Tall, stiff dress boots = less feel? I kinda hate them I think.

[FatCatFarm]

I know that, tall stiff boots are de rigueur for dressage with the thinking being they give the appearance of a longer and more stable leg, but beyond appearance, and being impossible to walk in, is there really any benefit?

I honestly think they hinder my ability to feel my horse and use my legs effectively. I’m a short rider on big horses. I’ve got the Ariat Tempos and am seriously considering getting a softer boot that lets me wrap my legs around my horse like when I’m riding in my half chaps. My stiff boots make me feel like my leg is more just hanging there and that I need longer spurs to get my point across that I don’t feel the need for in my half chaps.

Or do some of you switch boots between dressage and cross country?

[phoenixrises]

I don’t feel like mine keep me from having feel, it may be a personal thing. The only issue I have with mine (besides the not walking thing) is that they squeak on my wintec!! Loudly! So I’ve been wearing my Ariats at dressage shows because I’d rather not broadcast my cheap saddle.

[FatCatFarm]

[QUOTE=phoenixrises;8257196]
So I’ve been wearing my Ariats at dressage shows because I’d rather not broadcast my cheap saddle.[/QUOTE]

Funny!

[phoenixrises]

Oh and sorry yes I do typically wear my field boots for XC and jumping and my dress boots for dressage. But the event this past week I just wore my field boots for everything.

[FatCatFarm]

To date, I’ve only had the one pair and am thinking something more pliable is in order, at least for show jumping and cross country. And I won’t rule out ditching the stove pipes for dressage too.

[Willesdon]

Personally, I have never, never understood why people believe they have to suffer when wearing riding boots. Would one buy a pair of shoes one can’t walk in? (On second thoughts, yes, a whole fashion industry is based on women doing just that!). Find the boots that are comfortable, that allow you to ride your horse and allow you to concentrate on what you are doing rather than on what you are wearing.

A wise Frenchman once said to me “Any fool can be uncomfortable” and I have taken than point of view to heart.

[FatCatFarm]

Mine are not uncomfortable to ride in; but their stiffness is a distraction. Yes it does feel more like affectation than good riding sense.

[SomedaySoon]

Funny, I found the same thing. I was given an old pair of pull-on stovepipes that had been languishing in the tack room. They were a size bigger than I normally wear, which was perfect for winter with extra socks. I didn’t give them too much thought at the time, but noticed that my horse went better when I accidentally rode in my Ice Riders (or something like them) one day. Once winter socks were no longer necessary, I felt that the boot would stay in place on my saddle when I was trying to use my legs --they’d just move around inside the boot! So, now I wear my field boots for everything. I might try dress boots again, but maybe with zippers so they are more form-fitting (or at least the right size ).

[soloudinhere]

A nice stiff dressage boot that fits properly helps you keep the level heel and also gives some uniformity to the leg aid. Since you don’t use the back of your calf in the dressage position, it makes it easier to apply the leg aids from the upper inner calf.

I don’t like the super flexible, super tight field boot look, so I’m fine with my stiffer boots. I don’t jump in them, though, since the whole point is a boot that gives your ankle flexibility when jumping, which isn’t needed in dressage at all.

[SomedaySoon]

Hmm, I think I should have mentioned that I am a very low-level dressage rider. I think once you get better and ride the higher tests the stiffer boots would be more helpful.

[FatCatFarm]

Good point soloudinhere. I too am at the lower levels. Not sure I really want two different sets of boots to lug around though. I think I shall get a softer pair and then see.

[Huntin_Pony]

How often do you ride in the tall boots? If not often at home, then it’s a little like switching bits on the day of the show.

Before spending the money on new boots, you might want to ride in this pair for a few weeks and see if your perception changes.

[FatCatFarm]

I ride two or three times a week in my Ariats and have had them for two years now. I ride 4 to 5 days a week and sometimes two horses a day, so they’ve got decent mileage on them. They fit well and though I joked, I can actually walk around in them comfortably for a while, but too long and they do begin to rub my heels a bit. They’re beautiful boots, I just do not care for the stiffness.

For lack of a better word, I feel like the stiffness makes me feel less connected with my horse.

[_Tradewind]

I bought a pair of custom dress boots from La Mundial about eight years ago. They are so stiff they prevent me from using my legs effectively; the ankle is completely rigid. It took me several years of riding in them (at the upper levels) to realize they were negatively impacting my ability to ride a dressage test because they made my leg so dysfunctional that my whole body tensed up.

They are beautiful, but they are sitting in my basement and I don’t ever want to put them on again. Sigh.

[FatCatFarm]

@*Tradewind*;8257716

I bought a pair of custom dress boots from La Mundial about eight years ago. They are so stiff they prevent me from using my legs effectively; the ankle is completely rigid. It took me several years of riding in them (at the upper levels) to realize they were negatively impacting my ability to ride a dressage test because they made my leg so dysfunctional that my whole body tensed up.

Thanks for this post. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this, but I won’t rule out that they are negatively impacting my riding either. Hence my comment about the disconnectedness. So yeah, I think I need a softer, malleable pair for comparison. Worse case scenario, I have two sets of boots and use the stiffer pair for dressage and the softer pair for everything else.

[Hilary]

Hi, my name is Hilary and I cannot pass up a deal on riding boots. So I have a lot of them.

The thing with the stovepipe dressage boots is that they really don’t work all that well unless your horse is really at 2nd level or up when you can sit quietly and your leg aids are more subtle than Thelwell.

If you have a green horse, they do impede your riding and I cannot imagine jumping in them.

For years my Dehners were too stiff to jump in, but they were great for dressage, and eventually they got soft enough to jump in, but in the meantime I found another pair on Ebay that were nearly identical and I jumped in those.

[FatCatFarm]

^^^LOL! Well yes, I’ve been doing exactly that. One horse is no longer green, but another is, but even the further along guy is not yet 2nd level. This post was helpful and good to know my thinking that they (the boots) really weren’t what I needed at present, wasn’t off the mark. Thanks!