How to Buy Tall English Riding Boots
A Guide to the Perfect Fit When Buying English Equestrian Boots
Sep 13, 2009
Success in English equestrian events demands a perfect balance of substance and style: substance in the skills and expertise of rider and horse; style in the fluid elegance of their performance, the horse’s grooming, the polished perfection of the tack, and the rider’s attire.
No element of English riding attire more fully embodies that combination of style and substance than tall boots. Whether lace-fronted field boots for hunter-jumper events and some three-day events, or plain-front dress boots for dressage, tall boots present a continuous, elegant line of leather from stirrup to saddle. Beyond look alone, however, their fit—how snugly they follow the body’s contours—directly affects the rider’s control and how clearly commands are conveyed from human to animal.
Fitting Boots to the Human Leg
That duality of practical and aesthetic roles makes tall boots complicated to buy. Complicating them further is the human lower leg. Feet come in a range of lengths and widths and oddities of arch and toes. Ankles can be trim or bulky, sturdy or needing extra support.
Calves range from long and slender to compact and round. Add variables of height and weight and the length of the leg from sole to knee and fitting tall boots becomes a challenge akin to solving a complex three-dimensional puzzle.
But there is hope. Top boot manufacturers know that a methodical and knowledgeable approach can help novice and experienced equestrians alike have a satisfying boot-buying experience.
Shopping for Riding Boots
A few simple steps make it possible to find the best style and fit in riding boots:
- Find the right shop. Start by checking online, through equestrian organizations, or in the local Yellow Pages for shops that offer the widest range of brands, sizes, and styles. The best shops will also be able to order less common sizes overnight from most manufacturers.
- Wear the right clothes. For the best fit, wear the riding breeches and tall boot socks that will actually be worn when riding in the event. This will ensure a proper fit in the leg, an important consideration during judging. Note, too, that the best stores should have tall boot socks and riding breeches available for customers to use during fitting. Make a phone call to check before going.
- Measuring for size. When the time comes to measure, sit down in a chair with stocking feet flat on the floor, approximating the position in the saddle. A store employees should measure the foot size and width first; then, the circumference of the calves at their widest part; and finally the height from the floor to the back of the knee at the very top of its crease. With these measurements, various manufacturers’ size charts can be referred to.
- Trying on the boots. Next comes the actual trying on. Though many boots, even lace-ups, now come with back zippers to make putting them on and taking them off easier, the store should also offer boot pulls, bootjacks to help ease them off, and baby powder to help things slide more easily.
- Judging the fit of foot and leg. Finally, assess the actual fit. Start with the foot portion of the boot, which should feel neither too big nor too tight. The leg should feel as snug as possible, with non-zip boots actually a bit difficult to pull on and off, since leather stretches slightly over time and the boots need to keep a form-fitted look.
- Judging the height. The height of tall boots is the most difficult part of the fit for many people, especially novice riders. As boots break in, height will drop anywhere from 3/4 inch to 1 1/2 inches. That means that a well-fitted pair should actually feel too tall at the time of purchase, rubbing uncomfortably against the back of the knee. To help deal with this fact, look for heel wedges: chamois-covered high-density foam inserts that lift the heel a quarter inch in a new pair of tall boots, for greater back-of-knee comfort during break-in.
Seeking a Better Fit
Even the most diligent fitting process may end with boots that still don’t feel quite right. If there are any doubts at all, try another style, or boots from another manufacturer. Also considering going up half a size in the same boots for a better fit.
In the end, diligently following these guidelines will help achieve a perfect fit. Like the events in which the boots will be worn, the actual act of fitting itself calls for achieving that delicate balance of style and substance.
(Want to learn more about riding gear? Check out A Grand Master of Western Saddle Making.)
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