Equine exercise boot assembly and ice spa

A method of simulating gaited movement of an equine animal comprising:

• placing at least one of the equine animal's hooves inside each of one or more boot assemblies comprising a boot having a reservoir made of a flexible material for containing coolant and having a closed inside bottom, an underside bottom, an open top, an underside and having an attached sole plate having a bottom, inside top side and side walls into which the closed inside bottom of the reservoir is disposed and attached to the underside of the;
• a removable elastomeric shock absorbing pad disposed inside the boot and having pressure pulsing means disposed under or within the shock absorbing pad, and
• passing a fluid into and out of the pressure pulsing means to expand and deflate said pressure pulsing means in sequence.

A method of treatment of equine hooves and legs needing treatment comprising fitting an equine animal leg that will benefit from cryotherapy treatment into a boot assembly comprising a boot comprising a reservoir made of a flexible material for containing coolant, filling the boot assembly reservoir with coolant for sufficient time and at a sufficient temperature to effect measurable cooling of the leg and hoof wherein the boot assembly comprises:

• a reservoir made of a flexible material for containing coolant having side walls, a closed inside bottom, an underside bottom and open top, an underside and having a sole plate having a bottom, inside top side and side walls into which the closed inside bottom of the reservoir is disposed and attachment means to attach the underside of the reservoir to the inside top side of the sole plate;
• a removable elastomeric shock absorbing pad disposed inside the boot in the bottom of the reservoir on top of a layer of reservoir material and having pressure pulsing means disposed under or within the shock absorbing pad, and
• means for injecting air into coolant in the reservoir.

the removable elastomeric shock absorbing pad has a top, side, bottom, top front and top rear and is ridged on the top side or is a shock absorbing pad having a front bumper projection on the top front and separate side clip projections on the top sides.