I’m in need of new tall boots and want to buy actual dressage boots this time instead of once that are too soft around the ankle.
Which brands should I look at (I’m in Canada). I find most of the cheaper brands sag at the ankle and don’t provide much support after about a year’s use.
There are Petries (I think) from The Netherlands. @emipou went that route with semi-customs and they end up being a very reasonable price. Someone else may beat her to naming the site I can’t remember!
Petrie and Mountain House are both affordable and seem to last. My husband’s Mountain Horse boots came to their demise after 5 years due to them needing to be cut off when he dislocated his ankle. Otherwise with a polish, they always came up looking new and never had any problems with sagging.
I bought Petrie Olympics from kittybee on eBay. They were $500 US (I ordered brown, black would have been $450).
I like my mountain horse. Comfy. $200
I’m short and thick.
I have a few pairs of Petries from Kittybee on eBay—my most recent pair I just bought straight from her, we’re now friends on Facebook.
I admit I have a boot problem but I also have a pair of Kingsley’s and they are super comfortable and durable and were pretty reasonably priced And I do know how to get a discount ;-).
I vote Petries as well. I love mine. As a fellow Canadian, I tried to purchase locally but found the selection available to be lackluster and expensive. I purchased my boots from Ooteman in the Netherlands. https://www.ooteman.nl/
^^ I second Ooteman.
I ordered a fully custom pair of Petries from them last spring. Unbelievably affordable; great service; hassle free shipping.
I love Mountain Horse and Ariats for their comfort, but they are NOT stiff boots, so if OP is looking for a bit more structure to their boot, then Petrie or Cavallo are your best budget options. I actually ended up with Cavallo after trying a few friends’ boots - they were more comfortable for my foot. BOTH have a lot of size options - calf width, height, etc - so you may avoid custom costs if you are “Kind of” normal in the foot and leg.
I got my first pair from a mobile tack vendor, so I was lucky enough to be able to TRY ON! They had been a custom order through that vendor, then the buyer backed out - so I got them at half price (lucky me, I have a skinny, long calf - so they were not an easy size to sell, AND I got to support a local vendor). And after that, I knew what size I needed, so when I bought a 2nd pair, I got them through Divoza. There are several reputable vendors in the EU.
I still have that first pair - they are about 10 or 12 years old, and I’ve had to replace the zippers a few times now, but they are still going strong, and are my every day boot - they look a bit beat up, but not bad. Until recently, I was riding at least 2 horses (sometimes 3) at least 3 or 4 times weekly - so they were getting used.
One thing to be aware of - SOMETIMES you will get hit with customs (charged by our government for foreign goods imported). This is one reason our US tack shops are more expensive - they ALWAYS pay those customs. For an individual consumer, you might luck out and not pay. But over the years, I’ve bought most of my breeches from Europe (because I can’t find my favorite brand ANYWHERE else), as well as a pair of boots. And I’ve gotten stuck with a customs bill a couple of times. It will add considerably to the cost - so just be forewarned. Interestingly, USPS seems to be the least likely carrier for charging customs - go figure…
I have Petrie Padovas - they are less expensive because they only come in a smaller subset of sizes and the inner calf is a griptek material that wears like iron and has good feel. I just bought a new pair with a patent bow for $305 from Ootemann.
I have a pair of Petrie Sydneys that I purchased from Dressage Extensions. I have a difficult leg to fit–short, thick calves with narrow ankles). I really like the zipper and the full elastic, though I wish the zipper wasn’t at the back (I may check out the Padovas from Ootemann for that reason). They look nice and seem pretty durable; they are sturdy but not super stiff. Due to some ankle issues, I just cannot wear leg cast-style boots anyway. For years, I wore Mountain Horse boots for schooling, and they held up well. I currently school in a pair of low-end DeNiro’s (Tricolour, I think?). The footbed is a dream, but they have dropped more than I like.
I’m also happy with my Petries. I got in the habit of checking the 25% off list here: https://www.dutchridingboots.eu/brands/petrie-boots/
And finally found a pair of ANKY Elegance boots with my measurements. So far they seem to be wearing well, and provide a nice level of ankle support.
I have both Petries and Cavallos. I bought them both used and don’t particularly remember the models.
In general - I find the foot across the ball of my foot to be much wider in the Cavallos than in the Petries, but do acknowledge that the Petries are a half size smaller. That may be making some of the difference.
I have a bitch of a time finding dressage boots without having to custom order, since I have ginormous feet and wide calves. I’m willing to suffer through somewhat numb toes to get halfway decent boots for a reasonable price.
I got a beautiful pair of Koenigs on eBay for $350 about 10 years ago. Barely used and the seller agreed to let me return them within 10 days if they didn’t fit. They are my every day boots (I’m an ammie, so not hard wear) and still going strong.
Van Huet - Dutchridingboots.eu
I have an old pair of Mountain Horse - Victoria, I believe - and they have been really durable, and although they have the front zipper, they are not very stiff like other dressage boots. I still wear these on occasion. For the money they were a great buy, and were a good bridge between half-chaps and stiff boots.
I have a pair of Cavallos for schooling and a pair of DeNiro’s for showing. The Cavallos definitely fit bigger in the foot. My Cavallos are 37 and my DeNiros are 38 (I am a 7.5 US for reference). I lucked out and bought both on clearance.
I have REALLY wide legs - have to go custom. I bought Konig Favorits from from Classic Dressage in England:
https://classicdressage.com/
And i paid an additional like 65 pounds to have them custom cut. I basically got custom Konigs for like $600 including shipping. I’ll definitely buy this way again.
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