Maybe this is redundant or non-appropriate at this point, but I’ve had my Dehners for 48 years and they still fit and they are still in excellent shape. I’ve taken care of them, and I haven’t used them for at least 25 of those years, but I’ve worn them again recently for a dressage schooling show and also played polo in them. I just bought a new pair of Ariats at a little over $300 and they look nice but I haven’t even ridden in them yet. Their Terra “paddock”/work boots last about a year and come apart—plus the sizing is off-the-charts inconsistent. I’m on pair 3 only because I know how they fit and ever hopeful these will do a little better. For the prices these days, if I was showing regularly and riding a lot, I’d go custom with Dehner or Vogel (showing my age?!) if you want them to last. Quality across the board—tack, boots, everything—is sad compared to what it used to be. And expensive.
I just came here to post that I recently “rolled the dice” and bought a pair of Dover’s Madison field boots. I love them! They are certainly not as hardy a boot as my Vogels and Dehners of yesteryear, but they fit me perfectly and the size chart is accurate.
They fit me far better through the calf and ankle than the Ariats, mostly because the Madisons do not have that bulge or “pooch” mid-calf that I whined about upthread. The footbed is not super generous in width or overall room: I normally wear an 8 or 8 1/2 in shoes, medium width, and I’m glad I got the 8 1/2 in the Madisons. Very comfortable, lovely Spanish top. Just keep in mind that I wear my derpy Ariats for lessons, schooling and trail rides. These Dover Madisons I’m just using for shows. And I’m now showing on the Paint circuit, LOL, which is hardly the rigorous undertaking of, say, Thermal or WEF. But for the price… 
The thing is, all decent boots 50 years ago were made more sturdily which is why they were tough to break in. Layers of leather, leather soles, etc. I never got near leather field boots as a kid but I do recall cowboy boots and hiking boots and Frye boots, and how they were made.
So I wouldnt trust that even a custom brand these days would have the longevity of its models from the 1970s.
Unfortunately these are 15 months old. 
Scribbler, you have to choose something other then calfskin leather. Which is what seems every tall boot has gone too. That leather was made to break in easy but never made for constant daily riding. It just won’t last that abuse.
I’m sure Dehner, Vogel, or maybe even the Italian boots makers will entertain making a custom boot with leather that’s meant to last longer then a couple of years. My Vogels which I think I got 2007ish are not made of calfskin. And haven’t fallen apart. The only modification I’ll be making is finally putting in a zipper. Other then that they still look new.
I
Yeah, I get that things ain’t what they used to be, BUT, I guess if I’m looking at spending $300-400 for a pair of boots that don’t last more than a couple of years, if I was riding and showing a lot, I would go to a long-established boot maker and ask for better and pay $1,000-1200. Simple math. That might just be me, but I’ve always rather purchased quality for the few things that I use the most and care the most about. And trust me – these $300 Ariats only came because I sold some camera equipment to pay for them. I aspire to showing at little local schooling shows (age 64) and at least try to look somewhat current. Longevity in boots is not my primary concern now. I’ve worn my original Dehners even though they aren’t in style. But I came up through the A circuit and the Medal/Maclay finals as a junior—and quality and your presentation to a judge was important, so there you have it! My Crosby Prix des Nations saddle is the same age (45+ years) and I DO use it all the time. I found another one on eBay a few years ago for $200 and bought it as a spare. My original needs a few minor tweaks but honestly, it has fit everything I’ve ever put it on. A local dressage saddle fitter even validated that (while fitting a $6,000 saddle on a horse) saying the “old” Crosby and similar styles fit way more horses than people think. And I wasn’t even asking for her opinion!
I think the apparel and boot manufacturers are simply trying to please their customers and deliver a good experience while making as much profit as possible. I get it. But Chinese manufacturing quality sucks and the entire craftsmanship part of making things that people value doesn’t pay stockholders. So that’s a whole 'nuther conversation not appropriate for here!
US $300 is actually insanely expensive for footwear in the larger realm of things 
I agree that when Ariat is selling $700 boots it makes sense to start looking at custom.
I’m in Canada so everything is at least 30 per cent more.
Yeah my riding boots are low/mid range (Ariat and Cavallo) but by far my most expensive footwear!
Agreed! My old Ariat boots are still in great shape and I’ve always been able to wear them into the ground. They would last a long time.
When did they sell?
Oh completely agree!!! And 30% more? Yikes!
I bought of a pair of Ariats about a year and a half ago. I ride 1-3 times a week on average. The zippers are completely fine and I have not had any issues with them degrading. That being said, I have made it a point to not over condition them in an effort to not make them too soft or stretchy. I wipe them down with a damp towel as needed and have only used saddle soap a few times on them.
I loved the Volant’s but the zippers kept failing.
I managed to find the same tennis shoe type tread in Parlanti and I’ve been really satisified.
Short, but not slim. Again, I think they do now - but from 2005 through 2015 when I last looked into them they only offered short/regular and maybe short/wide. Even when they offered a wider range of calf options at different height.
Looking at their sizing now, they still offer far more calf options for regular and tall heights. They offer 6 choices if you’re a regular or tall (xtra xtra slim, xtra slim, slim, regular, full, wide) whereas short only comes in four options (slim, regular, full, wide.)
Tredstep offers 7 calf options for short height, and DeNiro offers 6.
Ariat had me convinced my entire junior career only custom boots would ever fit me (5’1”, tiny chicken legs, but big feet). Then I went shopping last year and realized how many size options other brands carried that fit. Ariat just hasn’t caught up 
Any idea what the model is?
No! Don’t tell me this! I have a pair of Volants with the faux skin tops and I absolutely love these boots. Got them when they were marked down from $500 to $270 a few years ago. I ride 1-3x a week and they’re holding strong so far.
I’ve never had a problem with the zippers falling down. I was told at some point to never walk around with the boots only partially zipped – this is what causes the zippers to fall. I don’t know if it’s true, but I always have them fully zipped and they’ve never let me down. Cause and effect?
Just to update. Ariat sent me an E-mail that they couldn’t help me, even though I only asked for assistance on mitigating the damage, but that they would honor their warranty of quality product something other other and to contact the retailer.
I contacted the retailer who was more responsive but due to their store policy only offering returns for 1 year, they could not accept a full return or replacement. They offered a partial store credit if I returned the boots and I said that wasn’t necessary.
So. There is no Ariat warranty outside of the 365 days unless the vendor has a more favorable policy.
I have the Parlanti KK boots that I bought on clearance from justriding.com
The current model listed on Parlanti website is the Passion K
That was a great review! It should help people figure out if they want to roll some dice of their own on these.
I haven’t seen the Madisons in the Wide sizes, so I can’t tell you how they cut the calf. The way Ariat cuts a pooch in there is well known. Nota bene for some of you with 3-D calves: Ariat’s measurements for height and calf go up on the half size. So if your size is too tight in the calves, it might serve you to get the same size, but in a half-size larger in the foot. If you think it’s too tall, a heel lift can help. That’s because it puts the bulge of your calf a tad higher, where the manufacturer thought it would be. You can wear those heel lifts for the break-in period or forever,
I am of the school that too-tall boots are far preferable to the aesthetic abomination that is a pair of too-short boots. (And, Ariat, the more angular, extreme Spanish top on those Madisons, as well as DeNiros’ nicer top, make your comparatively ugly; you need to up your game.) I make this disclosure so that you can consider your source.
Yanno, your story of boots kaput-ing at 15 months is cause for a PSA of sorts:
Y’all if your boots are showing their age at 11 months such that you think they will die soon (or legitimate reasons like rotting leather or zippers that have died too often/are trying to die) go ahead and get in touch with your retailer. If Ariat’s new business model is to make things as cheaply as possible, then they can factor in the cost of some people/some boots being more expensive. It’s a numbers game which they are winning, generally speaking, so your returning genuinely shoddy products for a refund or replacements adds incentive for keeping quality control and decisions about choosing quality components.
Someone, somewhere needs to make sure that $350 riding boots aren’t made out of cardboard and spit.
That said, I work at a tack store and, boy-howdy, I’m not a fan of people returning boots that have clearly never seen any leather care. I know that folks today know less about how to do that. I know that the stuff that really conditions calf leather boots (Vogel Boot Creme and Angelus Leather Balm (even better)) are rare. But I can tell when someone has done no polishing and worn their tall boots on the wash rack every day. That person might get a comment in their file so that they can’t just get new boots every 12 months forever and ever.
I mean, if I think Boots Protective Services should have been called, I’m going to cry a little bit on the inside when I hand you another baby pair to take out and abuse. I feel it’s a moral obligation to not do that to too many pairs of innocent boots.
