Help me choose the best new paddock boots for me

[HJECG]

TL;DR: need advice on buying first new paddock boots in twenty years.

Hi. I am a middle aged mom who has spent the last 20 years completely focused on two of my daughters riding and showing. That’s taken basically all of our horse–available budget and time, so even though I grew up very actively riding and showing myself into my early twenties, I completely gave up my sport when I married and became a mom very young.

I now have the opportunity thru a very kind friend to begin casually riding a lovely large POA at her nearby farm, and so I need to buy myself a few new basic items. One of those is new paddock/jodphur boots because the ones I have are ancient and completely shot.

I live in an area of the country with only one feed store that carries a small selection of English tack and apparel. The nearest real tack stores are 3.5 hours away in the Nashville/Franklin, TN area. We do travel there for major purchases or items that require fitting for my youngest daughter (age 14) who currently shows, but I’m not going to drive there for a new pair of paddock boots for myself.

The only ones the local store has in are Ariat, so likely the brand I want, but they’re black (I definitely want brown) and they don’t have my size. So they would have to order me the color and size I want.

So I think it would be easiest to just order them myself and have them delivered to our house rather than drive back and forth the 25 miles to this local feed store.

But I could use some advice in choosing the best ones to get, and am hoping if I provide my criteria for what I am looking for in my new boots here, some folks could offer recommendations on both where to order them, as well as a brand and even which style withn that brand would be best for me.

So here are my criteria in what I am looking for in new paddock boots:

• I want real leather/ no synthetic

• looking for price of less than $200 including tax and shipping

• open to either zip or lace tie closure/either one is fine. Fit is most important

• do not want the Blundstone (I think that’s how you spell it) style boots that have very wide toe and thick soles. Those are fantastic boots, but I need actual riding boots.

• I want high quality boots that I can muck around the barn/ farm in, but also clean up nicely when I want them to look tidier

• they do not need extra insulation for winter warmth

• my usual shoe size is an 8.5, but I have wide feet, so need advice on whether with a particular brand and style, I should size up.

. I know very well that all boots must be broken in fully before you have your correct fit. But once they’re fully broken in and I have my correct fit, I really do want them to be comfortable and not constantly squeeze my feet uncomfortably or always feet short in the toe. Good support, yes. Boots with a design that are made for more narrow feet, no.

• I have not bought or had tall boots fitted for myself in decades, so nothing about my tall boot sizing will be of any help in sizing these paddock boots.

• I want to be able to wear them with thick enough socks that I can try to avoid too many blisters as I break them in this summer (so, like, with tall boot socks or even just good athletic socks), and then also be able to comfortably wear something like smart wool socks with them to stay warm in the winter.

• I want the leather to be of high enough quality that it will allow me to occasionally reapply spray waterproofing without the leather becoming ruined or all discolored

• I want them in a classic brown (that’s what color my half chaps are), NOT black

• a bit of intentional ankle support built into the design would be a nice extra since I am basically starting all over again as a rider. But that’s not a must.

I fully understand that I may have to send them back a time or two to get the right fit.

So those are my criteria. I would really appreciate any recommendations for a brand and style for my new paddock boots. (And by the way, I checked at Dover Saddlery online this week, and they didn’t seem to have any brown leather paddock boots under $200 in any sizes anywhere close to my foot size)

[Ponyplusaninch]

I think I’m on nearly 30 years of ariat paddocks (different pairs), and they have yet to do me dirty.

Heritage IV Paddock Boot

[Ponyplusaninch]

And if you want that ankle support, I would narrow your search to lace ups. That is the exact reason why I only own lace ups (hyper mobile ankles)

[luvmyhackney]

I buy most of my paddock boots on eBay or Poshmark. You can find some good deals, add new insoles, and you are good to go.

Maybe look at men’s sizes as they are wider and have a more substantial toe box area.

[DarkenStormy]

These are the ones I have and I love them. I wanted brown but the place near me only carried them in black. So I got them in black and they are fine. SO COMFORTABLE

[GreyDes]

If you have wide feet, look for a “C” width in Ariat. You may have to order it directly from them. My feet are very wide across the balls and I cannot wear Ariat’s standard B width.

A few other options if you want to look at other brands:

• Petrie - wider footbed is standard. You’d likely have to order online though.
• Mountain Horse - wider footbed, sizing tends to be generous. I wasn’t happy with the leather quality the last time I got a pair of their tall boots, but may still be worth a look.
• Tredstep - wider footbed than Ariat, narrower than Mountain Horse or Petrie

[HJECG]

I’m having zero luck finding Ariat paddock boots sold anywhere online (including directly from Ariat) where they aren’t sold out of almost every size.

[HJECG]

Thanks! This is really helpful advice.

[NoSuchPerson]

I have wide feet. The off-the-shelf “real” leather paddock boot pickings for wide feet are really slim. (Pun not intended. ) And none of them come in brown in wide unless can find a pair of now-discontinued Ariat Heritage IV on a clearance rack somewhere.

Ariat Heritage paddock boots, both zip and lace-up, come in C width. The Ariat RT paddock boots don’t come in wide, but because of the design of the boot, fit wide feet well. This is the one that fits me best.

The Tuffy brand tall boots that I have tried seem to run large overall, so their paddock boots may provide a little extra width. I haven’t tried them.

As far as keeping the price down, you might look at Dover’s Riding Sport brand. They get excellent reviews, come in brown, and list for $89.95.

[Ponyplusaninch]

Worth contacting ariat and asking when they’ll be back in stock. I had a similar issue with a different item, and it was an inventory delay.

[akhunterrider]

Ascent Paddock Boot

I have these and have been really happly with them