WE LOVE HORSES!
No matter what your chosen equine discipline (eventing, show jumping, combined driving, dressage, etc) equestrians agree on one thing: we want the most time with our ponies and the best pony time possible! We’d much rather be riding, jumping or driving than cleaning tack, doing laundry or rehabbing injury. But most of us spend as much time (sometimes more) managing the ride as we do actually riding.
The crazy thing is there’s a lot of lore behind addressing rider needs, horse care and horse products. If you’ve got a problem…say saddle fit…there’s usually no shortage of solutions (millions of saddle pads and shims for instance) and everybody swears by theirs. Horses and riders are individuals, often different on different days: Multiple solutions for multiple issues of multiple animals depending on conditions and whew…you do the math….no wonder there’s so much horse gear out there!
Even for the stuff horsemen can agree on (or which the rules mandate using), one issue solved creates a few more in its place. For instance, no one would argue that wearing a protective riding vest is better than broken ribs or a ruptured spleen. But if you ask most riders, they hate getting overheated and soaked in sweat under their vests, and trying to disinfect and de-stink them is pretty much pointless.
Sometimes we use gear just because it seems like a good idea, because we mean well. Take horse boots and wraps for instance. We know they protect horse’s legs from direct blows, knocks and overreach injury, but at what cost? Research as far back as 1995 suggests that the intense heat buildup under boots may significantly contribute to tendon injury. Moreover, they have been shown to restrict blood flow, especially when improperly applied. Also, there's no scientific proof that boots or wraps support joints, tendons or muscles. They may just transfer load to other joints and even alter movement, especially when wet and heavy.
So how does a rider decide on the best product--say the best saddle pad or the best cross country boots--to use? Using products backed by science helps. Otherwise, for an existing, working setup, minimizing any associated downside is a good idea. Being comfortable is critically important—both for horse and rider. When you feel better, you perform better: an undistracted rider can focus better and a horse at ease has fewer behavioral issues.
At 224equestrian everything we do challenges conventional thinking and design to help improve your ride and keep you safe. Our proprietary technology in the Ride-Cool Air Vest, Dri-Cool Air Boots and Dri-Cool Air Saddle Pad creates ventilation where there was none and redistributes pressure more evenly, eliminating rubs and hot spots. This keeps both of you cooler, drier and healthier, differences you can see, feel and measure.
All of our products are carefully engineered to provide maximum utility and constructed with the highest grade materials to bring you a final product that is as beautiful as it is functional.
Simply put, our gear works, and our gear makes your gear better!