My Equilibrium stretch and flex wraps are not holding up as well as I had hoped. They are starting to wear through where my mare brushes. However, they are the only kind of boot that I have found that don’t make my mare’s legs sweat excessively. Before I go out and just buy another pair, does anybody have any suggestions for dressage boots? I have tried Woof Wear and SMB boots and both left my mare’s legs very sweaty, which in turn attracted dirt to stick to them under the boot.
I just got a pair of Prof Choice Ventech All Purpose boots. They are supposed to be cooler, and have fairly good reviews, but I haven’t used them yet. I will let you know this weekend how they do - it is supposed to be hot and muggy. They are fairly low profile and have a padded, but not hard strike area. They also look like (and reviews state) they will be easy to clean either in the washing machine or with a hose. I got M for my 15.3 gelding and they fit fine, a bit longer than the fleece dressage boots I already have. If you are unsure of sizes, I would recommend the smaller size.
How do you like your fleece dressage boots? I have been looking a the DSB boots, but wonder if the fleece would just make her sweat more. We typically are in the 80s to 90s during the summer, but the humidity can be pretty high so I want something that is going to keep her comfortable while still protecting her and hopefully holding up a bit better.
I have a synthetic fleece pair (Dover?) and they are durable (I’ve had them for 3 years or so) and wash up nicely in the washing machine - literally someone asked if I got new boots this weekend after I washed them, despite the scuffs, tears and holes. They are pretty hot - legs are always sweaty under them after a ride. I got a pair of real sheepskin ones for clinics, and they are a bit cooler, but not by enough to justify the higher price, IMHO.
Yeah, I was looking at the Smartpak brand pair, since I could get them shipped to me free with my Smartpaks. However, if they are going to make her legs super sweaty, then that’s a no go. Another option I am looking at is the Majick Equip boots. I found a couple of pair on eBay for cheap, and they seem well liked as a brand.
https://www.toklat.com/Products/BP/10-0704
I have a pair for front and hind. Wool fleece wicks sweat and breathes. Easy to clean in the washing machine. I quite like them.
I just bought some Majyke boots and they seem really nice.
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I like the NEW Equine Wear Airoflow boots…they have a lightweight carbon fiber strike plate on the back of the tendon and are super breathable. Technically, they are cross country boots, but they’re great on the flat too. My horse’s legs stay cooler than in any neoprene or fleece boots I’ve ever had, and sand doesn’t work it’s way up.
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This Animal physiology MA student in the UK tested heat trapping in four kinds of boots; bandage, leather, neoprene and equilibrium tri-zone all purpose. The latter was as cool on the leg as nothing. http://egreenanimalphysio.co.uk/uplo…final_copy.pdf
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I like the Majyke Equipe sport boots for flatwork. Very breathable and offer good support.
I think I have decided on the LeMieux mesh brushing boots. They look lightweight, and supposedly breathe really well. I am hoping that the mesh material will make them a similar breathability to the flex and stretch wraps.
http://www.hopevalleysaddlery.co.uk/lemieux-prosport-mesh-brushing-boots.html
That is an interesting study - I’ve often wondered about what the results would be from a study like this. Although the lowest rise was for the Tri-zone boots, if you look at figure 15, the brushing boots (WoofWear) did quite well, and tracked closer to the bare leg, with less of the overall time at an elevated temperature.
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I have a pair of HKM Breathable boots and absolutely love them and so do several other people. My horse’s leg start to get gross looking with normal neoprene or fleece boots in the summer time.
Let us know how you like them! Pony is going to need new boots in the next couple months and those are the ones I’m thinking of going with (I’m in the south so it’s hot year round) and liked how breathable those looked
My reading of the study is that the neoprene brushing boots were very similar to the bare limb in the temperature rise and decrease during rest/exercise/cool down. I’m not sure why the author of the study did not address that similarity. The profile of the neoprene brushing boot seemed to most closely follow the profile of the bare leg, including maximum temperature recorded. (The neoprene brushing boot max was not as high as the TriZone boots, by a small fraction of a degree, 0.28. )
I use ThinLine or Back On Track boots.
Not only that, but looking at Table 1, the average recorded temperature throughout all phases of exercise for the neoprene brushing boots was LOWER than that recorded for the Tri-Zone boots.
The data is interesting, but the conclusions are questionable. I believe this is why the concept of peer review came about.
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Makes you wonder if the study was sponsored by Tri-Zone…
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If a horse brushes regularly, I prefer to put them in hard shell boots. There are plenty of vented open front boots for front legs, and Eskadron ankle boots are lightweight and small behind.
I have the mesh LeMieux boots for turnout and do like them. I haven’t noticed any excessive sweating issues.
I ended up ordering the mesh LeMieux, now to anxiously await their arrival! They have a leather interior, so hopefully that will be enough to keep her protected.
The LeMieux boots arrived yesterday…and they look really, really small. Might be back to the drawing board.
