LeMieux Junior Field Riding Boot Review: solid kids’ leather boots that actually feel like real riding gear

I got these LeMieux Junior Field Riding Boots in brown, size 2 UK, regular height/calf, for my kid who rides once or twice a week and does the odd pony day. I’ll be honest: I was a bit skeptical about paying this much for children’s boots, because they grow out of everything in about five minutes. But after a few weeks of lessons, grooming, and walking around the yard in all sorts of weather, I’ve got a pretty clear idea of what’s good and what’s annoying about them.

First thing: these are real riding boots, not toy-looking plastic ones. They’re proper leather, with a back zip, spur rests, and a tread that actually grips the stirrup. My kid went from some floppy rubber boots to these, and the difference in how stable their leg looked in the saddle was obvious, even to me. The instructor commented on it after the first lesson, so it’s not just parent bias.

They’ve been used in drizzle, damp arenas and a pretty muddy yard. They’re listed as “moisture resistant”, which feels accurate: they handle wet ground and splashes fine, but I wouldn’t throw them in deep puddles or expect them to act like full-on wellies. After a few hose splashes and some mud, the leather still looks decent with a quick wipe and a bit of conditioner.

They’re not perfect: the leather is a bit stiff out of the box, the zip needs a firm pull at first, and the price stings for something a child might outgrow in a season. But in terms of actual riding use – grip in the stirrup, support around the ankle and calf, and how easy they are to get on and off – they’re pretty solid. I’ll break down the details in the next sections so you can see if they’re worth it for your kid or if you’re better off with cheaper rubber or synthetic boots.

Let’s be honest: for kids’ boots, these sit in the higher price range. You can easily find rubber or synthetic riding boots for a lot less. The question is whether the extra money actually brings something useful, or if you’re just paying for the LeMieux logo. After using them a while, I’d say you’re mostly paying for three things: real leather, proper grip/sole design, and a fit that behaves like adult boots rather than dress-up gear.

Compared to the cheaper rubber boots my kid had before, the difference in comfort and stability is clear. Less slipping in the stirrups, better ankle support, and fewer complaints about tired feet. If your child rides regularly (weekly lessons or more, plus pony days), the cost starts to make sense. If they ride once a month and mostly do grooming, they might be overkill, and a mid-range synthetic boot could be enough.

Where the value is a bit borderline is the growth factor. Kids’ feet move fast. If your child is in a growth spurt, there’s a chance they’ll outgrow these in a season. In that case, it’s worth considering: will you pass them on to a sibling or resell them second-hand? These boots are solid enough that they should still be in good shape for a second round of use, which helps justify the price a bit.

Overall, I’d rate the value as pretty solid for serious little riders, less so for casual pony-patters. You’re not paying for fancy packaging or gimmicks; you’re paying for decent leather, a tough zip, and a sole that actually grips. There are cheaper options, and there are also fancier brands that cost even more. These sit in a middle spot: not a bargain, but reasonable if your kid actually spends time in the saddle and you want something more serious than basic rubber boots.

The design is very much classic field boot style: knee-high, round toe, low block heel, and that front “lacing” that is actually elastic rather than real laces. From a practical point of view, I like the fake laces. They give that bit of flex around the ankle, which helps with heels-down position, but you don’t have to faff around tying anything. For kids, fewer steps to get ready is always better.

The back zip runs from the heel up to just behind the knee. It’s a YKK zip, and you can feel it’s sturdier than the anonymous zips you get on cheaper boots. There’s a proper zip keeper at the top – a little leather tab with a popper – that stops the zip from sliding down while they ride. After several rides and plenty of bending, the zip hasn’t slipped once. That’s important, because a half-open boot rubbing the back of the knee is the kind of thing that makes a child refuse to wear them again.

The elastic calf gusset is on the side of the zip and runs a good length of the shaft. In real life, that means the boot hugs the leg instead of gaping, but there’s enough give for thicker jodhpurs or winter socks. My kid can pull them on without a huge struggle: we undo the zip fully, slide the foot in, pull the zip, close the keeper, done. No jumping around the room trying to force the calf into the shaft, which I’ve seen with some stiff boots.

On the heel, you’ve got integrated spur rests on both sides. My kid doesn’t ride with spurs yet, but I tested with an old pair just to see, and they sit in place fine. The sole design is pretty thoughtful too: the tread is linear rather than big blocks, so it grips the stirrup footplate but doesn’t get stuck. Walking on concrete, they don’t feel slippery. In the arena, they don’t pick up half the sand like some heavy treads do. Design-wise, there’s nothing flashy: solid brown leather, no weird patterns, just a small logo. It’s simple and functional, which suits both lessons and low-key shows.

Comfort-wise, these boots started off as slightly stiff but not painful. First ride, my kid mentioned the leather felt “hard” around the ankle but didn’t complain of actual rubbing. I made them wear decent socks and kept an eye out for red marks. After two lessons and some walking around the house to break them in, the ankle softened up enough that they stopped mentioning it. So there is a small break-in period, but nothing extreme like some adult tall boots.

The footbed has a soft, cushioned feel. When I pressed my hand inside and compared with a cheap rubber boot, the difference was obvious. My kid did a full pony day (around 6 hours on and off, with about 1–1.5 hours actually riding) and never once asked to change shoes, which is a good sign. Before, with plain rubber boots, they’d start asking for trainers halfway through because their feet hurt from the flat, hard soles.

Calf comfort is decent. The elastic gusset lets the boot hug the leg without cutting in, and because the height is properly scaled for children, the top doesn’t jab into the back of the knee when they bend their leg in the saddle. We didn’t get any complaints about pinching at the top, which I was half-expecting. The breathable mesh lining also helps with the usual “my legs are sweaty and itchy” complaints – those dropped off compared to the old boots.

One honest downside: the zip takes a firm pull the first few uses, especially over the widest part of the calf. I had to help zip them up for the first two rides. After that, it loosened a bit and my kid can manage alone, but if your child hates any kind of resistance when dressing, be ready to assist at the beginning. Overall though, once broken in, these feel like boots a kid can wear for a full riding day without moaning, which is basically the main comfort test for me.

The upper is full grain leather, and you can feel it. It’s not that plasticky coated stuff you see on bargain kids’ boots. When I first took them out, the leather was a bit stiff but felt dense and solid, not thin. After a few rides and some flexing by hand, it started to soften and crease in the usual places around the ankle without cracking. I’ve wiped them down with a damp cloth and used leather conditioner once, and the surface took the product well and evened out the marks.

Inside, the boot has a mix of leather and breathable mesh lining. That mesh is actually useful: my kid wore them on a long summer pony day (lots of walking, not just riding), and when we took the boots off, the feet were warm but not swampy. With the old rubber boots, socks would be almost wet from sweat. Here, socks were just warm and a bit damp, which is fine. The lining also gives a smoother feel against the leg, so there are fewer complaints about rubbing.

The sole is rubber with an X-Grip tread pattern. In practice, this meant: no slipping on slightly wet concrete outside the stable, and a secure feeling in the stirrup. I checked the soles after a few weeks – no chunks missing, no peeling at the edges, and the tread is still sharp. The heel is a normal low block heel, high enough for stirrup safety but not so high that walking feels awkward. It’s also firm enough that my kid isn’t complaining about stones or rough ground poking through from underneath.

As for water resistance, they’re listed as “moisture resistant”, and that matches what I’ve seen. They handle damp grass, puddle splashes and a bit of hose water without soaking through. They are not waterproof like wellies, so if your kid stands in a deep puddle or a full bucket, water will get in. For normal yard life – walking through mud, standing in a slightly wet arena, grooming by the wash area – they cope fine. Overall, the materials feel like they’re built to last at least one or two sizes of use, assuming your kid doesn’t abuse them like football boots.

Durability is always the annoying part with kids’ gear: you want something tough, but they grow out of it just when it’s nicely broken in. So far, these LeMieux Junior Field Boots look like they’ll easily last through at least one full size cycle, maybe two kids if you pass them down. After several weeks of riding and yard use, the leather has normal creases around the ankle but no cracks, no peeling, and no loose stitching.

The YKK zip is holding up well. I’ve had kids’ boots in the past where the zip starts separating at the bottom after a month. Here, the teeth still line up perfectly, and the puller feels solid. The zip keeper at the top also protects it from getting tugged open accidentally. The only thing I do is remind my kid not to yank the zip sideways when taking them off – straight up and down seems to keep it happy.

The sole shows minimal wear so far. You can still clearly see the tread pattern, and the heel hasn’t worn down unevenly. There’s no sign of the sole separating from the leather upper, even after walking through wet patches and flexing at the stirrup. The stitching along the sole edge is intact, no fraying. Inside, the mesh lining hasn’t bobbled or torn, and the footbed hasn’t flattened noticeably yet.

If I’m being picky, the brown colour does show scuffs more than black would. After a few weeks, there are light marks on the toes from stirrup contact and a couple of scratches from clumsy dismounts. With a bit of leather cream, they clean up well enough, but if you want boots that always look pristine without effort, you’ll have to maintain them. Overall, though, they feel robust enough that the limiting factor will be your child’s growth, not the boot falling apart. For the price, I expected decent durability, and so far they’re living up to that.

In actual riding, these boots do the main job: secure foot in the stirrup and stable lower leg. The X-Grip sole with its linear tread really does lock in nicely on the stirrup footplate. I watched a full lesson from the side, and my kid’s feet stayed put far better than with the old smooth-soled rubber boots, where the stirrup used to creep forward and sometimes slip. The instructor even mentioned that the new boots help keep the heel down because the ankle has more support but still flexes enough.

Walking around the yard, traction is solid. My kid wore them on slightly muddy grass, wet concrete, and in a sand arena that had just been watered. No slips, no skating around on smooth surfaces. They’re not clunky either – the sole isn’t overly thick, so the gait looks normal, not like they’re wearing mini wellies. Climbing mounting blocks and stepping over poles is fine; the boots bend enough at the ball of the foot.

For things like mucking out and dealing with puddles, they’re okay but not perfect. They’re moisture resistant, not full-on waterproof. We avoided deep mucking-out duty in them and used old rubber boots for that. For general yard chores – brushing, filling haynets, leading ponies – they held up fine and didn’t soak through from light splashes. If your kid spends more time shovelling than riding, you might want a second pair of cheaper yard boots to save these.

After a few weeks of use, the performance hasn’t dropped. The zip still runs, the sole still grips, and the leather hasn’t gone floppy. The boots keep their shape, which helps the leg look tidier in the saddle. From a pure “does it help my kid ride better?” angle, I’d say yes: more stable feet, less fiddling with stirrups, and fewer comfort complaints during and after lessons. Not magic, but solid, reliable performance for regular riding lessons and pony days.

Out of the box, the LeMieux Junior Field Riding Boots look like scaled-down adult competition boots. Brown leather, knee-high, back zip, and that fake front lacing that’s actually elastic. My pair came in a basic branded box with some paper stuffing inside the boots to keep the shape. Nothing fancy in terms of packaging, but everything arrived straight, no creases, no weird smells, and no glue marks, which I’ve seen on cheaper kids’ boots.

This model is the Regular Height, Regular Calf, UK size 2. The shaft circumference is listed at 29 cm, and that seems accurate. On my kid – skinny legs but average height – they sit just below the back of the knee, so they don’t dig in when they bend their leg. If your kid has chunky calves, this exact fit might be tight, even with the elastic gusset. I’d say measure properly before ordering, because leather doesn’t forgive as much as rubber.

The inside is leather with a breathable mesh lining. In practice that means my kid’s socks weren’t soaked with sweat after a full pony day, which used to happen with the old rubber boots. The footbed is slightly cushioned. You can feel it if you press inside with your hand – not like a running shoe, but enough that standing around in the yard for an hour isn’t torture. The sole is rubber with a linear tread pattern, not super chunky like hiking boots, but you can see the grip lines that interact with the stirrup.

Overall, the first impression is: these look like “proper rider” boots. My kid was clearly proud putting them on for the first time, which is a nice side effect but not the main reason to buy them. From a parent point of view, the presentation is clean and the boot layout makes sense: zip at the back, spur rests on the heel, elastic panel on the calf, soft-ish lining inside. No weird design choices, everything is pretty straightforward and focused on riding use.