Best riding boots for ankle support and wide feet?

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Gemzie121

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Hi everyone.
I’ve had an 11 year break from riding and have a riding lesson booked next week but am wondering about if it might be worth me looking at long boots at some point.
I have a fused ankle, and AI seems to think that long boots provide much better support (including in a fall) for weak ankles. I would need a full zip, wide foot, wide calf and short leg though as i’m only 5’2” so unsure if there will be anything out there.
I still have my old mountain horse lace up trainers and neoprene half chaps. I do find my right ankle (the not fused side) tends to end up collapsing a bit by the end of a ride. I have been told this is weak muscles/nerves not bone issue currently.
Due to neuropathy i can struggle to keep from slipping about in the stirrup too.
I want to be as safe as i possibly can be so if longer boots would protect better in a fall and support my ankles better and stress them less when i ride then i’m all for that - i just wondered what other people with ankle issues/neuropathy prefer to wear and are long boots really better to ride in?
 
Although not fused, I broke my talus years ago and have weakness as a result.

I actually find short boots with chaps feel more secure than long boots.
 
Short jodh boots with the likes of Ariat gaiters, (close contour) always worked best for me for support on my right ankle. Broken fib and crushed talus navicular, now arthritis on that joint.
My insulated bromonts were also good, but just a step down in support.
 
I’ve got a pinned ankle after badly breaking and it’s still swollen. I’m riding in Ariat barn short boots (ones with side zip) plus gaiters.

I also have long Mountain Horse boots which are wide and short but I don’t think I’ve tried riding in them since
 
I have hypermobile ankles and i find short boots with leather gaiters the most supportive but tend to ride in neoprene chaps most of the time.
 
Ariat Tellurides and their Concorde chaps are a good combo. I don’t have an ankle injury but I do over pronate and they are supportive. You can also remove the insoles and put in your own if needed. Lacing means you can adjust the fit and tightness.
 
I have a fused ankle and much prefer the structure and support of long boots.

If you're a bit non standard then I highly recommend going to the tack shop with the biggest possible range of boots and trying loads on. I travelled nearly 2 hours to get to one that had a really good range but importantly lots of stock in relevant sizes ready there to try on.

I am 5'1 with wide feet, I wear Shires Moretta Gianna - they have a good few size variations and aren't crazy money. Ariat and Mountain Horse weren't short enough and/or wide enough. DeNiro have many more size options but are also much more expensive.
 
I would also consider getting your own stirrups and leathers. Although stirrups come in myriad forms now, a larger tread area will help with the proprioception on your mobile side. A 90 degree rotated stirrup might be an idea too, but they don't suit everyone.
 
Lace up, shortish boots like my Mountain horse can be tightened to give ankle supoort. When I broke my ankle the NH provided a support bandage which one wears under ones socks.
However generally speaking, one should not ride with rigid ankles. One needs the flexibility because the stirrups will be moving and swinging with the horse. Try rising as in rising trot, but in walk, to test how it is going to feel and how your ankles behave.

The people to consult may be th RDA but I think they may want you to go for an appointment so they can observe you riding.
You will need to google Mountain horse boots as I am not currently able to reach their site on this lap top computer. My task this morning was to try to get this lap top on line using the new wi fi system and boosters forced on us by the changes in land line and wifi due to BT and Openreach switching the telephone network from analogue to digital (on which you will find another thread.)
 
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Hi everyone - thankyou so much for your replies! Lots to think about and consider. I will definitely give my old short boots and hslf chaps a go tomorrow. The frustrating thing with the MH trainers is that only neoprene chaps seem to go over them (i bought suede half chaps and they wont fit over) so i assume gaiters wouldnt either. I had a session on a mechanical horse (mainly for me to see if riding was even possiblr now) and i did much better than i thought but was concerned about my weak right ankle tiring very quickly, the boots seem to allow my ankle to collapse over despite wearing a brace on that side. Im unsure if it could do that to the same extent in long boots having not worn any (i did have those plastic type cheap long boots that everyone seemed to wear at riding schools when i was a teenager though (early 2000s) and dont remember my ankles collapsing the same in those. Its hard when you have to purchase before testing out on an actual horse, i dont want to waste a lot of money on something if it wouldnt make much difference. I will see what instructor thinks tomorrow or if i would be able to maybe buy my own stirrup irons to use in my lessons if theres something more supportive for me with a wider tread maybe (assuming theirs arent as i dont know what stirrups this particular RS uses). In an ideal world, if i owned a horse, i would be trying out those magnetic safety irons that keep your foot held in the right place as ive read can be a game changer for para riders, its just an awful lot of money if you dont ride everyday and unsure if an RS’s insurance would cover use of these as i think they are a newer thing. Its hard with disability as its a niche thing. I did try to get into RDA but no RDAs in my area have any capacity to take on new riders as they have too much demand, so nowhere is able to help me. So i have found this riding school who were willing to take me for an assessment lesson, i was upfront about my feet and that i had tried RDA but they werent able to take me on - but they think they have capacity to help me so im hoping all goes ok!
If RS instructor thinks longer boots might help then i will have a look at the shires boots! Or maybe a different type of short leather boots with gaiters.
 
Another question if anyone sees this! Sorry! Ive had a racesafe body protector fitted properly by shop recently (had to get a new hat too as mine literally fell apart when we got it out of storage!) i want to protect mysrif as best i can. I cant see me ever doing more than canter and maybe the snallest of x-poles, this RS offers hacking too so i would love to mainly do that in the future. Is an air vest over a body protector too much for someone just doing RS stuff? Would i look ridiculous? I am wondering whether to save up for one to protect my spine better too with being disabled. Or if a body protector properly fitted should be enough.
I have to say i was shocked at how lightweight and thin they are nowadays. My old rodney powell BP (that i loved!!) feels like a brick in comparison to my new racesafe!
 
Gemzie121 said:
The frustrating thing with the MH trainers is that only neoprene chaps seem to go over them (i bought suede half chaps and they wont fit over)
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I have Mountain Horse half chaps that go over my Mountain Horse winter lace up boots. They are marked "genuine leather" I bought them at the same time as the boots and they are designed to go over the boots. It was expensive but that was way back in 2011. They are suede but much wear has polished smooth the inner sides which touch the stirrup learthers and horse.
 
Some riding schools won’t allow an air-jacket so check that out first. You do need to attach a strap between the two stirrup bars to clip the lanyard to so that can be a faff each time you go. I use an air-jacket on its own for all activities.

Second the getting own stirrups and stirrup leathers riding school ones are usually uneven, stirrups often lack treads and can even be too narrow.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Second the getting own stirrups and stirrup leathers riding school ones are usually uneven,
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Yes. A good idea. I have had my own safety stirrups and leathers for years and always put them on any RS horse I am hacking. I dont bother for RS school lessons as it is years since I last fell off in a lesson. I have never had my foot stuck in a stirrup in the school. But I do always have my own stirrups and leathers in the boot of my car in case the RS present me with a horse without matching leathers.
 
I have dodgy ankles and ride in short lace up boots and half chaps. I used to ride in Ariat Tellurudes but bought the Shires Moretta copy last and still riding in those.

I also use ankle supports which are like wraps that go over my socks my for rides over 10km or so, which really help too - I do a lot of trotting and light seat canter, so feel it more without.

Enjoy getting back into the best hobby in the world :)
 
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