Country boots you can ride in

Pigeon

Pigeon

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After some comfortable sturdy leather boots I can ride and do yard stuff in. Waterproof-ish would be nice, don't want anything with a zip, or anything massively expensive :) What would you recommend?
 
I would honestly say none. They just don't give the support you need, and its my pet hate seeing people ride in them and I've heard of some horrendous accidents involving feet getting stuck and ankles being snapped.

There are some variations on walking boots that I think you can ride in- endurance riders wear them quite a lot. They look really comfy.
 
I ride in my dubarry Clare's I did not for ages but when I realise the soles have the same soles as some of the boots sold for riding I tried it .
 
Toggi canyons with a riding sole. I don't see the difference in support compared to jodpur boots and chaps. In fact no boot will stop your ankle snapping in a bad accident. If your stirrups are too small your foot is in danger of getting trapped anyway...
 
I was talking to one of the shop assistants in the dubarry shop in Dublin who told me that the boots aren't designed to use for riding and are generally too saggy around the ankle to provide enough support. She said that people do ride in them but she personally wouldn't

I wear wellies or walking type boots around the yard and change into riding boots for riding. It only takes seconds to change
 
I don't understand want support you need ?
Jodphur boots give no ankle support at all and I spent my whole childhood riding in them .
I agree dubarrys aren't designed for riding it does spoil their looks .
 
At the moment I have cheapy jod boots and chaps, tbh they have zero support! And the mud comes up under the chaps. So I have to change my boots before and after I ride. And I also have to change shoes when I get up yard and when I leave, because I'm not allowed to bring horsey boots home :p So I seem to spend my life doing it.

Long riding boots would be fine, but the ones I've seen are very much geared towards competing and don't look as if they'd take much wear and tear.
 
I don’t think its support as in if you fall off it will help more stability. I know when I’ve ridden in my Ariats I have not felt as ‘supported’ round the ankle, it’s like the boot is too baggy round the ankle to help keep it how I want and I don’t have as much feel. I think that makes sense. They are fine for hacking but I will always use proper boots for schooling etc. I think with boots and chaps you still get more ‘support’ as they are more fitted round the ankle. I do think that pull on boots are worse as they will be baggier to start because they are pull on, ones with a zip are better as they tend to be more fitted round the leg and ankle.
I love my Ariat Conistons, they aren’t cheap but well worth the money.
 
I ride all the time in Toggi Calgary, which are super comfy and pretty showerproof but do have a zip. On the ground in winter I stick to Tyne muckboots though.
 
I would think that any country boot that didn't have a zip & were therefore wide enough in the calf to enable you to get then on & off would be god awful to ride in....they would surely be far too baggy to enable any sort of feel with the horses sides?

Obviously any sort of country boot with a chunky, grippy sole would be a no no, they are likely to get stuck in the event of a fall.

I don't buy into this boots 'not supporting' the leg & ankle rubbish. My boots don't support my legs, my muscles & tendons do that. I do however only ride in slim fitting boots that enable me to have feel under my calves.

I really can't stand this fashion for riding in country boots. I've never seen a pair that didn't look flappy & horribly baggy around the ankles like Nora Batty's stockings. :D. Why not buy a nice pair of long riding boots or short boots & chaps & change into them for riding then the rest of the time knock about in a pair of wellies.
 
I recently bought a pair of dublin river boots, the new model which are supposed to be much better quality than the old (I'll believe it when I see it)
I think they're great for round the yard and I was told I can ride in them, although I haven't tried yet. I really don't care what people think they look like, at the end of the day I'm never going to ride in them at shows, pony club or anywhere off of the yard. They're very comfy and waterproof and if they're anything like my old yard boots (toggi canyons) I'm sure I'll be able to ride just fine.
 
glamourpuss said:
I don't buy into this boots 'not supporting' the leg & ankle rubbish.
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Yes they do... I work on building sites, and the majority of companies have now banned the "rigger" type boots, as they do not offer any ankle support if you go over on your side. The boots the issue to the armed forces also help support the ankle, as opposed to something like trainers that do not, and help to prevent injuries from tripping over things.
 
wench said:
Yes they do... I work on building sites, and the majority of companies have now banned the "rigger" type boots, as they do not offer any ankle support if you go over on your side. The boots the issue to the armed forces also help support the ankle, as opposed to something like trainers that do not, and help to prevent injuries from tripping over things.
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But you would be very, very unlikely to suffer an inversion mechanism of injury whilst riding with your foot in a stirrup.
Even if you fell & the foot got caught unlikely to be an inversion or exversion most likely to be twisting.

But yes you are right to prevent/reduce inversion injuries you are better to wear a boot that goes past the ankle (malleolar) however I don't think inversion/exversion is an issue with a foot in a stirrup.
 
Not really wishing to derail the thread but I definitely find some boots more supportive when riding than others. Problem is we can only feel things from our own perspective ;) I have hyper mobile joints and am always going over on my ankle just walking around :eek: Tight long boots (even better, stiff dressage boots) help my duff ligaments to keep everything in its place :)


That said I did like grasmeres for hacking as you can tighten the leg to suit. Have to be careful with the laces though.
 
I was looking for exactly this, but waterproof as well, and ended up with Ariat Grassmere's. More expensive than I wanted but they are a proper riding boot with ankle support ( I even tested them out when I landed badly on my ankle getting out of the lorry!). Mine have suffered a huge amount of abuse and are unbelievably comfortable. I had initially been looking at the other country boots but was told they weren't actually suitable for riding and wouldnt withstand yard work after returning a pair after a week!
 
My ankles are supported more by my jod boots than my long riding boots by a mile. It just depends on the boots and your leg confirmation!
 
If anything I find tight riding boots more tricky to ride in as I feel like my ankle is restricted. I ride in wellies, muck boots, country boots, Timberlands... I do also ride in my jodhpur boots and chaps when I'm having lessons/my wellies are really mucky, but find the main difference is the feel of the soles rather than the ankle support, and do prefer them for the soles.

I sprained my ankle coming off my horse and landing awkwardly on a jump three weeks ago - in my riding boots. How much they saved my ankle I don't know, but I know that I couldn't fit foot and bandage into my riding boots, so I rode in my lace-up Timberlands for two weeks. This and the ankle support was more than adequate.

I think in general it would be unusual to end up with an ankle injury when riding, or at least one that would be prevented by a fitted boot. You're more likely to injure an ankle jumping out the way of a horse, or being stood on and tripping - and yet we change into the more ankle-protective boots to ride in! That's why I ride in pretty much what is on my feet, but I handle the horses in my steel toe lace-up ankle boots.
 
Ariat Conistons, but they are both expensive & have zips.

I rode in my Grassmeres when we got into minus double figures, but they were a bit too floppy for anything but hacking avoiding frostbite!
 
I use my Ariat Conistons for on the yard and always ride in my Ariat Bromonts . . . . Feels so much better riding in proper boots.

Would definitely recommend you buying and wearing some decent boots for riding and buy some nice yard boots as well (-; x
 
I have had my ariat grasmeres for a couple of years now, and definitely would not be without them. I do all my general hacking & milling about in them, and am quite happy to school in them. The soles on them are not any different to any of the other ariat boots. Obviously, with the nature of the boot, you need to make sure your stirrups are the correct size

Yes - they are pricey, but honestly, after a couple of times wearing them, you would not regret the price tag! ;)

I did find when I was doing some endurance, that I preferred my boots & chaps, just as there was less movement around my leg - but then I do have ridiculously skinny legs (which was why the Grasmeres were the only country boots that would fit me :) )
 
I do ride in my ariat grasmeres but find them a big baggy at the ankle, so prefer to ride in either the Trent, my endurance trainers & chaps or cowboy boots. (yes, all ariat. (sigh) - I am an addict....)
 
Ariat Glaciers. (Full leather version of the Grassmeres.)
Expensive, but certainly worth it.
 
Ariat Grasmeres - laces can be tightened to give more ankle support and toasty feet all winter. I found putting them on and off a bit of a PITA though - not something you can do quickly! Also always used my boot horn as otherwise the inside lining gets pulled down - kept one at home and one in the car.
 
I've got my dublins I hack in & my long leather boots for everything else. Recently had a really bad fall out cross country when horse fell on me & stood up on my boots & there wasn't even a rip & I feel these saved my legs for horrific injuries. So make sure I do anything more than hacking in them now
 
milliepops said:
Not really wishing to derail the thread but I definitely find some boots more supportive when riding than others. Problem is we can only feel things from our own perspective ;) I have hyper mobile joints and am always going over on my ankle just walking around :eek: Tight long boots (even better, stiff dressage boots) help my duff ligaments to keep everything in its place :)

That said I did like grasmeres for hacking as you can tighten the leg to suit. Have to be careful with the laces though.
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This.

I can twist my ankles RISING on a horse.

And I do't jsut mean support like that, I mean support when using your leg. Have you tried giving a leg aid in country boots? They're heavy and clunky. With a normal riding boot you should be able to use your leg like there's barely anything on it.
 
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