Brushing Boots, Galloping Boots, All-Purpose Boots...What Is the Difference?

[RPM]

I may know the basics – galloping boots are for galloping, brushing boots are for keeping your horse from brushing himself while galloping …

But they all look alike to me!

I’m not even gonna mention splint boots (which I thought were for reiners but apparently was wrong about since Dover sells them).

Please explain these to me!

Bell boots I know. Bell boots I can do. Bell boots I can even find in a muddy pasture.

The others? Nope.

[Highflyer]

AFAIK brushing boots and galloping boots are the same thing. They have padding designed to protect the inside of the leg. Splint boots have a thinner protective pad that’s just over the splint bone-- they are mostly used for flatwork/ lungeing although some people do use them for jumping as well. Cross country boots also have padding on the back of the front legs and front of the back legs to protect the tendons against hitting a solid jump/ horse studding itself. Western horses IME tend to wear the Professional’s Choice boots that go down lower and protect the fetlocks when doing sliding stops.