# Do you have a hard time finding riding boots that fit?



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

*WELCOME to the Forum!!!*



EquestrianKB said:


> Have you ever had a hard time finding tall boots (dress or field) that fit?
> _Yes!!_
> _Neither boot is available to fit properly "off the shelf"._
> _I'm not a "plus-sized" rider but hard-to-fit legs...
> ...


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Ugh, yes. I'm short. 5 feet to be precise. I don't have really large calves or anything, but finding a boot that doesn't rub into the back of my knee, or worse, comes up above my knee, is a nightmare. 

I've bought a pair of winter boots about 2 years ago, which happened to fit, but most I try on do not. I have a pair of summer boots which I actually took over when my 12 year old outgrew them. I've replaced one zipper, and will replace another soon so I can wear them longer. 

What's not ideal about this solution? Well, these boots are not in great shape. I'm embarrassed to bring them to have the zippers replaced, but they fit, so I do it. 

Emotions? Well, frustration I guess. Wondering why boot makers think that all riders are tall. 

A friend of mine is in the same boat, and ended up buying winter boots that aren't of very good quality just because they're the only ones that were short enough. It makes it that much harder for her to ride effectively. She's ordered some online, and has tried on as many as she could locally, but they were all too tall. 

Many resort to paddock boots plus half chaps.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I guess I have to include an intro to do it this way:



EquestrianKB said:


> Hey everybody I’m a senior at college. I am working on a project for school and I need some insight from y’all in regards to finding tall boots for riding.
> 
> If you could please take a moment to answer the following questions, it would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to answer here or via PM.
> 
> ...


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I have wide feet with an exceptionally high instep. Add to that restricted ankle movement in one leg and getting tall boots on was a problem. 

This was in days before there were zips up the back. 

I had my hunting boots custom made, I don't regret it, they lasted me for years. When they finally disintegrated I gave up trying to find a tall boot and instead had black jodhpurs boots with black smooth leathered chaps. 

I had many admire my new boots so it wasn't at all noticeable they weren't tall boots. Simple solution.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

ALL. MY. LIFE. 

My lovely parents would allow me to drag them to tack shops in every town we visited on vacation, just to try on boots!! (Back in the days when things were made locally...not in China or India....) 

I would CRY when they didn’t fit. Breeches (back then there was no stretchy material) didn’t fit, either, but my DM was a talented seamstress, and made them for me!

I would buy not-too-expensive boots, and have elastic gores installed. 

Then, at about age 40, I had put on weight, then lost it, so for a non-food reward, I had a pair of boots custom made. (I was showing at the time)

Then, at about age 50, I discovered that one of the symptoms of iodine deficiency is large calves. I had been taking an iodine supplement for a few weeks, and I went to get my boots out of my show bag. I had not worn them in years. The calves were TOO BIG!! I could pinch over an inch in the back of the widest part! I even wore them to the health food shop to show the lady who had given me the book with the information....


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## Vervain (Sep 14, 2018)

Have you ever had a hard time finding tall boots (dress or field) that fit? 
Yes, my entire life. As an equestrian and a boot lover in general, it's devastating. When I find a pair of western or fashion boots that do fit, I hang onto them until they are too destroyed to wear any longer. I have never had a pair of equestrian dress or field boots fit me. I'm short, overweight, with small feet and large calves.

When was the last time you searched for tall boots? 
I'm always looking for boots.

Please tell me about that time. 
I got back into horses a couple of years ago, and before long, I was in my local tack shop looking for boots. I knew what I wanted, a proper English boot. It was my initial draw to the discipline, those long, sleek black boots. I did not fit into a single pair, and the boots I left with that day were some dirt brown ariats that look like a hiking shoe. I don't like them at all. Later, I bought some boots from a shop online that sells extra extra wide calf field boots and they did fit in the calf, but the foot was too large. The company doesn't stock the size I'd need, so I returned the boots and they charged me a 15% restocking fee for putting a shipping label on the boot box though they'd put a label on the boot box to send them to me in the first place. 

What emotions did you experience? I felt, and feel, so much shame about my body, what it said the horse world thought about people who look like me, that I was too much of a beast to be near a horse much less ride one, embarrassment that nothing fit, embarrassment that I was wasting the shopkeeper's time, the sadness and disappointment that comes with going out to buy a specific item you've been wanting your entire life and walk away empty-handed. And still now I feel sadness, shame, and embarrassment that I'm out riding my gorgeous horse, in the gorgeous tack I've bought for her, in these gross brown ankle boots. They're in every photo of me at the barn or with my horse. They make me feel slovenly. It affects my self-esteem to not be able to find boots that I like that fit me for the only sport I've ever enjoyed doing. And I've lost a lot of weight in the last couple of years, with all this increased activity....but my calf circumference is the same. So my body shame remains high.

What solution(s) have you tried when looking for tall boots that fit? I've tried tack shops, online shopping, used tack swap groups, I've considered fashion boots that might be suitableish, and ultimately I will probably have to have custom boots made. 

What was not ideal about those solution(s)? Tack shops are limited in their stock. Online shops don't give you an opportunity to check fit, leather quality, and there still was only one option for me online that I've found so far--that pair of field boots that still wasn't really what I wanted, nor did they end up actually fitting. I've found nothing in consignment shops or swap groups. Fashion boots made in my calf width often look like they were made for pirates, and even if I found a pair that works-ish, the seams might not be suitable or they may not be durable or the heel may not be ideal. Custom boots are insanely expensive and I can't afford it.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Have you ever had a hard time finding tall boots (dress or field) that fit? YES- I have man calves, small feet, and very short legs
When was the last time you searched for tall boots? Two years ago
Please tell me about that time. I wanted insulated waterproof tall boots for winter riding. Went to my favorite local tack shop. Employee in the boot section bragged "I've never met a leg I couldn't fit a boot on." About an hour later, after trying on all the insulated winter boots they had in the store, he admitted defeat :rofl:
What emotions did you experience? It reinforced my belief that I have man calves on a petite sized female frame  And made me really irritated because I really needed new boots, the old pair had lost its waterproofing!
What solution(s) have you tried when looking for tall boots that fit? By luck, I found one particular style of Ariats that does actually fit. In warmer weather, I can only wear paddock boots with half chaps as this particular boot style is only made in a winter model.
What was not ideal about those solution(s)? Like most products I like and would like to buy in perpetuity, I'm sure eventually the company will discontinue them so I no longer have access to them. They will probably do it just to spite me and people like me, right??


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## Spanish Rider (May 1, 2014)

1) Have you ever had a hard time finding tall boots (dress or field) that fit?
YES! I am tall (5'11") and have long, bony lower legs. My ankles are the same size as my wrists. I have never, ever found tall boots that were the right size and did not cause pain. Over time, they start to slouch around the ankles, putting pressure on the ankle bones and unbearable pressure on the Achilles tendons.

2) When was the last time you searched for tall boots?
Five years ago

3) Please tell me about that time.
Once again, I gave up and returned to my mainstay: paddock boots and half-chaps. Paddock boots go up above the ankles, protecting them and the highly sensitive, unprotected Achilles tendons. Plus, the half chaps I usually buy are softer leather with elastic gussets that mold to the leg.

4) What emotions did you experience?
Frustration (again?!) and utter disbelief (do these boot companies not get it? am I the only one who find tall boots painful? I doubt it!)

5) What solution(s) have you tried when looking for tall boots that fit?
Giving up and going back to paddock boots with half chaps.

6) What was not ideal about those solution(s)?
Not ideal? I do not own any tall boots.
Ideal? I am convincing more and more people around me that tall boots suck and that half chaps are the only way to go!


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