Advice pls - first pair of riding boots, what to buy?

Dazzle

New Member
May 27, 2016
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Devon
Hi, since I started riding I've been wearing jeans & wellies but I think it might be time to invest in some proper boots (and maybe jodhpurs). I have lots of problems with losing one of my stirrups when starting to canter and I think it's because my wellies are slightly too large for me and they slip about a lot. I'm hoping buying some proper riding boots will improve my riding (will it?), I'm just not sure what to buy. I'm lucky in that there is a second hand tack shop literally up the road from me and they have boots. I like the look of the long boots but are they just for shows? What's the difference between them and jodhpurs boots? Also, while I'm on the subject, what is the advantage to wearing jodhpurs over stretchy jeans?
 
Long or short boots is personal choice really. I tend to wear short boots with chaps or country boots as I am only small and 'proper' long riding boots tend to be too tall and dig in the back of my knee. Also because I do everything in the same boots I ride in ie walk to yard, muck out, turn out etc leather riding boots are too expensive and not very practical to do all that in.
I also find jods much comfier to ride in than jeans, but I suppose if you are wearing jeggings rather than jeans you should be ok if you don't want to fork out for jods just yet.
 
Long or short boots is personal choice really. I tend to wear short boots with chaps or country boots as I am only small and 'proper' long riding boots tend to be too tall and dig in the back of my knee. Also because I do everything in the same boots I ride in ie walk to yard, muck out, turn out etc leather riding boots are too expensive and not very practical to do all that in.
I also find jods much comfier to ride in than jeans, but I suppose if you are wearing jeggings rather than jeans you should be ok if you don't want to fork out for jods just yet.

Thank you, forgive my ignorance but are chaps?
 
I don't actually ride in "riding" boots any more, I just wear my ordinary walking boots , ankle boots with a heel that I can keep a good grip if I need to get off and walk. Whatever you choose get something with a good sole that you won't lose your footing on the yard in. So many riding boots I have had in the past have been fine on the horse, but like skating on ice on just about every surface, yard and grass.
 
I don't actually ride in "riding" boots any more, I just wear my ordinary walking boots , ankle boots with a heel that I can keep a good grip if I need to get off and walk. Whatever you choose get something with a good sole that you won't lose your footing on the yard in. So many riding boots I have had in the past have been fine on the horse, but like skating on ice on just about every surface, yard and grass.

That's what I wore to my first lessons! Worked well actually but later on I really started to covet long ones!
 
I had Shires jodhpur boots which worse fairly well for riding but pants on the yard and as wally says the soles can make things lethal, yards are full of hidden slips, trips and falls (well potentially). If you want long boots with a good sole for gripping and a good comfort level for riding Ariat Windermeres tick those boxes. They are pull on style so no zips to break and they are waterproof and the sole os excellent for grip. Plus unlike a lot of country style boots they are designed properly for riding. I miss mine, I got four dirty long winters out of them - and am saving for more! If you don't want to spend quite as much, then go for something like MountIn Horse jodhpur boots - and buy some half chaps. I am too lazy for chaps lol and I am a mud flinger - whenever I wear them, I seem to disperse mud when removing them.........
If you are sure that it will just be lessons and that you will be refined to a dry yard or arena then Rhinegold joddie boots are good value. I have two pairs and they are very comfy and a good price at £20.
 
I don;t wear long ones any more, boot cut riding breechs and short boots.
 
The trouble with walking boots for riding is that one is supposed for safety and especially for beginners to have smooth soles. Having smooth soles is considered important even in the USA - my rubber soled Western boots are no longer accepted by some riding centres. Wally is riding her own horse, in her own tack and at her own risk. You may need to consider your safety in the context of a riding school and riding schooil stirrups.

The sort of boot you can wear will depend also on the type of stirrup. Safety stirrups give you a wider choice as they wont trap your foot.

The change of boots may not help with losing your stirrup in canter. It is likely that as a new rider you may be tensing and drawing up the knee on that side which means the stirrup may slip. I solved it the idiot proof way by using safety stirrups when hacking, then relaxing in canter and forgetting my feet.

Back to boots: Ariat (and some other brands) make dual purpose walking riding boots in which I have been up mountain tracks in USA. But if you can afford two pairs that is better. The ideal climbing boot is not the ideal when riding.
If you prefer to ride in jeans and short boots, (such as the dual purpose above) there is no good reason not to. Men trainers in both UK and USA do that.
Long riding boots are worn with breeches. For short boots you wear jods or breeches with half chaps. It is hard to buy jods for men -
If you seriously mean to go on riding I would buy good short boots and half chaps. That is how my OH and I both started out. Short boots because supple long boots cost a fortune. But good boots because when I started, I bought the cheapest short boots and they lasted me only a year. After that I paid a lot more, bought high quality boots and they last for ever if well looked after. I havent had to replace any of my boots. Ariat for riding and Mountain horse dual purpose lace ups for riding and work on the yard.
 
I would second the suggestion of Rhinegold joddy boots! Ive got a very comfy pair which have lasted for years which i have used a lot in lessons. I now ride in long boots but thats a personal thing really, they are not show style boots but more a general all rounder long boot. They keep me warm in the winter and i feel i have a more secure leg position in them which is mainly why i switched from joddy boots.

In terms of jodhpurs, when i started riding again I brought a cheap pair of harry hall ones from sports direct of all places, they were only £16 and have lasted well over a year - really comfy and wash well! I think that the difference between jeans and jods is that jods typically dont have a seam down the inside leg which means no rubbing. My OH just got his first pair of jods and says he will never go back to riding without
 
Also though a very heavy tread may pose a slight risk, arguably so does a very smooth sole which is more likely to slip from the stirrup. Both issues are more likely to be an issue with a novice rider since they're arguably more likely to fall so don't want a foot catching, but are also more likely to fall if they lose a stirrup. You pay your money & take your chances!
 
Ive been lusting over the high riders by mountain horse recently :) my brothers instructor has a pair which she swears by! They have lasted brilliantly so are well worth the cost from what I have seen
 
Lots of staff hacking here have long Tuffa boots - You do need to be careful tho if you are a new rider on RS ponies - make sure the stirrups used by kids (most beginners are kids) are wide enough to take your adult thick soled boots. I got my foot caught once.

To be honest I hate riding in thick boots and with thick soles - tho I am not sure why. I think it comes from riding bareback - I need all the feel I can get and want as little as possible to come as a barrier between me and the horse.
I never thought of smooth soles being a greater risk when riding, Carthorse. I have all my lessons in very smooth boots with leather soles and no safety stirrups either. The stirrups have rubber treads and I cant remember ever losing a stirrup. Except when I fall off my first reaction is to kick my feet free of the stirrups. That is easier in smooth soled boots. Tho thin soles offer less protection when dismounting onto a hard stone surface.
 
If its just for lessons and no yard chores I'd vote on cheapish joddy boots and half chaps (the chaps prevent your stirrup leather pinching the skin on your calf), you can get yourself set with this combo new for under £50 and well fitting chaps give good sideways ankle support yet are flexible in the ankle to allow a good heels down position.

Long boots are nice but can be less supportive and the leather can buckle up at the front of the ankle making heels down harder, I think once you have stong muscle memory in your legs/ankles for the position this is less of an issue.

I personally live in ariat short boots, tellurides for winter and terrians in summer, they are super comfortable from the first time I put them on, have good grip but not chunky soles and I can ride or run in them, but they come with a more hefty price tag normally around £120 (i wait for them to come on sale and just managed to get a pair for £60). I wear mine for work and the horses so I'm in them for about 16 hours a day, i just add my half chaps to ride :)
 
If its just for lessons and no yard chores I'd vote on cheapish joddy boots and half chaps (the chaps prevent your stirrup leather pinching the skin on your calf), you can get yourself set with this combo new for under £50 and well fitting chaps give good sideways ankle support yet are flexible in the ankle to allow a good heels down position.

Agree with this 100 per cent you can get some nice quality chaps and short boots for not too much of an initial outlay - I usually ride in short Tuffa boots and chaps in the summer and these long Tuffa boots in the winter - they are my most favourite and comfortable long riding boot I have ever worn, and not at a break the bank price either.
https://tuffaboots.com/boots/riding-boots/norfolk-black
 
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I have short and long boots. The short boots (worn with half chaps/gaiters) have the advantage that they are comfortable to wear when no on the horse - I often put them on as I leave home to ride. I can't think of any advantages of long boots, but I certainly don't do anything other than ride in mine.
 
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