Adding arch support insoles?

[kdow]

Just wondering if anyone’s needed to do this, and if it helped or got in the way of actually riding properly - I wore my paddock boots (freshly re-soled) the other day just for walking around a bit to scuff up the bottom so they weren’t so ice-like slippery, and it really made the arthritis in my feet kind of cranky, because they don’t have a lot of arch support.

But riding isn’t the same sort of thing as walking, exactly, so I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with it before I go hunting for insoles that will fit and give me more support. (I do have a doctor I see occasionally about the arthritis in my feet specifically, who could make me a custom insole if necessary, but I don’t really want to pay the co-pay on a visit unless that really is the best route to go.)

I won’t be riding Every. Single. Day. regularly, at least certainly not to start with - probably more like once a week. But I’d rather not spend the next day limping around crippled.

[whicker]

Go for it!

If you need them, they make a huge difference.
I have custom orthotics for my Dehners. Had the orthotics made first. Then had the measuring done of my foot with the orthotic included in the measurement. Dehner asked to have the orthotics sent with the measurements, so the boot foot would fit properly. It still took some tweaking, which Dehner was great about.

The end result is that I can foxhunt in them for hours without dying in my legs or back, not to mention feet. I can groom and ride several horses during a day. It is by attention to details, that you can go forward in your goals. Be meticulous in giving yourself every advantage to get where you want to be. That’s what the upper level riders do. Your life and goals are just as important to you as theirs are to them.

[kdow]

[QUOTE=whicker;5479131]
If you need them, they make a huge difference.
I have custom orthotics for my Dehners. Had the orthotics made first. Then had the measuring done of my foot with the orthotic included in the measurement. Dehner asked to have the orthotics sent with the measurements, so the boot foot would fit properly. It still took some tweaking, which Dehner was great about.

The end result is that I can foxhunt in them for hours without dying in my legs or back, not to mention feet. I can groom and ride several horses during a day. It is by attention to details, that you can go forward in your goals. Be meticulous in giving yourself every advantage to get where you want to be. That’s what the upper level riders do. Your life and goals are just as important to you as theirs are to them.:D[/QUOTE]

Did you have the orthotic made with riding in mind? Like, did you have to show them proper foot position in the stirrup, etc? Or was it just a general walking support orthotic that worked?

That’s my main question, really - if I should go see the guy and try to explain proper foot position with the dropped heel so that he can understand what my foot needs to be supported doing. I imagine it’s not really the same stresses as walking, and possibly the support needs to be in slightly different places, or a different degree of firmness or something…

(For walking right now for general use, there’s a pair of standard insoles I can buy that he’s ‘happy enough’ with in terms of the support they give, so it’s the difference between going with the off-the-shelf walking insole, or going back to see him.) (Though I have better insurance now, so going back to see him wouldn’t be as painful as it was last time when I had no insurance and thought maybe I had a stress fracture in my foot, it was hurting so badly. Sigh.)

(Ultimately that visit freaked me right out, because it turned out I had arthritis in my foot so bad there was clear bone involvement on the x-ray, but that was the first hint of trouble/pain I’d ever had. So now I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in all the other joints that aren’t hurting… YET. :eek: )

I will definitely keep in mind that Dehner worked with you well, also, because at some point I would LOVE a pair of custom tall boots. And if I’m going to that expense, I’m going all the way, including to fit orthotics as necessary. (I’m short with muscular calves, wide feet and narrow heels. Custom is probably the only way I’m going to get something that is actually totally and completely perfect in fit, and not poking or pinching or too tight here and too loose there.)

[3Miracles]

I have freakishly high arches, and Morton’s Neuroma in one foot. I love my custom orthotics. Mine were made without any special consideration for riding or riding boots, other than me telling the foot doc that I would be shoving them into boots and her saying it would work fine.

I just pull out whatever insole the boot comes with, and slide in the orthotics. I have the one set and they go nicely into all my shoes and riding boots. They are fiberglass down to the edge of the forefoot, padding on top. Not very thick so they fit like the original insoles.

Between the boot’s natural shank and the orthotic, there is good support and I don’t notice any special concern when I’m riding. They work fine. Going to the barn to ride, or going foxhunting / showing / trailriding etc also involves a fair amount of walking, and that’s when I really need the support. So they go into all the boots. I won’t keep a pair of boots that doesn’t work with the insoles.
Can’t comment on the custom boots, but it seems that you would just need to tell them that you will be using your own orthotics, so they don’t attach their own insole too tight that you can’t get it out.

[Beentheredonethat]

I do the same as 3Miracles. I had plantar faciitis to the point where I could barely walk. The only relief was Birkenstocks. I got a pair of sandels and an orthotic that I put in every shoe I wear, or I start paying for it. I put them in my riding boots and it’s no problems. I don’t think I need them for the actual riding part, but it makes a big difference in waling.

[Mozart]

I use custom orthotics in my Ariat paddock boots all the time. No problem.

Not sure if you can still get them but I once bought over the counter Birkenstock support insoles and they worked pretty well too. They live in my Blundstones.

[Bicoastal]

Spencos arch support

I recently got arch supports on the recommendation of my PT. She suggested Spencos. I bought them at Pacers for around $18 if I remember correctly.

Take your boots with you and an employee will evaluate the width and cut the length to fit.

Hiking with them during a camping trip last weekend and felt like I was developing blisters on the bottoms of each big toe. I did not get blisters but it proved to me that the supports were making my foot land differently (I am very heel-heavy and stand rocked to the sides of my feet and back on my heels with knees locked. Sigh I know, I know.)

They are cheap enough to try as an experiment…

[beaujolais]

Spencos are the best. I have them in all my shoes, boots. We all should. (I work in medicine. If you support your feet, you are also supporting basically your whole body - good for bad knees, backs, etc.) They blow away my $400 custom made orthotics that always flattened out and never worked that well anyway. You may need to go up a boot/shoe size, though, to fit them in.

[Keepthepeace]

I have severe pain in my feet and ride in arch support insoles all the time. I put them in my runners, boots, any shoe I wear. Doesn’t effect riding at all. In fact it lessens the pain in my knees! Go ahead and try it.

[Keepthepeace]

Just purchased a pair of Spenco’s Gel Total Support on eBay after seeing several recommendations!

[PalominoMorgan]

I use SOLE insoles. They heat mold to your feet as you wear them. Wish I had them when I rode more. I can’t walk without them now. They were $40 over the counter.