Abstract:
A compact, athletic equine boot that resists turning on the animal&#39;s hoof when the animal such as a horse is jumping, running and turning in water, mud, sand and sawdust comprising a bell portion having a cushiony layer on the interior of a relatively rigid or hard shell, an internal compressible protrusion, a fastener to secure the boot on the hoof, the hard shell being flexible and strong to resist blows from over-reaching rear hooves. The invention also includes a laminate comprising a layer of a tough, flexible, strong material, a cushiony layer and a fastener for attaching one end of the laminate to another end of the same or different laminate. Also disclosed is a method of making.

Description:
The present invention involves a compact equine boot for protecting the hoofs of horses during vigorous activity, particularly in water, sand and mud, a laminate used to make the boot and a method of making the boot. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Boots to prevent injury to the back of horses front pastern bones and hoofs when running and doing hard maneuvers, such as in various competitions like jumping, barrel racing, roping, cutting, etc. are known, and it is also known to form a protrusion on the inside of the boot that fits into the depression in the back of each front hoof to hold the boot in place and to prevent turning. It is known to make equine boots by sandwiching a foam layer between exposed layers of cloth as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,026. It is also known to make the boots using a series of vertical panels as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re 32,930. It is also known to use different types of fasteners such as that shown in these and other patents, including Velcro® straps, leather straps with various kinds of buckles, laces and cleats, etc. Boots like the one described in this last named patent did not function satisfactorily as explained in column 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,026 previously cited above. 
     A typical prior art boot is constructed of a foam core, covered on the inside with a soft fabric and on the outside with a nylon fabric. A raised generally triangular protrusion exists in the center portion of the top inside of the boot for fitting at the back of a horse&#39;s front hoof. A scuff pad is attached on the exterior of that portion of the boot covering the back of the hoof. The prior art boot is separated generally in the center of the front of the hoof and is continuous around the rest of the hoof. The boot is secured in place with a Velcro® fastener. This boot works well in good conditions, but can be pushed upward when the horse is maneuvering vigorously in mud, water and/or sand exposing the vulnerable rear portion of the front hoofs. 
     The rear of the boot is often made of a tough, but cushiony material, which, under good conditions, protects the vulnerable rear area behind the horse&#39;s front hooves. However, although there are many different kinds of boots to protect horses&#39; front hoofs, all suffer a characteristic that still allows injury in certain conditions. Those conditions are water, sand, sawdust and mud. When the horse is running in or jumping into several inches of water, mud, sawdust or sand, the water, mud, sawdust or sand pushes the boot upward exposing the vulnerable area behind the front hoof, allowing the boot to turn and allowing the front of the rear hoof to strike the vulnerable area injuring the rear portion of the horse&#39;s coronet and/or pastern and/or the bulb of the heel of the hoof. 
     It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,537 to attach a bell portion extending above the tops of prior art height boots to prevent the boot from moving up the horses leg, leaving the vulnerable portions unexposed. This boot works good, but some prefer a shorter and more compact boot. A more compact boot that will not turn even in mud, water or sand is therefore very desirable and meets a long felt need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention comprises a compact equine no-turn boot comprising a bell portion for covering a major portion of a hoof and a fastener for securing the no-turn boot to the hoof. The bell portion of the compact no-turn boot comprises a novel, relatively rigid member, or a hard shell, having a shape that fits closely and tightly to the hoof and prevents the compact boot from rotating or moving upward on hoof or leg. The relatively rigid member or shell is the improvement and comprises a tough material layer that is somewhat flexible, but relatively rigid and shaped to fit securely to a horse&#39;s front hoof. By shaped to fit securely is meant that the combination of the magnitude of rigidity of the layer and its close fit to the hoof prevents the boot from being pushed upward and/or rotated on the hoof while the horse is running, turning or stopping vigorously. 
     The compact equine boot bell also comprises a cushion layer, usually on the inside the relatively rigid member, but it can also be on the outside of the hard shell, and also optionally a tough, cloth layer or lining as an exposed inside surface of the compact no-turn boot. Also optionally, the compact no-turn boot can also have a tough outer cover that can also be decorative if desired. The tough, inside cloth lining can be rolled over the top and/or bottom of the compact no-turn boot and attached to the outer cover and/or the relatively rigid member or hard shell by any suitable means, but most typically by stitching. 
     The tough, relatively rigid member or hard shell is most typically molded to retain a shape that fits closely to the front hoofs of the horse, having sides curved towards an open front and a rear surface comprising a lower portion that gently curves from one side to the other side and an upper portion that is fairly flat and sloping towards the open top of the compact no-turn boot. The tough, relatively rigid member or hard shell is more typically made from an elastomeric organic or polymer material having a Shore A hardness, of about 80 to about 93 (as measured with the A probe in the ASTM D2240 test). Other properties most typically desired are a tensile strength of at least about 45 N/cubic millimeter, more typically at least about 50, a tear strength of at least 50 N/mm, more typically at least 60 N/mm and most typically at least about 70 N/mm, good abrasion resistance and, most typically, a deflection ratio at 70 degrees C. of about 35 to about 45 although this latter property is not essential to the invention. 
     Polymer materials that can meet this hardness and flexibility requirement include epoxies, fluropolymers, polyamides, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyethylene, polyolefins, polypropylene, polyvinyl chlorides, silicones, styrene acrylonitriles, thermoplastic elastomers and polyurethanes and organic materials include rubber and leathers including cowhide and leathers having similar properties. 
     Most typically, the hard shell is made from a polyester type polyruethane polymer having a Shore A hardness of about 85+/−4. The rear surface of the compact no-turn boot is sometimes called the scuff portion as it is this part that is occasionally struck by the horse&#39;s rear hoofs. Not necessarily, but most typically, the hard shell is thicker in the scuff portion than in less critical portions of the hard shell. The strength properties and hardness property of the hard shell are also important in the boot of the invention to prevent damage to the vulnerable portions of the rear side of the front hooves. When used in cold weather, the resistance to low temperatures of the hard shell is also important. Optionally, the relatively rigid or hard shell can have a cover of film or fabric and this film or fabric can be an attractive color with or without a design contained in or on the film or fabric. 
     A further option can be a strip of very tough, textile material, more typically a woven textile, rolled over the bottom edge and attached to the cloth lining and either the outer cover or the relatively rigid member, most typically attached to all four layers including the cushion layer by one or more rows of stitching, more typically near the bottom edge of the compact no-turn boot. By “near” the bottom or top edge of the compact no-turn boot is meant within about 0.75 inch of the top or bottom edge, more typically within about 0.5 inch and most typically within about 0.38 inch. 
     Finally, the compact no-turn boot comprises a fastener. The fastener is any conventional fastener that is reliable, easy to secure or undo quickly, and is safe for the horse and person installing the boots. The fastener is usually on the front of the compact no-turn boot, but can be in other locations such as on the side of the bell portion. The fastener is preferably a Velcro® type fastener, but other types of fasteners can be used such as a strap having holes and a buckle, a strap and a no-slip slotted buckle, laces and eyes or cleats etc. 
     The can be of a round shape, but preferably is relatively flat or generally straight across the back in the scuff portion. The fastener is preferably located to be on the outside of the horses hoof and in or near the front making it easier to fasten, being out of the way of the other front hoof and more accessible for securing the boot on the horse&#39;s hoof. The compact no-turn boot also preferably comprises a raised portion on the inside of the bell portion adjacent or near the upper edge of the bell portion and inside the relatively rigid member and shaped to fit between the two bulbs of the horse&#39;s heel of the hoof. 
     The invention also comprises a laminate comprising a layer of tough, relatively flexible material having a Shore A hardness of about 80 to about 90, a layer of cushiony material next to the tough, relatively flexible layer and a layer of strong fabric covering the cushiony material, the layers being secured together with an adhesive or by stitching or both. Optionally, the laminate can comprise a fourth layer of tough, dense film or fabric next to the other surface of the tough, relatively flexible material. Also optionally, the laminate can have a binding on one or more edges, the binding being either the layer of strong fabric or a separate layer of very strong woven fabric. Finally, the laminate can have one or more fasteners attached near an edge of the laminate for the purpose of fastening one edge of the laminate to another edge of the same laminate or a second laminate—the fastened edges can be together or spaced apart by up to one inch. Any type of fastener is suitable, but most typically is a Velcro® type fastener. 
     The invention also comprises a method of making the above laminate and no-turn boot comprising attaching a layer of wall material to an inner covering material and a cushion layer, such as a layer of foam material, forming the laminate and a shape that resembles a portion of a bell, but having a top opening and a bottom opening and a vertical slit or slot opening formed by the two ends of the wall of the boot, and attaching a fastener to the walls of the bell shaped laminate on either side of each end of the laminate, the improvement comprising using as the layer of wall material a relatively rigid layer as described above, and then shaping or molding the relatively rigid or hard layer into a shell to fit fairly closely to a front hoof of an equine. Optionally, the method can also include adding a cover to the outside of the relatively rigid layer including a decorative material. 
     The tough, inside cloth lining can be rolled over the top and/or bottom of the compact no-turn boot and attached to the outer cover and/or the relatively rigid member by any suitable means, but most typically by stitching. Also, a further option can be adding a strip of very tough, textile material, more typically a woven textile, and rolling the strip of the very strong textile over the bottom edge and attach the portions of the strip laying against the laminated wall of the boot to the cloth lining and either the outer cover or the relatively rigid member, most typically attach to all four layers including the cushion layer together by one or more rows of stitching, more typically near the bottom edge of the compact no-turn boot, and the same, except most typically using only one row of stitching, near the top of the compact no-turn boot. By relatively rigid member is meant that that is described above for the compact no-turn boot of the invention. 
     When the words equine and horse are used they are meant to include all animals resembling a horse and having hooves similar in shape as a horse even though smaller. Thus, such words would include horses of all types, mules, ponies of all types, zebras, etc. 
     When the word “about” is used herein it is meant that the amount or condition it modifies can vary some beyond that so long as the advantages of the invention are realized. Practically, there is rarely the time or resources available to very precisely determine the limits of all the parameters of ones invention because to do would require an effort far greater than can be justified at the time the invention is being developed to a commercial reality. The skilled artisan understands this and expects that the disclosed results of the invention might extend, at least somewhat, beyond one or more of the limits disclosed. Later, having the benefit of the inventors disclosure and understanding the inventive concept and embodiments disclosed including the best mode known to the inventor, the inventor and others can, without inventive effort, explore beyond the limits disclosed to determine if the invention is realized beyond those limits and, when embodiments are found to be without any unexpected characteristics, those embodiments are within the meaning of the term about as used herein. It is not difficult for the artisan or others to determine whether such an embodiment is either as expected or, because of either a break in the continuity of results or one or more features that are significantly better than reported by the inventor, is surprising and thus an unobvious teaching leading to a further advance in the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows the lower portion of a horse&#39;s left front leg and hoof with a boot of the invention covering most of the hoof and the coronet. 
         FIG. 2  shows the lower portion of a horse&#39;s right front leg and hoof having a preferred embodiment boot of the present invention covering the hoof and coronet. 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the preferred boot shown in  FIG. 2  when it is off of the horse and laid out flat. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the preferred boot shown laid out flat in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross section of the back part of the preferred boot shown in  FIGS. 2-4  taken along lines  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the preferred boot of the present invention when the boot is fastened onto the horses hoof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows the lower portion of a horse&#39;s front leg  2  with a boot  3  of the invention shown covering much of the horse&#39;s hoof  5 . When a horse is engaged in vigorous jumping, running, turning, stopping and accelerating the horse frequently over reaches with a hind leg causing the front of a rear hoof to strike the rear of a front hoof causing injury which can temporarily, or sometimes permanently, incapacitate or handicap the horse for vigorous activity. The boot  3  covers the front hoofs  5  to prevent such injuries. Prior art boots, some that may look like boot  3  on the exterior, however often are pushed up and sometimes turned when the horse is operating in sand, mud or water, exposing the vulnerable parts of the horse&#39;s front hoofs  5  to injury. The parts of the horse&#39;s hoof  5  vulnerable to incapacitating injury are the bulb of the heel of the hoof  5  (back of the hoof) and the coronet  8 , the lowest part of the horse&#39;s pastern  4 , particularly the rear part of the coronet which contains ligaments, tendons, arteries, veins, and nerve endings as partially shown in  FIG. 1  of U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,209. 
     The boot  14  shown in  FIG. 2  is constructed of a tough, relatively flexible material layer or hard shell  23  ( FIG. 5 ), a cushion layer  38  and a layer of strong, but soft fabric  26 , and optionally a layer  22  on the outside or exterior of the hard shell  23  of a very strong, dense film or fabric, such as a nylon fabric. The optional exterior layer  22  can be decorative if desired. A raised generally triangular protrusion  7  of a relatively dense cushion or foam  11  exists in the center portion of the top inside of the boot  3  at a location that when fitted on the hoof  5  will be adjacent the back of the hoof  5 . The boot  14  is separated generally in the center of the front of the hoof  5  and is continuous around the rest of the hoof  5 . The boot  14  is secured in place with a Velcro® fastener  20 . The combination of the raised generally triangular protrusion  7 , the tough, relatively flexible material layer or hard shell  23  and the fastener  20  prevents the boot  14  from rotating on the hoof  5  and from moving upward on the horse&#39;s hoof  5  and leg  2  in all conditions. 
     The boot  3  has an optional cuff  18  on the top of the hard shell  23  that comprises an extension of the cushion material and covered by the strong, but soft fabric lining  26 , rolled over and attached to the exterior surface of the hard shell  23 , most typically by one or more stitches running parallel or near parallel to the top of the hard shell  23 . The boot  3  can also have an optional lower cuff  12  that is an exposed layer of very strong, usually woven, fabric that begins near the lower edge of the hard shell  23 , rolls over the lower edges of the hard shell  23  and cushion layer  38  and ends near the lower edge of the exterior of the hard shell  23 . By near the lower edge of the hard shell  23  means a distance of from about 0.25 inch to about 0.75 inch from the lower edge of the hard shell  23 , most typically about 0.5 inch. When an exterior layer of dense, very strong film or fabric  24  is used, the lower cuff  12  also can cover the lower edge of the dense, very strong film or fabric  24 . The lower cuff  12  is secured to the hard shell  23 , soft fabric lining  26  and optionally the exterior layer or cover  24  by an adhesive, rivets, or other fastening means, but most typically with one or more stitches of strong thread, such as two spaced apart stitches. 
       FIG. 2  shows a most typical embodiment of a boot  14  of the present invention on a horse&#39;s front leg  2  and around the hoof  5  and the pastern  4 . The boot  14  includes a bell portion  16  for covering most of the hoof  5 , an upper cuff  18 , a lower cuff  12  and a closure or fastener  20  for fastening the boot  14  onto the hoof  5  in the front of the hoof  5 . The bottom edge of the lower cuff  12  of the bell portion  16  is normally above the bottom of the hoof  5  when the boot  14  is in place on the horse, but can extend to the bottom edge of the hoof  5  if desired. When the boot of the present invention is fastened in place on the horse&#39;s hoof  5  and lower portion of the leg  2  of the horse, the upper cuff  18 , being soft and flexible, fits snugly around the pastern  4 . The cuff  18  preferably extends about 0.75 inch above the top of the bell portion  16  of the preferred boot  14 , more preferably about ⅝ inch and most preferably about ⅞ inch above the top of the bell portion  16 . The combination of the raised generally triangular protrusion  7 , the tough, relatively flexible material layer or hard shell  23  and the fastener  10  prevents the boot  3  from rotating on the hoof  5  and from moving upward on the horse&#39;s hoof  5  and leg  2  in all conditions. 
     Many materials can be used for the hard shell so long as the Shore A hardness is in the range of about 80 to about 90, the material is flexible and tough enough to withstand strikes from a rear hoof without breaking and, for cold weather use, has a low temperature resistance to at least about minus 35 degrees C., most typically to at least about 40-50 degrees C. The material of the hard shell should have a Taber abrasion resistance of about 25+/−5 mg/1000 cycles (H-18 wheel; ASTM D-1044), high tear strength of at least about 50 about N/mm (ASTM D624) more typically at least about 60 and most typically at least about 70 N/mm, high tensile strength of at least about 6.9+/−2 MPa at 100% elongation (ASTM D-412), or at least about 55-60 N/mm to break, and excellent flexural strength of at least about 500% elongation at break, more typically at least about 600% and most typically at least about 650%. 
     Most typically, the hard shell is made from a polyester type polyurethane elastomer such as BASF&#39;s Elastollan® S85A available from BASF of Florham Park, N.J. This latter material has a density of about 1.22 g/cc, a Shore A hardness of about 85 (ASTM D2240), an ultimate tensile strength of about 34 MPa (4930 psi) (ASTM D412), a yield strength at 300% elongation of about 14 MPa (2030 psi), a yield strength at 100% elongation of about 6.9 MPa (1000 psi), an elongation at break of about 690%, a tear strength of about 110 kN/m (628 pli) (ASTM D624), a Taber Abrasion of about 25 mg/1000 cycles (H-18 wheel; ASTM D-1044) and a Tensile Set of about 35% (at break by ASTM D-412). 
       FIGS. 3-4  show other features of the boots of the present invention and the most typical boot shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 3  shows the exterior of the boot  14 . An optional outer covering  22  of the bell portion  16  can be used to cover the exterior surface of the tough, relatively flexible material layer or hard shell  23 . This optional covering  22  can be a film or fabric, such as a woven fabric like 2520 denier Oxford Nylon having two coats of polyurethane on one face, the hidden face (see  FIG. 5 ), but many different materials can be used. The purpose of the polyurethane coating on the back of the Oxford Nylon outer covering  22  is to provide a water barrier and to provide some stiffness to the material. The optional outer covering  22  can end at the bottom edge of the hard shell  23  or can wrap under the bottom edge of the hard shell  23  and extend up about 4-13 mm on the inside of the hard shell  23  if desired. When used, the outer material should be flexible, strong and preferably water resistant. Other suitable materials for the outer covering  22  would include any material now used for the covering of horse boots such as leather, woven synthetics including 18 oz. woven polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, tarp canvas, leather, rubber, etc. 
     Most typically, the exterior surface of the bell  16  of the boot  14  is the exterior surface of the tough, relatively flexible layer or hard shell  23 , but it can also be silk screened to form a decorative pattern thereon. Also, the tough, relatively flexible layer or hard shell  23  can be colored on the surface or throughout the material of the hard shell  23  to present a colorful boot, either alone, or in combination with a pattern on the surface such as a silk screened pattern. The hard shell  23  can be of uniform thickness of about 3 mm to about 8-10 mm, but most typically is thicker in the rear portion  40  of the boot  14  than in other portions (see  FIG. 5 ). For example, the thickness of the hard shell  23  is most typically about 4.5+/−1.5 mm in the lower rear portion  40  of the hard shell where the rear hoof is most likely to strike the boot  14  and tapering to about 2.1+/−0.75 mm at the lower edge of the lower rear portion  40  of the hard shell  23  and tapering to about 1.5+/−0.65 mm in the upper rear portion  41  and the side portions  43 , 44  of the hard shell  23 . The lower rear portion  40  of the hard shell  23  is most typically thicker by about 1 mm to about 10-11 mm than the thinner portions of the hard shell  23  in the upper rear portion  41  and the side portions  43 , 44 . 
     A cushion layer  38  is next to and most typically adhered to the interior surface of the hard shell  23 , the cushion layer  38  being typically about a 6 mm thick layer of EPD foam or EPT polyethylene butyl foam having a compression deflection of about 4-7 and a density of about 5-8 pounds per cubic foot. Other kinds of foam or cushioney material will work and should have the characteristic of not getting hard or changing compressibility materially when the ambient temperature falls below zero. A protrusion  7  is formed in the interior of the bell portion  16  on the back inside of the boot  14  by placing an appropriately shaped piece of foam rubber  11  known for this purpose next to the foam layer  38  in the appropriate place prior to applying an interior covering  26  in the known manner. The protrusion  7  has a shape and is located to fit into the bulb of the hoof when the boot  14  is secured in place on the horse to aid in preventing the boot from turning on the horse&#39;s hoof  5 . Most typically the interior covering  26  is a laminate of PK cloth adhered to a 1.6-2 mm layer of NL W3 Neoprene  25  that is adhered to a layer of Jersey fabric  27 , usually black. The Jersey knitted fabric can be a Jersey nylon of about 80 denier and knitted to have a 4-way stretch. The optional top cuff  18  is made by placing a foam strip  17  at the top edge of the hard shell  23 , covering this foam strip  17  with the interior covering  26  and stitching the laminate together with one or two rows of stitches  28  (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     An optional bottom cuff  12  is formed by rolling a strip of very strong fabric, usually a woven fabric like 2420 ballistic nylon™ or equivalent material, under the bottom edge of the hard shell  23 , the cushion layer  38 , the exterior cover  22  if used and the interior covering  26  and securing with a fastening means including rivets, adhesive and stitching one or more rows of stitches like  36  and  37 , or equivalents thereof. A preferred thread for using in all of the stitching in the boots of the invention is a nylon 2520D thread, but a 138 polyester thread can also be used or other threads conventionally used to make equine boots. All stitches used in the boot  14  can be of various sizes and types normally used, but a straight stitch is preferred with about 6 stitches per inch being the most preferred. 
     The combination of the foam layer  38  and the stretchable interior covering  26  permits the horse to freely move the pastern and hoof freely without hindrance from the no-turn boot  14 . If the interior covering  26  is not held taught during sewing the various stitches to fabricate the boot  14 , several pleats may form on the inside of the cuff  18  during fabrication since the inside circumference of the cuff is shorter than the outside circumference of the cuff  18 . These pleats, although not desired and can be avoided by holding the interior fabric taught during sewing, nevertheless are slight and soft and do not significantly affect the fit or the comfort of the boot  14 . 
     The preferred boot  14  is constructed so that an opening or joint  31  between the two ends of the boot  14 , when the boot  14  is secured on the horse, is located at or near the center of the front of the hoof, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 . The boots of the present invention could be constructed so that the joint  31  would be in other locations, such as on the outer side of the hoof, but these embodiments are less desirable. The preferred location of the joint  31 , as shown in  FIG. 2  makes it easy to install the boots  14 , provides for better protection of the horses front lower legs and improves the effectiveness of the fastener. 
     The fastener  20  can be of any known type that is flexible, such as Velcro® fasteners of known designs, buckles of various types used to secure boots and shoes, cleats and laces, belt and buckles of most types including, snaps, hooks and eyes etc., and is preferably attached only to the bell portion  16  of the boot  14 . In the most typical boot  14  the fastener  20  is preferably a Velcro® type fastener. The preferred Velcro® type fastener  20  is of the same type as shown on the prior art boot disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,537. The fastener comprises a first flap  48  that is preferably covered with Velcro® hooks  50  on both front and back surfaces. The first flap  48  is sewn onto the outside of the boot  14  near one end of the boot  14  so that about 1-2 inches of the first flap  48  extends beyond the end of the boot  14  when the boot  14  is open, see  FIG. 3 . The first flap  48  is sewn to the bell portion of the boot  14  over a length preferably of at least ½-¾ of an inch using several stitches as shown. 
     The preferred fastener further comprises a second, and longer, flap  45  preferably having Velcro® loops  51  covering all or most of one face, the face that is hidden when the boot  14  is secured on the horse. The face having the Velcro® loops has an attached portion  46  and an unattached portion  47 (See  FIG. 3 ). The length of the attached portion  46  should be the same or almost the same as the length of the unattached portion of the first flap  48  because one face of the first flap  48  attaches to the attached portion  46  of the second flap  45 . This also allows the boot to fit slightly different sized hooves. The boots  14  can be made in various sizes to fit different sized hooves, but some adjustment in size can also be made with the fastener. The attached portion  46  of the second flap  45  is preferably sewn to the exterior of the bell portion  16  of the boot  14  to align with the first flap  48  when the boot is in a closed position. Several stitches are used to attach the attached portion  46  of the second flap  45  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
     The boots of the present invention can be made in many sizes, but typically are made in several sizes including small, medium, large and extra large. The fabrics and materials used to make the boots can be in any of many colors, but preferably all surfaces showing are black, charcoal, or dark gray. The color is a matter of choice. 
     Only the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. It will be obvious to the ordinary artisan, having the benefit of the above disclosure, that many other embodiments within the broad description of the invention are possible. Such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of one or more of the following claims.