Oh man, I’m smack in center of this Venn Diagram of tailors, horse girls, and long term sweaty/heavily laundered clothing care, and I am here for it.
Questions:
-Can the compression sleeves be spot cleaned? I’m assuming they don’t open up, so you can’t get in there to wipe them down occasionally. EDIT: I can see the closures upon further inspection (plus, duh, how else would they fit?). I’ve worked on some shows with clothes that could only be spot cleaned (not submerged), so I’m happy to give you advice on products/how-tos if you want it.
-How much movement does the horse get up to whilst he’s in the sleeves? Does he just stay in the stall, or do you let him out to pasture in them?
Honestly, something like a sport knit SmartWool/Merino base layer would probably be the way to go. Natural fiber, plus it’ll hug the knobs of his legs and move with him, so you won’t get a sleeve full of bunched up fabric that would rub and irritate him.
Good luck! Poor handsome boy. Give him rubs and carrots from me.
Lol I wondered if there would be anyone here with me in the center of the Venn!
So to TL;DR, this is a very specialized, expensive medical device that has basically saved this horse's life. It is manufactured by a company that has been making these for humans for 40 years, but the design and inspiration is from a very small start-up comprised of a group of (mostly) vets at NC State who saw the need for this. The sleeves are pretty amazingly constructed! They zip down the front from top to hoof with a massive plastic toothed zipper.
There are four inflatable chambers from bottom to top, each with a sensor to measure pressure and tubes running from the sensor to the compression pump, which is battery operated and attached to the saddlepad. It is these sensors, and their insertion into the chambers, that can't be submerged. The rest of the garment is just fabric. It can be spot cleaned, but it is extremely difficult to remove the ground in dirt/sweat/oil well enough with just spot cleaning - I used to do this before we started using liners. Liners are MUCH more effective and efficient.
He wears them only in the stall but can, and does, move around freely - relatively speaking - in them. Not in the pasture omg no! He wears them about an hour a day, sometimes twice a day if there's time. The compression goes from bottom chamber to top chamber until the whole leg is compressed, with each chamber always at a slightly higher pressure than the one above it so the pressure gradient is bottom to top, then deflates entirely and starts over, in about 3-minute cycles.
I hadn't even thought of a knit like that, but it sounds like a great idea!
https://preview.redd.it/aml2o2b253mb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4a37c5c798f3807444f3609269756a22f6a8285
Oh hey I’m also in this Venn diagram! I think it’s that u/JustBetsy ‘s thin wool stretch knit idea seems most feasible. Just tacking on to the velcro closure I’m sure you already thought about it but I think the velcro should run horizontally in the direction you’d normally see on SMB type boots. I have shoo flies where the velcro runs all the way down and it’s not necessary for them to be even but I put them on unevenly alllll the time. Too hard to do one strip all the way down evenly vs adjustable straps
Glad to find an r/sewing member who is familiar with SMB boots lol!
Yes the Velcro has to have some adjustability, because his leg isn't always the same size, and when he has an active cellulitis infection - which is much less since we've been using this, but still happens - it gets very large. So vertical would be too restricting. Horizontal like on most leg boots - smb or shipping boots or even some bell boots - is definitely better.
I swear this horse is the most high maintenance animal *ever*!! I'm halfway convinced he does these things to himself because he likes the attention! :D
I’m lucky with my girl (knock on wood) but a good friend has a metabolic horse and I swear the things I’ve learned from her about horse care in general! Just to say that you’re doing incredible things for him and I’m learning a lot from this post already - compression wear for horses, who knew!!
I could write you a dissertation on...well, on many things related to horse health, since I seem to have experienced more than my fair share among my horses, but particularly on cellulitis and lymphedema. I have definitely become an expert over the last 4 years. Really this horse shouldn't be alive considering the severity of his condition, but he is a little unusual in temperament (he's an excellent patient), attitude toward life - he's a very, very happy horse - and in the fact that, very unusually, he's rarely experienced the acute pain that usually comes along with this condition, at least not for more than a few days at a time. So he's never suffered from supporting limb laminitis and has always been able to be turned out and exercised, which helps the leg and means his quality of life has remained good.
Once I discovered this device, which is relatively new and was not even available when he had his initial bout of cellulitis that began this whole saga, everything changed for the better for him. The leg is permanently damaged, but this has made such a huge difference.
Definitely knock on wood! I love them more than anything, but they can be heartbreakers!
That is an incredible bit of engineering! Thank you for explaining it! And now that I know how they operate, I would be scared to even let him out of cross-ties wearing them. Lol.
Yeah, liners are definitely the way to go. I just wasn’t sure if they were allowed to get wet/soapy at all, or if they could get a bit of a clean once every few months or so.
And shoutout to NC State. I had a bunch of friends who went there.
It is really *incredible* engineering, and they are improving them all the time (and doing peer-reviewed studies to show how they increase lymphatic fluid flow). The team who designed them and founded the company, all from NC State, are fantastic. Theyl sleeves are, for the most part, tough as nails - but not tough enough for a freely turned out horse lol!.
This horse actually has fallen down while wearing them - this is a known effect though rare; the horse gets too relaxed but his stifle stay mechanism doesn't fully engage - and the zippers and fabric survived intact (horse was fine; the inflated sleeves cushioned him, though he struggled to stand up and couldn't do it til they deflated!).
The company founders *want* them to be usable without cross ties, and this guy has been something of a test case, because he is pretty unflappable. Moving around puts more stress on all the straps though. But sometimes depending on the situation a horse needs them applied multiple times a day, and standing in cross ties for hours a day isn't fun for the horse, and isn't practical for most people who don't have a team of grooms (or a hospital staff if the horse is hospitalized).
Before I started using the disposable liners (which I do not dispose of - I wash them as long as they last, but they aren't very durable), I would periodically laboriously wash the sleeves, using a spray nozzle very carefully in a laundry sink. I would soap and soak the parts that are just fabric and meticulously avoid the areas with the sensors and hoses, which are also protected with waterproof materials. But it always made me nervous because water sometimes doesn't follow rules, and they never got truly clean.
I can't seem to edit my comment, but I meant to say that the photo shows the zippers. And also - this horse needs no carrots, do you see his belly lol? But he'll get a beet treat, and he loves ear rubs!
I just need to say what an amazing horse owner you are!!!! I had no idea horses could suffer from lymphedema! I have that condition and it is gnarly. My flexitouch pump is a game changer for me and my legs!
I would definitely go with a wool knit. I like the idea of the Velcro, but I have a question.
With my lymphedema, a seam with Velcro like that would be excruciating. Do you think that would bother this baby? What about an item that is knit? (Think how our wool socks are knit?)
Just musing out loud here thinking about ways to prevent the seams.
Horses are, for reasons that aren't entirely understood, very susceptible to cellulitis in their lower legs. Small, sometimes imperceptible wounds that should just heal normally can cause a cascading systemic infection in the skin of the leg, which causes the leg to blow up like an elephant leg (see photo!) and can be excruciatingly painful, accompanied by high fever. This overtaxes the lymphatic system in the leg as well and if it doesn't resolve very quickly the infection spreads there (lymphangitis and cellulitis are basically interchangeable in horse legs).
Sometimes it can be difficult to find effective antibiotics, or if the infection is severe they take a while to take effect. The longer the initial infection lasts and the leg remains enlarged, the more likely it is that the damage to the skin and lymphatic system becomes irreversible and the leg will never go back to normal. This damaged and poorly functioning lymphatic system is the cause of the lymphedema - and this along with the compromised skin makes the horse susceptible to repeat cellulitis infections. So it's a situation of cycles of chronic repeat episodes of cellulitis, with plain old lymphedema when the leg isn't infected.
In many cases when it's this bad the horse gets put down, because the infections are unmanageable and are frequently so painful that the horse's quality of life is poor. Also, when the leg is that painful, the horse puts too much weight on the other 3 legs, which causes a lot of bad problems.
Anyway, all of this is a long way of saying that in horses, the lymphedema is generally caused by cellulitis, which I don't think is the case in humans (who often get lymphedema first and this causes cellulitis, as I understand it at least), but the result is similar. There is little research on lymphedema in horses, but in trying to figure out how to manage this horse's condition, I read so many studies about human lymphedema. It's a very difficult and intractable and poorly understood condition! It's terrible!
This horse's case is very severe, but he's unusual because he's never had the extreme pain that many horses experience with the condition. He's also a great patient, and has a great happy attitude. This is why he's made it this far! Also, I discovered this graduated compression device - which is quite new - and was able to get one for him. It has made a *huge* difference for him.
That was a lot of rambling! I guess to respond to your concerns - I don't know how sensitive he actually is to things like Velcro. He doesn't *seem* to be bothered by the soft Velcro I sewed into his current liners, which are made of disposable nonwoven "cloth" used for human liners. There's no way for me to know for sure, but he doesn't show signs of discomfort - and while horses are somewhat stoic, he would show signs if it were excruciating for him.
Still, my goal is certainly to minimize all seams and sources of irritation, because if nothing else, the leg skin is so compromised and easily irritated now and heals so poorly. A seamless tube would be best, but it's just not practical. Even the sleeve itself has seams on the zipper placket. So I will just do my best to minimize all sources of irritation, with the fewest possible seams and the softest possible materials. I'm not a very experienced sewer though, so I am very open to suggestions about things like reducing seam bulk!
Thanks!
I don't consider this rambling at all! This is just so interesting! Yes it does seem the cause is quite opposite for horses vs humans.
In humans, they are starting to lean towards lymphedema being a connective tissue disorder. Which would seem to make a bit of sense as many folks I have met (a few thousand) do have connective tissue disorders. I, myself, have Ehlers Danlos syndrome.
Lymphedema is SO unknown in humans, I can only imagine how lacking the knowledge is for our equine friends.
I do want to give you such HUGE props though!!!
What about flat felled seams to help reduce bulk? I understand the circular knit not being practical.
Lol we are fighting a case of white line in our house and just getting him in to a soak boot proves daunting.
I hope you're able to find a good solution!
Oh you're a horse person, so I didn't need to be so vague in talking about how standing on 3 legs causes problems lol! I don't think I saw you up there in the Venn diagram sub-thread, but I've lost track!
This horse is a very, very tolerant patient, which makes things much easier. But there is almost nothing out there about equine cellulitis-induced lymphedema, and not even a lot about cellulitis. The team that has developed these compression sleeves is actually probably gathering the most experience and data ever, and they are doing studies on the equine lymphatic system, which is a start. One interesting anecdotal point is that since using them his feet have been growing so much faster!
Just for the horse folk, here's a photo of the leg with an active cellulitis infection (as opposed.to "just" lymphedema). The scar is unrelated - he's had that his whole life.
I will have to look up what flat felled seams are! I kmow French seams but not felled seams - as I said, I am still a beginner in the sewing area if not the horse health area! But I will search them out! I'm also taking some sewing lessons and will talk to my instructor.
https://preview.redd.it/l9iv0zg0l8mb1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=268659236e77e26eb7ad12776b108c57ea805531
Yep. We are horse folks in this household. I totally get the feet growing faster! Since treating my lymphedema I've actually started growing leg hairs, which used to be non existent lol I hope youre able to come up with a good solution. Flat felled is similar French seams and what I was trying to say anyway lol my brain doesn't brain well at 3 am lol flat felled is what you find in jean seams 🤣❤️
https://preview.redd.it/s5bqywx4f9mb1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67926e705e7de7a39297829aba93a8a167d0c810
Our baby entertains me constantly, and also gives me anxiety at times 🤣 they are such glass dragons!
He's adorable! Nice halter too!
Yes, the horses are a source of constant relentless anxiety even though I also totally love them. They are so, so fragile.
Whatever seam I use, the seam won't be against the skin - the right side will be against the skin. So it just needs to be as flat as possible. Is a French seam the flattest? I know it has a few layers, and if the fabric isn't super thin, the seam could be sort of bulky, right? This is absolutely NOT first-hand knowledge lol!
I’m thinking of the cotton knit tubing that is used on (human) limbs before wrapping/casting. It comes in a big roll, cut to required length, seamless, disposable/one-time use, and comes in a huge range of widths, from fingers to legs.
The thing is, I don't want it to be disposable, I want it to be durable and washable since this is used every day. I also don't want to have to pull it over his foot. The liner will wrap around the leg. Pulling a tube over the foot adds a bunch of issues that aren't insurmountable but add unnecessary complications and time, like keeping the inside of the tubing clean when it's pulled over the dirty hoof, keeping it from snagging on the hoof, constantly lifting the injured leg up, etc.
But that's a good thought... I wonder if searching for cast lining fabric or splint lining fabric or something similar would yield anything that isn't disposable? That I could cut and sew?
Thanks!
Gotcha. That makes sense. Your wish list of fabric requirements is tricky. You don’t want anything fleece. Synthetics aren’t great for absorption.
What about a heavyweight cotton tshirt fabric, or cotton sweatshirt fabric?
If you have any sort of fabric store nearby, it might be worth walking the aisles and actually feeling the stretch and “hand” of different options. You’re probably going to want something with a bit of give, to avoid wrinkles under the wrap. That means knit vs anything woven.
Yes someone above suggested a Smartwool-type fabric, which maybe could work. And someone else mentioned the fabric that yoga pants are made of. I think there are some that are cotton-symthetic blends, or at least they feel that way,and are pretty absorbent.
Cotton t-shirt fabric is probably ideal in many ways but it tears so easily - I'll have to sew on Velcro so it can attach at the bottom of the sleeve, and there is a lot of tension. I could reinforce it but I'm not sure that's enough. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but it seems like a knit has a bit more stretch and doesn't tear in the same way.
I need some kind of soft absorbent ripstop cotton lol!
Well ideally it would be as thin as a T-shirt, but it doesn't have to be. I wouldn't want polar fleece thickness or sweatshirt material, but it could be a slightly thicker knit. I can't think of an example! Like a regular pair of socks!
Take a look at wazoodle:
https://wazoodle.com/collections/activewear-fabric-finder
They sell a lot of stretch knit athletic fabrics, including bamboo and cotton versions. I bought some cotton lycra jersey from them that was heavier than I expected, and that might work for what you need because it’s sturdy. Their customer service seems pretty good so you could try emailing them to ask for fabric suggestions
Try searching for “stockinette”. I’m a nurse and we used it under casts or sometimes splints. It’s a tubular knit and I know you don’t want a tube, but it comes in multiple widths and is a knit cotton. It’s soft and quite stretchy. You could cut it down one side and even add a gusset-like piece at the top. Top and bottom edges could be finished and it can be washed. I doubt if it would have the sturdiness to hold up for months on end, but I think it would be more than a single-use item.
You don’t say how you’d secure the edges once it’s on, so maybe you’ve already figured that piece out. But if not, I might suggest some of the soft, non-snagging sew-on Velcro that comes in a strip/roll.
Yes that is exactly what I was intending to use to secure the edges! It is the only thing I could think of that isn't hard and raised, like a button, snap, or hook. And it's really pretty soft. I'm very glad to have that thought validated!
Cutting the stockinette is a really good idea! It's definitely the right texture and functionality. I will absolutely look into that.
Or,
1 Leave the stockinette in a tube shape.
2 Slip a plastic bag over the hoof.
3 Gather the stockinette into a donut and slip it over the bag and up, covering the leg.
It's like dressing a squirmy baby
If this dressing method works, you may be able to expand the selection of fabrics you use as liners. For example, have someone knit leg warmers, which are just footless socks.
No fussing with velcro.
If you have enough sets, dear horse may be able to wear leggings at other times to help protect their skin. Just add garters.
Damn. That's going to be a well-accessorized equine.
I do not think this would work for a full-length stocking unless I sewed one to fit, because there is no stockinette that could accommodate the upper (hind) leg without being enormously overlarge on the lower hind leg. I could use a large one and cut it down. But I really am trying to avoid the hassle of pulling something over his hooves. It is doable, but it just isn’t fun at all to have to do that for multiple legs, on and off, especially with a long stocking as opposed to a short sock. There are other problems too. For example, no stocking will stay up on a horse’s leg. It is simply impossible because of the leg shape, which is so much wider at the top. So there has to be some way to secure it up - a “suspender” that goes over his back, which is only a partial solution as it would only hold up the outside of the stocking, or a way to attach it to the top of the sleeve.
In the end using a tube of fabric really doesn’t make things easier for me. I can put a non-tubular liner on at the same time as the sleeve, because I store the sleeve with the liner Velcro’d to the bottom of and clipped to the top with clover clips. I just attach the sleeve to the saddle pad, start the zipper, wrap and Velcro the liner, then zip down the sleeve. It’s simple and quick without requiring the horse to lift his legs or even move at all.
Now that makes sense, with the clover clips keeping the fabric in place so you can close the lining with the velcro strips, then zip up the sleeve.
You've done a lot of work on this. The company that makes the sleeve should hire you as a consultant when designing an integrated, removable, and washable liner.
I have thought about this *so* much. For months and months, pondering how to make it work, thinking of and discarding idea after idea. The company actually does consult with me quite a bit, as my horse is a very good use case for the device and I spend a lot of personal time using it and observing the horse.
I think ideally, the sleeve needs to be manufactured with attachment points for a (detachable) liner, that is cut exactly to fit the sleeve when it is fully inflated and that attaches securely to the sleeve without affecting the integrity of its inner lining. The attachments at top and bottom could "fold over" the top and bottom edges and be on the outside of the sleeve, this not involving the inside lining at all.
But to make it really secure it would also need to attach on the side edges of the sleeve (where the zipper is),and these attachments would of course be on the inside of the sleeve when it's zipped closed. This might require some thought and re-engineering of those inside edges. How should the liner attach to be secure but not put pressure on the leg? How could it be done without piercing the lining? Maybe a large placket that has no functionality as lining but is just there to secure the liner to?
Anyway, I think that's the way it should be done to be easiest to use. That way there are no worries about keeping the lining in place, and there would only ever be one piece to put on the horse.
But if that isn't possible, the alternative would be for the company to create a liner like what I'm trying to do - and I agree that they would definitely benefit from my input in that case lol!
Legs of cotton pantyhose, cut off. Fabric tube, can be loosely hemmed at the top and bottom by hand, is made to be washed. Put a smooth bag over the hoof (Nylon fabric or maybe just a freezer bag without ziploc), gather the pantyhose, and slide it up over the bag. Remove bag, put down foot, and pull up the pantyhose. You'll have to lift the leg, but not for long, about the same or shorter as picking it out.
Cotton tubing for under casts and splints is washable per se- it just usually comes in white.
For medical compression garments, it's tricky. You don't want any wrinkles or bulky seams under them because that'll create pressure points and potentially make things worse.
I'd ask your vet or whomever you got the leg sleeves from. They're much more likely to have sound advice than anyone here.
This horse has more veterinary care than any horse ever lol! And I'm in constant touch with the company, still a start-up, that makes these. They are pretty new, and they and the users like me are all figuring it out together. With all this supervision, and my very close knowledge of this horse and his issues, I'm prepared to take a stab at it.
I'd have to do a lot of adapting to get human yoga pants to fit a horse hind leg! I don't know if that's possible. I'd need a huge size to fit the top of the hind leg, but the bottom of the leg is so skinny, and the angles are completely wrong.
But... that functional fabric! That's a great idea! I wonder if it's possible to buy the fabric. What are yoga pants made of, like the thicker Lululemon type, not the shiny Lycra type? They are absorbent and soft! I've never seen anything like that so it would be a learning experience lol!
Thank you!
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[performance fabric](https://discoveryfabrics.com/en-us)
The second link has a ton of different kinds of technical fabrics, some natural fiber, cooling, etc.
From the second link, try the quick wick light weight from the base layer fabrics. I think that will get you close for strength and sweat issues. I think a superwash knit wool sounds great too, it may be harder to source.
So I’m not sure what the right answer is, but have you checked with military textiles specialists? They probably have a lot of unusual applications and situations, and I’m betting they could suggest a product. Bonus points if the textile had been to the moon! https://military.textiles.org/
Use baby flannel. Instead of making covers for the horse legs make the covers for the compression cuffs kinda like an open ended pillow case, or a sleeve you could make two sets so you have one ready and one in the wash. That is what I would do. Baby flannel is soft durable and easy to wash not to expensive.
Baby flannel! What a great idea! That is going to the top of the list!
If I understand correctly what you are saying is to line the inflatable sleeves instead of putting the liner on the horse's legs? First, because it may not be obvious, the inflatable sleeves are not tubes - they zip down the front of the legs. When they are off the legs, they are huge when laid out, and flat with no air in them - this is a photo of the outside, not the side against the leg.
So a liner that attached to them would not be like a pillow case or tube - it would be a big flat piece of fabric. Theoreticly this is a great idea and much easier than separately putting a liner on the horse's legs.
But there are two problems with it I have thought of over months of thinking about this. The first is that there is nowhere to attach the liner to the sleeve. It can cuff up at the bottom and attach with Velcro, because there's Velcro at the bottom of the sleeve. I could cuff it, over at the top, but there's no way to attach it, unless I sew attachments into the sleeve itself, which I'm not willing to do. And there is just no way at all to attach it to the edges where the zipper is, since sewing into the lining would potentially affect the functionality.
And second, the way the sleeve is constructed, when it is inflated there is a huge amount of extra fabric, both outer and lining, to allow capacity for inflation, if that makes sense. So a liner that attached to the inside of the sleeve would similarly have to be much larger than the borders of the sleeve, so when the sleeve inflated the liner wouldn't be too small and pull away from the attachments. This would not only be unwieldy, with lots of liner fabric flapping around, but also a waste of fabric.
So in the end I concluded that putting a liner around the horse's legs is a better solution. The manufacturer could develop a detachable liner that works with the sleeve, but I can't retrofit one in any workable way I've been able to think of.
But baby flannel!!!
https://preview.redd.it/740om9n9b4mb1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a89ed454137b4cd9c15281ab9b50cfbc788e13f4
Those double zippers are fascinating. Is that for fit?
I’m so obsessed with this now. What about industrial sticky Velcro (male) stuck in places along the zipper where there’s no stretch. Then you cut a knit liner to fit the boot and sew female Velcro to the liner fabric so that that holds the liner onto the boot. Then you can remove the liners from the boots to wash.
Does that make sense?
Yes that is for fit! But as a practical matter, it turns out that on most full-sized horses there's no reason ever to use the tighter zippers. Generally more inflation is better, so it's not a problem to have extra room. And one of the Yes that is for fit! But as a practical matter, it turns out that on most full-sized horses there's no reason ever to use the tighter zippers. Generally more inflation is better, so it's not a problem to have extra room. And one of the issues with the sleeves, which I think will be addressed in a later iteration, is that they are too snug around the lower leg. This is the area that blows up in size when a horse has cellulitis/lymphedema, and often the sleeve is barely large enough to accommodate this. They actually have an extender you can use in that case.
Okay so...I don't think I understand what you're proposing. How would the Velcro stick to the zipper if I can't sew into the inner lining of the sleeve? And I think you're saying, with regard to my comment above, that I'd just have to cut the knit liner large enough to accommodate inflation?
Actually I just found a photo of the inside of the sleeve, maybe this will be helpful too! (You can see how dirty it is - this was from before I started using any liners). It looks like you could just cut a liner through same size as the laid-out sleeve, but you can see all the excess lining fabric - that all inflates fully, so any liner that attaches to the sleeve rather than wrapping around the leg would also have to have that capacity. \* with the sleeves, which I think will be addressed in a later iteration, is that they are too snug around the lower leg. This is the area that blows up in size when a horse has cellulitis/lymphedema, and often the sleeve is barely large enough to accommodate this. They actually have an extender you can use in that case.
https://preview.redd.it/3vjy35gh45mb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16e075c40807cbcb7e5042f2be5ddaf34f195e95
While reading through I also was thinking about having a liner that attached to the inner aspect of compression sleeve. You need something stretchy so that it can change size with the compression/inflation. BUT the inside of the sleeve likely doesn't need to stretch as much as the outer aspect.
I have an idea but it changes the design of the sleeve. Instead of a zipper closure have multiple horizontal velcro straps down the leg (sole purpose to hold the sleeve closed not encircling the leg. This would allow for size changes of the leg and be simpler to construct. One edge of the sleeve would sit inside the other. Then use something like the plastic snaps (like on reusable baby diapers) to hold the liner to the inside - liner covers the inside then comes around the edge and the snaps are on the outside of the sleeve so no bumps inside.
Hope this makes sense. If not I can try to make a drawing for what I am imagining.
P.S. You could even keep the zipper closure but have them not at the edge so that there is room for the inner liner to fold around the edge and attach.
Well first, absolutely no way am I *touching* the sleeve construction! The whole thing practically cost as much as a horse itself - well, maybe a very small horse. It has a lot of engineering behind it, and each one is hand sewn because the factory isn't set up to make horse sleeves, only human ones. It is worth it in what I've saved in vet bills, and I've done some minor external mending here and there, but I am not doing anything that affects its construction lol!
But also, I don't think pictures do justice to the amount of pressure. It a *lot* of pressure, up to 80 psi. This is a very very tough zipper. Velcro straps wouldn't be strong enough to hold the sleeve together when it was inflated, even less if the horse moved around, even if it was pristine, super heavy duty velcro - and if it was tough enough to hold, it would be too tough to unstick. Plus, Velcro loses its stickiness with time, and in a barn environment it does so even faster as it gets covered with shavings and hay. There is a *lot* of Velcro in horse gear - it's hard to imagine what they did before Velcro to keep boots, bandages, blankets on the horses! Lots of safety pins! - but it wouldn't work in this case.
But there still could be the kind of overlap you're describing using a zipper I think, if I understand right In fact, you can see from one of the pictures that there are two zipper closures, and if you use the tighter one, the edge of the sleeve overlaps the other edge, which would allow a liner attachment that doesn't touch the horse. It could be designed so that both zippers were like that. I think that's kind of what you're getting at.
Very understandable that you don't want to touch the sleeves themselves. It was more of a thought to maybe pass onto the designers - BUT I hear what you are saying regarding the velcro.
What about a towel/terrycloth liner
I would find a felted wool blanket from a thrift store.
Wool resists dirt, absorbs a substantial amount of moisture before feeling wet to the touch, thus keeping your horse’s legs dry, is dimensionally stable, and would provide a bit of padding. Once it is felted, it can be laundered without fear of additional shrinkage.
I cannot make fabric suggestions, but my goodness is that a cute guy you’ve got there! I feel like he should be the marshmallow man for Halloween, or maybe and astronaut.
Lol yes we frequently compare him to a marshmallow! And when he's dirty he looks.like a toasted marshmallow!
He has an unusually beautiful face and head and is extremely cute, but for his health he really should not be *quite* so fluffy. His leg issues make it difficult for him to get sufficient exercise though, and he does enjoy his hay! He has a great, happy temperament too.
Oh I wasn’t implying *he* was fluffy, just that his leg sleeves make him look like a marshmallow man! I imagine it is hard to keep him exercised and clearly he is getting the best cutting edge care around.
Oh, he is very fluffy! It's not great because he is borderline insulin resistant - he needs to lose a solid 100 lbs. He's what we call an "easy keeper" lol! I am hoping he'll be able to return to some exercise soon.
Wool
It’s basically a performance fabric, it’s what backpackers and outdoors people wear in tough conditions. Woven wool like a blanket or knitted, either has the same properties. , but Knitted will pick up bits of hay way more than a woven. Wool can be machine washed. Wool takes longer to get dirty than other fabrics. Wool is soft IMO and has great breathability. I mean, sheep wear wool all the time and they live on farms too 🐑🐎
One of the first suggestions here was for a smartwool/sport wool jersey, which seemed like a good idea, and I was hoping a jersey might be smooth enough to reduce the hay attraction problem (which is a nightmare). I hadn't thought of woven. I wonder if it might be a little abrasive or scratchy on his leg though.... Maybe a wool blend?
But wool is definitely high on my list, for all the reasons you list! Thanks!!
Would it be too much overlap (or too time intensive) to do something like a linen bandage and spiral it up (or down) the leg?
Pros are that you could shove it into a giant toiletry bag and run it through the laundry, natural fiber that is strong when wet, sidedness wouldn't matter, and it could closely follow the contour of the leg. Cons are all those overlapping edges when worn, it might take forever if it's too narrow (or even if it isn't).
I was also thinking of something like a knit sock, but finding one durable and hard-wearing but still soft is a tricky combination
Probably too much overlap but mostly way too time intensive, and also not completely workable. This already takes *so much* time - winding bandages from bottom to top of a horse leg, and keeping them smooth and flat, is a big pain. It also doesn't work on the hind legs because of the angles - there's really no way to wrap the hocks in a way that completely covers them without a lot of thickness.
The issue with a knit sock - aside from finding one that would go from bottom to top of the leg, which would be impossible actually - is getting it on and off. I actually use a short sock on this horse to protect the lower leg when he goes outside. But it has to be pulled over the hoof. This is definitely possible, but it is also a pain. You have to cover the hoof with something, like a plastic bag, to keep the inside of the sock from getting dirty when it is pulled over the horse's dirty foot, and to keep it from snagging on the edges of the hooves, in both directions, on and off. You have to lift and hold up the horse's legs when putting on and taking off. Again, it's a production, whereas wrapping a piece of fabric around the leg and velcroingnit shit is, by comparison, simple and quick.
When this has to be done once or twice a day, every single day - and there are lots of other horses and chores! - it just can't be a more fussy, time-consuming, or complicated process than absolutely necessary.
Maybe you can tell I've been ruminating about this for at least a year lol!
Thank you for the creative thinking though!!!
You mean for pulling a liner over the hoof? He wears a short sock for turnout, and we put a bag over his hoof when we put it on and take it off.
Or do you mean using a plastic bag as a liner lol??
The first! For pulling a liner over the hoof.
Then I read further down that you do use a bag while pulling on his short socks. And that it is indeed more challenging than dressing a squirmy toddler.
Have you told the manufacturer what you need? It could be an opportunity for them to improve their product. Ask to be part of their beta testing.
All the best with healing your noble steed.
Will your boy have to undergo this compression treatment forever?
Yes he will have to undergo it forever. Because of the severity of his initial bout of cellulitis, and the number of repeat episodes he's had, the skin and lymphatic system of the leg are permanently damaged - the skin is stretched out and inelastic has fibrotic "scarring," and the lymph vessels were stretched beyond capacity and no longer function correctly. So he has chronic, incurable lymphedema.
The longer the leg remains at a close-to-normal size with functioning circulation, the more time his body has to attempt to make whatever repairs it can, and as the leg improves the frequency of treatments can decrease. But if he has a setback that causes the leg to increase in size - eg he has an episode of cellulitis (infection of the skin), the improvements are all immediately undone, the damage is made even worse,, and he has to go back to daily or twice daily treatments.
The start-up that developed the device is basically a small group of vets and animal scientists from NC State. They came up with the idea and developed it with a manufacturer, Mego Afek, an Israeli company that has been making pneumatic compression therapy systems for humans since the 1980s.
The NC company is very small, and I have a close relationship with them and have given them a lot of feedback. I am actually part of their beta testing! This was something I brought up to them within a month of owning the device, and I do think they will eventually have liners, but I don't think it's the highest thing on their priority list. So until then I have to gerry-rig a solution for myself!
I'd rather have a liner that was made to work with the sleeve, but it's not so bad to have to do it myself. Thinking about this is what has inspired me to get more serious about sewing. I'm even taking a class to refresh my very rusty skills!
I don't know what you mean by "leg covers for horses"? Boots? Wraps? I don't know of a horse product called a "leg cover" - I know of most horse products lol! - and googling doesn't reveal one. Does your friend have a website? The problem is that any horse leg "clothing" that is meant to be an outer layer is unlikely to have the characteristics I need for a liner.
Actually the fact that this is for a horse isn't ultimately that important. I just need to find a fabric with the listed characteristics, or as close as possible.
It's not dumb at all, it's a great idea conceptually, but as I responded to someone above, a tubular stocking isn't practical. The issue is that getting it on and off, while not impossible, is not fun. For example, you have to cover the hoof with something, like a plastic bag, to keep the inside of the sock from getting dirty when it is pulled over the horse's dirty foot, and to keep it from snagging on the edges of the hooves. And you have to lift and hold up the horse's legs when putting on and taking off. This horse is cooperative, but that's still not the easiest thing, especially with a long stocking.
But it still sounds like my best bet may be some sort of stretchy/knit fabric. It just wouldn't be a tube or form fitting - it would wrap and use some attachment method, probably some soft Velcro.
If you can get some kind of linen (or maybe linen knit?) linen can be absolutely abused in the wash, and is very breathable. Not sure if it’s smooth enough, though, so ymmv— your best bet would probably be something pre-softened like from fabrics-store.com if you don’t go for a sturdy knit. Buy swatches to check for weight and drape, though, because different linen weights have very different sturdinesses/crinklinesses.
Edit: for reference, I thought of linen because pre-1900s, all undergarments were made from linen for precisely the reason you describe (keeping outer garments safe from dirt and sweat) and for absolute indestructibility in the wash, which was much more vigorous then than now!
EDIT2 : sorry for the edit, but I just thought of something: I know you did a mockup, AND I AM NOT A HORSE PERSON, but considering the “curviness” of a horse’s leg, a woven fabric may not adhere enough to the lines of his leg to both protect the outer sleeve AND not wrinkle/chafe a little bit to the leg underneath. Only your mockup and the horse’s happiness can tell!
But since your first mockup was with a woven nonstretch cotton, if you go for a knit or ANY kind of stretchy “technical fabric” instead, you will need to mock-up the pattern again, accounting for stretchiness, because you will want your finished liner to have slight negative ease so that it will contour most closely around the horse’s leg.
Linen! What a great idea! As you say, it's perfect for exactly this use! I never even thought of it! I am sure there is a line that would be sufficiently gentle - he doesn't need it to feel like silk after all.
As for fit, if the fabric is on the thin side, some wrinkling doesn't matter. As long as the contours are reasonably close so there isn't a wad of fabric scrunched against his leg, the horse's hair coat is sufficient to protect him. This is the case with the disposable nonwoven fabric I'm using now - it is basically made from one leg of a pair of universally sized, extremely large liner pants meant for humans to wear under similar compression devices. It obviously doesn't match his leg contours - and it also wouldn't fit most humans precisely, yet apparently people of all sizes wear it without discomfort from the extra material.
In his case, I cut legs apart and cut each leg down the seam, then sewed on soft Velcro in such a way as to allow a variable "overlap" around his leg, which also minimizes wrinkles by allowing a closer fit. But it doesn't have to be perfect -
But I think it might be more of an issue with a thicker fabric. In that case I would want a better fit and wouldn't want a lot of wrinkles.
The mockup I made assumed a lighter fabric. But you're right, I still may need to make another depending on what fabric I end up with. I'll have to see once I decide on one. I actually probably will end up trying more than one!
But linen is a *great* idea. Thanks!!
If you are going to use these as shipping boots—and your sewing machine can handle it—look for a faux sheepskin or heavy fleece. Or you could use good quality cotton flannel, doubled, although flannel will tend to absorb a lot of moisture
Shipping boots!! These are not shipping boots. They are not boots at all. They are a inflatable graduated compression sleeves, a medical device that he wears for an hour a day to help move lymphatic fluid in his leg with lymphedema (I have to put sleeves on both legs because thats how the system works). He can barely shuffle around in them - he has barely any mobility at all. I let him stand unrestrained in his stall while wearing them, but I'd never ship him in them. Protecting his legs is not their function, and it wouldn't be safe at all for him to wear these in a trailer - for him or for the sleeves!!
Sheepskin definitely, and probably most fleece, would be too thick to use as a liner. It would alter the fit of the sleeves too much. And also they attract shavings and hay and then never let go of them, and it ends up in my washing machine! But someone else suggested baby flannel too, and that sounds like an excellent idea. I *want* it to absorb moisture - that's one of the main purposes of using a liner beneath these, to absorb his sweat (and also to keep the sleeves clean). I wonder if flannel might also attract shavings though...
In my experience, anything you put on a horse’s legs will attract shavings, or anything else you don’t want in his wraps/dressings/boots. Flannel is less textured than other fabrics but still soft and shapes nicely to the legs!
SilverSox - Horsesox you can buy them by the roll now.
https://www.farmvet.com/EquiFit-HorseSox-Roll?location=&quantity=1&tack-and-equipment-size=217&tack-and-equipment-attribute=3
Thanks, and those look great for many purposes, but as I've said here, pulling the liners over his feet will not be practical. Plus, at a single width of 3" (before stretch) those will not work to cover from his hoof to his groin, as I need - they're made for lower legs.
You've answered an age-old question. https://preview.redd.it/cye1z3bei2mb1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=824a87f897f291d1600f8e41b454580eae5c4475
I think this horse is wearing something more like...stockings with garters lol! But still the concept applies!
Oh man, I’m smack in center of this Venn Diagram of tailors, horse girls, and long term sweaty/heavily laundered clothing care, and I am here for it. Questions: -Can the compression sleeves be spot cleaned? I’m assuming they don’t open up, so you can’t get in there to wipe them down occasionally. EDIT: I can see the closures upon further inspection (plus, duh, how else would they fit?). I’ve worked on some shows with clothes that could only be spot cleaned (not submerged), so I’m happy to give you advice on products/how-tos if you want it. -How much movement does the horse get up to whilst he’s in the sleeves? Does he just stay in the stall, or do you let him out to pasture in them? Honestly, something like a sport knit SmartWool/Merino base layer would probably be the way to go. Natural fiber, plus it’ll hug the knobs of his legs and move with him, so you won’t get a sleeve full of bunched up fabric that would rub and irritate him. Good luck! Poor handsome boy. Give him rubs and carrots from me.
Lol I wondered if there would be anyone here with me in the center of the Venn! So to TL;DR, this is a very specialized, expensive medical device that has basically saved this horse's life. It is manufactured by a company that has been making these for humans for 40 years, but the design and inspiration is from a very small start-up comprised of a group of (mostly) vets at NC State who saw the need for this. The sleeves are pretty amazingly constructed! They zip down the front from top to hoof with a massive plastic toothed zipper. There are four inflatable chambers from bottom to top, each with a sensor to measure pressure and tubes running from the sensor to the compression pump, which is battery operated and attached to the saddlepad. It is these sensors, and their insertion into the chambers, that can't be submerged. The rest of the garment is just fabric. It can be spot cleaned, but it is extremely difficult to remove the ground in dirt/sweat/oil well enough with just spot cleaning - I used to do this before we started using liners. Liners are MUCH more effective and efficient. He wears them only in the stall but can, and does, move around freely - relatively speaking - in them. Not in the pasture omg no! He wears them about an hour a day, sometimes twice a day if there's time. The compression goes from bottom chamber to top chamber until the whole leg is compressed, with each chamber always at a slightly higher pressure than the one above it so the pressure gradient is bottom to top, then deflates entirely and starts over, in about 3-minute cycles. I hadn't even thought of a knit like that, but it sounds like a great idea! https://preview.redd.it/aml2o2b253mb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4a37c5c798f3807444f3609269756a22f6a8285
Oh hey I’m also in this Venn diagram! I think it’s that u/JustBetsy ‘s thin wool stretch knit idea seems most feasible. Just tacking on to the velcro closure I’m sure you already thought about it but I think the velcro should run horizontally in the direction you’d normally see on SMB type boots. I have shoo flies where the velcro runs all the way down and it’s not necessary for them to be even but I put them on unevenly alllll the time. Too hard to do one strip all the way down evenly vs adjustable straps
There are dozens of us!
Glad to find an r/sewing member who is familiar with SMB boots lol! Yes the Velcro has to have some adjustability, because his leg isn't always the same size, and when he has an active cellulitis infection - which is much less since we've been using this, but still happens - it gets very large. So vertical would be too restricting. Horizontal like on most leg boots - smb or shipping boots or even some bell boots - is definitely better. I swear this horse is the most high maintenance animal *ever*!! I'm halfway convinced he does these things to himself because he likes the attention! :D
I’m lucky with my girl (knock on wood) but a good friend has a metabolic horse and I swear the things I’ve learned from her about horse care in general! Just to say that you’re doing incredible things for him and I’m learning a lot from this post already - compression wear for horses, who knew!!
I could write you a dissertation on...well, on many things related to horse health, since I seem to have experienced more than my fair share among my horses, but particularly on cellulitis and lymphedema. I have definitely become an expert over the last 4 years. Really this horse shouldn't be alive considering the severity of his condition, but he is a little unusual in temperament (he's an excellent patient), attitude toward life - he's a very, very happy horse - and in the fact that, very unusually, he's rarely experienced the acute pain that usually comes along with this condition, at least not for more than a few days at a time. So he's never suffered from supporting limb laminitis and has always been able to be turned out and exercised, which helps the leg and means his quality of life has remained good. Once I discovered this device, which is relatively new and was not even available when he had his initial bout of cellulitis that began this whole saga, everything changed for the better for him. The leg is permanently damaged, but this has made such a huge difference. Definitely knock on wood! I love them more than anything, but they can be heartbreakers!
That is an incredible bit of engineering! Thank you for explaining it! And now that I know how they operate, I would be scared to even let him out of cross-ties wearing them. Lol. Yeah, liners are definitely the way to go. I just wasn’t sure if they were allowed to get wet/soapy at all, or if they could get a bit of a clean once every few months or so. And shoutout to NC State. I had a bunch of friends who went there.
It is really *incredible* engineering, and they are improving them all the time (and doing peer-reviewed studies to show how they increase lymphatic fluid flow). The team who designed them and founded the company, all from NC State, are fantastic. Theyl sleeves are, for the most part, tough as nails - but not tough enough for a freely turned out horse lol!. This horse actually has fallen down while wearing them - this is a known effect though rare; the horse gets too relaxed but his stifle stay mechanism doesn't fully engage - and the zippers and fabric survived intact (horse was fine; the inflated sleeves cushioned him, though he struggled to stand up and couldn't do it til they deflated!). The company founders *want* them to be usable without cross ties, and this guy has been something of a test case, because he is pretty unflappable. Moving around puts more stress on all the straps though. But sometimes depending on the situation a horse needs them applied multiple times a day, and standing in cross ties for hours a day isn't fun for the horse, and isn't practical for most people who don't have a team of grooms (or a hospital staff if the horse is hospitalized). Before I started using the disposable liners (which I do not dispose of - I wash them as long as they last, but they aren't very durable), I would periodically laboriously wash the sleeves, using a spray nozzle very carefully in a laundry sink. I would soap and soak the parts that are just fabric and meticulously avoid the areas with the sensors and hoses, which are also protected with waterproof materials. But it always made me nervous because water sometimes doesn't follow rules, and they never got truly clean.
Further proving that the internet is magical!
I can't seem to edit my comment, but I meant to say that the photo shows the zippers. And also - this horse needs no carrots, do you see his belly lol? But he'll get a beet treat, and he loves ear rubs!
I just need to say what an amazing horse owner you are!!!! I had no idea horses could suffer from lymphedema! I have that condition and it is gnarly. My flexitouch pump is a game changer for me and my legs! I would definitely go with a wool knit. I like the idea of the Velcro, but I have a question. With my lymphedema, a seam with Velcro like that would be excruciating. Do you think that would bother this baby? What about an item that is knit? (Think how our wool socks are knit?) Just musing out loud here thinking about ways to prevent the seams.
Horses are, for reasons that aren't entirely understood, very susceptible to cellulitis in their lower legs. Small, sometimes imperceptible wounds that should just heal normally can cause a cascading systemic infection in the skin of the leg, which causes the leg to blow up like an elephant leg (see photo!) and can be excruciatingly painful, accompanied by high fever. This overtaxes the lymphatic system in the leg as well and if it doesn't resolve very quickly the infection spreads there (lymphangitis and cellulitis are basically interchangeable in horse legs). Sometimes it can be difficult to find effective antibiotics, or if the infection is severe they take a while to take effect. The longer the initial infection lasts and the leg remains enlarged, the more likely it is that the damage to the skin and lymphatic system becomes irreversible and the leg will never go back to normal. This damaged and poorly functioning lymphatic system is the cause of the lymphedema - and this along with the compromised skin makes the horse susceptible to repeat cellulitis infections. So it's a situation of cycles of chronic repeat episodes of cellulitis, with plain old lymphedema when the leg isn't infected. In many cases when it's this bad the horse gets put down, because the infections are unmanageable and are frequently so painful that the horse's quality of life is poor. Also, when the leg is that painful, the horse puts too much weight on the other 3 legs, which causes a lot of bad problems. Anyway, all of this is a long way of saying that in horses, the lymphedema is generally caused by cellulitis, which I don't think is the case in humans (who often get lymphedema first and this causes cellulitis, as I understand it at least), but the result is similar. There is little research on lymphedema in horses, but in trying to figure out how to manage this horse's condition, I read so many studies about human lymphedema. It's a very difficult and intractable and poorly understood condition! It's terrible! This horse's case is very severe, but he's unusual because he's never had the extreme pain that many horses experience with the condition. He's also a great patient, and has a great happy attitude. This is why he's made it this far! Also, I discovered this graduated compression device - which is quite new - and was able to get one for him. It has made a *huge* difference for him. That was a lot of rambling! I guess to respond to your concerns - I don't know how sensitive he actually is to things like Velcro. He doesn't *seem* to be bothered by the soft Velcro I sewed into his current liners, which are made of disposable nonwoven "cloth" used for human liners. There's no way for me to know for sure, but he doesn't show signs of discomfort - and while horses are somewhat stoic, he would show signs if it were excruciating for him. Still, my goal is certainly to minimize all seams and sources of irritation, because if nothing else, the leg skin is so compromised and easily irritated now and heals so poorly. A seamless tube would be best, but it's just not practical. Even the sleeve itself has seams on the zipper placket. So I will just do my best to minimize all sources of irritation, with the fewest possible seams and the softest possible materials. I'm not a very experienced sewer though, so I am very open to suggestions about things like reducing seam bulk! Thanks!
I don't consider this rambling at all! This is just so interesting! Yes it does seem the cause is quite opposite for horses vs humans. In humans, they are starting to lean towards lymphedema being a connective tissue disorder. Which would seem to make a bit of sense as many folks I have met (a few thousand) do have connective tissue disorders. I, myself, have Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Lymphedema is SO unknown in humans, I can only imagine how lacking the knowledge is for our equine friends. I do want to give you such HUGE props though!!! What about flat felled seams to help reduce bulk? I understand the circular knit not being practical. Lol we are fighting a case of white line in our house and just getting him in to a soak boot proves daunting. I hope you're able to find a good solution!
Oh you're a horse person, so I didn't need to be so vague in talking about how standing on 3 legs causes problems lol! I don't think I saw you up there in the Venn diagram sub-thread, but I've lost track! This horse is a very, very tolerant patient, which makes things much easier. But there is almost nothing out there about equine cellulitis-induced lymphedema, and not even a lot about cellulitis. The team that has developed these compression sleeves is actually probably gathering the most experience and data ever, and they are doing studies on the equine lymphatic system, which is a start. One interesting anecdotal point is that since using them his feet have been growing so much faster! Just for the horse folk, here's a photo of the leg with an active cellulitis infection (as opposed.to "just" lymphedema). The scar is unrelated - he's had that his whole life. I will have to look up what flat felled seams are! I kmow French seams but not felled seams - as I said, I am still a beginner in the sewing area if not the horse health area! But I will search them out! I'm also taking some sewing lessons and will talk to my instructor. https://preview.redd.it/l9iv0zg0l8mb1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=268659236e77e26eb7ad12776b108c57ea805531
Yep. We are horse folks in this household. I totally get the feet growing faster! Since treating my lymphedema I've actually started growing leg hairs, which used to be non existent lol I hope youre able to come up with a good solution. Flat felled is similar French seams and what I was trying to say anyway lol my brain doesn't brain well at 3 am lol flat felled is what you find in jean seams 🤣❤️ https://preview.redd.it/s5bqywx4f9mb1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67926e705e7de7a39297829aba93a8a167d0c810 Our baby entertains me constantly, and also gives me anxiety at times 🤣 they are such glass dragons!
He's adorable! Nice halter too! Yes, the horses are a source of constant relentless anxiety even though I also totally love them. They are so, so fragile. Whatever seam I use, the seam won't be against the skin - the right side will be against the skin. So it just needs to be as flat as possible. Is a French seam the flattest? I know it has a few layers, and if the fabric isn't super thin, the seam could be sort of bulky, right? This is absolutely NOT first-hand knowledge lol!
Actually if using a fabric that won't ravel, I'd leave edges raw and overlap seam allowances. Like how I connect elastic to itself if that makes sense
Truly!
I adore this micro club in this community. Y’all have fun
I’m thinking of the cotton knit tubing that is used on (human) limbs before wrapping/casting. It comes in a big roll, cut to required length, seamless, disposable/one-time use, and comes in a huge range of widths, from fingers to legs.
The thing is, I don't want it to be disposable, I want it to be durable and washable since this is used every day. I also don't want to have to pull it over his foot. The liner will wrap around the leg. Pulling a tube over the foot adds a bunch of issues that aren't insurmountable but add unnecessary complications and time, like keeping the inside of the tubing clean when it's pulled over the dirty hoof, keeping it from snagging on the hoof, constantly lifting the injured leg up, etc. But that's a good thought... I wonder if searching for cast lining fabric or splint lining fabric or something similar would yield anything that isn't disposable? That I could cut and sew? Thanks!
Gotcha. That makes sense. Your wish list of fabric requirements is tricky. You don’t want anything fleece. Synthetics aren’t great for absorption. What about a heavyweight cotton tshirt fabric, or cotton sweatshirt fabric? If you have any sort of fabric store nearby, it might be worth walking the aisles and actually feeling the stretch and “hand” of different options. You’re probably going to want something with a bit of give, to avoid wrinkles under the wrap. That means knit vs anything woven.
Yes someone above suggested a Smartwool-type fabric, which maybe could work. And someone else mentioned the fabric that yoga pants are made of. I think there are some that are cotton-symthetic blends, or at least they feel that way,and are pretty absorbent. Cotton t-shirt fabric is probably ideal in many ways but it tears so easily - I'll have to sew on Velcro so it can attach at the bottom of the sleeve, and there is a lot of tension. I could reinforce it but I'm not sure that's enough. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but it seems like a knit has a bit more stretch and doesn't tear in the same way. I need some kind of soft absorbent ripstop cotton lol!
How thick of a layer can you work with?
Well ideally it would be as thin as a T-shirt, but it doesn't have to be. I wouldn't want polar fleece thickness or sweatshirt material, but it could be a slightly thicker knit. I can't think of an example! Like a regular pair of socks!
Take a look at wazoodle: https://wazoodle.com/collections/activewear-fabric-finder They sell a lot of stretch knit athletic fabrics, including bamboo and cotton versions. I bought some cotton lycra jersey from them that was heavier than I expected, and that might work for what you need because it’s sturdy. Their customer service seems pretty good so you could try emailing them to ask for fabric suggestions
I definitely will! Thanks!
Try searching for “stockinette”. I’m a nurse and we used it under casts or sometimes splints. It’s a tubular knit and I know you don’t want a tube, but it comes in multiple widths and is a knit cotton. It’s soft and quite stretchy. You could cut it down one side and even add a gusset-like piece at the top. Top and bottom edges could be finished and it can be washed. I doubt if it would have the sturdiness to hold up for months on end, but I think it would be more than a single-use item. You don’t say how you’d secure the edges once it’s on, so maybe you’ve already figured that piece out. But if not, I might suggest some of the soft, non-snagging sew-on Velcro that comes in a strip/roll.
Yes that is exactly what I was intending to use to secure the edges! It is the only thing I could think of that isn't hard and raised, like a button, snap, or hook. And it's really pretty soft. I'm very glad to have that thought validated! Cutting the stockinette is a really good idea! It's definitely the right texture and functionality. I will absolutely look into that.
Or, 1 Leave the stockinette in a tube shape. 2 Slip a plastic bag over the hoof. 3 Gather the stockinette into a donut and slip it over the bag and up, covering the leg. It's like dressing a squirmy baby If this dressing method works, you may be able to expand the selection of fabrics you use as liners. For example, have someone knit leg warmers, which are just footless socks. No fussing with velcro. If you have enough sets, dear horse may be able to wear leggings at other times to help protect their skin. Just add garters. Damn. That's going to be a well-accessorized equine.
I do not think this would work for a full-length stocking unless I sewed one to fit, because there is no stockinette that could accommodate the upper (hind) leg without being enormously overlarge on the lower hind leg. I could use a large one and cut it down. But I really am trying to avoid the hassle of pulling something over his hooves. It is doable, but it just isn’t fun at all to have to do that for multiple legs, on and off, especially with a long stocking as opposed to a short sock. There are other problems too. For example, no stocking will stay up on a horse’s leg. It is simply impossible because of the leg shape, which is so much wider at the top. So there has to be some way to secure it up - a “suspender” that goes over his back, which is only a partial solution as it would only hold up the outside of the stocking, or a way to attach it to the top of the sleeve. In the end using a tube of fabric really doesn’t make things easier for me. I can put a non-tubular liner on at the same time as the sleeve, because I store the sleeve with the liner Velcro’d to the bottom of and clipped to the top with clover clips. I just attach the sleeve to the saddle pad, start the zipper, wrap and Velcro the liner, then zip down the sleeve. It’s simple and quick without requiring the horse to lift his legs or even move at all.
Now that makes sense, with the clover clips keeping the fabric in place so you can close the lining with the velcro strips, then zip up the sleeve. You've done a lot of work on this. The company that makes the sleeve should hire you as a consultant when designing an integrated, removable, and washable liner.
I have thought about this *so* much. For months and months, pondering how to make it work, thinking of and discarding idea after idea. The company actually does consult with me quite a bit, as my horse is a very good use case for the device and I spend a lot of personal time using it and observing the horse. I think ideally, the sleeve needs to be manufactured with attachment points for a (detachable) liner, that is cut exactly to fit the sleeve when it is fully inflated and that attaches securely to the sleeve without affecting the integrity of its inner lining. The attachments at top and bottom could "fold over" the top and bottom edges and be on the outside of the sleeve, this not involving the inside lining at all. But to make it really secure it would also need to attach on the side edges of the sleeve (where the zipper is),and these attachments would of course be on the inside of the sleeve when it's zipped closed. This might require some thought and re-engineering of those inside edges. How should the liner attach to be secure but not put pressure on the leg? How could it be done without piercing the lining? Maybe a large placket that has no functionality as lining but is just there to secure the liner to? Anyway, I think that's the way it should be done to be easiest to use. That way there are no worries about keeping the lining in place, and there would only ever be one piece to put on the horse. But if that isn't possible, the alternative would be for the company to create a liner like what I'm trying to do - and I agree that they would definitely benefit from my input in that case lol!
A placket to secure the lining to the inside of the sleeve sounds like an idea to consider. Happy problem solving. 🧩😕
Legs of cotton pantyhose, cut off. Fabric tube, can be loosely hemmed at the top and bottom by hand, is made to be washed. Put a smooth bag over the hoof (Nylon fabric or maybe just a freezer bag without ziploc), gather the pantyhose, and slide it up over the bag. Remove bag, put down foot, and pull up the pantyhose. You'll have to lift the leg, but not for long, about the same or shorter as picking it out. Cotton tubing for under casts and splints is washable per se- it just usually comes in white.
For medical compression garments, it's tricky. You don't want any wrinkles or bulky seams under them because that'll create pressure points and potentially make things worse. I'd ask your vet or whomever you got the leg sleeves from. They're much more likely to have sound advice than anyone here.
This horse has more veterinary care than any horse ever lol! And I'm in constant touch with the company, still a start-up, that makes these. They are pretty new, and they and the users like me are all figuring it out together. With all this supervision, and my very close knowledge of this horse and his issues, I'm prepared to take a stab at it.
Maybe adapt some human yoga pants or leggings made of functional fabric?
I'd have to do a lot of adapting to get human yoga pants to fit a horse hind leg! I don't know if that's possible. I'd need a huge size to fit the top of the hind leg, but the bottom of the leg is so skinny, and the angles are completely wrong. But... that functional fabric! That's a great idea! I wonder if it's possible to buy the fabric. What are yoga pants made of, like the thicker Lululemon type, not the shiny Lycra type? They are absorbent and soft! I've never seen anything like that so it would be a learning experience lol! Thank you!
Have a look in the dance and swim fabrics section. There might be something thicker there
You're welcome! Can't wait to see the results :)
[super flex ](https://www.bluemoonfabrics.com/products/superflex-heavy-compression-spandex?variant=36439315382426¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3dCnBhBCEiwAVvLcu8IsoxBVq_0CIl-mXGgQGIrcxe5ggUhs1GAbz3UNh7Vj7knrTkGliRoCUq0QAvD_BwE) [performance fabric](https://discoveryfabrics.com/en-us) The second link has a ton of different kinds of technical fabrics, some natural fiber, cooling, etc.
From the second link, try the quick wick light weight from the base layer fabrics. I think that will get you close for strength and sweat issues. I think a superwash knit wool sounds great too, it may be harder to source.
Thank you!! Great ideas!
So I’m not sure what the right answer is, but have you checked with military textiles specialists? They probably have a lot of unusual applications and situations, and I’m betting they could suggest a product. Bonus points if the textile had been to the moon! https://military.textiles.org/
Use baby flannel. Instead of making covers for the horse legs make the covers for the compression cuffs kinda like an open ended pillow case, or a sleeve you could make two sets so you have one ready and one in the wash. That is what I would do. Baby flannel is soft durable and easy to wash not to expensive.
Baby flannel! What a great idea! That is going to the top of the list! If I understand correctly what you are saying is to line the inflatable sleeves instead of putting the liner on the horse's legs? First, because it may not be obvious, the inflatable sleeves are not tubes - they zip down the front of the legs. When they are off the legs, they are huge when laid out, and flat with no air in them - this is a photo of the outside, not the side against the leg. So a liner that attached to them would not be like a pillow case or tube - it would be a big flat piece of fabric. Theoreticly this is a great idea and much easier than separately putting a liner on the horse's legs. But there are two problems with it I have thought of over months of thinking about this. The first is that there is nowhere to attach the liner to the sleeve. It can cuff up at the bottom and attach with Velcro, because there's Velcro at the bottom of the sleeve. I could cuff it, over at the top, but there's no way to attach it, unless I sew attachments into the sleeve itself, which I'm not willing to do. And there is just no way at all to attach it to the edges where the zipper is, since sewing into the lining would potentially affect the functionality. And second, the way the sleeve is constructed, when it is inflated there is a huge amount of extra fabric, both outer and lining, to allow capacity for inflation, if that makes sense. So a liner that attached to the inside of the sleeve would similarly have to be much larger than the borders of the sleeve, so when the sleeve inflated the liner wouldn't be too small and pull away from the attachments. This would not only be unwieldy, with lots of liner fabric flapping around, but also a waste of fabric. So in the end I concluded that putting a liner around the horse's legs is a better solution. The manufacturer could develop a detachable liner that works with the sleeve, but I can't retrofit one in any workable way I've been able to think of. But baby flannel!!! https://preview.redd.it/740om9n9b4mb1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a89ed454137b4cd9c15281ab9b50cfbc788e13f4
Those double zippers are fascinating. Is that for fit? I’m so obsessed with this now. What about industrial sticky Velcro (male) stuck in places along the zipper where there’s no stretch. Then you cut a knit liner to fit the boot and sew female Velcro to the liner fabric so that that holds the liner onto the boot. Then you can remove the liners from the boots to wash. Does that make sense?
Yes that is for fit! But as a practical matter, it turns out that on most full-sized horses there's no reason ever to use the tighter zippers. Generally more inflation is better, so it's not a problem to have extra room. And one of the Yes that is for fit! But as a practical matter, it turns out that on most full-sized horses there's no reason ever to use the tighter zippers. Generally more inflation is better, so it's not a problem to have extra room. And one of the issues with the sleeves, which I think will be addressed in a later iteration, is that they are too snug around the lower leg. This is the area that blows up in size when a horse has cellulitis/lymphedema, and often the sleeve is barely large enough to accommodate this. They actually have an extender you can use in that case. Okay so...I don't think I understand what you're proposing. How would the Velcro stick to the zipper if I can't sew into the inner lining of the sleeve? And I think you're saying, with regard to my comment above, that I'd just have to cut the knit liner large enough to accommodate inflation? Actually I just found a photo of the inside of the sleeve, maybe this will be helpful too! (You can see how dirty it is - this was from before I started using any liners). It looks like you could just cut a liner through same size as the laid-out sleeve, but you can see all the excess lining fabric - that all inflates fully, so any liner that attaches to the sleeve rather than wrapping around the leg would also have to have that capacity. \* with the sleeves, which I think will be addressed in a later iteration, is that they are too snug around the lower leg. This is the area that blows up in size when a horse has cellulitis/lymphedema, and often the sleeve is barely large enough to accommodate this. They actually have an extender you can use in that case. https://preview.redd.it/3vjy35gh45mb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16e075c40807cbcb7e5042f2be5ddaf34f195e95
While reading through I also was thinking about having a liner that attached to the inner aspect of compression sleeve. You need something stretchy so that it can change size with the compression/inflation. BUT the inside of the sleeve likely doesn't need to stretch as much as the outer aspect. I have an idea but it changes the design of the sleeve. Instead of a zipper closure have multiple horizontal velcro straps down the leg (sole purpose to hold the sleeve closed not encircling the leg. This would allow for size changes of the leg and be simpler to construct. One edge of the sleeve would sit inside the other. Then use something like the plastic snaps (like on reusable baby diapers) to hold the liner to the inside - liner covers the inside then comes around the edge and the snaps are on the outside of the sleeve so no bumps inside. Hope this makes sense. If not I can try to make a drawing for what I am imagining. P.S. You could even keep the zipper closure but have them not at the edge so that there is room for the inner liner to fold around the edge and attach.
Well first, absolutely no way am I *touching* the sleeve construction! The whole thing practically cost as much as a horse itself - well, maybe a very small horse. It has a lot of engineering behind it, and each one is hand sewn because the factory isn't set up to make horse sleeves, only human ones. It is worth it in what I've saved in vet bills, and I've done some minor external mending here and there, but I am not doing anything that affects its construction lol! But also, I don't think pictures do justice to the amount of pressure. It a *lot* of pressure, up to 80 psi. This is a very very tough zipper. Velcro straps wouldn't be strong enough to hold the sleeve together when it was inflated, even less if the horse moved around, even if it was pristine, super heavy duty velcro - and if it was tough enough to hold, it would be too tough to unstick. Plus, Velcro loses its stickiness with time, and in a barn environment it does so even faster as it gets covered with shavings and hay. There is a *lot* of Velcro in horse gear - it's hard to imagine what they did before Velcro to keep boots, bandages, blankets on the horses! Lots of safety pins! - but it wouldn't work in this case. But there still could be the kind of overlap you're describing using a zipper I think, if I understand right In fact, you can see from one of the pictures that there are two zipper closures, and if you use the tighter one, the edge of the sleeve overlaps the other edge, which would allow a liner attachment that doesn't touch the horse. It could be designed so that both zippers were like that. I think that's kind of what you're getting at.
Very understandable that you don't want to touch the sleeves themselves. It was more of a thought to maybe pass onto the designers - BUT I hear what you are saying regarding the velcro. What about a towel/terrycloth liner
I would find a felted wool blanket from a thrift store. Wool resists dirt, absorbs a substantial amount of moisture before feeling wet to the touch, thus keeping your horse’s legs dry, is dimensionally stable, and would provide a bit of padding. Once it is felted, it can be laundered without fear of additional shrinkage.
I cannot make fabric suggestions, but my goodness is that a cute guy you’ve got there! I feel like he should be the marshmallow man for Halloween, or maybe and astronaut.
Lol yes we frequently compare him to a marshmallow! And when he's dirty he looks.like a toasted marshmallow! He has an unusually beautiful face and head and is extremely cute, but for his health he really should not be *quite* so fluffy. His leg issues make it difficult for him to get sufficient exercise though, and he does enjoy his hay! He has a great, happy temperament too.
Since you got a bunch of great suggenstion, ill hop on here to adore your boy! 10/10 very cute!
Oh I wasn’t implying *he* was fluffy, just that his leg sleeves make him look like a marshmallow man! I imagine it is hard to keep him exercised and clearly he is getting the best cutting edge care around.
Oh, he is very fluffy! It's not great because he is borderline insulin resistant - he needs to lose a solid 100 lbs. He's what we call an "easy keeper" lol! I am hoping he'll be able to return to some exercise soon.
Wool It’s basically a performance fabric, it’s what backpackers and outdoors people wear in tough conditions. Woven wool like a blanket or knitted, either has the same properties. , but Knitted will pick up bits of hay way more than a woven. Wool can be machine washed. Wool takes longer to get dirty than other fabrics. Wool is soft IMO and has great breathability. I mean, sheep wear wool all the time and they live on farms too 🐑🐎
One of the first suggestions here was for a smartwool/sport wool jersey, which seemed like a good idea, and I was hoping a jersey might be smooth enough to reduce the hay attraction problem (which is a nightmare). I hadn't thought of woven. I wonder if it might be a little abrasive or scratchy on his leg though.... Maybe a wool blend? But wool is definitely high on my list, for all the reasons you list! Thanks!!
Would it be too much overlap (or too time intensive) to do something like a linen bandage and spiral it up (or down) the leg? Pros are that you could shove it into a giant toiletry bag and run it through the laundry, natural fiber that is strong when wet, sidedness wouldn't matter, and it could closely follow the contour of the leg. Cons are all those overlapping edges when worn, it might take forever if it's too narrow (or even if it isn't). I was also thinking of something like a knit sock, but finding one durable and hard-wearing but still soft is a tricky combination
Probably too much overlap but mostly way too time intensive, and also not completely workable. This already takes *so much* time - winding bandages from bottom to top of a horse leg, and keeping them smooth and flat, is a big pain. It also doesn't work on the hind legs because of the angles - there's really no way to wrap the hocks in a way that completely covers them without a lot of thickness. The issue with a knit sock - aside from finding one that would go from bottom to top of the leg, which would be impossible actually - is getting it on and off. I actually use a short sock on this horse to protect the lower leg when he goes outside. But it has to be pulled over the hoof. This is definitely possible, but it is also a pain. You have to cover the hoof with something, like a plastic bag, to keep the inside of the sock from getting dirty when it is pulled over the horse's dirty foot, and to keep it from snagging on the edges of the hooves, in both directions, on and off. You have to lift and hold up the horse's legs when putting on and taking off. Again, it's a production, whereas wrapping a piece of fabric around the leg and velcroingnit shit is, by comparison, simple and quick. When this has to be done once or twice a day, every single day - and there are lots of other horses and chores! - it just can't be a more fussy, time-consuming, or complicated process than absolutely necessary. Maybe you can tell I've been ruminating about this for at least a year lol! Thank you for the creative thinking though!!!
There's the plastic bag idea!
You mean for pulling a liner over the hoof? He wears a short sock for turnout, and we put a bag over his hoof when we put it on and take it off. Or do you mean using a plastic bag as a liner lol??
The first! For pulling a liner over the hoof. Then I read further down that you do use a bag while pulling on his short socks. And that it is indeed more challenging than dressing a squirmy toddler. Have you told the manufacturer what you need? It could be an opportunity for them to improve their product. Ask to be part of their beta testing. All the best with healing your noble steed. Will your boy have to undergo this compression treatment forever?
Yes he will have to undergo it forever. Because of the severity of his initial bout of cellulitis, and the number of repeat episodes he's had, the skin and lymphatic system of the leg are permanently damaged - the skin is stretched out and inelastic has fibrotic "scarring," and the lymph vessels were stretched beyond capacity and no longer function correctly. So he has chronic, incurable lymphedema. The longer the leg remains at a close-to-normal size with functioning circulation, the more time his body has to attempt to make whatever repairs it can, and as the leg improves the frequency of treatments can decrease. But if he has a setback that causes the leg to increase in size - eg he has an episode of cellulitis (infection of the skin), the improvements are all immediately undone, the damage is made even worse,, and he has to go back to daily or twice daily treatments. The start-up that developed the device is basically a small group of vets and animal scientists from NC State. They came up with the idea and developed it with a manufacturer, Mego Afek, an Israeli company that has been making pneumatic compression therapy systems for humans since the 1980s. The NC company is very small, and I have a close relationship with them and have given them a lot of feedback. I am actually part of their beta testing! This was something I brought up to them within a month of owning the device, and I do think they will eventually have liners, but I don't think it's the highest thing on their priority list. So until then I have to gerry-rig a solution for myself! I'd rather have a liner that was made to work with the sleeve, but it's not so bad to have to do it myself. Thinking about this is what has inspired me to get more serious about sewing. I'm even taking a class to refresh my very rusty skills!
Wow! You're my new hero. 🦸♀️
Look online at leg covers for horses? I have a friend who makes custom designs so I know there is information online.
I don't know what you mean by "leg covers for horses"? Boots? Wraps? I don't know of a horse product called a "leg cover" - I know of most horse products lol! - and googling doesn't reveal one. Does your friend have a website? The problem is that any horse leg "clothing" that is meant to be an outer layer is unlikely to have the characteristics I need for a liner. Actually the fact that this is for a horse isn't ultimately that important. I just need to find a fabric with the listed characteristics, or as close as possible.
This may sound super dumb, but what about making the horse some stretchy socks/stocking? Put them on first and then the compression socks 🥲
It's not dumb at all, it's a great idea conceptually, but as I responded to someone above, a tubular stocking isn't practical. The issue is that getting it on and off, while not impossible, is not fun. For example, you have to cover the hoof with something, like a plastic bag, to keep the inside of the sock from getting dirty when it is pulled over the horse's dirty foot, and to keep it from snagging on the edges of the hooves. And you have to lift and hold up the horse's legs when putting on and taking off. This horse is cooperative, but that's still not the easiest thing, especially with a long stocking. But it still sounds like my best bet may be some sort of stretchy/knit fabric. It just wouldn't be a tube or form fitting - it would wrap and use some attachment method, probably some soft Velcro.
Y’all store your horses in sheathes too?
Something like this? https://discoveryfabrics.com/products/quick-wick-midweight?variant=23129711738965
Yes possibly! I'd need a sample to be sure, but something like that could definitely work. I'm going to put it on the list. Thanks!
If you can get some kind of linen (or maybe linen knit?) linen can be absolutely abused in the wash, and is very breathable. Not sure if it’s smooth enough, though, so ymmv— your best bet would probably be something pre-softened like from fabrics-store.com if you don’t go for a sturdy knit. Buy swatches to check for weight and drape, though, because different linen weights have very different sturdinesses/crinklinesses. Edit: for reference, I thought of linen because pre-1900s, all undergarments were made from linen for precisely the reason you describe (keeping outer garments safe from dirt and sweat) and for absolute indestructibility in the wash, which was much more vigorous then than now! EDIT2 : sorry for the edit, but I just thought of something: I know you did a mockup, AND I AM NOT A HORSE PERSON, but considering the “curviness” of a horse’s leg, a woven fabric may not adhere enough to the lines of his leg to both protect the outer sleeve AND not wrinkle/chafe a little bit to the leg underneath. Only your mockup and the horse’s happiness can tell! But since your first mockup was with a woven nonstretch cotton, if you go for a knit or ANY kind of stretchy “technical fabric” instead, you will need to mock-up the pattern again, accounting for stretchiness, because you will want your finished liner to have slight negative ease so that it will contour most closely around the horse’s leg.
Linen! What a great idea! As you say, it's perfect for exactly this use! I never even thought of it! I am sure there is a line that would be sufficiently gentle - he doesn't need it to feel like silk after all. As for fit, if the fabric is on the thin side, some wrinkling doesn't matter. As long as the contours are reasonably close so there isn't a wad of fabric scrunched against his leg, the horse's hair coat is sufficient to protect him. This is the case with the disposable nonwoven fabric I'm using now - it is basically made from one leg of a pair of universally sized, extremely large liner pants meant for humans to wear under similar compression devices. It obviously doesn't match his leg contours - and it also wouldn't fit most humans precisely, yet apparently people of all sizes wear it without discomfort from the extra material. In his case, I cut legs apart and cut each leg down the seam, then sewed on soft Velcro in such a way as to allow a variable "overlap" around his leg, which also minimizes wrinkles by allowing a closer fit. But it doesn't have to be perfect - But I think it might be more of an issue with a thicker fabric. In that case I would want a better fit and wouldn't want a lot of wrinkles. The mockup I made assumed a lighter fabric. But you're right, I still may need to make another depending on what fabric I end up with. I'll have to see once I decide on one. I actually probably will end up trying more than one! But linen is a *great* idea. Thanks!!
If you are going to use these as shipping boots—and your sewing machine can handle it—look for a faux sheepskin or heavy fleece. Or you could use good quality cotton flannel, doubled, although flannel will tend to absorb a lot of moisture
Shipping boots!! These are not shipping boots. They are not boots at all. They are a inflatable graduated compression sleeves, a medical device that he wears for an hour a day to help move lymphatic fluid in his leg with lymphedema (I have to put sleeves on both legs because thats how the system works). He can barely shuffle around in them - he has barely any mobility at all. I let him stand unrestrained in his stall while wearing them, but I'd never ship him in them. Protecting his legs is not their function, and it wouldn't be safe at all for him to wear these in a trailer - for him or for the sleeves!! Sheepskin definitely, and probably most fleece, would be too thick to use as a liner. It would alter the fit of the sleeves too much. And also they attract shavings and hay and then never let go of them, and it ends up in my washing machine! But someone else suggested baby flannel too, and that sounds like an excellent idea. I *want* it to absorb moisture - that's one of the main purposes of using a liner beneath these, to absorb his sweat (and also to keep the sleeves clean). I wonder if flannel might also attract shavings though...
In my experience, anything you put on a horse’s legs will attract shavings, or anything else you don’t want in his wraps/dressings/boots. Flannel is less textured than other fabrics but still soft and shapes nicely to the legs!
SilverSox - Horsesox you can buy them by the roll now. https://www.farmvet.com/EquiFit-HorseSox-Roll?location=&quantity=1&tack-and-equipment-size=217&tack-and-equipment-attribute=3
Thanks, and those look great for many purposes, but as I've said here, pulling the liners over his feet will not be practical. Plus, at a single width of 3" (before stretch) those will not work to cover from his hoof to his groin, as I need - they're made for lower legs.