I’ve been eyeing these for a while and have heard mixed reviews. I don’t need anything super fancy, but would like them to hold up for a while. I don’t have the budget/need for customs really. I have very wide/muscular calves and tiny ankles so I prefer something not super boxy. For reference, the Ariat tall boots fit me decently, but I don’t love them, and the Tredstep tall boots do not fit me AT ALL. Hated them. Would love to hear about you experiences!
I tried these and was incredibly disappointed. The stitching came undone in less than a year, and I take care not to bathe horses in them or go traipsing through mud. I ride 2 horses a day, so they weren’t getting abused. For the same price, I bought Ego7s from Europe and they’ve held up for 2+ years now with no damage. The mountain horse boots just aren’t worth the money IMO
Thanks for letting me know! I worry about getting boots custom ordered and have heard horror stories(not Ego7 specifically). Is the Ego7 leather super stiff/hard?
I have had just the opposite experience with my MH Sovereigns! I am on year 3 of mine and they have held up beautifully. No issues with the stitching or any other aspect of the boots. They fit like a glove, took no break in at all-- I showed in them after 2 weeks of wearing them just 4 times. I ride 3 days a week, flat and jumping. I’ve gotten so many compliments on the look of them, as well. I’ve bathed in them, hiked all over sandy/wet arenas, and just wiped them off and they look show-ring-ready.
My SIL has both the brown and black ones with a similar experience. She events and wears them for all three phases (and used them for USDF shows this last summer with similar positive responses about the overall look of them).
I, too, find the Ariat boots don’t fit me well. The MH only come in whole sizes so my 8s fit like a 8.5 on me, which is fine. The foot doesn’t slop around and the bit of extra (like 1/2 an inch?) allows for socks with a bit of cushion. I like that the toe box stitching is curved, which relieves the pressure over my toes. Happy to answer other questions-- I’ve got a new pair in my closet I’m about to break in for shows now that my old pair are beginning to look a tiny bit dingy.
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Same - they seem to be really feast or famine for people. I’ve personally had really great experiences with them, but have also heard many people say “never again!”
I bought a pair of Sovereigns 2 years ago and they still look great. Over the last 2 years I’ve been riding anywhere from 2-4x/week - not an exorbitant amount, but they still see regular use. I also tend to change in/out of my boots shortly before/after riding though so I suppose it’s possible the people who have had bad experiences don’t do that? In any case, I’ll probably get the black lux version for some USDF shows next year.
I also have a pair of their first generation yard boots - what has since morphed into the Devonshire Tall Boot, although it wasn’t called that at the time. I got them for Christmas 10 years ago, wore them as “daily drivers” as a college student through 4 long Chicago winters and wet springs, and they’re still going strong and are go-to on wintry/wet days, both at the barn and at home.
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I didn’t like the MH boots at all, didn’t hold up to wear and zipper busted after 6 months didn’t fit my leg great.
EG07 are the Tucci off brand semi custom boot. You can custom the height and calf width and foot size. Some love, some hate but holds up well and worth the $$$. Mine held up good, but I guessed on height and didn’t try on prior to ordering and ordered too tall which then makes the calf fit weird.
I just got the Deniro tricolors and I love them,
I would recommend, if you can, go to a tack store and try on some different brands of the off the shelf boots.
I mainly use these brands for an everyday schooling boots and am very tough on them. I don’t wear my customs unless to show in to save them, because I’m tough on boots.
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I’ve had my mountain horse sovereign boots for a year now, and they’ve held up great. However, they are a bit big in the calf and the foot is definitely smaller than Ariat.
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Agree the sizing is a bit odd. I was in a 7 regular/ regular and TBH the calf was almost loose (whereas I couldn’t find a calf wide enough in some of the Ariat models so not exactly small calves here).
I did not have luck with them. They looked decent for a bit. I had mine for about 2 years but actual use was much less as my horse was lame. They were the last thing to go on besides the bridle and the first thing to come off after the bridle (so no grooming, mucking, walking NOTHING besides riding) + always stored with their trees in a bag and polished up and cleaned regularly. Never got wet (meaning rain, because again they were only for riding). And yet with less than 2 years (IIRC it was like 12-14 months?) of normal use (1-3 horses 4-6 days a week) + very good care both boots had large holes in them (only ever rode in my CWD so not chewed up by a synthetic saddle or anything) and were unusable (the holes were visible while mounted as they were on the back of the calf AND the front shin).
I reached out to Mountain Horse politely expressing my displeasure that the nearly $400 boots barely made it a year with exceptional care and regular use (it would be different if I was riding 5+ every day or something) and their response was that was normal wear and tear for that model. So no I don’t recommend at ALL.
I do recommend Ariat V Sports though. I don’t care for much of the rest of their boots (in look and fit) and still don’t LOVE the V Sport look but they are comfy and I’ve gotten 2 pairs in my size off eBay for $150 or less with minimal wear and they’ve held up beautifully despite not being treated half as well as the MH (these do get worn for grooming and lunging and such sometimes, not always though, and barely every cleaned much less polished and often just tossed into my trunk).
I am looking at ordering a pair of Pioneer boots (in the $450 range) for shows since I don’t love how the V Sports look (really I want a higher Spanish top and have lost some weight so could use a tighter calf). They look very nice for the price and offer many models and options at a lower price than any other custom / semi custom boot I’ve seen.
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Add me to the “not great” experience side. I ride one horse, six days a week. I cleaned my boots up after every ride and never wore them in a wash stall/around the barn. The stitching started falling apart within a year and they really started wearing out in general very quickly. I wouldn’t buy them again.
Oops I just remembered mine are MH Aurora, not Sovereign.
I had a brown pair several years ago that I thought were good value for money. I think at the time they were < $300. They lasted 3-4 years of moderate use and then then the stitching and elastic wore out. I didn’t baby them in any way, so I was happy with the durability at that price point.
I have wide calves and they fit beautifully out of the box with almost no break in needed. I thought the foot sizing ran a bit bigger than Ariats.
However, when they wore out I tried to replace them with a black pair and the leather quality wasn’t even close to my previous boots. The older boots were decent leather for that price range, and the newer ones were plasticky and very slick. I ended up selling them after a few month because even with conditioning and wear they just were not breaking in like my older ones.
I’m not sure if the leather quality truly changed or if there is just massive variation in quality control. You may want to either see a pair before you buy or make sure they’re easily returnable.
Add me to the “not so great” camp. I think I got a year out of them. Had to patch and replace both zippers and then I gave up. Disappointed at that price point although I realize there aren’t a lot of comparable options.
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I have two pairs, a brown and a black, that I bought four years ago. They have both held up amazing, and I ride two horses 4-5 times a week. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again, but maybe the quality was better with the older models?
I couldn’t get them to fit me no matter what size I tried. I found them to be too narrow in the foot and ankle and disproportionally big in the calf. That said, they’ve certainly fit other people so I think it’s just more of a narrow range compared to other boot folks.
I also wasn’t impressed with the leather out of the box. They felt very stiff/cheap to me even before I zipped them up.
I’m another Deniro Tricolore user here - I have one for show and one for everyday and I love them both. I believe you can get them in brown if you purchase them from an EU website.
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I’m not sure what model of MH boots I have but mine are still going strong after maybe 4-5 years of moderate use and a few years of sitting in my trunk while I took a break from riding. The only issue I have with them is they got a bit stretched out after a few years of riding in New England winters, with all the extra socks and layers that go along with that. Now they only fit well if I have winter layers on, but otherwise they’re in good shape. I still pull them out on days I want to layer up so my newer boots don’t meet the same stretched-out fate.
The MH boots are still the most comfortable boots I’ve ever ridden in right out of the box, no break-in time required, and mine held up pretty well despite not always taking the best care of them. They’re a little wider in the calf and smaller through the foot/ankle, so depending on how the current models run they could work great for you. I’m in Ariats now and similar to your experience they fit me fine but not great. I’ve got my eye on the new Dover Madison boots for my next pair; they haven’t been out long enough to judge longevity but the reviews so far are great and they’re a good price. If those don’t work out I would definitely consider another pair of MH.
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I just got a pair of Tricolore in brown this summer - I ordered through the tack store, who ordered directly from De Niro. They are definitely available 
I’m in Ontario.
The Ego7s aren’t custom. I believe they’re an offshoot of Tucci. The leather isn’t nearly as soft or supple as my Parlantis (kept for shows only), but they were much easier to break in than anything I’ve had from Ariat. The leather is a little thicker, which is partly why I think they hold up well. If you order from overseas, you can get them for about 40% what they sell for here in the States. They’re a semi-custom brand, meaning they come in a variety of height, calf, and shoe size variants. I admit I panicked a bit when I first ordered them, as I had a hard time zipping them up despite how carefully I measured, and was afraid they were going to be too small. However, they stretched out right away. By the second or third day, I had no problem, and they didn’t drop or get the baggy ankle that my MH or previous Ariats did.
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I am on pair 3 of MH boots; not sure which models, these have field boot fake lacing and back zipper. All three pairs have fit me quite well and have been quite durable for the price. Wear almost daily remove after before hosing horse. I am HORRIBLE at boot care. Benign neglect is my middle name…Would say I average 4+years, no issues, they just start to look “done”. LOVE
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I’ve been lusting after a pair of the sovereigns with the two tone black/brown but after reading all the comments about quality and fit, I think I’m about over it. I have a hard to fit leg with wide feet as it is so sizing would be an issue.
I have wide ball of the foot, with a fused big toe-- it’s just a stick on my foot with no sideways flexion. I need a boot that had a wide enough toe box to not require my toes to ‘squeeze in’. I tried about 5 different brands (that’s a lot of buying, trying, returning my friends!) in about 8 different sizes/configurations. The only pair that fit me was the MH Sovs.
I do think the way our legs are shaped, the amount we use our legs on different horses really affect the durability of boots. I watch dozens of rides in lessons and see how legs move, stirrup leathers move, spurs fit etc.
If the boot ‘rolls’ at all on the leg because it’s too big or if the zipper is strained by being very snug. We all have personal fit preferences-- some like a slightly looser feel on the calf (me personally) or very tight or simply snug. MH Sovs are unlikely to fit like an EGO boot or the slightly higher end Parlanti/Deniros. Very different design in some ways.
Honestly-- it is all about personal preference, wear patterns, and budget. I’ve managed to buy MHs from different online stores for under $300. That’s a cheap boot by today’s standards and they work for me. Win win. Your experience might be different.
My customs, over $1000 at the time, did not last as long as my MH have done without wearing a hole and having 2 zipper issues. Wore holes in Ariats too. Not so far with the MH.
OP-- remember, you can order, try on, send back. It’s the way of the modern shopper!
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