Hi everyone, are there any tall field boots out there that don’t come with zippers? I finally wore through the inside calf of one of my 20-ish year Ariat field boots. The only ones without zippers I have been able to find are full custom and $$$.
It’s cheaper to make them with zippers these days. Without zippers would be custom and hard to pull on/take off. Is there a reason for no zippers? Different companies fit differently if worried about saddle rub. Also dressage boots have different placement of zippers if those would be better for you.
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I am worried about the zippers breaking. My Ariats were never hard to get on or off so I don’t see the need for a zipper.
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I had to get custom. I looked and looked for years. Resoled my old boots multiple times, used electric tape to hold them together even at one show.
Custom is wonderful! Last Christmas present my late husband bought for me. We normally did not spend anywhere near that amount but he knew I would never do it for myself.
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The zippers do break. Had that happen to a student of mine just as she was about to go in the ring.
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They’re in my basement 
I have 2 pairs that I don’t wear in great condition. Have tried casually to sell them but no interest. If you’re in Ontario you’re welcome to come try them on if you wear a size 8.5-9 with a slim calf.
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Zippers are prone to breaking since they’re all the plastic YKK brand.
But in 30+yrs I’ve only had 1 zip break in my custom Vogels.
They went to NYC for a repair almost 20yrs ago & though not worn as frequently, that repair has held.
For ease of use, zips are the way to go.
I’ll never miss the pain of getting boots off after a long, hot day of showing in them 
If you go with zips ask the maker if they will supply you with a replacement that any shoemaker can put in for you.
My Dehner paddock zips can only use a Dehner zipper.
@Luseride Same!
My DH gifted me my customs when I bought my 1st horse. In 1989. Still wearing them 
& I did have to cover that break with elecrical tape, because, of course, it broke at a show 
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Try keeping an eye on ebay. My last pair of non zippered hunt boots I bought there for about one quarter of the usual purchase price. They were Dehner customs that didn’t fit the person who originally bought them. They posted measurements which were exactly mine. They were new, no wear, and likely had just been tried on once.
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Thank you for the offer, but I am in Virginia and wear an 11.
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Not a “vogue” brand but Dehner still makes them without zippers.
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While zippers can and do break, it’s not super common, and any shoe repair place can fix them for a minimal cost. I have 4 horses and ride daily. I’m hard on my boots, and I’ve only busted the zippers twice in the decades that I’ve had them. And the convenience of the zippers far outweighs the minor annoyance when a zipper breaks. Just my two cents.
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I still have my almost thirty year old low end boots. If I am showing and it is muddy I use them as I don’t want my good boots in the muck.
I have an old pair of Dehner’s black boots-not field size 8 or 9 if you ar interested.
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I’d call up Middleburg tack exchange and see if they have any in your size. They always seem to have some.
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Thank you, but I wear a US women’s 11.
Ok, well if I do have to buy boots with zippers how do the different brands compare? I have worn Ariats for years but I’d be willing to try Mountain Horse or Shires. The prices are roughly $100 difference: the Shires are the cheapest, then Ariats, then Mountain Horse. I should add that the main reason I am leery of zippers is because I used to wear the Ariat zip-up paddock boots and those zippers broke on every pair, so I went back to lace-ups.
I will do that, thanks for the idea!
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I wore through the stitching on the mountain horse sovereign boots in less than a year. For schooling, I wear Ego7s. Ordered from Europe they are the same price (sometimes cheaper) than the Mountain Horse boots, but wear like iron. They aren’t as comfortable or soft as my Parlanti show boots, but I can bathe horses, wade through paddocks mud, etc. in them with no issues.
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Thanks, I will look at them!
I held out on buying boots with zippers for WAY too long because I worried about the zippers breaking. I can now admit that I was very, very wrong. Yes, zippers can break. But it doesn’t happen often–and has never happened to me. And the enhanced comfort, convenience, and improved fit of the zipper boots hugely outweigh that one potential downside. I do not miss getting stuck in my boots all day or having to schlep boot pulls and a boot jack everywhere I went.
You can still get pull-on boots custom or at consignment places. But the reason all the stock manufacturers switched to zippers is because once you try them, you will not go back.
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