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Lamicell Sports Medicine Boots

Western
#1

I ALWAYS put boots on when I ride. Typically, I use a Weaver Sports Medicine boot and at home, when it’s hot (I live in the desert), I’ve been using a more traditional splint boot except that it is a pleather outer with a heavy fleece inside. The thickness of the boot is about 1/2" and feels pretty sturdy. It runs all the way to the bottom of the knee.

A month ago, my mare tripped and clipped her splint bone with a hind foot which resulted in a saucer fracture of the splint bone. She was wearing the pleather/fleece splint boots. My vet said to ONLY use sports medicine boots. I saw an ad for the Lamicell boots and I’m wondering if anyone has used them. They are supposed to be breathable and dissipate heat while providing shock absorption. I’m looking for opinions - I want to get the most shock protection I can find to try and avoid this happening again.

I’ve also seen the “jumping” type boot with the open front that seems to have a hard outer shell. Has anyone used these for barrel racing?

#2

I’m surprised that your horse was able to injure her splint bone in such a way even though you had splint boots on. Although, did she happen to hit under the boot or something?

When you say “shock protection” or “shock absoprtion”, what do you mean? Do you mean “support”? Or just physical protection from a foot hitting another?

If you are asking about support, there is no sport boot that provides substantial “support”. A lot of brands might claim to, but if you actually read their own studies, the real numbers are in the single digit percentages. Granted, that’s better than zero, but in the grand scheme of things when you have a horse moving at speed or at force (such as with barrel racing), I chose to use sport boots for physical protection benefits and NOT for support benefits. Because the “support” is pretty minimal.

I have not seen the Lami-Cell boots in person but they are still made of neoprene. I don’t see that as being breathable or how they would dissapate heat any differently than another neoprene boot. I would still be cautious with wear time in the heat, like you would any other boot.

Personally, I only use sport boots when I’m working in the arena (barrel work, reining work, etc) but use only bell boots and nothing else for the rest (majority) of riding out on the trails.

#3

I am shocked as well. I have no idea how she did it, but she stumbled and then shortly after, she was lame. The vet said the xray clearly shows a cup shape where she struck the splint bone from the back. The splint is high (right below the knee, so I don’t know if she managed to come just above the boot or maybe right at the top?

I am not looking for support (I’m well aware boots don’t offer that and probably shouldn’t if they could) - I’m more interested in impact resistance. I thought the same thing about the Lami-cell boots - not sure how neoprene can breathe. The jumping boots looked really interesting because they have a hard outer shell to protect the back of the front leg from an impact behind, but the front of the boot is open. I can’t imagine a horse striking the front of a foreleg, but I couldn’t imagine her breaking a bone with boots on to begin with…

#4

Yeah, unless she happened to hit high enough above her split boot, which is unlikely but possible!

I myself prefer the Professionals Choice sport boots and the Classic Equine dyno-turn boots. I used to have one horse that was very base narrow in front and he ripped out chunks of his sport boots on two occasions, and never took a lame step afterward. So I have been very happy with them for physical protection.

I know that Iconoclast makes an extra tall boot for the hind legs, if you are wanting a little extra coverage.

I’ve personally chosen in the last couple years to NOT put any boots on the hind legs because I have not been able to find a brand that truly stays put and doesn’t fall down during a barrel run. Yeah, they can step on themselves on the hinds during a run, but I figure if they are going to do that, they are probably (more often than not) going to step near the coronet band anyway … which the boots don’t cover anyway! But that’s just been my personal preference. I don’t feel they are going to hit themselves real high on the back legs and I’ve never had a horse do that (knock on wood). But the front legs, yes!

#5

The jumping boots are open front so the horse can feel the rails should they strike them and be more careful over the rest of the jumps. You don’t want something on their legs that prevents them from knowing they made a mistake that led to a rail down.

Have used them but not for rails (none of mine were lazy or loose in front, if they clobbered anything it was behind) it was in hot weather. Thought the open front would make them cooler. They were cooler but let a lot of loose dirt inside, especially on sand. Quit using them. Never thought any style did much for my needs other then light impact protection on the cannons and bell boots for clipping. YMMV.

#6

@beau159 - I don’t use hinds either. She HATES them. Stomps her back legs into the ground so hard, I’m afraid she’ll hurt herself. I’m thinking maybe SMB are the best thing available.

@findeight - I’m wondering if having the front of the boot open in a hard turn might result in a strike to the front of the cannon bone. I’m thinking about them for barrel racing.

#7

Do barrel racers strike the front of the cannon with the opposing foreleg in a hard turn? I never went fast enough to have that issue so no idea. But you will get dirt inside the boot if you turn deep enough or even just from sandy footing. What do the top gals use if they didnt get them free for endorsing them? Looking at the best riders equipment always worked for me figuring out what to use in an unfamiliar discipline.

#8

I mostly see sports medicine boots. I’m just really gun shy because I had boots on that were thicker than SMB’s when my mare fractured her splint bone. Ironically enough, we were doing dressage in the arena, not racing.

#9

You sure she didn’t do it in the field or stall? “Shortly after” as in minutes, or days? I’ve only ever seen one, and it looked like it was from a kick since there was a pretty good bloody gash in the same spot.

#10

If they really clobber themselves, nothing is going to really prevent all injuries and really don’t think you want or need anything thicker then SMBs. And your vet specifically said use SMBs? The leading riders use SMBs? Why swim upstream here?

Also, with Palm Beach here, splint bones are fragile and sometime show fractures on x rays looking for other things even when not lame or experiencing any falls or other accidents, possible she already had it and just aggravated it when she tripped.

You’d have to wrap a mattress around their leg to prevent any and all injuries, you can’t run in that and she’d probably trip over it or colic from trying to eat it. Because she’s a horse. That’s what they do, find inconvenient and expensive ways to try to kill themselves.

Use the SMBs.

2 Likes
#11

We were cantering, she tripped, I brought her back to a walk for a minute and when I went to pick up the trot again, she was lame.

@findeight - LMBO

#12

The NFR just finished over the weekend. All the top gals this year used some brand of SMB type boot. Most had on all 4 legs. A couple only on the front legs.

I’ve never had one do that, but it’s possible if you’d have the misfortune to have a slip and fall.

Plus, your typical sport boot is going to cover a wee bit lower than your typical split boot, having less open area for flesh. Not by much, but I’ll take all the coverage I can get.

1 Like
#13

I was using SMB boots but now run in polos in my barrel mare. I personally like to wrap over Velcro the boots on. I also think you’re able to wrap in a way that suits your horse over a boot that requires you to wrap a certain way. I personally like wrapping further down on the fetlock than the boot goes, and I wrap a little higher up under the knee and hock.

#14

What about these, looks like they offer a bit more protection and aren’t open front:

https://marystack.com/back-on-track-royal-work-boots

https://www.horseloverz.com/horse-eq…ter-front-boot

#15

Those both look like interesting options. Thanks for posting them. I’ll show them to the vet and see what he thinks.

1 Like

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