Professional Choice
The feature that makes Professional's Choice SMBs the very best preventative maintenance or rehabilitation tool*, is our lower suspensory strap. We designed it to fit at a 45° angle, which allows the strap to work like a spring. Our award winning SMB IIs are the hardest working boots ever created because with each stride of the horse, the boots stretch about 2-to-3 inches. In the life span of a pair of SMB IIs, they will stretch tens of thousands of times yet, always have the memory to return to their original shape. It's the continuous revolutions, along with some proprietary engineering principles, which enables our boots to absorb and dissipate high levels of negative energy from hoof concussion**. One of our secrets is in the exclusive neoprene rubber we use. It's the most expensive in the world, but it has the highest density of closed cells and it's the only neoprene made from limestone, not petroleum, which means it will not dry, crack or split. Along with the highest quality neoprene, the SMB II is the only boot on the market with an antimicrobial inner lining. This helps to prevent the transfer of skin diseases from one horse to another. At Professional's Choice we never try to see how inexpensively we can build our products, we try to see how well we can make them.
* Hundreds of AAEP Veterinarians prescribe SMB IIs for horses rehabilitating from tendon and ligament injuries.
** The only boots in the world which have been clinically studied with the results published in a prestigious Veterinarian Scientific Journal. Proven to absorb as high as 45% of the negative energy from hoof concussion.
Many riders feel that if you can't wear boots in an event - why wear them at all? The answer is simple: Preventative Maintenance. On average, less than 10% of your time is spent in the show ring, the other 90% in training. Professional's Choice SMB IIs offer a smart choice in
protecting and supporting your horse's legs when and where
they need it most.
Concerns are often voiced that if "my horses wear the boots, their legs will become dependent upon them and thus weaker." Not true. The boots keep the leg warm, creating moist heat therapy which enhances blood circulation and increases oxygen to the soft tissue - resulting in a more conditioned leg. The boots are similar to a tennis shoe.
If you buy a high-end shoe your leg doesn't become dependent on it, but the shoe does help to prevent damage to tendons and knees by supporting and absorbing concussion.
As with a person, concussion is what wears and tears down an equine limb. On a daily basis your horse's legs absorb thousands of pounds of stress per square inch. Testing at Oklahoma State University has shown that Professional's Choice Sports Medicine Boots absorb up to eight times more energy from hoof concussion than traditional wraps. Up to 45% on some horses!
The SMB II is the best protective boot for training because it protects not only the Fetlock Joint, but the entire musculo-skeletal system of the horse. For instance, since Dressage horses are asked for maximum collection, tremendous pressure is applied to the Hock and Stifle Joints. The SMB II is designed to absorb high levels of negative energy before it reaches the upper part of the leg to assist in prevention of injuries common to Dressage.
SMB IIs also protect the legs of your Polo ponies from injuries caused by mallets, balls and interference during the heat of the game. SMB II's powerful ability to absorb energy will help fight fatigue brought on in Chukkers and cut down on the risk of career-ending internal leg injuries.
FACT:
The SMB II is the only boot on the market with an antimicrobial inner-lining to help prevent skin diseases from transferring from one horse to another