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Best Custom tall boot makers?

I am looking at L&M Custom boots. I have a terrible time finding boots off the shelf because I have size 6 feet, small ankles but large curvy upper calves. I had a pair of Vogels about 10 yrs ago, but they completely wore out, and I have heard not-so-good things about them recently.

I just got my first pair of LM custom boots and really like them a lot. Customer service has been super and I thought the price point was extremely reasonable.

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I’ve ordered three pairs through LM, and I’ve been extremely happy with each pair. In fact I was just mulling the other day about whether or not this is the year I get a pair of brown boots from them (been on my wishlist for awhile).

All three pairs fit exceptionally well. They didn’t really need a “break-in” period. One pair I got when I was on my period, and that did take a day of wearing them around the house because I was so bloated, but other than that it was easy.

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I bought my first pair of customs in 2020 and after coming to COTH, I decided on Tuccis. I love them. No regrets. They are beautiful boots, so comfortable, and fit amazingly. I also found them to be very well priced for what you are getting.

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I have 3 pairs of semi custom DeNiros (custom height and calf measurements, plus some added details/color combos) and a full custom pair of Celeris. I measured myself for both. I measured a hair small on the foot of the Celeris and they were hard to break in, but ultimately ended up fitting great.

If I were to order another pair I could go with either company. I’d probably pick whichever ended up the best price for what I was wanting at the time. All pairs were under $1k.

Pictured are DeNiros in brown and Celeris in black.


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Thank you! Both of those pairs are beautiful.

I just got a pair of Kingsleys that I am loving. Great fit, very comfortable out of the box and have been breaking in easily.

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I have a pair of LM boots as well - just got them last week so I can’t really speak to their longevity at this point, but I’m loving them so far. I ordered them while I was in Kentucky for the 5* as I have very long legs (to the point where tall heights are never tall enough) and ride the line between slim and regular calf, and my pair fit perfectly. I also have the reinforced calf panel so I have durability on the side that gets the most use, but can still enjoy the flexibility of the softer leather on the ankles/outer calf.

I did the wonderful thing that is getting brand new boots and wearing them for the first time at a show, and I had absolutely no issues with break-in/rubs/blisters. The team was great to work with and were really on top of things with their updates regarding where my boots were at in the production process, and I got them two weeks early. I’m already considering ordering a pair in brown next year because of how much I’m enjoying them, plus I felt the price was entirely reasonable for a pair of full customs.

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Bought a pair of Fabbri’s that were worn twice and in great condition. I have the same issue… size 6.5 wide feet with tiny ankle and athletic calves. They might be a touch loose in the calf, but otherwise perfect and feel like butter.
What has worked for me were Tredsteps for everyday… and I’ve also tried Sergio Grasso and the square toe options seems to work better for the small foot bunch.

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I ordered Tucci’s back in early March, should have had them end of June, and now the tack store can’t promise shipment before end of summer. They told me Tucci has lost some senior craftsman. I get it, supply chain issues are very real now a days. Only sharing incase you’re on a time crunch between ordering and receiving!

I am tall with thin(ish) calves and growing up I had to ride in customs. Still have my old custom Dehners but can’t fit into them. I said “ish”. Also, no zippers.

I was super excited about DeNiro, as you can order semi-custom essentially off the rack at an excellent price. I love mine (Salentos) and am planning a second pair in brown (fancy custom leather I found on their site). I was able to fit well into stock calf (width and height) and foot, but I am sure if you needed a more custom look you could get it for a reasonable price compared to other custom options.

My only complaint is I put on weight doing my COVID job and now that I have lost it, my zippers are falling down a bit.

I have a pair of Kingsleys that I purchased as demos and they are gorgeous. I am also super intrigued with Gallors, which have a lower entry point with more standard built in options. We have a great group on FB - Dressage Boots Addicts Anonymous which is just a ton of custom boots. I’d join that group for more opinions!

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Love my LMs! They fit really well right out of the box and I rode in them three times before showing in them and they were perfectly broken in. And I think they are gorgeous.

Shout out to their rep Whitney Blanchard (VA and MD) for amazing customer service and an excellent measuring job!

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I ordered directly from Tucci, not through a tack store, and would highly recommend that for anyone considering. I also had some production delays due to COVID (ordered early September 2020, received late December 2020) but they were able to give me fairly precise updates on when they would be done and ready to ship.

That’s good to know!!

My local shop told me:

“boots will be “about another 15 working days” to be finished according to the update they sent me. I am hopeful that they will be shipping them before they shut down for holidays Aug 8-19 - but at this point, I’m not positive. I am sorry that I do not have better news. I wish they were more up front with their production times, but they have lost so many of their hard to replace senior craftsman these past 2 years, they just can’t keep up with production”

Makes me wonder if I should personally reach out to Tucci and request an update. What I truly wonder is if the tack shop dropped the ball in ordering and is trying to push blame off to the company.

I don’t think it can hurt to reach out. Happy to PM the contact I used there - he was very responsive and apologetic about any delays.