Horse Boot Protection With Patrick Smith

Whether you’re a serious competitor or backyard horseman, chances are you would do anything to protect your horse from harm. When it comes to preventing ligament and suspensory injuries, using the right horse leg gear can be the determining factor in your horse’s health and soundness.

Professional’s Choice recently released a video about its Sports Medicine Boots with world champion team roper Patrick Smith. Patrick describes why he chooses VenTECH Elite boots, explains the design and shows how to put them on correctly.

Protection All the Way Around

“There’s a lot of boots out there. I’ve used a lot of the different horse boots in my career, and the Professional’s Choice VenTECH Elite is the boot that I choose to use. They’re made for protection, and this is something that I think is overlooked. A lot of people are paying 30, 40, 50-plus thousand dollars for horses, and they don’t spend very much money on protection for their horse.

“This is the cheapest insurance you can have on these animals. …You’ve got four tires on your car. You don’t just check the front ones; you want to check all of them. That’s something I’m big on, is making sure that my horse is protected all the way around.”

Putting It on Correctly

“This was designed to support the suspensory on this horse. So, what I’m gonna do is wrap this around, go underneath (and) pull it up at a 45-degree angle. So many times, I see guys just strap it across. ...That’s not what these are for. These are designed to be on, to be tight and to be fitted to a horse’s leg.

“We want to make sure we get (the) strap around and at a 45-degree angle. Then, I’m gonna go up one to the next strap, pull it tight, next one, pull it tight. And then, finish off with the top one and pull it tight. Now, I’ve got a good fit on my horse. It looks good. It’s comfortable to him. And it’s supporting the ligaments and suspensory … Again, keeping him safe throughout the day and comfortable.

“(It’s) cheap insurance for an animal that’s worth as much as he is to me.”



Check out AQHA's Horse Health Pinterest board for even more tips on keeping your horse happy, healthy and sound.