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	Company Profile: FLOWTECH

Important Information on Safety Riding Footwear
Nico Katan

As the manufacturer of Equitector safety riding boots, I am frequently questioned by fellow riders about the safety aspects of steel toe capped riding boots and when I ask their about their opinion, their first reaction mostly is:-

"Oh no, I have heard so many rumours about accidents with that type of boot. They chop your toes off".

Unfortunately there is truth in these rumours. Few footwear designers are involved in equestrian activities and therefore are unlikely to be familiar with the type of exposure to risk we riders are likely to encounter. Under safety legislation all safety footwear including steel toe capped riding boots must be CE marked and licensed. In order to achieve such status boots need to pass about 30 rigorous tests. But most riding boot manufacturers who produced safety products in the past, were unfamiliar with safety matters and did not feel the need for compliance with the regulations. For that reason several safety riding boots which were substandard by design, entered the market. Most designers felt incorrectly, that simply inserting a steel toecap in their conventional riding boot was sufficient to give the rider adequate foot protection.

Protective toe cap compartment

For example if an accident occurs on firm ground, it will be the floor that supports the toecap. When a person is accidentally trodden on, the steel toecap will take the impact. This cap is strong enough to withstand weights of at least a 1000 kilo, which is in excess of the weight of any horse. Thereafter the bottom edge of the cap will compress the sole due to the pressure from above after which, it is the concrete floor that will withstand the remainder of the impact.

No problem so far. The boot has done it's job and the foot has been protected. However on soft ground such as a field, manege, deep litter bed etc, it is a different matter altogether. If the sole construction is insufficient in strength and rigidity, the edge of the steel toecap will, under weight of the impact, press through the sole into the ground. The inner sole will be lifted towards the ceiling of the steel toecap taking your foot with it. As a consequence, your toes will be squashed against the ceiling inside the steel toecap.


2. Toe compartment of sub-standard product

3. Toe compartment of Equetector

As demonstrated in the picture 2, merely the pressure of your thumbs is sufficient to reduce the internal height of the protective toe compartment by more than 50 %. One shudders to think what would happen during an encounter with a weighty horse. It is for that reason that in the past so many accidents have taken place with safety riding boots.

In comparison, the Equitector product (picture 3) has been designed to withstand this type of accident and their products have enjoyed a 10 year unblemished safety record. Fortunately most substandard products are now no longer available on the market but just to be sure that you are purchasing an up to standard and safe product, it is important that you check that the product is CE marked and that the boot itself is marked with the safety standard BS EN345 or BS EN346, just as you would do when buying a riding helmet.

Only products with these markings have been independently tested and therefore can be relied upon to be safe. Product descriptions in mail order catalogues or websites or on the shoe box itself, making claims that the product meets European legislation or that the toecap passes EN344 and any other variations unfortunately cannot be relied upon.

Too many misleading claims have been made by manufacturers in the past. Properly designed and CE marked safety riding boots will give riders sufficient foot protection and there is every reason for consumers to have confidence in such a product.

For a chance to win a pair of Equitector Chill Master Boots which are not only safe but keep your feet warm!!... CLICK HERE!

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