. We've had problems with the premier equine ones slipping and twisting. The Le Mieux stealth are well reviewed and look great - but I've not tried them personally as we have the N.E.W ones.

 

[Bernster]

Also looked into this recently as I've used brushing boots in the past but realised, when he took a knock, that they didn't have enough protection. For xc I tried woof wear xc ones as I like their brushing boots but they slip and bunch up a bit on the hinds where the neoprene is. Prefer the woof wear event boots which I've used a few times and fit well and stay put.

I know people really like the PE and NEW ones. The new le mieux stealth look interesting but I found them all a bit too stiff and wasn't as keen on the hard strike protection.