Sunday, May 22, 2016

FCE Review: LeMieux Pro Sport Stealth Air XC Boots

I purchased myself a full set of Majyk Equipe cross country boots as a birthday present in the fall of 2014. It was looking like this eventing thing might actually happen, and everyone raved about how awesome the MEs were. Plus Riding Warehouse had a 20% off sale. SOLD!

One big problem, tho: the MEs only go down to size M, and were still not the right fit for Isabel. No matter what I did, they would turn during a ride. When I found myself opting to use different boots for schooling I knew it was time. We needed new boots that fit.

I figured this problem was more or less solved by the used Woofs I picked up on eBay - except those kinda turned too... Ugh. Petite little mare and her toothpick legs!

But, then - angels sang. I wasn't even looking for cross country boots at Rolex, when I spotted these LeMieux boots out of the corner of my eye. AND. They had fronts and hinds in size S. The full set of four for $135.

porous exterior doesn't hold water. branding is relatively understated.
Something about the look of these boots - the way they felt in my hand -  was just so promising.

The design is super simple: the flexible cage mesh exterior dissipates water, heat, and debris; and the polycarbonate strike guards are lightweight yet SOLID. No hard edges tho - the design feels very smooth and fitted. Oh, and there's no neoprene on these boots.

finally. boots that fit.
Another design feature I like? The front boots have one large velcro patch for the straps to stick on - allowing for a fairly customized fit. For some reason, whether user error or otherwise, the ME velcro straps never really seemed to line up quite right. Whereas these LeMieux straps pull smooth every time.

The hind boots do have individual velcro tracks for each strap - but again, the fit and adjustment seems just right.

ruthlessly efficient. that's something i can get behind
My absolute favorite part of these boots tho? They DO NOT BUDGE. At all. Not up, down, or all around. And they've been tested - rest assured. The LeMieux boots have been our go-to since they came home. Whether for trail riding, schooling, lessons, and yes, competing too.

After being paranoid for so long about my boots slipping, turning, or falling down - it's really refreshing to not actually have to worry any more. Or have to pester my riding buddies, asking "are my boots ok?" (does anybody else remember the multiple xc lessons that had to be paused for Dan to fix a fallen boot?? ugh - never again!)

a photograph of photographs. #meta
Another bonus? They clean up reeeeeeally easy. I usually just dunk 'em in a water bucket and swirl around to rinse, then hang dry on my stall. Low maintenance is definitely my favorite haha.

Ruthlessly efficient might as well be a metaphor for my life philosophy. lol

all cleaned up and ready for the next ride!
left: front boots with the strike guard along the tendon
right: hind boots with the strike guard across the cannon inside and front
So I'm pretty darn happy with them. They're the first true cross country boots (meaning, boots that provide that extra degree of protection for galloping and potential impact with solid obstacles) that really truly work for my horse. And at what essentially amounts to a bargain price given the market (sheesh, when did leg protection get so gimmicky and expensive?).

The LeMieux boots look and feel great after a month of use - and are fully assimilated into my assortment of somewhat neglected and abused equipment. And I expect to hang on to them.

Oh. And for those of you into that kind of thing, a little googling proved that they also come in brown or metallic... ;)

18 comments:

  1. Thank you for the review - they sound exactly like what I am looking for.

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  2. Very cool, those look awesome! May have to try them myself, at least for the fronts. The ME's just go down too low on Connor.

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  3. Those boots are gorgeous! So happy they work for you and your mare! My mare is hard to fit as well, but it seems we have opposite problems- mine is a chunk! ;)

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  4. I really like the look of these!

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  5. So glad you found something! If only I needed xc boots. ;-)

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  6. I like those! But I don't jump anymore :-)

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  7. No neoprene but still breathable is so cool! I don't have a horse with an allergy, but it causes problems for enough horses, that it's great to have an non-neoprene option.

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  8. It's good to know about these as an option. Nilla's legs aren't thin, but they're short (she's only 15hh) so I've been worried the MEs might not fit. Also, you can remove that logo with a seam ripper if you don't like it. I do that for all my tack with large branding.

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  9. Damnit, no white? I want white boots because they look so good on the red pony. But fit would be nice.

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    1. the metallic boots def aren't white, but they are bright and could be an interesting look if you wanted to go that route!
      http://www.lemieuxproducts.com/horsewear/cross-country-boots/prosport-stealth-air-xc-boots-hind-black-ii

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  10. Is their size guide/recommendation pretty accurate? My mare is on the short side of 15hh and she has fairly short cannons. She's usually in cob sized boots and LeMieux recommends small front's with medium hind's.

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    1. this mare is 14.3 and the smalls work pretty well all the way around, tho i suspect we could probably make do with mediums in back too (if you look closely at the second picture from the top, there's enough room that a longer boot would fit). she has fairly dainty legs tho, which can sometimes mean mediums are too wide and will turn. but a horse with more bone would likely be fine in mediums.

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  11. Can I ask what booth you found these at?

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    1. sorry, it's been about a year and i can't search that far back in my credit card statements, apparently to see the vendor name. this particular set is available for sale tho! if you're interested email me at fraidycat.eventing at gmail.

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