Allergic reaction to material in brushing boots

[CLB]

I recently bought a pair of new Mark Todd brushing boots, within 1 days of wearing them my horse had blown up legs followed by red raw bald batches, scabs and very itchy sore skin. The vet gave antibiotics and steriod injection but months later are still not 100%. You would think it was a bacteria infection/mud fever...but the sores are only where the boots sit and not any higher or below. Both legs are bald and he is a warmblood, so not a hairy legged horse. Has anyone else had allergic reactions to material in brushing boots, I am concerned that the cheap materials produced abroad contain chemicals that are causing issues like my poor boy has had, and still got. His legs are a right really badly affected. many thanks

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Sometimes an obvious reason can get overlooked. The horse's skin is protected by hair so I wouldn't have necessarily jumped to the conclusion that it was an allergic reaction to the fabric. I would have checked that the legs were totally and absolutely clean and dry before the boots went on. The symptoms you describe, especially when you say it's exactly like mud fever, mean that it could be irritation of the skin from specks of dried mud, shavings etc trapped between the boot and the leg. Or it could be that the new boots fit in a different way, ie really snug and tight, so causing the legs to get damp and sweaty on the inside. Mud fever could easily invade then, especially if the legs weren't gently washed and dried after working, or at least brushed when dry.

 

[pines of rome]

My horse had a similar reaction but much milder than yours, he has white socks and when I took the boots off his legs looked a bit pink and seemed itchy.

The lining in the boots is neoprene and apparently some horses can be allergic to it, so I stopped using them and he was fine.

 

[saz5083]

My white legged horse is allergic to neoprene I now only use New Equine Wear boots that dont have neoprene in them and my boy is fine. Have you had this problem with other boots or is it just these ones?

 

[spannahw]

Had the same problem with a new pair of medicine boots on my boy. Again, took it to be a reaction to the neoprene. Legs swelled & leaked, hair fell out in patches to the point where you could see the lines where the top & bottom of the boots had been. Never bothered with boots after that!

 

[HollyP]

I know someone else who had a horse allergic to neoprene, horse had the exact same reaction! So just avoid it like the plague!

 

[HollyP]

The person I know was told it was mud fever, it was the neoprene cleared up soon after she stopped using the boots!

 

[K27]

I would doubt it's the material to be honest- both of my horses last year kept getting sore bits where their boots were- despite me always brushing them off after they had been school- I applied an ointment with steroids in which calmed it down and I keep their lower legs well trimmed and clip out their heels and really carefully brush their legs after work- it can be the tinest grain of arena surface that gets between the leg and the boot that can cause the soreness, i mainly use polo bandages now which stops it happening. In my horses case it was the pvc granules that were getting caught and rubbing.