How does Classic Equine approach research and development?
We are always looking for ways to improve our products. We work with vendors to employ new technology with textiles, polymers, foams, and other materials to improve performance, fit, support, and extend the life of the product. We also look at how well it protects the horse. For a long time, I cared for some of the greatest horses in the cutting horse industry. I have put a lot of boots on and off of horses, and I learned what worked—or didn’t. Even before joining Classic Equine’s product development team, I helped the company test and fit new products. The company’s philosophy is that everything can be done better. We are never satisfied with status quo and we continually work to develop new designs and improve existing products. Our Legacy [boot line] is a great example. This year, we introduced the Legacy2 with a number of new features that make the boot better than ever before. For example, we put elastic on the bottom two straps, to improve fit and longevity. The new elastic adds length through extra stretch and allows the boot to fit even better. We also extended the Kevlar all the way to the base of the boot. I knew from experience that we could get holes below the Kevlar, so we extended it. We continually document product performance and work to improve the life of our products.
We added the ClassicFit line a couple of years ago, to fill a void we saw in the leg boot category. We wanted a support boot that offered a lot more protection, like a splint boot. Classic Equine continually looks for ways to fill a void in the market or improve our products. If it doesn’t work for the horse, it doesn’t work for us!
How are the boots tested, and what do you feel sets Classic Equine apart in a competitive industry?
Product development and testing is a full time enterprise at Classic Equine. We are constantly out in the field working with our research team to identify needed product changes, track product performance, and test new materials and designs. Our products go through multiple tests. I’m a stickler about that process; I evaluate the boots as long as necessary to ensure that we don’t put something on the market that isn’t successful. I work closely with our top riders and testers that use the products every day. They torture the product and I monitor the performance during the process. When we are finally satisfied, the product is moved into the system. It can be two years of work that goes into improvements and design. It does not happen overnight; the final product comes after many prototypes.
As for what sets Classic Equine apart, we are innovators in design and we are sticklers for quality. Less expensive materials are available in abundance, but we do not make substitutions for the sake of lowering cost. Therefore, our boots last. The horse’s wellbeing is our number one priority. We don’t jeopardize the quality
