LeMieux has, undoubtedly, been one of the hottest brands of the past few years. Their matchy sets really put them on the map, and the product line has rapidly expanded to all kinds of horse and rider wear, grooming equipment, and stable supplies. I am not a fan of the matchy sets myself (thats… a lot of color…), but LeMieux does make some REALLY nice saddle pads. I’ve had my eye on the merino+ half lined dressage pad, because man LOOK AT THAT WITHER PROFILE. And the d-ring strap attachments are brilliant because I hate billet straps with every fiber of my being.
While LeMieux rose to fame on their saddle pads and polo wraps, those are admittedly two items from them that I don’t own. I have three LeMieux things in my arsenal now – bell boots, bandage pads, and ice boots. And my feelings about them vary quite a bit.
The first thing I bought was the leather wraparound bell boots.
I’d had a pair of leather bell boots before and I LOVED the look of them but they died within a couple months. I mostly ride outside of the arena, and grass can really wear on the material. When I went shopping for a new pair I decided to try one more time on the leather but go with LeMieux. It’s been 6 months, and while they’re starting to show some wear on the bottom edges of the leather, they’ve certainly held up a lot better than I thought they would and far surpassed the previous brand. I feel like the leather gives a little bit more protection (Henry grabbed THE SHIT out of himself once to the point where he almost fell down and there was just a very slight ding in the leather. Probably would have been a rip in rubber.) and I haven’t had a problem with them getting wet or muddy. I just hose them off. I’ve been happy with these, and feel like the price is really reasonable. Would love them even more if they came in navy (navy is a lifestyle, I can’t help it).
The next LeMieux purchase was bandage pads.
These were kind of an impulse purchase when I was trying to replace my really old no-bow’s, couldn’t decide what I wanted, and just panicked and threw something in the cart. LeMieux says they can be used as stable bandages or exercise bandages, and I use them as stable bandages, but I would say they’re probably better suited as exercise bandages. I think they’re just a bit small and short and thin and flimsy for a stable bandage, personally. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the towel-like material on the inner lining, because if I’m just dry wrapping, it’s great, but if I’m wrapping over wet poultice paper, I’m not so thrilled. I also thought I would really like the velcro tabs in the middle but turns out I hate them because they’re right where I want to tuck my wrap in to start it. I would probably like those features a lot if I was using them as exercise bandages, but as stable bandages they’re not my favorite. They certainly work just fine as stable bandages but wouldn’t be my first choice for that purpose.
The last and most recent purchase was the ice boots I impulse-purchased at Burghley.
.jpg)
Sigh. These things. I really like the boot itself… I think it’s designed well, I like that it goes all the way down to the hoof, and that the elastic straps let you adjust it tighter if you desire. The interior pocket is insulated and has a zipper that allows easy access to take the ice pack in and out. So what do I hate? Said mother effing ice pack. It SUCKS. The shape is nice, and it doesn’t get stiff, but it’s SO THIN that it doesn’t hold the cold at all. Like I took the packs directly out of the freezer, put them in the boots, put the boots on my horse’s wet legs, and when I took them off 20 minutes later the legs and the ice packs were both warm. Not cold. Not even cool. Like body temperature warm. That’s… relatively terrible. For the price of the boots, the ice packs should be a lot better than that. I know it’s hot here, but geez.
I’m experimenting with making my own ice packs to see if I can make these work, since I do like the actual boot itself.
Despite not loving those, it was really fun to walk through the giant LeMieux tent at Burghley and get to touch/feel everything. I remain impressed by all the boots and saddle pads (in fact I talked both of my traveling companions into buying fluffy boots), and some of their clothing looked nice as well (anybody have the base layer?). Certainly no one can hold a candle to their variety of colors, that’s for sure. Shit, they even make pompom helmet covers, and y’all know how I feel about that. I have a lot of regrets over not buying the sparkly pompom beanie hat. Maybe next time…
breedrideevent.com 
I am the ultimate lazy icer. My solution? I remove the outer wrap from my BOT quick wraps. Put some ice in a bag (or grab an ice pack if Im feeling fancy) and wrap the BOT shell around the whole thing. It works. It stays (on May), and it didn’t cost me any thing extra. AND I dont have to pack anything extra. Winning.
LikeLike
I must be lazier than you then because I took the lining out of my BOT wraps like once and hated myself for it, thus have never done it again LOL. At shows I use real ice in my suspender boots (hands down my favorite intense icing method) so I just wanted something decent to use at home. The LM boots are nice, but the ice pack sucks. Hopefully replacing their ice pack with better ones will solve my problem.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bahahaha Two pieces of velcro. Too hard. Never again. 😉
LikeLike
Yeah exactly. LOL. I think I’m scarred for life from those boots that were really popular when I was kid that had changeable liners, so you could do sheepskin or neoprene or leather lining in the same shell. I could NEVER get the bastards back in the same way again. Now I’m like twitching at the very thought, just give me separate boots.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that sucks about the ice packs. i’m still team ice roma ice boot, or team giant muck tub of ice.
also sometimes if im team lazy i do:
1. wet paper towel against the leg
2. https://www.target.com/p/igloo-maxcold-natural-ice-cooler-2-pack-lunch/-/A-13273935
3. woof boot
LikeLike
Henry can’t mentally handle the muck tubs lol he’s still barely ok with his suspender boots that I use at shows. I was just looking for something easy and fast to use at home that didn’t require actual ice, that I could pull out of the freezer and slap on the leg. I’m hoping better ice packs will make them suit my purpose.
LikeLike
I bought a LeMieux sheepskin lined half pad earlier this year and it is way nicer than anything else in that price range (sub $100). I’d buy one again in a heartbeat. I’ve been hunting for a green LeMieux dressage pad as a gift and it seems everywhere is sold out (or maybe it’s a new color and on the way, not sure). So lots of people must like it if I can’t find one in stock.
LikeLike
The hunter green color just came out. I was eyeballing it but it’s not quite as dark as I prefer. It’s pretty though, wouldn’t be surprised if it’s sold out!
LikeLike
If you happen to see one in stock, let me know! I agree, it’s not as dark as I’d prefer either, but I’m having a really hard time finding a green dressage pad that is a shade of green I’d actually buy. I mean I won’t be personally using it, but I’m still not going to buy a shade of green I don’t like for someone else. lol
LikeLike
PS of Sweden has a really pretty emerald but they’re pricey
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want the Majyk space boots. That is my solution.
LikeLike
I really want to play with those things too.
LikeLike
They are AMAZING! I JUST GOT MINE.
LikeLike
I have a pair of LeMieux bell boots that have survived basically 24/7 wear for a year now, so I’m probably never going buy another brand of bell boots again
LikeLike
I got a LeMieux half pad that ended up being too small for my saddle so my friend bought it off me. It’s super nice for the price but when she went to buy a second set of shims, no one had them. They’re listed on the LeMieux website but have been out of stock for months. They still make the half pad and sell shims with it but apparently you’re shit out of luck if want a second set.
LikeLike
All I really read here was that you have to get the space boots.
LikeLike
with all these things you’ve been telling me to buy lately, i’m gonna need a large personal loan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
i’m a matchy-matchy slave but I gotta tell you I am super unimpressed with the LM polo wraps. Its the only LM product that I have qualms with. Qualms I say!
Its a good thing they come long and in good colors otherwise I wouldn’t even bother. The material is thin, too stretchy, and the width is a bit short for my liking. Most of the time I’ll use the Dover perfect polo or BoT which is far superior in quality.
LikeLike
Jeebus. I was never going to end up with a pom helmet cover (they look cool on others, I’m not bad ass enough yet) but I made the mistake of checking their website for the elusive purple base layer I need and THE MATCHING SETS ARE AMAZING. I literally gasped.
LikeLike
I have a set of exercise boots I like for the price, but the wraps were a huge miss for me – so thin! I have a halter that’s fine…but the lead it came with is more like a dog leash? I’m also apparently among the few that thinks the basic saddle pads are overpriced for what they are material and quality wise. I feel like they’re so hit or miss for me that I’m going to start to wait until I can see the stuff in store and compare to other brands.
LikeLike
I live in Uk and between my kid and me, we have a LOT. Every saddle pad is the bomb. I have the bell boots and I like them. I have a fuzzy halter (head collar) and lead rope. Its good. My daughter LOVES the base layer. We love the pom pom hat covers. I have breeches- I like them for the price. Here is what I hate: hacking/ tendon boots- the velcro sucks. Fuzzy girth cover- the velcro sucks. Shoulder guard to prevent blanket rubbing- the velcro sucks. Morale of the story- I think their velcro sucks. The ice boots though, I have been wanting them. So now I guess back to the drawing board….
LikeLike
I love the Colpac ice packs for myself, and my horse! You can get them in difference sizes than this: https://www.amazon.com/Chattanooga-Reusable-Hamstring-Shoulder-Inflammation/dp/B000QFZRNE/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=colpac&qid=1572988638&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVjVCT1UwUTdMSVZRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzIyNzk4MzNTNkhXWEMwSDU2RSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjk3Mjc1MzE2UUtSMEQ3NEtOSiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
LikeLike
The boots you made me buy at Burghley are on their way to Kentucky!
LikeLike
I have far too many of the Lemieux saddle pads. I get mine from horsehealth.uk and they are way faster and cheaper than anywhere in the US. That beind said they will rub a clipped horse in a second if you aren’t careful. Good thing my guy goes nekkid all year!
LikeLike
I’m a HUGE fan of their CC pads for jumping, and friends have the clothing and love it. I haven’t ventured too far out into the other side of their stock though but it’s disappointing to hear because I LOVE Le Mieux
LikeLike
I am definitely a LeMieux fan after using their saddle pads and polo wraps… those are my absolute fave. The X-Grip pad in particular I found game changing:
https://redontheright.com/2019/03/29/product-review-lemieux-x-grip-euro-saddle-pad/
LikeLike