Why Heat in Your Horse’s Legs Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

Understanding when warmth is helpful—and when it becomes harmful.

There’s a growing conversation around the risk of overheating horses’ legs, especially when boots or bandages are used during
exercise. This awareness is extremely positive. Back in 2008, Equilibrium was one of the first companies to advocate for testing boot materials for breathability and heat retention, and research in this area has expanded significantly since then.

But here’s an important truth:

Heat in your horse’s legs isn’t automatically harmful. In fact, sometimes it’s helpful.

The danger only arises when heat becomes excessive and stays trapped during or after exercise, preventing natural cooling or when applied to a fresh/new injury.

Why Tendons Warm Up During Exercise

Tendons and ligaments act as energy-storing springs. With every stride, they stretch, store energy, and recoil to help power movement. This elastic work naturally generates heat, which can improve how tendons function because:

  • Warm tendons become more elastic
  • Soft tissues absorb and release energy more effectively
  • Stiffness is reduced

In short: warmth improves performance and reduces injury risk.

A key point to understand: Equine tendons have a poor blood supply, meaning they can’t release heat as quickly as muscles. Their main cooling mechanism comes from:

  • Airflow over the limb
  • Evaporative cooling from skin moisture (i.e. sweat)

Because of this, heat naturally increases—and that’s normal.

When Heat Becomes a Problem: Exercise + Insulation

Problems arise when exercise generates significant heat while boots or wraps restrict airflow and act like insulation. This can push tendon temperatures into ranges considered stressful for tendon cells.

What the science says

  • Tendon temperatures during galloping can reach around 45°C, based on biomechanical modelling of energy-storing tendons. Wilson & Goodship, 1994
  • Tendon fibroblast survival decreases when exposed to temperatures in the low- to mid-40s°C, suggesting heat may contribute to tendon degeneration if sustained. Birch, Wilson & Goodship, 1997
  • Leg protection (boots, wraps, bandages) increases skin temperature compared to bare limbs during and after exercise. This has been shown for multiple materials, including neoprene and polo wraps.
    Schramel et al., 2014, Brock & Spooner, 2021, Dailey et al., 2023

In other words: Heat isn’t the enemy—heat that cannot escape is.

Insulating boots can delay cooling even after exercise stops, prolonging the period where tendon temperatures remain high. This is why it is important to remove boots immediately after exercise.

Why boots can contribute to the problem:

Most boots reduce:

  • Airflow
  • Evaporative cooling
  • Direct heat release

This creates what is essentially a “thermal wrap” around a structure that already struggles to cool itself.
This is why “heat” is generally a problem during exercise—especially intense or prolonged work.

What About Stable Boots and Turnout Boots?

Many owners now ask whether stable boots or turnout boots also cause overheating. Fortunately, the risk is significantly lower in these environments—because tendon heat largely depends on how hard the horse is working.

1. In the Stable

Horses in stables spend long periods standing still. Without mechanical loading, tendons generate minimal heat. In cold weather, the lower limbs often become cold due to naturally reduced circulation, and some horses even develop “filled legs” (lymphatic pooling).

In these cases, gentle warmth from breathable chaps or stable boots can be beneficial, helping:

  • comfort
  • circulation
  • mobility when first moving off

Stable boots should still be checked daily, but the risk of tendon overheating is low.

2. In the Field

Turnout during the winter generally involves:

  • grazing
  • walking
  • short bursts of play
  • long periods of low activity

These activities produce much less tendon heat than ridden exercise. The risk of overheating is minimal, and in winter, some horses are actually more comfortable with additional warmth.

Should You Worry About Sweat Under Boots?

Heat isn’t the only concern. Moisture trapped under boots—whether from sweat, rain, or mud—can soften and weaken the skin.

In human dermatology, this is well understood:

The principles are directly relevant to horses:

Warm, damp skin under boots is more prone to rubbing, irritation, and minor infections.

This doesn’t mean boots are unsafe—but it reinforces the importance of choosing breathable materials and checking the skin daily. It’s also important to note that any boots used should be dry too – so quick drying materials and having a spare pair to swap to could be key in maintaining skin health.

When Should Owners Actually Worry About Overheating and Skin Health?

Higher-risk situations:

  • Intense or prolonged ridden exercise
  • Immediately after exercise
  • Hot weather
  • Thick, non-breathable boots (e.g., solid neoprene)
  • Boots left on for extended periods during warmth
  • Boots saturated with sweat, rain or mud
  • Horses with known skin sensitivity

Lower-risk situations:

  • Turnout
  • Stabling
  • Walking, hacking or low-intensity exercise
  • Winter conditions where warmth may be beneficial

Warmth is not inherently the enemy—excessive, trapped heat during and after intense movement is.

To summarise:

Warmth in your horse’s legs is not automatically a danger. Tendons are designed to warm up, becoming more elastic and better able to absorb and release energy. Problems arise only when heat becomes excessive and trapped, especially during and after strenuous exercise where boots can reduce natural cooling.
In the stable or field in mild and colder temperatures, horses generate far less tendon heat, making overheating unlikely—and warmth can even support comfort and mobility in colder weather. Skin health is also an important part of the picture, as moisture trapped under boots can lead to irritation if not monitored.
By choosing breathable materials, checking legs daily, and understanding when heat matters, you can balance protection, comfort and healthy limb function all year round.

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