One of the most versatile boots on the market.
Designed to be the perfect all-rounder and suitable for all disciplines from endurance and racing, to dressage, jumping, hacking, and even ideal for turnout.
- Extremely lightweight; they even float on water!
- Safety tested in an independent laboratory for protection, flexibility, breathability and weight.
- All round protection with four-layer system, including integral tendon guard.
- Used on both front and hind legs
- One year product guarantee
- Sold in pairs
The Tri-Zone Horse All Sports Boots are the modern day breathable brushing boot. The perfect all round boot for all activities, including everyday schooling to cross country, jumping or hacking.
Protection provided by the All Sports Boots for horses.
The boot design uses a four layer system. The first layer is provides a inner lining for the horse and sits comfortably against the leg. It is perforated and cushioned.
Layer two is a strong mesh. This adds another layer of protection to the sports boots, but also stops any debris making its way into the boot towards your horses leg.
Layer three is the internal guard. This layer is placed over the vulnerable tendon area and is made with strips of material to allow it to mould around the horses leg. This allows the horse to move freely without the feeling of a ‘splint’.
Lastly, the outer layer provides a durable, breathable and attractive material. We’ve made sure this material is easy to clean and maintain too!
Testing of the Tri-Zone All Sports Horse Boots.
Designed to meet the needs of the everyday rider to the top international competitor, these boots are tested by an independent safety testing laboratory to check their ability to protect against concussion and penetration injuries. The boot testing also includes breathability, flexibility and weight testing too. In fact, these horse sports boots are so light they even float on water. See the boot testing tab for more information.
Need sports boots with maximum protection?
Choosing a boot for your horse usually comes with compromises. The more you add to a boot, the heavier and less breathable it becomes. However if a boot is too lightweight, you may find it isn’t protective enough. We’ve gone for a happy medium with the All Sports Boots. They are a step up from brushing boots – essentially breathable brushing boots with all round protection.
Boot Testing Methods Boots are safety equipment
As riders, we protect our most vital areas (head and torso) with riding hats, body protectors and more recently air jackets. Rider protective equipment is subjected to extensive testing to meet standards and regulations and we believe that as a vital part of your horse, protective boots for your horse’s legs should undergo a similar testing process.
Tri-Zone boots go through a unique 3-phase testing process giving you confidence that you are choosing the best leg protection for your horse. Materials are carefully selected to provide maximum protection but without being bulky, heavy and not make your horses legs hot and sweaty. Each individual layer in the Tri-Zone boot is researched and sourced for their advanced technical properties and tested in an independent laboratory before it goes anywhere near a horse’s leg.
Testing Phase 1 – Independent Laboratory
In the same laboratory that test standards of riding hats and body protectors, Tri-Zone boots are safety tested to their limits for their ability to withstand concussion and penetration whilst remaining lightweight, breathable and flexible.
Protection
For concussion and penetration the testing is carried out using a custom made test rig consisting of a tower from which either a blunt hammer or a cutting blade is dropped onto the boots in a controlled fashion. The weight of the blade and hammer are fixed and different forces are applied to the boots by varying the height from which they were dropped onto the boots. Boots were hit with forces ranging from 1.25 to 20 Joules. These forces were chosen as being those likely to occur in the horse during exercise, for example when hitting obstacles or over-reaching.
Heat & Breathability
We test our boots to measure how well the boots allow heat to escape in order to reduce the risk of tissue damage.
Research has shown that when tendon cells are heated to 48°C for 10 minutes approx, 80% of them die. We use several different methods to assess heat release from boots. The heat release is estimated by fitting the boots to a metal flask containing water at 45°C in a room at 20°C with no significant radiation. The surface temperature of the boots is measured using a thermal camera. We tested Tri-Zone boots, along with a number of other boots on the market.
From this it was clear that some boots were very effective insulators and kept the heat in so the outside of the boot appeared cold. Other boots appeared much hotter on the surface, showing that they were allowing heat to escape.
Heat release was then estimated by measuring the rate at which the temperature of the water in the flask dropped whilst 20°C air was being blown over the boot (via a fan). This was done to simulate the movement of air over the boot and leg as would occur during exercise.
Flexibility
If boots are constructed of inflexible (i.e. stiff) material or if boots are applied too tightly, they have the potential to restrict joint movement and cause other problems such as tendonitis. Stride characteristics and performance could also be affected. Boots need to allow as much freedom of movement as possible without compromising on their primary function of protection. We test our boots to make sure that they do not restrict the horse’s movement whilst still exceeding protection requirements. An 8cm x 1m steel pipe is set up secured to a workbench. The boots are fixed to the pipe and a 10kg weight is attached with a clip on the boot and the downward direction measured. The degree of flexibility is measured by how much the boot bends.
Weight
Adding even small amounts of weight to the end of the leg in the form of a boot significantly increases the effort the horse must make to run and can also alter the stride characteristics. Some boots can double in weight if the horse is being exercised in the rain, on wet ground or going through water. This can seriously affect stamina and performance. We design and test our boots to minimise water absorption, excess weight but without compromising on protection.
Testing Phase 2 – Tester Panel
The boots then undergo trials by an extensive tester panel of horse owners and riders who test them for the fit, comfort, ease of use and washing to ensure we have not only a safe product but one that people can easily use and trust.
Testing Phase 3 – Rider Tests
Finally the boots go through the rigorous test of being used all day, every day on busy competition yards by teams of professional riders. Tri-Zone boots are worn either at home or at competitions by an array of Olympic riders, world champions and top producers.
Available in pairs (two boots) in
Hunter Green in Medium
(recommended to go up a size for hind legs)
We are one of the largest independent retailers of Equilibrium in the UK and a verified premium stockist giving us access to the entire range. Our sales advisors all use these products on a daily basis so are able to offer you expert advice. If you need any assistance in selecting the right item for you or your horse please don't hesitate to contact us.