BR CLX XO2 Tendon Boots

Fasten the boot so that you can slide a flat finger between shell and leg: too loose rubs, too tight pinches. The hook-and-eye fastening helps there, because you set it on the same position every time, so remember which position suits your horse. Ride the first ten minutes and then feel again whether anything has shifted. Rinse the boots under the tap after riding and let them dry at room temperature, not next to a heater and not in the tumble dryer. Sand and dried sweat in the lining are the most common cause of rub marks, so clean them more often than you would think. Machine washing is allowed up to 30 °C, in a wash bag and with a delicate detergent.

Choose the CLX XO2 if you want the XO2 construction and the CLX colours suit your kit. If you want exactly the same boot in BR's standard colours, take the BR XO2 tendon boot: that is the same model apart from the colour. If what you mainly want is plenty of colour choice to put sets together, you end up with the BR Event tendon boots, which close with hook-and-loop. If you often put the boots on with gloves or always in a hurry, the quick-release fastenings of the BR Ultimo tendon boots are faster. For training, showjumping and warming up this boot is in its element; in the international dressage arena it may not be used.

Put the boot around the front leg so that the shell lies over the tendon and the thicker section sits behind the fetlock. Hook the straps from the bottom upwards and use the same position on both legs. Then check that you can slide a flat finger underneath and that nothing can turn. Rinse under the tap after riding. Machine wash up to 30 °C in a wash bag with a delicate detergent, not in the tumble dryer.

What is the difference between the BR CLX XO2 and the BR XO2 tendon boot?

The construction is the same: the same shell from the same mould, the same Air Liner lining and the same hook-and-eye fastening. At BR, CLX is a colour line that runs through the whole collection. So the difference is in the colourway, not in the construction.

Do these tendon boots close with hook-and-loop?

No. They close with lightly elastic straps with a hook-and-eye fastening. BR does not state how many fastenings there are per boot.

Where do they go: front or behind?

On the front legs. A tendon boot is made for the lower leg and the fetlock of the front leg. For the hind legs you use fetlock boots.

May I use these tendon boots at competitions?

For international showjumping, front leg boots are currently subject to no requirements as to shape; the limit of 500 grams for everything worn together on one leg does apply. BR states no weight in grams. In the competition arena at international dressage events, boots are forbidden and must be removed before entering the space around the competition arena. For national competitions, the rules of your own federation apply.

What exactly do the ventilation holes do?

They let air through, so that heat and moisture can escape from under the shell. A closed hard shell always holds in more heat than an open bandage; ventilation limits that, but does not cancel it out.

How do I clean them?

Rinse them under the tap after riding. Machine washing is allowed up to 30 °C in a wash bag with a delicate detergent; not in the tumble dryer, let them dry at room temperature.

Which size do I need?

There are two sizes: Full and Cob. Full is the usual size for a warmblood, Cob for a smaller or finer lower leg. BR does not publish a size guide in centimetres for leg protection, so if you are unsure, compare with a boot your horse already wears.

• Tendon boot for the front legs, from BR.
• Ventilated plastic shell from a mould of BR's own, thicker behind and beside the fetlock.
• Air Liner lining: thermally moulded, with air chambers.
• Lightly elastic straps with a hook-and-eye fastening, no hook-and-loop.
• The same model as the BR XO2, in the CLX colours.
• Sizes Cob and Full; at Maddelin in black and Carbernet.
• Machine washable up to 30 °C in a wash bag, not in the tumble dryer.
• Not allowed in the international dressage arena.