The Importance of Rear Skid Boots for Horses: And Top 5 Reasons to Use Them

If you're a performance or competition horse owner, then you know the importance of protecting your horse's legs. Skid boots protect your horse's hind legs from injury, and they are an essential piece of equipment for reining horses. We will also discuss the top 5 reasons to use leather skid boots.

What are skid boots used on horses?

Skid boots are protective leather boots used on the hind legs that cover the fetlock, pastern, and sometimes the cannon bone. They help to prevent injuries by absorbing the impact of a skid or slip.

There are many different types of boot brands on the market, but leather skid boots are preferred for certain disciplines as they are more durable and offer better protection than synthetic materials and most neoprene skid boots. They normally have elastic straps, conform and attach with buckles or velcro with a hard hind cup to protect the fetlock.

What type of events commonly use horse skid boots?

Horse skid boots purpose is to offer hind leg protection for western performance horses competing in reining, working cow horses, roping, and western cutting horses.

What are skid boots used for on horses?

These boots are used for protection to keep the hind fetlocks and pasterns from coming in direct contact with the arena base when performing sliding stops and hind end turns; thus providing leg protection and some support.

What is reining?

Reining is a western performance competition. Reiners are athletes and fit, quick, athletic, and agile. The western rider is tested on the horse's ability to perform patterns of figure-eight circles, reining spins, rollbacks, and sliding stops. For this style of riding there is a lot of pressure placed on the horse's fetlock joint, which will need protecting.

What is special tack and equipment needed by the reining horse?

Reining horses are put to the test athletically and require special equipment such as sliding plate horseshoes, leather rear skid boots, and weighted harness reins. Sliding plates also called skidding shoes are wide, smooth horseshoes meant to slide without friction across the arena floor. Reining horses need these special shoes on their hind feet to support them while they perform the slide stop. To go with the shoes the horses need these special horse boots. These are super tough, padded, with hard leather cups to keep the horses from rubbing their fetlocks against the arena base. The weighted reins are used to keep the reins down by the neck of the horse.

Why do reining horses wear skid boots?

Part of the reining event includes the horse performing a sliding stop. The western rider brings their horse into a full out gallop and then brings the horse to a sliding stop whereby the hind end comes under the horse and the hind feet slide for several feet on the footing with its fetlocks low or touching the base. The rear skid boots protect the horse's fetlock from touching the arena base and legs during this move. Reiners will use skid boots on their reining horses when the skidding horse is putting some 11's on the ground aka "The Sliding Stop".

What western disciplines use skid boots?

A cow horse stops hard, turns deep, rolls back and hits full stride, and might be quickly turning a cow back along the arena rail. A cutting horse will get deep and low to the ground. And a roping heel horse stops and rocks back to its hind end and backs up after roping a steer. This horse boot style adds a layer of protection for horses needing a shield between the fetlock and the ground; so is perfect for cutting horses, cow horses, roping horses, and reiners that all work off their hindquarters. Fitted to prevent pastern, fetlock, and lower leg injuries that frequently occur from horses making quick turns, sliding stops, or that sit back on their haunches and turning.

What are the top 5 reasons to use leather skid boots for horses?

1. The skid boots are fitted to prevent pastern, fetlock, and lower leg injuries that frequently occur from horses making quick turns, sliding stops, or that sit back on their haunches and turning.
2. This helps protect the horse's legs from coming in direct contact with the arena base when the horse is doing sliding stops and hind end turns; thus providing leg protection and some support.
3. Skid boots cup can help to decrease traction on the arena footing, which is especially important in performance events.
4. These help to prevent sores that can happen when a horse's fetlock rubs against the arena base during a sliding stop.
5. A skid boot can help to increase a horse's confidence when they are performing as they know their legs are well protected.

How do you clean your horses skid boots?

It is important to clean these boots after each use. You can use a mild leather soap and water solution to wipe down the boots. The leather parts should be cleaned using glycerine bar soap and oiled with neatsfoot every few months to prevent them from drying out. We also recommend using Effax Lederbalsam as a top dressing because this contains beeswax and seals the pores of the leather making them waterproof and resistant to salt and sweat. You should also oil the leather to keep it supple. Try to keep the leather products away from the elastic as they can make the elastic dingy. The neoprene can be cleaned with a toothbrush and Dawn dish soap or quicksilver horse shampoo to brighten the white straps. Use a wire bristled brush to clean the sand off from the velcros straps. Rinse them off well and let them air dry. Do not store the boots in direct sunlight or in a hot area as this can cause the leather to crack and the elastic to harden and spring. Proper care will keep your skid boots looking good and extend their wear.

What are the top brands of western skid boot used by trainers?

At Tack Warehouse our buyers ride and show. Our top picks are made by Professional's Choice and Classic Equine and Equibrand. We have seen customers that purchased less expensive brands rub the horses and not hold up or the cups wear through quickly. We selected these because these brands hold up, are well made, and come with a few options as to whether the rider prefers buckles or velcro closures.

Where can you purchase horse skid boots?

Tack Warehouse carries many styles of equine boots. Be sure to check out the Tack Warehouse selection of both Classic Equine skid boots and Professional's Choice leather skid boots.

Happy Trails!

Other Horse Boots Information Resources:

Classic Equine Boots | Tack Warehouse