Thanks everyone it’s great hearing all of the feedback!
OP - I’d wait on getting any boots. Ride in what you are comfortable in now and when you are ready to buy new boots, try stiff boots and see what you think. They take a while to get used to but I LOVE my stiff boots. My calves are XXW and I have trouble finding boots in my size so I ended up going semi-custom.
For reference I am in the US and have ridden to Third Level. I bought the stiff boots when I had just started to teach my horse the changes.
As far as helmets, you will see everything.
I am also a former h/j person, and I still have fun with fashion, but it’s more about what I like than what I HAVE to buy to pin in the class. And there’s freedom in that! So, read the regs, and then buy what you like - both for looks and comfort/effectiveness. For example, I like my dress boots - look nicer than half chaps at shows, and I like them better for dressage looks than my field boots. Maybe my leg would be better in stiffer boots, but I like feeling the sides of the horse, so they work for me.
What boot did you end up going with? Xxw calf problems over here too.
I got measured on the Konig custom order sheet by a friend who used to work in a tack store, and ordered the Konig Favorit model from Classic Dressage in England, and paid the extra 65 pounds (or whatever nominal fee it was then) to have them custom cut. I think total it was about $700? It’s been 3 years so I don’t really remember. Way cheaper than normal customs.
I show in my Tipperary helmet. They’re cheap enough to have one for every day use and one for clinics/shows. They’re widely popular at our barn. I’ve seen everything at shows. My opinion is 1) No one cares as long as your safe, 2) be comfortable. I would rather have a Tipperary or something with some air flow for showing on those 90 deg days.
For boots, our barn’s two trainers and myself all wear field boots to school/train horses in. We call them “socks” because they just conform to your leg and aren’t stiff. We show and clinic in our stiff boots that have been broken in already. That being said, I’ve shown in my field boots at first level because it was cold and rainy. Again nobody cared and I was comfortable. I have a pair of very stiff polo boots that I used to ride in occasionally. Yes they were great for riding spunky horses, but terrible for riding multiple horses as I always lost some skin somewhere even though they were broken in. My trainer has the same exact pair of boots and has yet to break them in since they are so so stiff.
I’m sure there’s something out there that you will find comfortable enough once you want to go to a tall boot.
I earned my silver and gold medals wearing GPA. I wore GPA because it fit me well and was the most protective helmet at the time. Steffan Peters wears GPA. Wear what you like!
