I’ve seen so open front boots that look like the are more PVC-type material, and they look like they cover the inside of the leg pretty well. Are they “safe” to use for flatwork? I know they are intended more for jumping. I always wondered what the design differences were intended to address.
Thanks!
I’ve flatted in open fronts for years because I got tired of my gelding destroying brush boots. Outside of the usual considerations of heating the legs, which applies to any boot, there’s no reason you can’t do flatwork in open fronts.
The reason you usually see open fronts in jumping is because the lack of protective surface on the front of the leg allows a horse to feel when they hit a jump pole and hopefully encourage them to be more careful. I believe the harder outside shell is to help prevent injury from the back legs potentially striking the front legs during takeoff and landing.
Have you looked at eventing style boots? They are usually pretty tough and a lot of them have great ventilation. I have these and love them: https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Professionals_Choice_Performance_Hybrid_Splint_Boots/descpage-PCPH.html
Does your horse interfere without boots?
His right boot gets pretty beat up, not so much with thinner boots but with anything that has the lambskin (thicker). Thanks for the info!
If I put boots on my horses, I use open fronted boots. I don’t need the front of my horse’s legs protected, we’re not jumping. I don’t want their legs to overheat so you won’t find any sheepskin boots in my tackroom, blurgh! I just want to protect against any knocks.
Sheepskin actually breathes better than other materials, hence it’s use in half pads/saddle pads.
I flat in open fronts since it’s easier to just have one set of boots for all arena work. I think they actually offer more protection since they usually have a hard shell in addition to the padding underneath, plus they’re a little cooler on the legs in my experience.
I like the Shires Arma Air Motion brushing boots because they’re slim and cool, but I’m not sure if they’d be durable enough for your purposes. They’re reasonably priced though. They do make an open front boot, which I have, and I quite like those too. Well made and vented.
Big Dee’s has a less costly version of these. My horse moves in such a way that he is prone to hitting one fetlock with the other hoof. I was going through five or six pairs of splint boots a year until I found these. They are holding up very well.
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