I’m talking about a good quality running shoe with a heel so the if you dismount to give your horse a break you can go faster than the paddock boot hobble.
Briefly in the mid 90’s a brand named ‘On Course’ had one but the quality went downhill after the first shipment.
Made in the US if such an animal still exists.
I’ve spent the last 6 months on this quest, since Ariat stopped making the Springbuck. I have the Terrains for winter riding, but I want something more breathable in the summer. I tried a couple of other brands (Dublin, Roper, and something else I can’t remember), but I couldn’t find anything comfortable. I don’t like the big endurance stirrups with cages – they feel really heavy and clunky to me – so I always thought I needed a shoe with a heel.
And then I found these on Smartpak’s website. Stirrup cages for regular stirrups. Bingo. Now I can ride in any shoes I want. I ended up splurging on some Merrell trail running shoes, because I wanted something waterproof AND breathable. $$$ but so worth it.
I ride in Asics. Running shoe. No heel. Don’t care if it has a heel, or not.
I have found no other comfortable riding shoes. Also these are great, get off and walk or run, comfy ALL THE TIME.
Worried about no heel on footwear, get cages like BHLH suggested.
I have plastic black stirrups with lovely cushiony foot beds. The more cushion the better.
They do not make “boots” like they used to, so I wear running shoes only these days. My ariat terrain half chaps fit just perfectly with the running shoes.
And I can wear my running / riding shoes any where besides just on a horse. I have muck boot shoes to clean stalls, and other shoes to do other chores.
Saucony runners, ultra lightweight ones for trail.
The sole is light/thin enough to have a good feel of the stirrup, but these runners are made for…running. Which I do while conditioning, a LOT. My feet were getting killed in my paddock boots.
I sometimes use those safety elastic stirrups, but mostly regular Fillis ones.
I may have a different opinion after a few 50’s coming up here in October, but for LD’s I use my Ariat Barnyard side zip. Very comfy walking or riding…at least for the “short” rides.
Ditto the running shoe notion. If you want a running shoe type fit and feel, well then you want a running shoe. And great stirrups.
RE: Both the cages on Smartpacks site and toe stoppers…If your stirrups arent a little large to start with these can take up all of your clearance.
I wear a barefoot type shoe most of the time, and when I stuck my foot in one of the add on cages it barely fit. and I dont have particularly wide feet.
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