Dressage boots

[NinjaPony]

I want to get my first pair of long boots as my faithful ariat short boots are giving up at last. Having never worn long boots, I'm not really sure where to start! I can't afford to be splurging out for custom made, or very expensive boots, but I want them to look good and be smart enough for dressage. I've heard some horror stories about really stiff boots killing feet- I would like to avoid that if at all possible! I plan to use them for competing and just for riding so I would like them relatively hard wearing (though of course I will look after them!) Do long boots make any difference to your leg position? I'm not sure whether a stiffened outer is a good thing or not... Any help would be much appreciated

 

[JustKickOn]

I love my Dublin Air boots. They took a bit of working in but I didn't wear them as much as I should when first getting them. They're lovely boots. My next ones will be ariat contour challenge boots.. Dreaming at the moment...

 

[Kat]

Ariat Bromonts

 

[Barnacle]

I have a love-hate relationship with tall boots... Love how they look, hate how they feel. If you've never worn tall ones before, be prepared for the breaking-in process... I actually walk in mine for a few days-weeks for very brief periods first and build up to soften them or they will kill your heel and ankle, sometimes toes... And also knee area if you don't ride in long stirrups all the time as they'll dig into the back of your knee when it's bent (you'll feel this going up stairs too - oh the joy). One way to avoid all this is to soften them manually with leather conditioning products but it only works to a point. This may also just be me being overly-sensitive but so far I've not found any tall boots that don't involve some pain to start with to one or other degree.

Oh, unless, of course, they are actually soft and synthetic... I have worn imitation leather boots before to avoid all this trouble. They don't really look quite as good though.

When riding, I don't have a problem with them affecting leg position etc but it does feel weird the first time (I am informed - because I don't remember mine!) because of the extra barrier to contact with your horse. The one thing that can happen that is super annoying and will not improve with time, particularly if you're like me and ride lots of horses and ponies and use lots of saddles, is that you'll find some saddle-stirrup-length combinations are perfectly placed so that the top of your boot gets wedged under the saddle and impedes your movement - especially if rising trot or jumping. So not a problem while riding a test but a pain in the behind when warming up or schooling.

 

[wkiwi]

Perhaps try to find some second-hand ones for the first time. Then they will already be more comfortable, you can get used to the feel of long boots and may find a nice brand that you would like to buy new later on.
Just a thought