The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event isn’t just a competition. It’s also a meeting of the minds for some of the best brands in the sport. We prowled the halls of the Trade Fair and Sponsor Village to find four of the most innovative products available this year at LRK3DE.
A Passion Project for Safety | ARRO Helmets
This helmet made a big splash at the Trade Fair, thanks to its unique look and high-tech design. ARRO is President Reese Powell’s passion project. He set out to make the absolute safest helmet on the market, no matter the cost. Fun fact, ARRO is actually an acronym for his family’s names: Antoinette, Reese, Ryder, and Owen.
The ARRO helmet’s most visually distinctive feature is the chin guard that wraps around the jaw of the rider and buckles in on either side of the helmet. This feature is what makes it look the most like a Motocross helmet, but if the look isn’t for you, you can simply unbuckle it and not wear it– the helmet looks great either way. The chin guard is surprisingly lightweight, thanks to its carbon fiber and kevlar construction. Overall, I was surprised at how comfortable the helmet was including the chin guard. I could barely see the guard in my peripheral vision and could speak, breathe, and move my jaw freely.
If I had to choose one product to help me survive the apocalypse, this would be it. While it includes MIPS technology, it’s also SNELL certified, which means his helmet is rated for flat impact, hazard edge impact, spike impact, crush resistance up to 225 pounds, and is hemisphere anvil and horseshoe anvil rated. The carbon fiber and kevlar shell won’t crack, but will instead spiderweb, like safety glass. A quick release metal buckle minimizes movement of the rider’s head and neck if it needs to be removed in an emergency situation.
At first glance, the visors on these helmets seem standard, but they hide a secret. In the event of a fall, the visor will snap up and away, preventing your neck from getting pulled up and back if you land face first. The breakaway visors aren’t just for safety– they’re also quick change, so riders get three looks for the cost of one helmet. Simply remove the visor altogether to have the appearance of a skull cap, or swap it out for a wider sun visor for hunter/jumper-esque sun protection.
Leather Meets High-Tech | Majyk Equipe Bionic Boots
These cleverly-named boots are brand new on the market. In fact, the unveiling of the Majyk Equipe Bionic Boots was on day one of LRK3DE. “Bionic” refers to the marriage of organic leather and the latest dilated foam technology. At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking the open-front boot was just a particularly good-looking set of show jumping boots. In reality, there’s a lot going on beneath the surface.
The back of each boot features a carbon fiber strike guard that covers a layer of dilated foam technology to protect the horse’s tendons and provide shock absorption against impacts. The liner is breathable and easily removed, so you can clean it conveniently or replace it if needed.
Available in five colors, this boot offers you a subtle way to match your cross country colors or match your saddle, if you’re more of a traditionalist.
The Safety Alert System that Does It All | EquineTrac
Fellow thoroughbred owners and solo trail riders – this device is on the very top of my shopping list and it should be on yours, too. EquineTrac company president Tanner Oliphant created the device to keep his wife safe while he traveled for work. She would ride alone at home with just their two young kids for company. The EquineTrac was developed so that he would be alerted if she fell off.
This small device attaches to your saddle easily via a metal clip that slides onto a D-ring. It’s a simple set it and forget it device, which is my favorite type of safety device. The battery lasts for 12 months, so you can turn it on, clip it to your saddle, and forget it exists. It connects to an app on your phone that tracks a lot of data– including where you are, what speed you’re going, how many miles you’ve covered, and how long you’ve been riding for.
EquineTrac measures the distance from your phone to the device on your saddle, so if you’re the kind of person who regularly dismounts without unclipping your air vest, you may wind up sending a lot of false alerts to your emergency contacts if you dismount before stopping your ride on the app. If you do fall off, your emergency contact will receive a customizable message with your location.
All Natural Immune Support | SmartImmune Mushroom
I would have never thought of giving my horse mushrooms, but SmartPak did! The SmartImmune Mushroom supplement combines the health benefits of adaptogenic botanicals with the fruiting body extracts of chaga, cordyceps, maitake, shiitake, and reishi mushrooms. I spoke to one SmartPak employee at the booth about the SmartImmune Mushroom supplement and what someone would use it for. She stated that she started giving it to her horse with pastern dermatitis (scratches), and they’ve started to heal.
The antioxidant-rich extracts in the formula are said to help support cellular health, restore homeostasis, and mitigate the impact of stress on the body. The mushrooms contain high concentrations of beta glucans, the polysaccharide component of the mushroom known for its ability to support your horse’s digestive microbiome. Research has indicated that beta glucans can increase the body’s production of pathogen-fighting white blood cells and may be beneficial for your horse when consumed before stressful events.
What did we miss?
That’s what I’ve got on my list of thought-provoking products, but I’m sure I missed something you also found fascinating. Tell us all about what caught your eye this year in the comments!
Editor’s Note: While EN does partner with SmartPak and Majyk Equipe, inclusion in this article did not come by way of sponsorship. All observations and opinions are the author’s.
