First impressions
They’re made with the same 3D mesh air fabric as the numnah linked above so because of that they’re designed to fit (as the name suggests) snuggly around the fetlock as emphasis of the design of the product is breathability and flexibility during work. It also has a hard but flexible layer which protects the tendon which is ideal for both schooling and jumping.
When I first received these through the post I was instantly really excited to try them. They’re so professional! As they’re long enough to wrap under the bottom of the fetlock I was pleased to think they’d do a good job supporting the fetlock too. They’re also light weight and aren’t going to weigh down your horses legs which is obviously important in jumping as it could mean the difference between knocking a pole or not and in schooling not being able to that that proper lift and extension.
Don’t they look smart! I’m such a stickler for turning our horses out to the very best they can look and a lot of that is having good looking equipment that is practical also. We all want to look professional when schooling, riding or competing and there is no doubt of that with these Snug Boots.
Use
We’ve mainly used these boots for school and hacking and have been really impressed. My big great first thought upon using them in how much easier they are to do up than Velcro straps. They’re done up by a plastic 3 holed keeper which pops over a metal rivet. So good as they can be adjusted to accommodate various bone cannon bone and fetlock sizes! They’re also a lot less likely to break than Velcro straps. We’ve used a product made of a similar material but sadly after continued use one of the Velcro straps had the stitching break and it come off. Not ideal when you’re paying £40 for a set of boots and they break as the stitching rots and doesn’t show great workmanship.
They’re also very easy to clean, with sticky mud you can just dunk them in a bucket of water or under a tap and rub off the dirt, or in the case of sandy school you can easily remove it with a brush, like we did here!
For jumping the 3D mesh Air material is flexible enough to allow good movement of the fetlock to allow good tucking of the hoof so unlikely to cause flexion problems and thus poles on the ground, but as the flexible plastic around the tendon area so if a horse were to over reach they’d not cut into the tendon and if hitting a pole wouldn’t cause too much pain and bruising!
Verdict
I think they speak for themselves when you look online and see they’re sold out online in medium, they’ve flown out like hot cakes! We found them to be absolutely fantastic, due to the 3D mesh air technology fabric they’re absolute to be washed and dry very quickly. They also don’t rub or take hair off of the legs so they’re a real plus point as no-one wants sore patches! They also keen the legs cool and not too hot which is important in tendon care. Studies have been down on tendons getting too hot and deteriorating so this is super important in health tendons and legs in a horse.
They’re amazing value for money at £42.50 a pair and really stand up to wear and tear, but also have good longevity so you won’t have to be buying a replacement pair anytime soon!
For me personally protecting the tendons is extremely important and these cover both areas in keeping the area cool and not upsetting the tendons but also protecting it from strike forces such as over reaches, bangs, knocks and such. Horses have been saved by wearing boots and these will be up there in extremely popular boots for that I’d say!
Overall, a really good buy that’s amazing value for money and will do ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ as it were.
