Brand Profile: Kentucky Horsewear

What makes Kentucky Horsewear so special and unique?

With core values of excellence and innovation, Kentucky Horsewear is the leader in developing products that are good for the horse as well as good for animals AND good for the environment.

So why do top riders like Chris Burton, Ingrid Klimke and Pippa Funnell all have Kentucky Horsewear products in their stables? 

These riders know what they need to be successful at the top level and what they need to help them get there. They know they need their horses to be as comfortable, happy and healthy as possible to be able to perform at their best!

This is where Kentucky Horsewear really excels!

At the very start of this blog, we explained that the team at Kentucky Horsewear are passionate about excellence and innovation. They innovate with new materials to challenge the status quo, find new and better ways to care for your horses with the ultimate aim of improving the comfort for your horse!

This allows riders to have confidence in their tack and to know that their horses are protected and comfortable both in the stable and on the arena.

Here are some of the main technologies that are part of the Kentucky range:

ANIMAL FRIENDLY

Kentucky Horsewear develops products to protect horses and dogs and cannot do so while harming other animals. This is why they only use materials without animal ingredients, like artificial leather, artificial sheepskin and artificial rabbit skin. The only difference stands in better quality and durability!

IMITATION LEATHER

By using imitation leather, they accomplish the key values of their company: quality, durability and low maintenance. Their imitation leather is waterproof and is therefore never affected by water or dirt whereas real leather absorbs them. This prevents the imitation leather from cracking and drying out as well as changing colour. Especially made to sustain the washing machine at 30°, the imitation leather is easy to maintain as you can also simply clean it with water and a sponge. 

It has excellent values for tear strength and a very high abrasive resistance and is also very resistant to puncture holes that can be caused by studs. In comparison with real leather, imitation leather weighs a lot less which ensures extra comfort and can also enhance the performance.

As it is extremely difficult to notice the difference between their imitation leather and real leather, their products can be matched with all other tack! Horse, rider and groom can only benefit from using their imitation leather products!

ARTIFICIAL SHEEPSKIN

Developed with the expertise of this company, their artificial sheepskin is better than real sheepskin in every way. It is attached to a knitted base and laminated to a suede fabric, both air permeable and breathable. 

As soft and performant as real sheepskin, the artificial sheepskin has the great advantage to sustain many washes compared to the real one. We recommend to use the normal washing process at 30° and to let it dry outside. 

Producing high quality artificial sheepskin actually costs more than real sheepskin. Their entire product range doesn’t contain any animal ingredients and this is worth the cost! They are 100% animal-friendly.

ARTIFICIAL RABBIT SKIN

Next to their famous artificial sheepskin, they developed an artificial rabbit skin that is mainly used as a lining for their horse rugs. 

The artificial rabbit skin has some great advantages. It’s extremely soft which prevents the horses from getting rubs on the shoulders. Another great advantage is that the hairs don’t stick in the lining.

Thanks to the small and soft hairs, your horses get a shinier coat in the same way as they get polished with a woollen glove. The artificial rabbit skin also creates tiny air pockets that trap and retain the body heat. Because of the high warmth to weight ratio the artificial rabbit skin offers excellent comfort.

SOLIMBRA

Thanks to the use of Solimbra on the outer shell of some of their boots, they can provide enhanced protection for your horses. 

The laminated Solimbra outer offers all weather protection combined with extreme breathability. The fabric has been tested under the hardest conditions and continues to prove its' worth in the field. The boots will not absorb water guaranteeing a lightweight and dry alternative to a heavy soaking boot.

PROTECK IMPACT GEL

Thanks to the use of Proteck Impact Gel within their boots, they can ensure the best protection for your horses. 

The Proteck Impact Gel is a light and clever material that locks on impact and then disperses the blow, returning to its former pliable self immediately. 

Laboratory tests have shown that the boots using this technology absorb impact over 50% better than any other boots currently on the market, with the ability to disperse a heavy blow equivalent too that which would actually break a human bone.

3 LAYERS SYSTEM

In order to offer the best comfort for horses and riders, they use a 3 Layers System with a succession of an absorb fabric, a memory foam and the shock-absorbing gel on some of their products. This allows to relieve pressure and provide comfortable and performant items.

3D SPACER

They developed an innovative 3D spacer shock absorbing material that is specially developed for the equestrian market with its specific requirements. The key elements for developing their 3D spacer shock absorbing material are:

1. Breathable & air permeable 
2. Shock absorbing
3. Comfortable
4. Skin friendly
5. Extremely light

These five unique elements have been mixed together with their 3D spacer shock absorbing material as a result. Thanks to its unique 3D technology, which is a honeycomb structure, it allows the body heat of the horse to go through, as well as offering a cushioning effect, which is extremely comfortable. 

The 3D spacer material is bounded with a perforated shock absorbing gel that protects the horse’s legs against strikes or blows.  

Thanks to the combination of all these outstanding materials, their 3D spacer shock absorbing material is extremely performant whilst still being extremely light weight which enhances the comfort and performance of your horses.

RECUPTEX

They've created a brand new range of products that not only help treat numerous medical problems but also help to prevent a verse area of ailments. Commonly used by professionals and serious amateurs alike, the Kentucky Horsewear Recuptex range is a tack room and first aid essential. Unlike any other currently on the marketplace.

The Recuptex range is created from a patented 21st century fabric called Recuptex. Made from the finest stainless steel yarn in the world based on Bekaert BEKINOX© technology*, the weaving acts like a Faraday cage, reflecting the magnetic fields created inside the body. Preserving these fields stimulates blood circulation and oxygen flow in the horses’ legs which heals and both reduces swelling and inflammations and enables faster healing of micro-fractures.

This makes the Recuptex range ideal for treating horses with chronic arthritis problems or tendon problems, and helping to accelerate the recovery process in a natural and protective environment. Their Recuptex range is a trustworthy and highly technological range of product which no horse should be without. 

*the inox yarn is made by Bekaert, one of the biggest Belgian companies specialising in stainless steel products. Employing over 28.000 people, they have a turnover of 4.6 billion euros – giving reassurance to customers on the soundness behind technology.

Looking to view our range of products? View our entire Kentucky Horsewear Products here