Splint Boots, Protective Horse Boots

Splint Boots For Sale On

Below are splint boots, or combo boots that include splint boots, for sale on eBay. Please scroll down for a brief article on splint boots and splint bones.

Splint Boot Savvy

Splint boots are protective boots put on the canon bone of a horse to protect the area during hard or active use such as barrel racing, roping, cutting, etc. Because a horse may interfere during these times ("interfering" is when a horse accidentally strikes itself with one of its own legs) splint boots are often used as a precautionary measure. A splint boot gets its name from a small bone called a "splint" bone that lies on either side of the canon bone. On the inside of the canon a splint boot helps to protect splint bone, as well as the entire inside of the canon bone, from direct trauma.

Pictured at right: Splint boots.

Photo of splint boots

Splint boots are designed to protect the inside of the horse's canon bones only (there is little chance of a horse interfering on the outside of its canon bone) and have fasteners such as hook and loop closures on the outside. Since it is more common for a horse to interfere on the front legs than the back legs, splint boots are usually put on the front legs only.

What Are Splint Bones?

As stated above a splint bone is a small bone (about the size of a pencil at the top and tapering down to be much smaller) found on each side of a horse's cannon bone. They are found on the inside and outside of all four canon bones on all four of a horse's legs. They are thought by most researchers and scientists to be remnants of toes from prehistoric horses and have no function in horses today. If a splint bone should break or "pop" (become slightly separated from the canon bone) most horses experience pain, but once the splint bone has "set" or healed it is completely pain free. A broken or popped splint that has healed may leave a slight, visible bulge but this is usually only a blemish and is rarely a health or soundness concern.