De Niro American Top Riding Boot?

[emilyt]

Okay, so my old boots have holes and are very worn, so I’m looking for new, “higher class” boots.
I found these De Niro’s (De Niro American Top Riding Boot) and like them best in a black shaft with black patent leather details.
I was just wondering about other (HONEST!) opinions on these boots for riding (3-5x a week), schooling shows (Jumpers, maybe Hunters, occasional flat class) and some mid-level shows (Jumpers, maybe Hunters, occasional flat class).

Please be honest, if you hate them or think they’re tacky just say so

Here’s the link https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e2/f6/01/e2f601697ce2e363315a41a9dee92afe.jpg

[BostonHJ]

They are beautiful and suitable for jumpers, but should never be in the hunter ring. Ever. Also, the flashier the boot, the better you need to ride!

[IPEsq]

I love them but would not do patent if you are going to be in the hunter ring at all.

[Belmont]

I think they are gorgeous. They don’t seem too much, at all.

As a jumper and fox hunter, why no patent leather tops in the hunter ring? Patent leather is VERY traditional fox hunting gear for people with colors… So why not in the hunter ring? I was always told by my coach to wear my traditional hunting gear in hunter derbies at mid-level shows. She was the hunt master, but it never crossed our mid we were being naughty.

[SillyHorse]

[QUOTE=Belmont;8228958]
I think they are gorgeous. They don’t seem too much, at all.

As a jumper and fox hunter, why no patent leather tops in the hunter ring? Patent leather is VERY traditional fox hunting gear for people with colors… So why not in the hunter ring? I was always told by my coach to wear my traditional hunting gear in hunter derbies at mid-level shows. She, of course, was a hunt master.[/QUOTE]
Right, but FIELD boots with curvy patent tops? Not exactly traditional hunting attire.

[Belmont]

[QUOTE=SillyHorse;8228969]
Right, but FIELD boots with curvy patent tops? Not exactly traditional hunting attire.[/QUOTE]

I don’t mean these in particular. These scream jumper ring. It was the comment above that said no patent at all.

[Lucassb]

They are beautiful.

I have a couple pair of DeNiro boots (purchased through Cavallo Couture) that I got for daily use and occasional showing. They are lovely and were very easy to break in, but I suspect that the downside of that nice feature means they might not be super durable.

I would not personally ever wear patent - even patent tops - in the hunter ring. Today’s show hunters bear only the faintest resemblance to what is accepted in the hunt field, as has been discussed here a million times. But there is no rule against it, and depending on what is common in your area, YMMV.

[Denzel]

Ditto everyone else on the patent tops in the hunter ring (this assuming you are showing rated, if you are showing locally once in a blue moon, it would likely be more ok).

As far as the De Niro brand, I have a pair with hunt tops that I bought as my schooling boots back in the winter of 2010, and have worn them for daily schooling since then. Including a working student stint where I wore them 10+ hours a day and rode 4-6 horses a day and bathed 6-8 a day in them. They still look new, and they were really easy to break in, and I’m used to super soft boots like Ariat Monaco’s and Parlantis!

[horsepoor]

I have a pair of those boots but I don’t show. If I did, I’d be fine with wearing them in the jumper ring and probably the local hunter shows around here (but I don’t really care about fitting in with the masses or keeping with tradition). I think the DeNiro boots are very nice for the price, but like any of the zip boots, the zipper is the weak link. Mine are currently sitting waiting to go in for a zip replacement.