I’ve struggled with this my whole life! I want boots that look good, last, and aren’t insanely expensive. I am very short with a calf that is too large for any children’s boots I’ve tried. So far the only brand that has fit well that I like are Tuff Riders, but I think I have spent more on repairing the zippers than I did the boots, and the zippers didn’t work well in the first place.
Does anyone have any other suggestions? For reference, I have about a 13" calf and need a height of about 16".
Petrie has a few different junior sizes with different widths, ranging from a bit slimmer to a bit wider than other brands. I think the “mid-range” one was roughly equivalent to Ariat children’s sizes in the same foot size, and the price was similar to Ariat as well.
I am 5 ft tall with a normal calf. The only tall boot I’ve found and bought off the rack was Ariat short. Heritage I think. But they’ve had horrible supply chain issues in the last couple of years.
Short boots with gaiters, the rigid type of half chaps. There are many brands that look just the same as long boots from about two feet away.
5’ tall here and I also get the Ariat Heritage boots. My latest pair have held up pretty well.
Another vote for Ariat, and my show boots are De Niros that fit like a dream and look great.
5ft1 with a skinny ankle and regular calf but because it’s higher up I have a hard time fitting in a lot of boots! I have the off the rack Ego 7s and they fit like customs….Ariats don’t fit me at all!
I feel your pain!!!
I also need a 16" height and medium calf (about 14") and have found the Ariat Heritage in short work perfectly for me. I’ve had mine for many years (about 5 years now) and also use them to show in and they still look great. I was able to get a used pair in brown and I use those for schooling every day so I don’t put any more wear on my black ones that I use for showing.
Look into Sergio Grasso boots. They have several options with fuller calves and short heights. I got measured at a local tack store, they ordered 2 pairs that looked like candidates, and when I tried them both on a few weeks later, one pair was perfect.
Also the LM boots are fully custom, but very reasonably priced. I love my la mundial boots and have several friends who’ve purchased them as well that are very happy.
BL is that it’s tough to be super short when shopping for any riding clothes. Not all riders are 5’8 with legs up to the armpit!!
Have you tried DeNiro? I am 5’1 with a 16” height calf, got their shortest height, and they dropped so much I ended up consigning the boots! I had the pebble leather Amabile ($400 when I got them, way better quality than the $300ish Ariats) so they were super soft. My main boots now are Ariats in their short height. I also know a lot of petite riders who wear Ego7.
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